Hardwood Hustle

This week on the Hardwood Hustle we’re joined by Coach Matthew Smith from Washington State to discuss analytics, propelling your coaching career and what we can learn from pickup basketball. Send us a Message.

It's easy to go through the off-season just checking boxes... Ball handling drills, check. Passing drills, check. Shooting drills, check. But to ensure your individual players are actually improving, take a more intentional approach and hone on theirs and your biggest return on investment. Show Notes: • Universal Fundamental skills approach v. Individual approach • SICC Approach| • Current v. Next Level & Developing a specialty • Factors: Time, System, & Long Term Development • Summer Practice Approach • Alignment in Developmental System • Game experience v. Reps in practice • Spend time on strengths v. weaknesses • The difference between players today • 2 ft. vs. 1 ft. Finishing & Passing • Valuing: Decision-Making, Shooting, Effort, Being a Good Teammate • Developing smarter more athletic players • 32-Minute Workout • Creating 7-Day Challenges • Avoiding checkbox workouts Send us a Message.

This week TJ and Sam discuss what makes offensive actions work including how to utilize different types of screens, combining actions together, personnel implications and how you might steal actions from other teams based on what’s hard to guard. Show Notes: • Flare Screens • Back Screens • Ball Screens • Combo & Iso Actions • 2-Man Actions • What's Hard to Guard & Small-Sided Games Send us a Message.

This week we’re joined by NBA Shooting Coach, Dave Love to discuss the most important aspects and essential teaching points of developing better shooters and even fixing broken shots. Show Notes: About Coach Dave Love: For the past 18 years, Dave has coached players of all levels to improve their shooting, through a series of systematic drills & skill progressions. His skills in developing shooters has brought him to the NBA where he continues to work with some of the greatest players in the league. Dave has been featured in: NBA.com, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, ESPN, SBNATION, and The Guardian for his unique and noteworthy ability to improve a player’s shooting ability. Follow on twitter: @CoachDaveLove Website: https://www.coachdavelove.com/ Send us a Message.

Iowa women’s basketball just made another run to the National Championship Game, and did you know they run the Read & React offense? This week, Rick Torbett from Better Basketball joins TJ and Sam to discuss what makes for good offense and how Iowa’s system has set Caitlin Clark and her teammates up for success. Free Read & React Master Class: https://betterbasketball.com/read-and-react-on-demand/ Website: https://betterbasketball.com/ Show Notes: • What is the Read & React allowing Iowa Women's Basketball to do? • Favorite Action in the Read & React • Observations from Iowa WBB practices • Player Development with Read & React • Signs of Good Offense • What if you don't have a Caitlin Clark? • Finding extra opportunities for your best players and your offense • Running sets within the Read & React • Simple actions, principles, and Circle Movement • Feeding the post • FAFSA Offense • Coaches wanting either freedom or control Send us a Message.

On the other side of a breakdown is a breakthrough and this week, PGC President, Mano Watsa joins the show to share how having courageous conversations can transform your program by building more trust and ensuring more growth. Send us a Message.

There can be a lot of mixed emotions when the basketball season finally comes to an end. In this week’s episode, TJ shares personal reflections on his season at Emmanuel as he discusses with Sam how coaches can properly reflect and evaluate where they’re at and where they need to be. Show Notes: Send us a Message.

This week, TJ and Sam discuss how coaches show up as leaders. Consistency matters, but so does the ability to see a need and fill a need for your team. Whether it’s knowing when to be demanding, supportive, empathetic, or inspirational, in this episode we discuss the importance of understanding and growing in your role as a coach. Send us a Message.

This week we’re joined once again by special guest, Cody Royle, a former professional head coach who now works full time helping coaches perform at their best. In this episode we discuss ideas from his 3rd book, Second Set of Eyes, and how coaches can better approach their goals, others’ expectations, and feelings of burnout. Website: https://www.codyroyle.com/ Twitter: @codyroyle Books: Second Set of Eyes, The Tough Stuff, Where Others Won’t, Send us a Message.

This week, TJ and Sam are joined by PGC Director Chad Songy, and Puget Sound Head Women’s Basketball Coach, Casey Kushiyama. In his 7th year as head coach, they’re coming off 3 20-win seasons and most recently a big upset win in the national tournament. In this episode Casey and Chad share how making the team culture a priority has played a big role in their success including ideas you can take back to your programs. Send us a Message.

We believe competitiveness is a skill that can be taught and this week Sam and TJ discuss the difference between playing and competing and popular misconceptions so we can better develop it in our programs. Send us a Message.

Usually it's the little things that can have the biggest impact on your team's performance. TJ Rosene and Sam Allen discuss four underrated aspects of basketball practices especially mid-season when the pressure ramps up, and the desire to enhance your offensive and defensive scheme is high. They dive into passing, rebounding, playing powerful, and shooting and emphasize the how and why behind their importance so as to not regret overlooking them at the end of your season. Send us a Message.

