The Player's Podcast

Willie Freeman coached North Salem High School to two league titles. Through a huge life lesson, he had to find his next steps in his basketball journey. Listen in as Willie talks about his international playing career and all the way to coaching the NBA G league and drops some valuable advice to young players. 00:25 making his way from Atlanta to Salem 02:36 The life of a traveling international pro 10:42 Getting a late start in basketball 16:00 Comparing high school basketball in the east coast to the west coast 18:58 The quality of today's off-season basketball 25:33 JUCO world 33:17 Getting hired at North Salem HS 36:47 Learning on the fly in his first head coaching job 38:55 Avry Holmes taking his game to the next level as a junior under Coach Freeman 45:00 The mistake that changed his life 56:30 Coaching in the NBA G league 1:07:16 Advice to young players for this off season 1:11:13 The best Willie has seen in his limited time in Salem

Skinny talks about growing up at The Hoop and putting in a lifetime of work to become the player he was. He holds many records at South Salem HS and went on to become the all-time assists leader at St. Martin's University. 00:20 His place in the list of Salem point guards 02:15 Being around the game at a young age 04:55 Learning from his dad 06:01 Players he came up with 07:53 Getting to South Salem HS and starting as a Freshman 10:53 Developing his Point Guard IQ 14:52 Becoming a leader and leading by giving his teammates confidence 23:13 Growing as a player from his freshman to senior year 25:27 How should a player be spending their offseason 28:00 Getting to Portland State out of high school and transferring to St. Martin's 35:00 building relationships through the game 39:00 Memorable games throughout his career 46:45 Lessons learned through the game 55:22 looking back on missing out on playing other sports 1:00:22 Skinny's all-time Salem starting 5

Kip Ioane just finished his first season as the leader of the South Salem boy's basketball program. We talk through his time at Willamette University and how he is creating a new culture at South Salem. We also discuss our run together at Willamette Pro Hoop camp and learning from legendary coach Gordie James. 00:25 Making the transition from college to high school basketball 05:55 Exectations of student athletes at the high school level vs college level 09:38 The current state of AAU, training and off-season development 12:32 Building skills and transferring them to life 14:45 IQ versus skill for today's generation 25:30 Growing up in Billings, MT 27:50 Coming to Willamette University from Billings 30:29 Playing and learning from Gordie James 35:25 Adjusting to becoming a head coach 38:30 The D3 struggle of not being able to offer athletic scholarships 44:18 Remembering the glory days of Pro Classic Hoop Camp 51:23 Being in charge of an overnight camp 54:00 The evolution and future of Teams of Men 1:01:20 Listing off some of Salem's best players in his time here 1:06:15 The best of our Pro Hoop Camp debates 1:10:38 Coach Ioane's favorite story from Coach Gordie James

Jorge Garibay graduated from McKay HS in 2014 and was part of group that competed for a league title while he was there. It took a lot of time in the gym to get there, and his leadership was a big reason for that. Jorge looks back at the process to getting there and what it meant for him to make McKay basketball competitive. 00:42 Developing his competitive drive 02:20 Learning to compete at the varsity level as a sophomore 06:23 Gaining confidence and feeling like he belonged on the court 07:30 Getting involved in sports as a kid 10:00 Gaining motivation by watching McKay HS games during the Martino-era 14:15 Developing his work ethic 16:09 Learning from and through his family history 18:30 Learning the blocker-mover system into his junior year 26:46 Off season workouts at McKay 29:00 Stepping up junior year and being a competitive program as juniors and seniors 46:00 Lessons learned through sports and hard work 49:48 Being able to play for Coach Sanderson and live up to his expectations

