The Basketball Strong Podcast

Basketball is in Michael Plansky’s blood. Two of his brothers won state titles in high school, his dad coached his sister’s teams to another state championship, and his brother Mark played on Villanova’s 1985 NCAA championship team. After his own successful playing career in both basketball and baseball at Fairfield University ended, Michael decided to move into coaching. After serving as an assistant at Brandeis University for four years, Michael learned from the legendary Tom Davis at University of Iowa. He then moved on to Saint Michael’s College, where the men’s team won their postseason conference title. As they went on to the NCAA Tournament, Michael’s twins were born prematurely at 26 weeks. Soon after, he accepted the head coaching job at Salve Regina University. On the way to practice for the team’s conference tournament, Michael found out that his son Max had cerebral palsy. After leading Salve Regina to a regular season championship and program wins record, he took Endicott College to two conference tournament titles and NCAA berths. Following roles as an athletic director and a leader of a veterans’ charity, Michael founded the non-profit You’re With Us, which began after Northeastern University’s basketball team welcomed Max into their team and their hearts. In this episode, Michael shared: · How his father’s cancer battle inspired him to become his best on and off the court · What Tom Davis taught him about coaching philosophy · How he coped with parenting premature twins and a player getting meningitis during his first season as a head coach · Why Coach Bill Coen and the Northeastern University basketball team changed his son Max’s life · What You’re With Us is doing to empower teens and young adults with disabilities Learn more about You’re With Us at www.yourewith.us and follow them on Instagram @youre_with_us and on Twitter @youre_with_us

Ken Hunter still remembers the night he pulled a kitchen knife to stop his dad hitting his mom. What came next was even more extreme, although for anyone growing up in southwestern Detroit, it was normal. The court provided Ken with some solace, and he quickly grew into a top prospect, attending the same school where Jalen Rose had won a state title. When his football coach kicked his butt for skipping school, Ken also became a standout student, even while living off friends’ couches and with his grandma. A run-in with the law landed Ken in the courtroom, and seemingly heading for jail. But a mentor went all Good Will Hunting and convinced the judge to expunge his record if he served in the military. Once he got out, Ken picked up a ball for the first time in two years and played at LA Trade Tech. Feeling at ease for the first time in his, he helped turn a losing program into a winning one, including a statement win over East LA College. But wrestling with his roommate snapped something in Ken’s spine and he was instantly paralyzed. Falling back in with his OGs back in Detroit, Ken was so depressed he called his wife and said he wanted to die. But his college coach brought him back to the West Coast as an assistant, and taught him the coaching trade over 13 years. Then, fittingly, his time as a lead recruiter started where his playing days had dramatically ended: ELAC. Since then, he has worked closely with Coach John Mosley to lead young men to D1 scholarships and faith on the court and leadership off it – as shown on camera in Last Chance U Basketball on Netflix. He is also involved in many charitable causes throughout LA and back in Detroit, and is a devoted father of five, husband, and now grandfather. In this episode, Ken comes in hot about: · How his uncle shot his father in the head and what happened next · Why he turned to basketball for solace · How he turned paralysis into a blessing · Why he has such a heart for young men from inner cities · What drives he and Coach Mosley to deliver daily servant leadership Keep up with Ken on his Instagram feed @coach_ken_last_chance_u and follow ELAC basketball’s progress at https://www.elacathletics.com/sports/mbkb/coaches/index

Most young assistant coaches dream of the day when they’ll finally get a crack at promotion. But few are ready for the realities of being a head coach. Jesse Wright realized he still had a lot to learn when he was tasked with running the weight room for the NFL Europe team in Barcelona while still in his early 20s. His work ethic and ability to problem solve got him through that trying season, and upon returning to his native Philadelphia, he soon found himself working for the 76ers as a consulting coach through a local performance center that had a contract to oversee the NBA team’s strength and conditioning. Overseeing the training of rookies, veterans like Andre Iguodala, Aaron McKie, and Elton Brand, and everyone in between, Jesse recognized the need to give players some degree of autonomy. After his company’s contract ended, he assumed the full-time role of the Sixers S&C coach, and later become the team’s Director of Performance Science. In this episode, Jesse reveals: To learn more from Jesse, check out his book The Intent is to Grow, follow him on Instagram, and visit his website.

