Episode Title: The Evolution of Rocket – A Conversation with Jeff Fox and Jeremiah De Soto

In this episode of the Championship Vision Podcast, host Kevin Furtado sits down with Jeff Fox and Jeremiah De Soto of Rocket Alumni Solutions to explore the dynamic journey of Rocket—from its early foundations to its cutting-edge innovations in athlete placement and program support. Jeff and Jeremiah share insights into how Rocket has evolved to meet the changing needs of high school programs, coaches, and student-athletes, and how their mission continues to empower communities across the country. Whether you're a coach, athletic director, or passionate supporter of youth sports, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at the vision, growth, and impact of Rocket Alumni Solutions.

📞 Contact Information

• Phone: (781) 686-0708

• Headquarters: 651 N Broad St, Suite 2051924, Middletown, Delaware, 19709

• Website: rocketalumnisolutions.com

🏈 Coaching Journey & Achievements

• Coach Ford was hired by Effingham County High School in January 2021 to lead the Rebels football program.

• Before joining ECHS, he served as defensive coordinator at Bleckley County High School for two seasons.

• His head coaching résumé includes successful stints at Roswell High School and Buford High School, where he compiled a 61–17 record over six seasons.

• At Roswell (2013–2016), his teams went 40–12 and reached the GHSA Class AAAAAAA state championship twice.

• At Buford (2017–2018), he led the Wolves to the state semifinals and quarterfinals.

🌟 Coaching Philosophy

• Ford emphasizes adaptability, saying his offensive and defensive schemes are built around what his players can do—not forcing a system on them.

• He’s passionate about building team chemistry and culture, focusing on effort, resilience, and execution.

• He believes in the mantra: “Practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent”—highlighting the importance of consistent preparation.

🏡 Why Effingham?

• Ford was drawn to Effingham County for its strong community, leadership, and proximity to Savannah—a place he and his wife love.

• He’s committed to building a program that reflects the values of the school and community, and he’s excited about the potential of the Rebels.

Kevin Abrams is the Co-founder and CEO of Coach Portal, a platform built by coaches, for coaches, designed to give every coach visibility, access to career opportunities, and a chance to be discovered.

Before founding Coach Portal, Kevin spent 11 seasons as a Division 1 college football coach—first as a student assistant and quality control coach at the University of Illinois (2009–13), then serving as a graduate assistant at the University at Buffalo (2014) and Vanderbilt University (2015–16), working on both offense, defense special teams. In 2017, Kevin joined Indiana State University as the Special Teams Coordinator and Recruiting Coordinator, guiding an FCS unit that ranked among the national leaders in multiple Special Teams categories and producing multiple all-conference specialists.

These years on staff brought firsthand perspective on what works—and what doesn’t—in coaching, recruiting, career progression, hiring transparency, and day-to-day operations.

Since stepping away from on-field coaching, Kevin has served as the managing partner of Conroad Associates, L.P., a family office investment firm focused on commercial real estate and public/private equity investing. He's also an angel investor in early-stage sports technology startups, bringing business, finance, and entrepreneurial insight to his leadership of Coach Portal to benefit coaches across the country.

Using the Coach Portal platform, Kevin and the Coach Portal Team continues to help, guide, and empower coaches to achieve their career goals, which is ultimately the mission of Coach Portal.

Podcast Interview Guide for Coach Kevin Furtado

Guest: Chris Verdi – Muscle Activation Techniques (MATRx®) Specialist & Founder of

Core Restore, HIP-A-LINE, and The Core Restore Training System™

INTRO TO CHRIS VERDI

Chris Verdi is a certified MATRx® Specialist—the highest level of certification offered by

Muscle Activation Techniques®, with only approximately 200 people certified at this level

worldwide. He is also the founder of Core Restore, located in Watkinsville, Georgia, and the

inventor of HIP-A-LINE and The Core Restore Training System™.

Chris’s journey into the world of biomechanics and muscular health began from deeply personal

experience. After years of living with chronic pain, undergoing multiple spinal surgeries, and

searching for lasting relief, he discovered Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT®). The technique

transformed his life, allowing him to function pain-free for the first time in years.

That breakthrough sparked Chris’s passion to help others restore their strength, mobility, and

performance. Today, he works one-on-one with clients at Core Restore and serves athletes and

professionals nationwide with his innovative training tools.

EDUCATION:

• Stanford - 1989-93

YEARS AT SAN FRANCISCO:

• Sept. 2016 - Present

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS AT SAN FRANCISCO:

• Molly Goodenbour, a two-time national champion at Stanford who has over a decade of head coaching experience on the collegiate level, was named the ninth head coach in University of San Francisco women's basketball history on Sept. 28, 2016. This is Goodenbour's third coaching stint on the Hilltop, where she served as an assistant coach with the Dons during the 1994-95 and 2005-06 seasons.