Cruz Veliz just wrapped up his career at Woodburn High School with a 2nd team all state earning. We talk through his upbringing with 2 older brothers and learning how to compete. Big brother RJ joins us as well to provide some context to what's help Cruz succeed, and we also hear about their new venture V3 Athletics which is set to impact the Woodburn community in a big way. 01:04 Being ready for big plays in big moments 02:24 Developing his passion to put in the work 04:35 Being the youngest in a family of athletes 11:35 Playing for his dad at Woodburn HS 12:44 learning to become a great high school player 15:48 Veliz bros 1 on 1 battles as kids 17:40 Developing into a leader at Woodburn HS 19:55 Looking ahead to college basketball 21:45 V3 Athletics is coming to impact the Woodburn community 27:52 Cruz's starting 5 of opponents he's played against 32:50 Getting prepared for the next level

Former head coach of the Sprague Olympians reflects on his journey through basketball after finishing this season with the best team in the history of the school. 00:43 reflecting on the success from this years seniors at Sprague HS 1:44 State Tourney experience 5:08 Developing a love for the game as a kid 10:30 early lessons in high school practice 14:05 growing into a league title team his junior year 17:15 Coach Litch and developing work ethic in his teams 20:10 Counter top box jumps are not a recommended training method 22:30 being one win away from the state tourney back to back years 28:10 post-high school 32:20 Coaching a bad team versus coaching a great team 39:00 Learning scouting and preparation from Coach Litchfield 44:45 the benefit of set plays in addition to motion offenses 48:10 Coaching your team to do what they need versus what you want as a coach 53:30 the future of high school basketball 1:05:45 Favorite sayings from Coach Litchfield 1:08:04 All-time Salem starting 5

Enrique Sandoval has decades of experience in the game as a player and coach. Most recently, he led the Gervais girl's program the the 2023 2A State Title. We discuss his upbringing and how it helped shaped him as a player and person. We also get into the impact of the Oregon Latino Basketball Tournament as well to why he did not recruit me when he was coaching at Chemeketa. 2:38 Developing his love for the game 5:50 Memories from the Oregon Latino Basketball Tournament 11:03 His state runner-up team as a senior at Woodburn HS 16:50 Battling through failure in high school 19:30 Encouraging our kids through failure rather than keeping them away from failure 25:10 His path to college basketball 31:48 An all-time George Libbon story from Chemeketa practice 35:53 Being able to handle intensity from coaches 38:05 Playing for legendary coach Bart Valentine at Warner Pacific 43:10 Returning to Chemeketa CC to start his career as a basketball coach 46:23 Transitioning to coaching at Sprague HS 48:40 Returning home to coach at Woodburn HS 51:30 Leading the Gervais girl's team to a state title 57:50 The changing of youth basketball through one generation 59:40 All-time Woodburn starting 5 1:06:06 All-time Salem starting 5

RJ Veliz talks about his career thus far, developing his love for the game with his family and leading the next generation in his community. After a successful prep career (19th most points in Oregon high school history), RJ has gone onto to play at Western Oregon University, Wheaton College, and will now finish his final year at Corban College here in Salem. 1:25 The Veliz family love for basketball 4:45 Developing the work ethic that was his foundation for his career 8:10 Competing with younger brothers growing up 10:35 Woodburn's strong basketball community 13:20 Starting high school at Blanchet Catholic in Salem 18:19 Transitioning to play at Woodburn HS as his dad took the head coaching job 22:40 RJ's future in coaching 23:30 Playing at Western Oregon and Wheaton College (IL) 33:44 The difference in coaching vs playing 37:14 Looking ahead to his senior year at Corban 41:25 What were the impactful moments in his development? 45:12 The need for delusion to compete with higher caliber players 46:00 What he wishes he would have known as a younger player 48:19 What does the young player need to do that wants to be great 50:10 The effects of social media on the younger generation 54:25 The all time Woodburn starting 5 57:38 Who he watches for specific skill sets