Coach John Mosley can still remember the day his life changed forever. Gang members fired bullets outside his Los Angeles high school in a drive-by shooting, and Mosley was on his way to get revenge. But as he was about to jump in his friend’s car, he asked himself, “What am I doing?” Soon afterwards, two words took him down a different path: “Basketball tryouts.” Mosley came late to the game, but his stellar point guard play earned him minutes at East LA College (ELAC), The Master’s College (now University) and with pro teams in Brazil and Australia. Next, he went back to guide the Mustangs on the sidelines with Coach Keith Oates and then took the assistant coach position at Cal State Bakersfield with Keith Brown. His other alma mater, ELAC, came calling, and Mosley took his first head coaching job, believing he’d just be there for a year before accepting a D1 offer. Yet 11 seasons later, he feels called to remain at ELAC to develop troubled young men as players and people. Just before the pandemic, his squad got international airtime in season 1 of Last Chance U Basketball. Though COVID robbed them of a state title, KJ Allen, Deshaun Highler, and Joe Hampton became stars. In season 2, Coach Mosley and his assistants Ken Hunter and Rob Robinson guided a new crew led by Bryan Penn-Johnson, Dez Washington, Shemar Washington and Demetrius "DC" Calip II to D1 and D2 scholarships, and ELAC won the conference title. In this episode, Coach Mosley shares: Learn more from Coach Mosley at his website, https://coachjohnmosley.com/ and on Instagram @coachjohnmosley

Strength and conditioning for young pro athletes isn’t easy, but because they’re bouncy and resilient, you can experiment more to find a line of best fit. But what about when you’re training older athletes aged 35 and up, either in the general population or a pro sports setting? That’s the question legendary strength coach answers in this podcast. In this part 2, he and former Lakers S&C coach Tim DiFrancesco discuss: Read Mike’s new book, Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities (2nd edition), check out his articles at strengthcoach.com, and follow him at @mboyle1959 on Twitter and @michael_boyle1959 on Instagram

Tim Frazier was told he was too small and weak to play contact sports. But sibling rivalry fueled him to prove his doubters wrong and propelled him to a basketball scholarship with Penn. There, his stellar play at the point earned Tim All Big Ten honors. Yet disaster loomed, and he tore his Achilles just a few months later. Looking at the game through his coaches’ eyes, he turned a negative into a positive and worked his way back onto the court with courage and determination. In his senior year, Tim’s pure point guard skills and improved shooting got him back in contention for the NBA draft, but he never heard his name called. He worked out for several teams, including the Philadelphia 76ers and made the Boston Celtics’ summer league squad. He was playing in the D League in Maine when he got the call from the 76ers, who needed cover because of injuries. Avery Bradley had to lend Tim shoes because his were locked in his team’s practice facility. Tim had a series of short stays with multiple NBA teams, before getting a two-year deal with New Orleans. He played for 9 seasons in the league, before taking his talents to Greece and France. In this episode, Tim dishes on: Keep up with Tim on his Instagram feed @timfraz23

Tim Frazier was told he was too small and weak to play contact sports. But sibling rivalry fueled him to prove his doubters wrong and propelled him to a basketball scholarship with Penn. There, his stellar play at the point earned Tim All Big Ten honors. Yet disaster loomed, and he tore his Achilles just a few months later. Looking at the game through his coaches’ eyes, he turned a negative into a positive and worked his way back onto the court with courage and determination. In his senior year, Tim’s pure point guard skills and improved shooting got him back in contention for the NBA draft, but he never heard his name called. He worked out for several teams, including the Philadelphia 76ers and made the Boston Celtics’ summer league squad. He was playing in the D League in Maine when he got the call from the 76ers, who needed cover because of injuries. Avery Bradley had to lend Tim shoes because his were locked in his team’s practice facility. Tim had a series of short stays with multiple NBA teams, before getting a two-year deal with New Orleans. He played for 9 seasons in the league, before taking his talents to Greece and France. In this episode, Tim dishes on: Keep up with Tim on his Instagram feed @timfraz23

Tim Frazier was told he was too small and weak to play contact sports. But sibling rivalry fueled him to prove his doubters wrong and propelled him to a basketball scholarship with Penn. There, his stellar play at the point earned Tim All Big Ten honors. Yet disaster loomed, and he tore his Achilles just a few months later. Looking at the game through his coaches’ eyes, he turned a negative into a positive and worked his way back onto the court with courage and determination. In his senior year, Tim’s pure point guard skills and improved shooting got him back in contention for the NBA draft, but he never heard his name called. He worked out for several teams, including the Philadelphia 76ers and made the Boston Celtics’ summer league squad. He was playing in the D League in Maine when he got the call from the 76ers, who needed cover because of injuries. Avery Bradley had to lend Tim shoes because his were locked in his team’s practice facility. Tim had a series of short stays with multiple NBA teams, before getting a two-year deal with New Orleans. He played for 9 seasons in the league, before taking his talents to Greece and France. In this episode, Tim dishes on: Keep up with Tim on his Instagram feed @timfraz23

