Chop Talk

Guest: Connor Clark works for a company called The Gazelle Group where he helps put on different types of events. A lot of those events are college basketball tournaments including the most recent one, Bubbleville. In this episode we talk about what went into setting up a bubble at Mohegan Sun and the challenges for college teams to play. 

Breakdown

• Background 
• 3:30 - Securing a job in sports 
• 7:20 - Gazelle Group 
• 9:45 - Bubbleville 
• 13:45 - Operations of running a bubble 
• 20:00 - Biggest challenge in the bubble 
• 25:30 - Most organized teams 
• 29:00 - Bench noise 
• 35:25 - Will the NCAA tournament allow fans? 

Guest: March Mitchell is the Head Women's Basketball Coach at St. Peter's University.  I met Coach Mitch at FDU Florham where we both worked together.  During his time at FDU Florham he had tremendous success including a D3 National Championship. He is the winningest coach I've ever been around and I appreciate him sharing his journey on Chop Talk. 

Guest: Justin Krompier is a New Jersey based adventure and lifestyle photographer.  Justin has traveled all around the country taking photos and has a great story. I've known Justin since high school where we played lacrosse together.  Check out his photos on Instagram or his website. 

https://www.justinkrompier.com/
Instagram: @just_passinthrough

Breakdown: 

• Background 
• 3:00 - Figuring out what he wanted to do 
• 10:35 - In that moment 
• 13:00 - Working at UPS 
• 19:15 - Leaving the comfortable job 
• 25:20 - Believe in someone 
• 31:50 - Living in a van 
• 36:00 - The failure is not trying 
• 40:30 - Just try 

Guest: Adam Virgile is a sports scientist who is working on his PHD at The University of Vermont. He also worked with the New York Rangers for 4 years before making the move to UVM. This conversation was not only very informative but it opened my eyes to some things coaches don't think about. 

Breakdown

• Background 
• 3:45 - How you got into sports science 
• 5:45 - What data do you look to track? 
• 11:12 - How can you track power? 
• 18:35 - Assign them values
• 23:40 - Load management 
• 30:02 - Info graphics 
• 33:45 - Psych trumps all 
• 40:36 - Goal 

Guest: Nick Hopkins is a guard for the Siena College Men's Basketball team. He started his career at Belmont University before deciding to use his grad transfer year at Siena. While at Belmont Nick earned his degree and also played in the NCAA Tournament. Nick has some great habits that younger players can learn from. 

Background 

• 1:30 - NCAA Tournament 
• 5:25 - Consistent work ethic 
• 8:20 - Being on time 
• 10:00 - Graduate transfer 
• 15:00 - Bring a teammate to the gym 
• 19:00 - Watch film 
• 25:35 - What makes a program successful
• 29:30 - Advice to incoming freshman 

Guest: Matt Gambino is a former college athlete who has a career in sales but also has a serious side hustle that involves sports cards. Over the last year sports cards have exploded, Matt and I have invested in cards and discuss how there is still time to make money. For all my basketball people that listen to this please use the knowledge you already have to make some extra cash. 

Breakdown: 
3:30 - Door to door sales 
7:45 - How did you get into sports cards? 
11:30 - How do you know how much a card is worth? 
16:15 - What to look for when buying a card 
19:20 - What can I do with $200 right now? 
26:45- BUY KEVIN DURANT 
28:30 - Difference in markets 
31:40 - Sleeper cards 
41:00 - Create relationships 

Guest: Anthony Pelliccia is an admissions counselor at Siena College and also an alum. He is one of the most passionate people I have met and really dedicates himself to his craft. In this episode we dive into the similarities between coaching and admissions. We also look at some techniques he uses when recruiting on the road. Enjoy! 

·      Background 

·      Day to day in admissions – 1:45 

·      Strategies to engage students when recruiting - 5:35

·      Representing a brand – 8:15 

·      Having confidence - 13:25 

·      Do your homework – 16:30 

·      What makes a good campus tour? – 17:50 

·      Pick your battles- 23:15 

·      Students following up – 26:45 

·      Coaches & Admissions – 32:30 

·      Help students – 35:30 

·      Goals – 41:50 

Guest: Athan Katsantonis is a Graduate Assistant for Nebraska Men's Basketball. He is also the former Head Manager of the Syracuse Men's Basketball team. I met Athan when he was a 17 year old kid at a workout and it's been fun to watch him rise. 

Breakdown 
·      Background 

·      2:40 – Landing a manager job 

·      6:32 – Working up to head manager 

·      11:45 – Building relationships on staff 

·      16:00 – Favorite part about the ACC 

·      19:45 – What did you do to land GA spot? 

·      29:05 – Don’t tell coaches what they want to hear 

·      34:15 – What have you learned as a GA? 

Guest: Matt Goldsmith is the head coach at TCNJ for the Men's Basketball team. Since taking over the program Coach Goldsmith has brought TCNJ to the NCAA tournament and also won the NJAC. The program's mantra is "Be Uncommon" which we talk about in this episode. Matt continues to rise in the basketball world and I'm really excited for everyone to listen. 

Breakdown
·      Background 

·      3:25 – What makes a powerhouse? 

·      6:10 – Ready to become a young head coach 

·      12:00 – Head coaching interview process 

·      18:45 – Steering the program in the right direction 

·      25:30 – Be Uncommon 

·      31:45 – Connect with your players 

·      34:35 – Recruiting at a high academic institution 

·      38:00 – Hiring questions 

·      41:05 – Process of hiring someone 

·      45:25 – Outlast people 

Guest: Bob Gallager is a former college basketball manager for St. Bonaventure Men's Basketball. After earning his undergrad and masters degree there he jumped into the prep school basketball world. He spent two years at Massanutten Military Academy before getting his job now at IMG. Bob is one of the hardest workers I know and continues to climb. 

 

·      Background 

·      2:30 – Prep school route 

·      6:22 – Interview process 

·      8:00 – Typical prep school day 

·      11:10 – Most valuable thing you learned

·      14:05- 150 D1 coaches 

·      17:43 – Getting to IMG 

·      25:02- What do good recruiters do? 

·      29:30 – What players like 

·      35:50 – Traits of high-level players 

·      38:00- Work harder