Dean Sanderson is the new hire for the West Salem Titans. We discuss his coaching career, the learning that has taken place throughout, as well as his hopes for the future of West Salem basketball. 0:48. Coaching in his the community he lives in 3:05 Coaching his son at the high school level 6:10 Playing days in high school at Dallas, OR 12:18 The beginning of his coaching career 14:40 getting to West Salem to learn under Coach Gahr 18:38 Making his way to McKay HS as an assistant 22:45 JV success does not equal coaching proficiency 25:50 The struggle of losing with a limited team 29:00 The cycle of building a competitive team at McKay 37:30 Beating Sprague on Senior night in 2018 and reflecting on almost leaving McKay in 2016 44:04 20 years from his last stop at West Salem 46:46 Kids and structured vs unstructured play 48:10 Are there any negatives to the amount of work kids are putting in the game? 52:44 The importance of parental support for kids 58:20 what he hopes to see develop in the West Salem Basketball Program 1:00:22 Coach Sanderson's all-time Salem starting 5

Jason Unruh is a graduate of South Salem HS where he played for legendary coach Barry Adams. After spending a few years as an assistant, he went on to help found The Hoop as well as the Hoopla 3 on 3 basketball tournament. 0:55 Being able to turn ideas into tangible products 3:40 Future Stars Basketball Camp in the 90s 6:15 The change in youth basketball - - school based middle school hoops in the 80's 9:13 His skill development experience 10:54 Developing life skills in kids through hard experiences 12:05 Playing for Barry Adams at South Salem HS 16:00 Learning as a Camp Cascade counselor 16:55 The future of the week-long camp 21:50 Straight from high school basketball player to high school basketball coach 23:53 His brother Josh winning state player of the year 29:51 The genesis of The Hoop 37:30 Starting the Hoopla 3-on-3 tournament 51:30 Other impactful organization with the Salem basketball community 53:54 Building the West Salem girl's basketball program from scratch 1:00:47 The value of the 12th man on a team 1:03:34 The competitive of the old 10-team Valley League 1:08:14 Jason's all-time Salem starting five

Alex Hartman had a successful college and overseas pro career as a basketball player and has used his experiences to springboard his next professional chapter. We discuss his journey as a player as well as the NIL scene for athletes. Be on the lookout for a second episode with Hartman in the future. Check out his work at heartlandcreative.net 1:36 Building skills and relationships at Shoot 360 9:18 Hart's basketball journey - - overcoming obstacles through hard work 19:00 Environment leading to opportunity 23:51 The NIL landscape for today's athlete 36:44 Hartman's Cascade Conference starting 5

Greg Plater became a first-team all-state player at McKay HS while helping to take the program from the bottom of the league to state contenders. He credits his hours in the gym to building his game on the court, but also his confidence in himself to be great. 00:41 Developing a love for the game as a kid 2:30 How he watched the greats and applied to his game 6:30 The value of mid-range in the age of analytics 9:10 Playing on the Freshman team while having varsity talent 10:25 Developing into a first team all-state player at McKay HS 14:00 How Greg spent his time in the gym 16:05 structured vs unstructured training time 17:20 Learning from failure 19:09 Taking McKay from last to first and a state contender 23:00 Mentoring the younger group that replicated Greg's success 3 years later 25:15 Transitioning from high school to college 27:10 Greg's starting 5 from Salem 28:50 Replaying the final play his sophomore year against Sprague

Jack Martino has over 30 years of coaching experience. His experiences have enabled him to get the most out of his teams. In 3 years at McKay HS, he took them from last place in the Valley League into state contenders. 0:15. Future of the Warriors 2:20 HS basketball in the Bay Area 5:33. Starting his coaching career 7:00 Reflecting on teams with bad records after decades of experience 8:00 Coaching losing teams early in his career and how that shaped his philosophy 11:18. Transition from Woodburn to McKay 13:35. 25 years and the larger gap in competition among Salem schools 20:00 Learning from Coach Larry Gahr at West Salem HS 23:00 Taking over the McKay varsity 25:10 Taking McKay from the bottom to a state contender 30:09 Coaching Greg Plater to be a first team all state player 32:20 Putting in the “system” at McKay 32:29 Jordan Carter's development into a first team all state player 42:05 Coaching Malik Leaks at North Salem HS 47:05 The changing of the game in the last 25 years 54:53 Players who did not max their potential 58:40 Most notable games in his time