• In 2023-24, Goodenbour led San Francisco to a second-half resurgence as the team finished in a tie for third place in the West Coast Conference standings after starting the season with a 4-9 record. The program posted double-digit victories in WCC play for the fifth time in Goodenbour's tenure as the team finished at 10-6, highlighted by season sweeps of Pacific, Saint Mary's, Pepperdine, and LMU.  

• San Francisco also finished the season strong, rolling eventual WCC Tournament Champions Portland on the road, earning 59-47 victory at Chiles Center.

• Under Goodenbour's guidance, Jasmine Gayles and Debora dos Santos earned All-WCC First Team honors. Dos Santos recorded a career season, averaging a double-double with 15.3 points and 10.6 rebounds per game while Gayles led the squad in scoring at 16.8 points per game. Gayles also recorded the second 40-point game in program history as she dropped 40 points in an 81-68 win at Pacific on January 13

• The 2022-23 season under the leadership of Goodenbour concluded with an overall record of 19-13. Three Dons earned All-WCC Selections while two Dons earned WCC All-

• Within the first six years on the Hilltop, Goodenbour posted impressive numbers, including becoming the winningest coach in USF history through 50 games (27-23), as well as through two seasons at 34-28 (.548). Goodenbour quickly built up her impressive resume at USF, becoming the first coach to post winning overall and conference records in her first two seasons on the job. 

• Building off the program's strong start to the new decade, the Dons were once again punching a postseason ticket as they battled through a grueling non-conference schedule that kept them away from the Hilltop from Thanksgiving until after New Year's Day. Following an 0-4 start to WCC play battling through injuries and COVID-19 related pauses, the Dons went on to rattle off wins in six of their next seven games and finished with the third seed heading into the WCC Tournament. USF would go on to defeat Santa Clara in Vegas before returning home to host Air Force in the WNIT.

• Since the start of the 2020-21 season, Goodenbour's Dons have made consecutive WNIT appearances and won at least one game in back-to-back WCC Tournaments. Led by two-time All-WCC first team selection Ioanna Krimili, USF's 2020-21 team led the conference in total points and points per game while being a top-four program in team plus/minus. 

• Goodenbour’s third WCC Tournament in 2019 saw her lead the Dons to a first-round victory over Portland, marking the seventh year in a row the Dons advanced beyond their opening game.

• Molly’s 2017-18 squad placed three WCC All-Conference and All-Academic honorees. Anna Seilund earned First-Team All-WCC and Second-Team All-WCC recipients Michaela Rakova and Kalyn Simon.

• She finished her first year on the Hilltop in 2016-17 with an 18-13 overall record that included an 11-7 mark in West Coast Conference play, good for a fourth-place finish, the Dons' highest since the 2002-03 season. In the process, Goodenbour became the first USF head coach since Sue Rojcewicz in 1982-83 to post a winning record in her first year at the helm and compiled the second-best record by a first-year coach in program history. In addition, USF's 11 WCC wins under Goodenbour were the most since the 1996-97 campaign.

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episode 372 of the championship vision podcast today we have Dr. Anthony Pappas. Dr. Pappas I'm going to tell you right now and he's in his 45th year as head coach of the Waterloo West High School and 48th year overall as head coach as a prep athlete played on Mason City High School basketball.

and baseball teams that participated in five state tournaments while winning two state championships. He achieved all state and honorable mention all American status while playing at Mason City High School. He has won numerous Coach of the Year awards, including being named the National Federation of High Schools National Girls Basketball Coach of the Year in 2015. He was a recipient of the Morgan Wooten Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed by the Naismith National Basketball Hall of Fame in April 2016.

In addition, he was awarded the golden plaque of distinction by the Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union in March 2016, the highest coaching award given by the Iowa Coaching High School Association. He was inducted into the Iowa Girls Coaches Association State Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005 and was a finalist for the National High School Athletic Coaches Association National Coach of the Year Award in 2017.

His overall record is 663 and 397. He has 11 state tournament bursts, including eight final four pinches and three state runners-up.

Head Coach Bradley Sutphin will begin his fourth season at Narrows High School and his 16 overall season coaching. Coach Sutphin has previously coached at Fort Chiswell High School, George Wythe High School, and Pulaski County High School. 

During his 17 years Coach Sutphin has coached Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Softball. Coach Sutphin led Pulaski County to a state quarterfinalist appearance, Region 4D Championship, Regular Season River Ridge District Champion (12-0), and was named region and district coach of the year in 2020.  In 2019, Coach Sutphin led Pulaski County to a state runner-up finish, was named VHSCA Coach of the Year and Timesland Coach of the Year. In 2012 Coach Sutphin won a VHSL Division 1 Football State Championship as an assistant coach at George Wythe High School. 

