A Pen And A Napkin

"It's the most . . . wonderful time . . . of the year!" Casey Hall and I get back together to talk about the 2021 NCAA tournament bracket, from our favorite first round games to our analysis of the regions into our picks, which we take all the way through to the national champion. Enjoy!!

Great new podcast with up and coming coach Jeff Janssen, the Head Girls Basketball Coach at Indianola (IA). In this pod, we talk about lessons learned as a new HC, crossing over basketball and cross country, transition offense, practice organization, delegating authority and much more! Alot of great information!!

In this Foundation Friday, we take a look at some real-life scenarios that have played out at various state tournaments the past 10 days or so. Some of these are traditional situational examples, while others are based on the mentality that you try to build up within your program even before you get to the state tournament. Alot of different scenarios to think about on this one!

It's important that you communicate to your players both about the season that you just completed, but also the future and how they fit into your program. You also have to have a plan as you go into these conversations, and you want to make sure that you communicate what you want exactly how you want. Here are some tips to help with these vital conversations!

We are excited to announce our 1st Annual "A Pen And A Napkin" Coaches Clinic! Mark it on your calendars; Saturday, May 1st at Fort Calhoun High School. We are planning on having six speakers to speak about how to make your program better! Along with our speakers, we plan on having small group break out sessions over lunch to where coaches can bounce ideas off of one another; you get the chance to get better and also help others in multiple ways! Details in the podcast, and speakers will officially be announced when all speakers are confirmed!

Ballard of Huxley (IA) Boys HBB Coach Jeff Schertz comes on the podcast this week to discuss his journey to Iowa from the deep south, including a stop as the oldest men's basketball manager in the country. We also discuss different regions of the country, along with transition offense, flowing into motion offense and scouting. Alot of great information!!

Another great "Quick Hitters" cast with Jodi Steier, Assistant Women's Basketball Coach at Iowa State University (Player Development), Josh Luedtke, Boys Basketball Coach at Omaha Creighton Prep High School (Developing a Defensive System), APAAN "Triple Threat" Tyler Shaw, Girls Basketball Coach at Sidney (NE) High School (Special Situations), veteran Omaha official Chris Peterson on the game from an official's perspective, and Mike Power, Activities Director at Carroll Kuemper (IA) HS on seeing things differently from an administrative position rather than a coaching perspective. Alot of great information; enjoy!!!

Welcome back to the pod!! As we wrap up our seasons over the next few days and weeks, there are many things that we need to take care of, including ourselves. Here are some things to think about that you need to do for the good of the program, the good of your players and for your own good.

In our latest episode, legendary Ankeny Centennial (IA) GBB HC Scott DeJong comes on the podcast this week! The 7-time state champion HC discusses coaching 6 on 6, developing a championship culture, building a great defensive scheme, changes in how high school programs function, the value of staff stability, and much more!

Excited to have Shawn Gilbert, the WBB HC at Midland (NE) University, on the podcast this week. In this week's discussion, we discuss hiring a assistant coaches, the role of assistant coaches, developing a great basketball camp, the analytics of the game, ball handling development and many other topics. Great discussion!