How do you know your team is ready for the postseason? Whether you’re the underdog or the favorite, in this episode, Sam and TJ discuss 4 mistakes to avoid making to ensure your team is prepared and confident going into tournament play. Show Notes: The Goldilocks Mistake - Adding too much or not doing enough - Having something in your back pocket - What can you double down on and emphasize? The Hunting Mistake - Playing not to lose rather than playing to win - Feeling the pressure of the postseason - Using tactics to enhance your mentality - Do you know your team? The Boxing Mistake - Preparation: It's not working - what's next? - Reviewing zone options, press situations, etc. gives confidence - Anticipating scenarios, special situations, foul trouble The Head & Heart Mistake - Is the vibe right? - Getting your players connected, confident, energized, and enthusiastic - Asking the right questions - Putting energy on the defensive rather than offensive end - Don't hunt home runs, aim for singles Send us a Message.

This week we're joined by Greg Tonagel, head men's basketball coach at Indiana Wesleyan University. With over 500 wins and 3 national championships, we discuss how he's created a winning culture and his journey as a coach and transformational leader. He shares his early learning moments and the mistakes he made as a young coach. Coach Tonagel highlights the root of their team culture and how they made a significant jump as a program when he focused on taking fear out his coaching. Hear more about the I AM THIRD philosophy: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/iwuhoops-presents-the-pursuit/id1375802520 Go to https://www.iwuhoops.net/ to learn more about their program. Send us a Message.

This week we dive into current events with Sam and TJ’s teams to see if you can relate as a leader and coach as we discuss a variety of topics including creating player-led teams, and fighting complacency. It's also important to be able to pinpoint why your team is struggling. Do you have a basketball, head, or heart problem? We typically like to solve our team's problems with better drills, strategies, and practices, but there's also a chance there's something deeper for you to address. Listen this week to hear how your own coaching strategy stacks up. Send us a Message.

Managing your player’s expectations as well as your own can be one of the toughest tasks as a coach. From social media influences, the role of parents, the overvaluing of the stat sheet, and dealing with disappointment all of these factors can create a frustrating situation for coaches. This week we discuss underlying factors, opportunities, and solutions to help you turn the corner in this area. Building a strong team culture and setting team standards are key to helping players adjust their expectations, set new ones, and create an environment where everyone can find fulfillment. Send us a Message.

Talent is overrated… A statement that TJ and Sam explore in this episode how in a given coaching career you can experience the highest levels of success along with the lowest of lows in losing and frustrating seasons. When we face these challenges how do we figure out what’s hurting our team the most and help our team reach their potential? Accountability, consistency, building culture and more are big keys discussed when it comes to maximizing your team’s talent. Send us a Message.

In this episode, TJ and Sam discuss winning offensive habits as they each draft their top five habits, including valuing the ball, playing with pace, decision-making, spacing the floor, and more. Wherever you’re at in your season, you can see how your team’s habits stack up with Sam and TJ’s picks. Show Notes: Send us a Message.

There's power in being able to say, "I don't know." This week Sam and Lisa dive into the topic of leadership and the importance of being able to admit we don’t have all of the answers, and what we can do about it. It’s facing the ever-present challenge to stay humble and live what we preach by being honest, prepared, and committed to growth. Leaders have to evolve and adapt, by balancing old school principles with new age approaches. The value of surrounding oneself with complementary team members is critical to our success. We reflect on the leadership lessons learned about making tough decisions, embracing change, and the rewards of the leadership journey. Send us a Message.

This week, Sam and TJ discuss frustrations and questions coaches face during seasons as we try to problem solve strategy and scouting decisions as well as common mistakes we’ll want to avoid making. The conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding the variability of opponents and the need for players to adapt to different game situations. Good offensive coaches are characterized by their clarity of how they want to play and their ability to generate good shots. Good passing, cutting, and spacing on offense can be the little details that make your offense go. On the defensive end, coaches should have a clear defensive identity and make adjustments based on their personnel. Not to be left out of your in-season priorities is the importance of player development and keeping that a focus for your players and within your practice plans. Show Notes: • Understanding changes from game to game • The 80/20 Rule • Growing your offense by adapting and evolving • What Good offensive coaches do • Shot selection and playing to your strengths • Having multiple ways to generate the shots you want • Knowing the most frequent decisions in your offense • "Offense gets better when your passing gets better" • Common coaching mistakes • Defining good spacing • Adapting to your opponent • Defensive identity and creating clarity • Characteristics of good defensive teams • Forcing baseline v. playing square • Overcoming lack of athleticism with basketball IQ • Complementary defensive principles • What are you taking away and what are you living with • Process v. outcome oriented • Minor adjustments v. wholesale changes • In-season player development Send us a Message.