Ax throwing. Log balancing. Carrying kettlebells through the forest. Standup paddling. Visitors to Gray Cook’s lake cabin invariably do some activities that might seem unconventional at first but actually train every major movement pattern and then some. Gray applies a similar real-world lens to the movement and function assessments that he co-created for athletes, including the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), Functional Capacity Screen (FCS) and Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA). When Basketball Strong co-host Tim DiFrancesco was the S&C coach for the Lakers, he used these screens to identify the gaps in their movement literacy so that he could make them more durable on the court. Gray’s practices are used across the NBA and in many college and high school programs, and his movement philosophies and practices offer coaches, parents, and players at every level the chance to reduce the risk of injury, increase strength, power, balance, and speed, and play the game better for longer. In this episode, Gray shares: Click here to read Gray’s books and articles, find seminars and other resources on the Functional Movement website, and keep an eye out for Gray’s new book, The Business of Movement.

Ax throwing. Log balancing. Carrying kettlebells through the forest. Standup paddling. Visitors to Gray Cook’s lake cabin invariably do some activities that might seem unconventional at first but actually train every major movement pattern and then some. Gray applies a similar real-world lens to the movement and function assessments that he co-created for athletes, including the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), Functional Capacity Screen (FCS) and Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA). When Basketball Strong co-host Tim Francesco was the S&C coach for the Lakers, he used these screens to identify the gaps in their movement literacy so that he could make them more durable on the court. Gray’s practices are used across the NBA and in many college and high school programs, and his movement philosophies and practices offer coaches, parents, and players at every level the chance to reduce the risk of injury, increase strength, power, balance, and speed, and play the game better for longer. In this episode, Gray shares: Click here to read Gray’s books and articles, find seminars and other resources on the Functional Movement website, and keep an eye out for Gray’s new book, The Business of Movement.

Growing up with a dad (Terry) who played 10 seasons in the NBA, you might expect that Ed Davis was pushed from the time he could hold a basketball. But his father let Ed’s love of the game develop naturally before training him on the court, at the track, and in the weight room when he was a teenager. Ed also benefited from a mom who let him put basketball first, pickup games with the likes of Ben Wallace at Virginia Union, and the discipline and timekeeping he learned at a private military school. All these things helped Ed become a top-10 high school prospect and McDonald’s High School All-American. His decision to play for Roy Williams at UNC was vindicated when the team won the national championship his freshman year. After his sophomore season, Ed declared for the 2010 NBA Draft and was picked 13th by the Toronto Raptors. In his 12-year career, he also played for the Grizzlies, Lakers, Jazz, Nets, and Cavaliers, and led the league in offensive rebounding rate one season. In this episode, Ed dishes on: · Why he chose to fight for playing time at North Carolina over starting at other schools · How breaking his wrist against Duke changed his pre-draft process · Why the Transfer Portal, NIL, and mixtapes have changed high school and college basketball · How guidance from Reggie Evans and DeMar DeRozan helped him navigate his rookie year · Who was his worst coach in the NBA and how this contrasted with the leadership of Quin Snyder and Roy Williams Keep up with Ed on Twitter @eddavisXVII.

NBA, NHL, MLS, division I college sports, pro rugby. There are few sports that Jeremy Bettle hasn’t worked in at the highest level. At each stop, he has combined the firm foundation of understanding the latest sports science with communication, teamwork, leadership and other soft skills that have allowed him to apply it. Working with Deron Williams and developing a relationship with GM Billy King led to Jeremy switching from director of sports performance at UC Santa Barbara to becoming head S+C coach at the then New Jersey Nets. He instilled a multidisciplinary approach that included sleep, nutrition, strength training and much more. Partway through his tenure, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce came over in a trade with the Boston Celtics. In this interview, Jeremy shares: · Why if you’re terrified then you’re probably in the right job · How mentoring from Dr. Maury Hayashida helped him get athletes from injury to return to play · How KG would’ve viewed the kind of “load management” that’s popular in today’s NBA · Why teams should prepare players for load, not shield them from it · How to use sleep monitoring and RPE more effectively · Why player testing should be connected to ongoing monitoring · How loading connective tissues and keeping chronic workloads high can increase athlete durability and reduce injury risk · Why remembering that players have spouses, kids, and similar everyday lives to everyone else can help coaches better serve them Connect with Jeremy on LinkedIn or on Instagram at @jeremybettlecoaching . Also check out the multidisciplinary Test, Treat, Train model of human performance at Variant in Santa Barbara or online at https://www.varianttraininglab.com/

