Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast

We are fortunate to have Liam Jefferson on this episode. Jefferson is a head coach with the London Lions boys academy. Prior to that he spent 12 years as an assistant and head coach at Loughborough University. Jefferson also was an assistant coach on Great Britain’s U20 staff last summer. EPISODE BREAKDOWN 1:40 - The state of basketball in Great Britain 3:40 - Reasons for taking the London Lions job 5:55 - The purpose of the youth academy 7:50 - Roster rules for BBL teams 9:30 - Takeaways from using the CLA in development 12:50 - How the coaches are working together 14:50 - Areas that have been harder to implement 18:35 - A typical week for players 21:05 - Comparisons with England’s soccer academies 22:00 - Practice planning and implementation 26:10 - Individual development plans 29:50 - Connection between academy & the top team 32:05 - Categorizing player’s roles 35:05 - Using the CLA to teach players (PnR) 39:50 - Purposeful feedback in practice 42:15 - The bridge between practice & games 44:40 - Using film to guide development 48:35 - Personal development as a coach

We are fortunate to have Drew Dunlop on this episode. Dunlop is a co-founder of The Pro Lane, a development facility in Wisconsin that works with players at all levels. Dunlop has coached around the world and is recognized for his modern approach to training. At The Pro Lane, he helps designs training environments that allows players to explore solutions that transfer to the game. https://twitter.com/CoachDrewD https://twitter.com/TheProLane EPISODE BREAKDOWN 1:30 - Path from player to development coach 3:35 - Confidence as a coach to try something different 5:40 - Identifying that this coaching method works 6:50 - The process of making a learning environment 9:00 - The importance of whiteboards during training 10:35 - Using questions to guide learning 12:30 - How technology factors into development 15:00 - Emphasizing modern game skills 16:50 - Teaching players adaptability in finishing 18:45 - When in doubt, add a defender 19:55 - Teaching off-ball screening 21:25 - Methods for teaching players 22:35 - Teaching players about off-ball cutting 24:00 - The role of defense in the training 25:40 - Incorporating rebounding in development 27:25 - Including common triggers and actions 28:50 - Teaching spacing in development sessions 29:25 - The amount of off-court time as development coach 30:20 - From idea to implementation 31:40 - Teams, players to watch 32:40 - Growing as a coach & business 35:05 - Creating a focus for a development session

We are fortunate to have Nathan Williams on this episode. Williams is the head coach at Bonners Ferry High School. He helped guide the Badgers to their first state title in boys basketball last month. Prior to that, Williams has coached at a variety of levels, including seven years as the head coach in Stanfield, Ore. Williams was also a standout basketball player in high school and was member of the Whitworth team that played for an NAIA championship in 1996. 1:35 - First State Title for Boys Basketball 2:40 - Characteristics of the 2023-24 team 7:20 - The role of older siblings & toughness 9:10 - Approach after finishing second the previous year 11:30 - Preparing a team for what they might see at state 15:30 - Coaching influences growing up 18:25 - Changes as a head coach from previous stops 21:20 - Teaching aspects of the game 23:40 - Culture building at Bonners Ferry 29:10 - Lessons from playing higher level teams 30:25 - Developing lateral quickness 32:00 - Preferred offensive attack 33:55 - Creating confusion for the defense 35:30 - Advantage situations in the post 37:00 - Preferred defensive approach 40:25 - Lessons learned from coach sons 42:15 - Having a son who is a college prospect 44:50 - Looking ahead to next season

We are fortunate to have Andy Harrington on this episode. Coach Harrington is the head boys coach at Owyhee High School in Meridian. The Storm just concluded a dominate season and are now celebrating their second 5A state title in the last three years. This marks Coach Harrington’s third state title as a coach. And, of course, we have to mention that he is an OG when it comes to the podcast, having appeared on Episode 7 of the podcast.

We are fortunate to have Tyrel Derrick on this episode. Derrick is the head girls coach at Lakeland High School in Rathdrum. In his second year, Derrick guided the Hawks to the 4A state tournament where they lost to Pocatello in the third place game. Prior to coaching girls, Derrick was an assistant for the Lakeland boys team. Derrick was a very talented guard at Lakeland in high school who surpassed 1,000 points in his career and went on to play at Wheaton College.

