Merry Christmas, or as we say in our house "Happy Festivus"! This week, Tony and I discuss our Christmas wish lists for the game of basketball, especially at the high school level. We talk about rules, contracts, parent relationships and a whole slew of stuff that we'd love to see changed about the game. Along with that, we have trivia, TWIB and "Who's Up?" and "Who's Down?" . . .

Tony and I sincerely hope that everyone has a great holiday season!! We'll be back in two weeks, as we're taking next weekend off to spend some time with family. Safe travels and have a great holiday everyone!

Dave Slifer is in his 35th year of being a head coach at the collegiate level at the NAIA and NCAA DII ranks, and he has a great story to tell! This week, Coach Slifer and I discuss his career (with a few minutes down memory lane) while also discussing his coaching family (literally), signing a multi-year deal, winning a national championship, offensive and defensive philosophy and much more. A really fun conversation with one of DII's best coaches!

There's nothing better than having a packed, loud gymnasium with great student bodies going after it in the dead of winter. We'd all love to have a great student body presence, but how do we build that up within our programs? That's the topic that Tony and I dive into this week, and we give our thoughts, tips and advice on how to build a great student body presence at your games. We also have trivia, TWIB and our "Who's Up/ Who's Down?" segment as I jump on my soapbox to talk about the NCAA tournament's possible expansion . . . Enjoy!

It was a privilege and an honor to have on "Basketball Lifer" Clay Moser for this week's interview! Coach Moser has coached all over the country and the world, from the Los Angeles Lakers to China, and he discusses his experiences coaching with everyone from Jim Valvano to Phil Jackson. Coach also discusses networking, his consulting programs, analytics and how to come up with simple formulas to rate player efficiency, how to evaluate players, what makes great coaches and much, much more. A great conversation with one of America's smartest basketball minds!

Building your team's defense step by step, brick by brick is integral to your team's success. This week, Tony and I discuss the basic things that you should be looking at to build your team's defensive system, from offensive board coverage to rebounding on your defensive end and everything in between. Closeouts, communication and defensive transition need to be at the core of everything that you do defensively!

We also have some trivia, our TWIB segment, and who's up and down; enjoy this week's show!

Samuel Schlautman is the head girls basketball coach at David City (NE) and has built the program into a place where they are ready to make a run at the state tournament here in Nebraska this season! Coach Schlautman comes on the podcast to talk about his influences, growing numbers in your program, trying to create more offense, the pressures of returning everyone from a good team, BLOB's, transition defense and building a solid cultural foundation for his program. Enjoy this week's podcast!!

Much of our success as coaches is due to how we manage late game situations. In this pod, Tony and I break down late game situations that you should be prepared for as soon as possible, including late game shot selection, fouling up 3, fouling, delay game, pressbreaks, timeouts and "special teams". We also have our weekly trivia, a discussion on Danny Hurley and Maui, remembering Lou Carnesseca, the surprising Houston Rockets and a quick "Who's Up" and "Who's Down" . . . enjoy!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope that everyone enjoys this "appetizer" of a podcast with Karen Self, the highly successful GBB HC at Seton Catholic Prep (AZ). Coach Self has spent all 33 years of her coaching career at Seton Catholic, winning 12 state championships and is closing in on the all time record for wins for any basketball coach in the state of Arizona at 832! In this pod, Coach Self and I discuss her almost walking away from coaching after one season, the lessons she's learned in her coaching career, the chase to 832, her half court defensive philosophy, statistical analysis, being a strong female role model and more! Terrific conversation with one of the best coaches in the country!

There's a big difference between being the hunter and the hunted, and if you are fortunate enough to be the hunted, you are going to face the prospect of people aiming to come after you and upset you. This week, Tony and I break down the steps that you can take to prevent being upset, even though it is almost inevitable that you are going to be upset by someone in your season. We go through things you can do with preparation and practices, along with the mindset that you need to drill into your team to avoid being upset.

Along with that, we have trivia, the flailing 76ers, "Feast Week" dream destinations, Azzi Fudd back for UConn, Ups and Downs, multiple Marv Alberts and multiple Phil Dunphy references . . . yep, it's "The Coaching Staff"! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Very excited to have Lincoln Christian (NE) GBB HC Scott Klein on the podcast this week! Coach Klein won a state championship last season with his squad, and he has everyone back from that team for this season except for one starter. Coach Klein discusses his basketball journey, their run to the state championship, taking over a program with high expectations, transition offense, pressure defense and much more. Really fun conversation with a great basketball coach!