Mike McShane is a basketball legend in Salem. He is coming off a successful 2-year run as the head girl's basketball coach at McNary High School. He breaks down how he developed his team and what he has learned through his life in the game. 0:18 The Oly Cup and the future of Unified Sports 4:30 The need for access to sports for all 6:05 The head coaching experience 8:05 Evaluating your team to identify a system that fits 9:15 The decline of the transition set offense 11:00 The early season practices with Coach Barry Adams 12:35 The importance of communicating on the court 14:05 Encouraging kids to start talking on the court 15:34 Building accountability in a program 17:38 Modern day work ethic vs what we did in the past 25:38 Pistol Pete VHS workout fueled his journey 28:10 Being an elite point guard within a system 33:05 Getting young players to practice layups 34:10 The easiest thing to get players to do 36:10 Having an authoritative voice and leading with respect 45:40 All-time Salem starting 5 53:11 Players who motivated him to work 57:28 Most memorable plays and games of his career 1:01:31 The 4A tourney in the Memorial Coliseum 1:04:21 Still a division 1 point guard even though he only started varsity for 2 years

Joined today by my high school coach, Jim Litchfield. Coach Litch has decades of experience in the game of basketball and was a huge part of my development. We discuss his history as well as what he sees in today's game. 0:37. Coach Litchfield's challenge to a sophomore me 4:25 The importance of being brutally honest with players 5:19 Gaining strength as a basketball player will take you to a higher level 7:06 Implementing a culture of work into the program when it wasn't the norm 10:38 How he developed a love for the game 15:50 Getting into the coaching world 20:18 Leaning from Coach Doherty at Corvallis 27:18 Scouting opponents with Coach Gahr at McNary 30:00 The sacrifice it takes to prepare a team well 36:30. Scouting opponents in-person vs in-video using today's technology 40:40 Identifying what will work with the talent you have 49:09 The changing of the game in the last 20 years 54:35 One skill that indentifies great potential 1:04:40 Improving your game beyond the typical skills training 1:10:50 Listing off some of the top players in Salem during his coaching career 1:15:45 Notable games from his career

Coach Cho stops by to reflect on his time at Lake Oswego as well as offer some reflections on the state of youth basketball 1:37. Reflecting on Success at Lake Oswego 5:05. Pivotal moments for the development of a player 10:00. Mental challenges for youth 16:39. Dangers of workout culture 20:34. Surrounding yourself with the right people 27:20. Coach Cho's top 5 opponents in his 8 years at Lake Oswego Check out Coach Cho at https://www.marshallcho.com order "learning the game of basketball" ---> https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Game-Basketball-Foundational-Principles/dp/B0CKLMQ8KY/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= salemhoopsproject.org

We are joined by Malik Leaks, a North Salem HS grad. We discuss what made him a great player and how is passing it on the youth he trains. 00:30 Earliest basketball memory 01:14. Developing a love for the game 01:50. The work Malik put in 03:00. Success at North Salem High School 03:55. Becoming the #1 option 06:08. North vs McKay - clutch moment 07:33. Developing basketball IQ 10:50. Transition to the college game 12:15. Biggest impacts to his development 14:44. Malik is the most underrated player from Salem 17:34. Transitioning to a coach 21:55. Importance of pick up basketball 25:05 Balance of weightlifting and on-court work 27:25 Who Malik watched as a kid 28:55. High School playoff experience Order "Learning the Game of Basketball: Volume 1" https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Game-Basketball-Foundational-Principles/dp/B0CKLMQ8KY/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Visit us at salemhoopsproject.org