Everybody loves winners, but sometimes the most compelling stories are born out of losing. That’s one of the things Ian Thomsen learned when he was assigned to cover the losingest team in college football while in Northwestern University’s famed journalism program. He also juggled a job for the Chicago Sun-Tribune and eventually earned a spot on one of the greatest writing rosters of all time with the Boston Globe. This gave Ian an insider’s view of the heated Celtics-Lakers rivalry that defined NBA basketball in the 80s, and led to a candid, two-hour interview with Michael Jordan when he was coming back from a potential career-ending foot injury. Later stints with Sports Illustrated and The International Herald Tribune saw Ian covering events as diverse as the Rugby World Cup, UEFA Champion’s League, and London Olympics. Throughout all these experiences, Ian’s love of people, ability to unearth previously untold stories, and passion for sports has shone through in every single word he puts on the page. In this interview, Ian shares: To enjoy more of Ian’s insights, follow him on Twitter and read The Soul of Basketball.

Ramsey Nijem’s mom worked multiple jobs to put food on the table for her family and give them the opportunity to excel. So it’s no surprise that he worked so hard in college that he finished his master’s and doctorate in half the normal time and ended up working as an assistant strength coach for the Sacramento Kings just a few short years later. It took years for the Kings to lay the foundation for their recent return to the NBA playoffs and Ramsey was on site pouring concrete and laying bricks every day, often for 15+ hours. He was one of the first strength and conditioning coaches to integrate data-driven decision making, but always pursued a person-first, athlete-second model. He could’ve stayed at the Kings or in the league for his whole career, but when Bill Self came calling, he moved on to KU. That very next season, Jayhawks like Christian Braun – now an NBA champion with the Denver Nuggets – led the team to a national title. In this episode, Ramsey shares: · How his dog and a gold chain changed the course of his life · What he sacrificed to accelerate his education and professional development in elite performance · How he implemented sports science thoughtfully with the Kings · Why most people think about NBA load management wrong · What powered KU basketball to the 2021 NCAA Final Four and a national title · Why he embraced life in Lawrence · Why Bill Self is such a great coach Keep up with Ramsey on Instagram @dr.ramsey.nijem and check out his 8-week course and certification for up and coming strength & performance professionals at https://www.appliedperformancecoach.com/

Carrie Moore came to basketball later than most of her peers, when a friend and neighbor’s love of the game rubbed off on her. She quickly made up for lost time, learning from her high school coach Frank Orlando, who’d go on to win almost 800 games. Carrie became a leader on the floor and then scored over 2,000 points at Western Michigan University, where she led the nation in points per game in her senior year. After graduating, Carrie’s sharp shooting earned her a spot in the WNBA, where she played for the Phoenix Mercury and Chicago Sky. Carrie also played pro in Poland. Once she called time on her playing career, Carrie moved from the floor to the sideline. She cut her coaching teeth in assistant roles at Creighton, Princeton, Michigan, and North Carolina, also overseeing recruiting. After Kathy Delaney-Smith announced her retirement after 40 years as head coach at Harvard, the Crimson tapped Carrie to replace her after she helped Michigan reach the Elite Eight. In her first season, Carrie led Harvard to 20 wins and a run in the WNIT. In this episode, Carrie reveals: Keep up with Carrie’s journey and Harvard women’s basketball by following her on Twitter at @CoachMoore33

Growing up as the 10th of 13 siblings, George Mumford always felt sensitive to the needs of others, whether it was his brothers and sisters or the homeless people he’d pass when walking to and from school. It was the same emotional intelligence that would one day serve him well when guiding the mental game of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls and Kobe Bryant’s LA Lakers. But first he had to pass through some trying times. While basketball offered an oasis from his challenging upbringing, George started drinking and using drugs at age 14. He became good enough on the blacktop to target a walk-on spot at UMass Amherst, where his roommate Julius Erving was becoming a star. But a bad ankle injury destroyed this hoop dream and George sank deeper into addiction to try and cope. He finished his degree and put his talent for numbers to good use in financial management, but had to wear long sleeves to hide the track marks on his arm. A friend convinced him to come to an AA meeting, which led to a long process of getting clean that involved meditation. His instructor challenged him to teach and he found his passion, starting a mindfulness program for prison inmates and inner city residents. After being introduced to Phil Jackson through their mutual friend, Geoge started working with the Chicago Bulls. He stayed with them through their second three-peat, and then followed Phil to the Lakers, who won their own three championships with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. George continues to consult with pro teams, equip underprivileged kids and adults, and is the author of The Mindful Athlete and Unlocked. In this episode, George shares: To tap into all of George’s mindset resources, visit his website, georgemumford.com. You can take his Mindful Athlete course there and check out his new book, Unlocked.