We are fortunate to have Jon Yu on this episode. Yu is passionate about teaching the game through a Constraints-Led Approach. Much of this episode focuses on Yu's use of the CLA, especially when it comes to shooting. Yu is from British Columbia, Canada who is coaching this year in Vietnam for the Saigon Heat and as a player development coach for The Performance Lab. Prior to moving to Vietnam, Yu was held the same role for College Prep Italy under friend of the pod, Alex Sarama.Yu also has coached high school and AAU basketball in Canada.

Alex Sarama from Transforming Basketball joins the podcast again for a Thanksgiving discussion. Sarama discusses his roles with the London Lions, Portland Trail Blazers, and Rip City Remix. He also reflects back on lessons learned while leading College Prep in Italy. Finally, he shares information on his new venture, Transforming Basketball. Did you know that the Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast has a newsletter? Be sure to subscribe at coachingidaho.substack.com.

We are fortunate to have Phillip O’Callaghan on this episode. O'Callaghan is a tennis coach and secondary PE teacher in Cork, Ireland. He has a popular twitter account and Substack newsletter dealing with skill acquisition. NOTE: There are a couple of minor technical issues involving the audio. EPISODE TOPICS

We are fortunate to have Nicole Symons on this episode of the podcast. Symons is the head girls coach at Coeur d’Alene High School. She led the Vikings to a 24-2 record and the 5A state title in Idaho this past season. It was the first state title for Coeur d’Alene since 2014. EPISODE BREAKDOWN 2:20 - Approach to turning a program around 4:25 - Timeline for competing for a state title 6:55 - Selling players on the hard work 10:50 - Bring swagger and confidence into a program 15:00 - How do you make practices harder than games 18:10 - Building a relationship with players so they work hard 20:25 - Helping players become the right type of leaders 24:45 - Keys to coaching your child 28:25 - Having two parents as basketball coaches 30:20 - Deciding to come back after your child has graduated 32:45 - What’s the role of the high school team for high-level recruits 36:00 - Determining team concepts with a D-1 recruit 40:30 - Dealing with expectations after a state title 43:50 - Advice to yourself: Dealing with Parents --- The Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast has a newsletter. Check it out here: coachingidaho.substack.com

We are fortunate to have Kurt Guelsdorf on this episode of the podcast. If you are like me, you’ve probably used one of Coach G’s resources, especially if you run any Dribble Drive action. Guelsdorf was a very successful high school coach in Oregon. He is now the associate head coach at Clackamas Community College. In this episode, we talk some Dribble Drive but also hit on a number of topics of interest for coaches young and old. Episode Topics 1:30 - The impact of asking why as a coach 3:30 - Experience leads to simplification 4:00 - Willingness to share concepts & ideas with others 7:45 - The role of reading in success 9:15 - Advice to first-year head coaches 11:10 - Thoughts on choosing a system as a head coach 14:50 - Deciding when it might be time to move on from a program 18:40 - Environment vs. Culture and its importance in success 23:55 - Planning for the upcoming season in late summer 27:30 - Filtering what you’ve learned into a workable format for the season 31:30 - What is that intrigues you about the dribble drive? 33:40 - The evolvement of spacing concepts in the dribble drive 36:25 - Defenses that can disrupt a dribble drive offenses 39:00 - Melding different systems with the dribble drive 42:55 - Thoughts on implementing press defenses 47:42 - Shot-clock considerations: 2v1s, end of shot clock considerations 51:15 - Incorporating special situations into practice The Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast now has a newsletter. The newsletter has a bunch of great resources including drills and concepts that I use with my program. It also includes write-ups to help you become a better coach. To subscribe to the newsletter, go to CoachingIdaho.substack.com. There you will find an archive of the past newsletters.

We are fortunate to have Christian Narciso on this episode. Narciso is professional basketball coach from Italy who has had the opportunity to coach at different levels across Europe. Most recently, Narciso was a head coach in Malta where his team enjoyed a successful season, including claiming the Louis Borg Cup. The Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast is now on Substack. Subscribe today at CoachingIdaho.substack.com/

We are fortunate to be visiting David Arseneault Jr. for today’s episode. Coach Dave is the head men’s basketball coach at Grinnell College in Iowa where he was a standout player for his father. Grinnell, of course, is know for its System — a fast-paced style that employs trapping all over the court and quick shooting. Before taking over at Grinnell, Arseneault was the head coach or the Reno Bighorns for two years, including a season where they set a D-League record for offensive efficiency.

We are fortunate to have Carly Clarke on today’s episode. Clarke is the head coach at Toronto Metropolitan University. She lead TMU to an undefeated season and national title in 2022. Clarke is also a coach with Canada Basketball. She’s an assistant for the senior women’s national team, and this summer she will coach Canada at the FIBA U19 World Cup. In this podcast, we talk about the rise of the women's game, developing a process as a coach, providing and receiving feedback, and the role of a mental performance coach. Be sure to check out the Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast Newsletter. https://coachingidaho.substack.com

We are fortunate to have Jason Hardy on this episode. Hardy was a standout at Valley High School before attending the University of Idaho. There, he was a manager for the mens team for three years. Hardy’s life changed drastically this winter when he did an internship with the University of Toledo’s woman’s basketball team. The Rockets upset fifth-seeded Iowa State in the NCAA tournament before losing to Tennessee in the second round. Hardy recently announced he will be a graduate assistant at Toledo next season. The Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast has a newsletter. Check it out! https://coachingidaho.substack.com/

Note: There were some audio issues in this podcast. We are fortunate to have Shawn Freeman on this episode of the Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast. Freeman is the head boys coach at Sugar-Salem High School. The Diggers beat Bonners Ferry to win the Boys 3A State Title last month. It’s Sugar-Salem’s fourth state title since 2017, and Freeman’s been at the helm for all of them. The Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast now has a weekly newsletter. Sign up at CoachingIdaho.substack.com.

We are fortunate to have Nate Sanderson on this episode. Sanderson is a highly successful girls basketball coach in the state of Iowa. You probably know Sanderson from the Coaching Culture Podcast and his work at the Thrive On Challenge. It is through these platforms where Sanderson has helped coaches around the world create strong cultures within their programs. In this episode, we discuss the end-of-season assessments, mentoring assistant coaches, and staying confident as a head coach. Did you know ... the Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast now has a newsletter. Check it out at https://coachingidaho.substack.com.

We are fortunate to have Adam Hiatt on this episode of the podcast. Hiatt is the head men’s coach at Montana Tech in Butte. The Ore Diggers just finished the season 29-5 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Tournament. Hiatt’s Idaho ties run deep. He was a standout player at Bonners Ferry High School, and then spent 2 years at Ricks College — when it was Ricks College. He also got his college coaching start at the University of Idaho under George Pfeifer and was the head coach at Westminster College in Salt Lake City.

We are fortunate to have Kareem Kalil on this episode. Kalil is a high school coach in Denver, where he had the opportunity to coach both the girls and boys teams at DSST: Byers. The girls team won its conference, qualifying for the state tournament for the first time in the school’s history. Kalil also spent 3 months coaching at College Prep Academy in Italy, and will be heading back next week to finish the season. In this episode, Kalil talks about differences between coaching in the United States and Europe and ways to incorporate authentic learning into your program.

We are fortunate to have Jim Winger on this episode of the podcast. Winger is the long-time boys head coach at Lake City High School in Coeur d’Alene. Winger started as the head coach at Coeur d’Alene High in 1992 and then moved to Lake City when it opened in 1994. He stepped away from coaching for 5 years, but returned in 2008. At the time of this interview in early January, his team was the top-ranked 5A team in Idaho and in the top 40 rankings of teams nationally.

We are fortunate to have Francesco Nanni on this episode of the podcast. Nanni is an Italian professional coach, who has more than 10 years of experience at various levels in Italy. He has established a big social media following from his clips of game breakdowns and drills. Nanni recently released a serious of videos through Basketball Immersion that provide coaches with hours of drills for developing 1-on-1 skills for players at all levels.