No Off Season Podcast

Today Coach Marshall Cho from Oregon comes onto the podcast to share the game with us. I have been a fan of Marshall's for a long time and I know that he is a wealth of knowledge. A true trailblazer in his field, Marshall has an innate ability to bring communities together. Drawing upon his skills and relationships, he has successfully developed thriving programs, inspired athletes on a global scale. Marshall's journey as an educator began through the prestigious Teach For America program, where he taught mathematics in the South Bronx and Harlem. Additionally, he served as the boys' basketball coach at Future Leaders Institute, leading the team to a remarkable victory in the New York City Charter School Championship. Join us in this captivating podcast episode as we delve into the extraordinary life and accomplishments of Marshall Cho. Explore his unwavering dedication to basketball, his transformative work as a coach and educator, and his remarkable ability to foster unity and growth within communities through the power of the game.

After having some good time off in NYC it really allowed me to collect my thoughts and allowed me to step back and see the big picture. Having trained so many players from youth to professional level, one of the topics that I feel like is not talked about enough in our profession is the topic of mental health. Our field of sport is a masculine one, athletes feel that if they come across as vulnerable, they will be eatten alive. However, as humans we all go through our ups and downs. I share 3 rituals I believe we can stay mentally healthy.

Slappin Glass has been one of my Go-To websites for the longest time. So to have one founders on was so exciting for me. Pat and Dan are a wealth of knowledge and just flat out lovers of the game! The topics we covered today included: 1.) How they got started with the platform 2.) Trends of modern day offence and defence 3.) Start, Sub and Sit different topics 4.) Business advice for basketball coaches and trainers. I loved having these guys on the podcast they were a good mix of knowledge and humour and I look forward to continuing to be a student of there's into the distant future!

Yannie Chan is the first ever locally school girl in the history of Hong Kong to play in the NCAA. Today I have the good fortune to sit down with her and talk to her about her experience as a sophomore in college. Discussions that I have with Yannie are: 1.) Her outlook on the future of Hong Kong basketball. 2.) Her future plans in terms of basketball and life. 3.) What needs to be done for Hong Kong to reach its full potential in basketball.

Jason Thompson is a special guest. I had the good fortune of playing with him when I was in high school in New Jersey during some ad hoc tournaments. It has been so cool to watch Jason develop from a kid that went to Lenape High School, that was recruited by Rider University (Mid major D1) and make it to the NBA! I spoke with Jason about: 1.) How he beat the odds to go from a Mid Major D1 school to playing 8 years in the NBA 2.) His work ethic during those years that led up to the NBA 3.) Aspects of the NBA that we may not see from the outside. 4.) The JT foundation and what he is doing philanthropically. and a lot more! Thank you Jason so much for coming on. Was great to reconnect with you and love everything that you are doing from coaching to giving back to the community.

You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with! It is very likely you have heard this saying and there is any even better chance that you simply ignored it. Building a community of like minded people who have the same goals as you is abolsutley imperative that for you to reach your goals. Your circle needs to be tight and you need to protect who comes in at all cost.As a coach I now fully admit that we can have a huge impact over a player, but not as much as their entire community can have. Coaches need to humble themselves, we are only one piece. There parents, teachers and most of all their friends are going to play just as big, if not an even bigger role than we can have. BUILD A COMMUNITY

Jon Giesbrect is the Owner and Lead Instructor of Play Free, a membership training service that helps players enhance their basketball mindfulness, improving their confidence, resilience and focus. I have been a fan of Jon’s for a long time and have followed many of his lectures and talks on social media (Instagram: @Playfreebball). The topics that Jon and I cover are: 1.) Where he is from and how he got into basketball 2.) How his career his transitioned within the basketball world. 3.) How he combines the technical, tactical and mental component to create a holistic program for this athletes and much much more! I truly learned a lot from Jon and look forward to having him on the podcast again!

Todd Wright is an assistant coach and Vice President of Player Performance at the Los Angeles Clippers. Todd is also Fellow of Applied Functional Science from the Gray Institute which is where I base the foundation of my training off of. Todd is someone that I have looked up to for a long time! I love how he is able blend a true functional movement program specifically for the movements of the game along with elements of strength and power development. It would be what I consider the total package for any player. Topics that I discussed with Todd are: 1.) His background and how he got into strength and conditioning. Especially the early days when he was first starting out. 2.) His Assessments on how he elevaluates players physically. 3.) Building relationships and accountability with players in order to get the best results. And a whole lot more. As I mentioned before, Todd is truly someone that I look up to and I’m so glad to have had him on the podcast.