In the late 90s and early 2000s, the LA Lakers looked like the heir apparent to Michael Jordan’s throne, with Shaq dominating in the post and Kobe Bryant coming into his own as the league’s emerging superstar. And when Jordan’s coach Phil Jackson took over, the final piece of the championship puzzle seemed to be in place. But in game 2 of the 2000 Finals, the Laker’s title run was jeopardized when Kobe went down with a severe ankle sprain. Somehow, Lakers head athletic trainer Gary Vitti and his team got Bryant back on the floor for a pivotal game 4. In this episode, Gary shares: To hear more of Gary’s stories about Kobe, Shaq, Magic, Kareem, and Pat Riley, listen to our previous Basketball Strong episode with him, and read his book 32 Years of Titles and Tears from the Best Seat in the House.

Henry Barrera currently holds the position of the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach and Assistant Coach for the University of Alabama men's basketball team. Before that, he joined the Liberty men’s basketball program as its Director of Performance in June 2015 and was promoted to Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports in July 2018. Barrera came to Liberty from the state of Oregon, where he was a Performance Training Specialist at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton. While at Nike he was instrumental in designing training content for multiple projects including Jordan Brand’s Terminal 23 in New York and The Hangar in Los Angeles. He continues to consult with many training companies including Nike Basketball, the Jordan Brand, Nike N7, Shoot 360, and multiple others. As a basketball player, Barrera began his college career with Leon Rice at Yakima Valley Community College helping rebuild a dormant program and eventually becoming league co-champs in 1996-97. After two years at Yakima Valley Community College Henry moved on to Multnomah University where he had a stellar career, averaging close to 20.0 ppg and dishing out almost 8.0 apg. Barrera was rewarded for his hard work and dedication by being named a three-time All-American and was ultimately honored with the 1999-2000 NCCAA Pete Maravich National Player of the Year award. In this episode, you’ll hear Henry share: · What a painful family experience taught him about prioritizing · How faith helped him bounce back strong from a devastating loss · What he did as an undersized player to exceed other people’s expectations and win a nationwide award for best point guard · How performance principles from other sports can be applied to basketball · What’s at the core of the NCAA Tournament-level basketball program at Liberty U [Originally released February 2022] Learn more about Henry’s work by following him on Twitter.

Caleb Burgess’s basketball journey as a player includes a nail biting finish to the NAIA national championship game, a horrendous elbow injury that saw a bone shoved into his triceps, and lots more ups and downs. Deciding to stay on at Azusa Pacific after completing his own playing career to pursue a master’s and PhD in physical therapy, Caleb then completed a Residency in Orthopedic Physical Therapy and then a Fellowship in Sports and Orthopedic Physical Therapy through Kaiser Permanente Southern California. These experiences helped him become an expert in musculoskeletal issues, which he combined with his expertise in sports medicine to treat people as a physical therapist and train them as a strength coach. The combination of the two disciplines has made Caleb a sought-after specialist who is as adept at working with the general population as he is in training and rehabilitating athletes. He has also built up a loyal online following by making complex movement theories simple and accessible. In this episode, Caleb shares: Learn more about Caleb’s work on his website and through his Instagram feed.

Tom Brennan went from a small town in New Jersey to playing basketball at the University of Georgia, where he played for Dean Smith’s former assistant Ken Rosemond and won a senior leadership award. While he was at UGA, he had the difficult task of trying to slow down the college basketball phenom in the country, Pistol Pete Maravich. A UGA grad assistant role helped him learn the coaching ropes and he then assisted Bill Raftery at Seton Hall, Rollie Massimino at Villanova, and Bruce Parkhill at William & Mary. Tom coached basketball and baseball at Fairleigh Dickinson before being named head coach at Yale University, where he guided players like Chris Dudley and Butch Graves. Tom then took the head coaching job at the University of Vermont. The Catamounts had never been to the NCAA Tournament, but Tom turned them into a perennial power in the America East Conference. He became a fan favorite, co-hosting the Corm and the Coach radio show and becoming “a citizen of the community” in Burlington. Tom led the Catamounts to three straight conference titles and NCAA Tournament runs, culminating in an upset of top-ranked Syracuse. After 19 seasons, Tom moved onto broadcasting for ESPN and CBS, and Vermont named its basketball court in his honor. In this episode, Tom shares: