Chop Talk

Coach Proph is a pillar in the New Jersey basketball community. He has been impacting lives since day one! In this episode we talk about taking over ARTS and being able to resurrect the program. 

Proph is someone who kids gravitate towards and really love. I enjoyed learning from him and his journey! 

This episode is long overdue. Safet is family and one of the best young coaches in the business. In this episode we dive into how he has navigated his rise as a GM in the A10 at only 27 years old. 

Safet is the definition of betting on yourself and it has paid off so far. This episode is packed with value. He started out as a student manger, coached high school, moved to VA, left an A10 job, and now is back in the game. 

Enjoy! 

Luke and I go way back to when he was playing in college. In this episode you will hear about how he navigated his journey. What I love about Luke's path was he was not afraid to JUMP! He made moves to D2 then came back up to D1 and back to D2. 

It proves that everyone has a different path in this coaching life. Thanks for Luke coming on and taking the time! 

Darius Theus is one of the most humble people I've met during my time in basketball. As a player he helped lead VCU to a Final Four the played professionally afterwards. Since getting into coaching he has worked at Texas, VCU, and Siena. 

Topics in this episode
-Basketball journey 
-Former players transition into coaching 
-Taking uncomfortable risks 
-Skill development 
-What it means to coach where you're from 
-VCU way 
-Future goals  

Guest: Ivan Thomas is the Associate Head Coach for Georgetown Men's Basketball. Coach Thomas started as a High School / AAU Coach where he won multiple state titles before breaking into the business at Providence College. After spending 9 years there he made the move back home to Georgetown a few months ago. His journey is different which makes this episode a great listen. Enjoy! 

Guest: Sean Hoehn is a stand out basketball player who now plays  professionally  in Kosovo. He also graduated from Sacred Heart University where he earned first team all conference honors. Sean shares his journey on how he got to where he is now. 

Here are some of his career highlights 

College 

• Named to the All-NEC First Team
• Named to NABC All-District First Team
• 185 made career three-pointers places him fifth all-time in program's Div. I history
• Ended SHU career with 1,366 points, which ranks 23rd all-time in program-history
• Led the Pioneers and was third in the NEC in scoring with 17.9 ppg

High School

• Morris County Player of the Year
• First Team All-Conference, League, and Area as Junior and Senior
• Second Team All-State Group 3 as Junior and Senior

Guest: Danny O'Connor is the Director of Player Development for Delaware Men's Basketball. Before graduating from Indiana University, Danny worked numerous camps. One of those camps was Hoop Group where we met. After graduating he got on at UDEL and has been a part of their growth ever since.  Enjoy! 

Guest: Cole Dewey is the Head Coach of the Men's Basketball program at Garden City Community College in Kansas. Cole is a young star in college basketball and has worked his way to being one of the younger head coaches in the basketball world. I look forward to following his journey as he returns to Garden City.

Coach Dewey's Resume: 
-Head coach Garden City 
-Head Coach Otero 
-Assistant Coach Indian Hills 
-Assistant Coach South Plains
-Assistant Coach Garden City 
-GA Campbell University 

Guest: Justin Delaney. If you haven't check out NJ Hoop Recruit on Instagram, you need to know. Justin has grown the brand from a small 3,000 follower account to over 100k now. I remember when I was at St. Benedict's he was grinding and going to games everywhere. Five years later he has one of the strongest brands in basketball and THE strongest in NJ. 

Breakdown: 
Background 

• 3:15 - What is NJ Hoop Recruit? 
• 12:30 - Contacting media guys  
• 15:30 - Building a BRAND 
• 20:50 - Creating momentum 
• 31:45 - How would you keep NJ kids home? 
• 40:01 - Grad Transfers 

Guest: Luke St. Lifer is the Director of Basketball Operations for Bryant University Men's Basketball. Luke started his career out as a student manager before working his way to Bryant and then LeMoyne. 

Breakdown: 

• Background 
• 3:55 - Landing a job at Bryant 
•  6:30 - Subject line 
• 12:55 - What have you learned? 
• 15:00 - Staff Dynamic 
• 20:01 - Being on the road 
• 22:17 - Working your way back to Bryant 
• 25:00 - Connect with kids 
• 30:20 - Staying organized 
• 36:30 - DOBO life