Coach Sutphin attended Fort Chiswell High School where he was a three sport athlete playing baseball, basketball, and football. He received his Master of Science degree from Liberty University in 2016 majoring in Athletic Administration. He received his Bachelor of Science from Bluefield College in 2005, majoring in Exercise Sport Science with a Teacher Licensure. 

Coach Sutphin and his wife Sarah reside in Narrows with their three sons Cooper (12), Collin (9), and Carter (5). Sarah teaches kindergarten at Narrows Elementary Middle School.

Billy Teedan

Coach Teeden just finished his 10th season as the Head Boys Basketball Coach at Plant City High School. He has led the Raiders to 8 regional appearances and a district championship title. Prior to coaching and teaching at Plant City, he was the Head Boys Basketball coach at East Bay High School. In six seasons, he became the all-time winningest coach in school history, while winning three district championships and had a regional final appearance.

Coach Teeden has been named Hillsborough County Western Conference Coach of the Year seven times. In 2024, Coach Teeden was the FABC 7A coach of the year. In 2010, Teeden was named the William Bethel Coach of the Year, an award given to a coach who turns around a basketball program at a school that struggled in the past. Teeden has also been the head coach for the 16u Nike Team Florida AAU Team.

Coach Joseph Willis

Coach Willis just finished his 8th coaching season with the Plant Panthers boys’ basketball program.  During his time at Plant, the Panthers have had a overall record of 143-75. His Plant teams have won 3 straight district titles (2023, 2024, 2025) and he has been named American Division Coach of the Year the past two seasons. Willis' Plant teams have also won 2 Hillsborough County GPA titles in his time at the school. 

Although it was his 8th year at Plant, it is his 19th year as a head coach in the county.  Coach Willis previously coached at Bloomingdale High School and prior to that at Lennard High.  At Bloomingdale, Coach Willis guided the Bulls to their first district title since the 1996 season and first regional semi-final appearance since 1994. During that season he was named the Federal Division Coach of the Year.  Prior to coaching in the high school ranks, Coach Willis spent time coaching collegiately at High Point University (2003-04), Saint Leo University (2001-03) and the University of South Florida (1996-2001). Coach Willis played one year of college basketball at Webber College (now Webber International University) and through his high school basketball experience at East Lake HS, he earned All-Pinellas County Honorable Mention his senior year.  Coach Willis earned his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from the University of South Florida in 2000 and his graduate degree in Educational Leadership at Saint Leo University.  He lives with his wife Ellen, and daughters Maggie and Elise.

Coach Earnhardt came to Rabun Gap after serving as head girls coach at Asheville School for seven seasons and coaching boys basketball in Florida. He is in his 17th year of coaching basketball at Rabun Gap.In addition to his coaching duties, Coach Earnhardt serves as Rabun Gap’s Athletic Director and started the football program in 2009.He’s led the Rabun Gap girls basketball program to new heights during his tenure as head coach. His teams have experienced much success in the NCISAA over the past 10 years, including state playoff berths in each of the past 12 seasons, eight consecutive Final Fours appearances, and three state championship games. Five Lady Eagles have earned Division 1 scholarships, while three others have played at the D2 or D3 level.  Coach Earnhardt has had many highlights throughout his coaching career, including the first state championship game in 2013 and upsetting Greensboro Day in the Final Four that year, but few compare to seeing his team beat Providence Day School to advance to the 2018 Final Four during his daughter Josie Earnhardt ‘18’s senior season.

Chris Fore is a veteran Athletic Director and Head Football Coach from Southern California who specializes in the hiring process among the highly competitive athletic world. His consulting business,EightLaces, has been instrumental in helping coaches navigate the employment process.  He counts former NFL players, collegiate coaches at all levels, and high school coaches from all sports as his clients. (One client just landed a NCAA Division 2 Head Football Coach position!

Fore’s success as an Athletic Director can best be summed up in this: every year he has been an AD, his school won MORE League Championships than the year before!  And he has set SCHOOL RECORDS for most League Championships in one year at both schools where he has been an AD!  Excelsior Charter School hired Chris to bring prestige to their athletic program after winning just 3 League Championships in TEN years.  They won SIX in his first school year!!

He is the author ofBUILDING CHAMPIONSHIP CALIBER FOOTBALL PROGRAMS, released in December, 2013.  He has also publishedOUTSIDE THE LINES: FOOTBALL COACHES andOUTSIDE THE LINES: ATHLETIC DIRECTORS.  Fore has written articles for two national magazines:NIAAAandCoach/Athletic Director,  and has been featured in articles on some of football’s best websites:Football Scoop,X and O Labs, Coach XO,My CoachBook and more.  He has been a guest onHigh School Football America’s radio show, as well asFox Sports AM 570 Los Angeles, and has also appeared multiple times onFootballCoachingPodcast.com.

Fore’s own blog,  CoachFore.org, is seen by hundreds of unique visitors per day, and is a favorite among football coaches.