DJ Shaw from Portland Oregon joins us to discuss player development in the modern day. 00:30 Recapping the Coach Shaw Holiday Hoop Camp 03:33 Clarifying training expectations for parents 05:55 Reaching your next level as a player 08:58 Identifying the starting point for player development 13:00. Improving at what's necessary for the player vs what's desired by the player 16:48. Coach Shaw lists some great free resources to check out 19:18. Learning from Phil Beckner 22:30. Filtering out distracting voices 26:00 We need to de-emphasize scoring in our player development 29:17. Pre-game needs for players 29:41. Post-game needs for players 30:30. Book recommendation 32:18. Film study recommendation: Rip Hamilton Order "Learning the Game of Basketball: Volume 1" https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Game-Basketball-Foundational-Principles/dp/B0CKLMQ8KY/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Visit us at salemhoopsproject.org

While we all want to be the go to guy (or girl) on our team, most of us will not be Jordan in this story. When we watch the role players from the Chicago teams, we can see lessons about the importance of staying on the floor and helping our team succeed.

While he still had an outstanding individual resume in his career, Michael Jordan learned how to sacrifice individual desires for increased team success.

Cliff White discusses the habits that helped him have a successful and collegiate and pro career. Now as a parent, Cliff speaks on the similarities and differences between his journey and that of his kids.

Coach Memory identifies three pillars that led to the success of Jordan's teams.

Jeremiah Dominguez talks to The Player's Podcast about how he became so effective and efficient as a player. This led him to starring at Portland State University and playing professionally in the LNBP (Mexico).

Ashley Corral is a coach and trainer in Vancouver, WA. Throughout the "Shelter in place" order, she has found creative ways to give her athletes structure. She shares that advice with us.

AJ Lapray spent much of his college career battling injuries, but it didn't stop him from playing. And he is still playing through his YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/lapraybasketball).

Sam Johnson of Strengthfarm PDX discusses how to maximize your time and best prepare your body for the demands of a long basketball season.

Avry Holmes discusses the steps he took and the work ethic he developed that helped him earn a spot in the G-League and now in the LNBP of Mexico.

Clackamas High School boy's basketball coach Cameron Mitchell reflects on his playing career through his new perspective of the game as a coach.

Xavier Cannefax gives detail to what it took for him to reach his dream of playing professionally.

Rob Smaller helps us break down ways to watch the game and suggests a few players to study from.

Coach Memory provided an in-depth view of what it means to develop as a basketball player.

When is transferring the right decision? Is it always the wrong decision? Coach Shaw sits down to discuss what the thought process should be if you are thinking about transferring.

There is an abundance of equipment that a basketball player could invest in. But how many of them will bring you an equal benefit for your investment? Today we look at five products and whether or not they are worth the cost.

Dr. Blake talks about why developing a mindset focused on improvement rather than achievement is important for athletic performance.

Henry Barrera is the Director of Sport Performance at Liberty University where he works directly with the Men's Basketball program.

Marshall Cho, head coach of the Lake Oswego High School boy's basketball program, talks about becoming a coachable player and contributing the the culture of your program.

Mike McShane shares his journey through the game of basketball. If you think you are working hard, try and compare what you are doing to what Mike did.

Best known as The Professor, Grayson shares his journey of reaching the heights of athletic success, to devoting his life to Jesus.

Coach Ioane talks about his recruiting process at Willamette University, an NCAA D3 program in Salem, OR.

Jordan Carter was a standout player in high school. He was twice voted League MVP, 1st team all-state in Oregon as a senior, and broke scoring record previously held by Kevin Love at the high school state tournament. Despite his performance on the court, he was not recruited by Division 1 schools. Jordan talks about his expectations of being recruited versus the reality he experienced.

Junior Guard from Oregon State University Katie McWilliams discusses her transition from high school to college.

DJ Shaw, skills trainer based out of Portland, Oregon, discusses the ideal way to train for the game of basketball.

Coach/Skills trainer Ashley Corral discusses how to become an elite player. She goes in-depth about planning your year, what separates elite players from average, and letting your love for the game drive you.

The Player's Podcast launches with a brief introduction and a run down of the first season's guests. The Player's Podcast is brought to you by the Salem Hoops Project. Visit salemhoopsproject.org for more information.