Andrew Rang is the Head Coach of Trine University’s Women’s Basketball. In 2022 they made an amazing run in the D3 NCAA tournament and made it all the way to the Final 4. Topics that Coach Rang and I discussed today are: 1.) Culture building and creating a “Self Developed Culture” for the players to hold each other accountable 2.) The Red Belt mentality of always getting better 3.) What a year of basketball would look like at Trine and many more topics Enjoy guys!

Coleman Ayers is the founder of ‘By Any Means Basketball” a globally known training service that shares world class information as well as an online platform for learning. He has also opened a state of the art training facility called “Detail” in Miami Florida. Coleman’s story on how he got into the industry is truly admirable! Betting on himself instead of going the college basketball route, he decided to get a head start in coaching and moved to Miami from DC. Coleman shares stories of what it was like first starting off in the training industry and the long hours, blood sweat and tears it took for him to get his start. Among many things, one of the traits I really admire about Coleman is his consistency and his persistence into whatever he does. Enjoy this guys!

Joe Mazzulla is the interim Head Coach of the Boston Celtics. Before his career began in the NBA Joe was a star player at the University of West Virginia under coach Bob Huggins. After his career in college, Joe went into coaching at the college levels for Glenville State and Fairmont state before moving into coaching in the G League. One of the characteristics that truly seperates Joe as a coach is his passion for applying researched back teaching methods into his coaching. I learned so much from talking to Joe and the wealth of knowledge and experience from so many levels, we are truly lucky to have him on the show. Let’s get into it!

Kayleigh and Kaylynne Truong play for the women’s basketball team at Gonzaga University (a very prestigious basketball and academic school located in Washington state). Collectively they have earned multiple honours from the West Coast Conference for athletics as well as their academics level. But most importantly they are a shining example to the world of what Asian women can do in the game of basketball. The girls team that I coach were extatic when they found out I was going to have the Truong twins on the podcast! Topics that we go over today include: 1.) Their backgrounds and how they got into basketball. 2.) A day in the life of a Division 1 college athlete 3.) Their experience playing on the Vietnamese national team 4.) Their message to Asian American athletes about success and following their passions. This was an unbelievably important episode for me because I learned so much about Kayleigh and Kaylynne’s background and experience growing up as Asian American basketball players. They are so inspirational to so many around the world who aspire to be just like them!

Logan Schwartz is currently a clinical professor at the University of Texas as well as the owner of Vitality Restoration that has been running for 10 years. Prior to that he as an assistant basketball strength and conditioning coach for the Men’s Basketball program at the university of Texas along with Todd Wright. For me one of the main reasons I wanted to have him on is that is also a GIFT Fellow of the Gray Institute which I draw the foundation of my training from as well. Topics that Logan and I talk about today are: 1.) Logan’s background and how he got into strength and conditioning 2.) What it was like starting off as an intern to eventually a senior role for for a powerhouse program. 3.) Logan’s training methods for basketball players and how it differs to the majority of other basketball programs in the country. 4.) How much does maximal strength actually matter to the game of basketball, or are their other qualities that are equally as important? 5.) Finally advise to new strength coaches looking to one day be in the same position that Logan is today. I connected very well with Logan on and off air. There were so many similarities between how we train basketball players and what we feel are the most necessary qualities in developing a robust athlete! Enjoy guys I definitely learned a lot.

Troy Horne is a pop and rock musician who is also an author of a few great books mainly the AAU Bible and Mental Toughness for young athletes. Troy’s journey into the basketball world was almost by chance, when one of his sons was identified by a teacher as A high potential basketball prospect. From there Troy and his son Moses worked tirelessly travelling around the country and entering AAU tournaments. I really enjoyed reading Troy’s book, because he takes a parents perspective(which is very different from a normal coaching perspective on the game) Today I spoke with Troy about: 1.) His background in performance and music and lessons that he can apply to the basketball world. 2.) How the game has changed from when his son first started off to where it is today. 3.) What are some of the do’s and don’t do’s when it comes to trying to help your kids reach their dreams And many many more topics. This was a very meaningful episode! I absolutely loved stepping back and learning our game from a different perspective. I also thought it was really cool to have someone outside the industry share their journey and experience. Truly a great episode.

James Maye is an assistant coach for the Long Island Nets, before joining the Nets, we has also had experience working with the Greensboro Swarm. Prior to coaching, James has had an extensive career playing professional basketball overseas. He has been to countries such as Mexico, Hong Kong and also played for the national team for the Dominican Republic. In this conversation we talk about: 1.) James’s background and how he went from player to coach? 2.) Where the G League and the NBA is headed in terms of style of play. 3.) What James is currently learning to take his basketball and life knowledge to the next level. 4.) Advice that James would have for younger coaches getting into the industry. On a personal note I had the good fortune of training James when he played professional in Hong Kong. I would like to say in all my years of coaching, I have never seen a more professional player in terms of the way he conducted himself on and off the court. He the perfect example of what a true professional player should be and act like! Enjoy guys!

Chong Xie is the Founder of Secrets to Athleticism and is a Fascia Coach for athletes from youth all the way up to professional level athletes! He has also develop “The Hyper Arch Training and Therapy System” which has given tremendous results for athletes all over the world! Topics that I discuss with Chong Xie today are: 1.) The introduction to Fascia and how it affects our performance as well as everyday life. 2.) How traditional strength and conditioning MAY be hurting your performance in the long run. 3.) The difference between a strong mover and poor mover. 4.) How Fascial training can. Help us hit more 3’s! Chong Xie is someone who is an out of the box thinker which I love. I’m sure that there is a lot of things that I can be tweaking in my program that will give my athletes better results. LETS GET INTO IT!!

Adrian Barr is the Founder of Barr Running based in California. Adrian is one of the most out of the box thinkers that I have come across. His ability break down speed and apply it into every sport is something that separates him from the crowd. I’ve been in the athletic performance field for over 10 years and learning his concepts was truly a breath of fresh air. Adrian and I discuss topics such as: 1.) What he looks for when an athlete first comes into work with him. 2.) How basically all athletic movements derive from running in some shape or form. 3.) How traditional strength and conditioning methods play a part in his program if at all. And many more topics. Let get into it.

Mike Guevara also know as Mr Doin it Movin is a Athletic Performance coach based in California. Although Mike didn’t grow up playing basketball, his passion for sports and athletics led him into a career of Athletic Development where he has now been coaching for the past 12 years. Today Mike trains some of the biggest players in today’s game such as Dru Holiday, Spencer Dinwitty and Rajon Rondo just to name a few. Mike’s continuing thirst to get better is really infectious and really motivated me to take my game to the next level. Topics that we talked about today were: 1.) Creating Buy in with top level players 2.) Performance Assessments 3.) Returning from injury both from a physical and mental standpoint. 4.) What Mike is diving into now to take his teaching and coaching to the next level and many many more topics. Again I could really feel Mike’s energy and the passion for what he does. I truly reminds me that as a performance coach we should be grateful to be in such a rewarding industry to help players be the best they can be! Let’s dive in.

Bobby Whyte is the Owner of Hy Power Performance in Northern New Jersey. Bobby started off as a multi sport athlete that acceled in multiple different sports but especially basketball. His love for sports eventually led him into the athletic perfofmance world, where he trained everyone from youth to NFL athletes. Today Bobby owns one of the most well known basketball services where athletes from all over the world line up to work with him. This is a two part podcast where we discuss training as well as personal issues. We go into depth on topics such as. 1.) Creating Buy In with his players 2.) Athletic Assessments for any new players that walk into the gym. 3.) Bobby's past as a drug addict and how it shaped him into the man he has become today. 4.) How Bobby apporoaches working with kids that remind him of himself.

Brian Morehouse the Head Coach for Hope College Women’s Basketball. Hope College is the 2022 Division 3 National Champions. Coach Morehouse was able tor rack up 650 wins faster than any other Coach in NCAA history regardless of what division they are in. In today’s discussion, we go over the topics of: 1.) Culture building for a powerhouse organization and the concept of “Winning in the Dark” and ‘The Win Everything Mindset” 2.) How his coaching philosophy has changed over the years. 3.) A look inside to what it takes to be the best program in the country. 4.) The impact that coach Morehouse wants to leave on his program as well as the impact that he wants to leave on each individual he encounters. Hope you enjoy guys!