Chop Talk

Jake MacDonald is a lead instructor for a company called The Program. This company works with a variety of teams on building leadership, toughness, and more. Jake also served in the United States Marine Corps. In this episode we dive into his experiences in the Marines, how to become tougher, leadership, and more.  Check out his book called The Program! 

·      1:30 – The Program 

·      3:30 – How do we become tougher? 

·      11:00 – Being emotionally tough 

·      13:30 – Planning a military mission 

·      16:00- Back briefs 

·      18:45 – Tom Crean Practice 

·      20:00 – Calm breads calm 

·      23:45 – Core Values 

·      25:30 – Making decisions under pressure 

·      31:30 – Habits 

·      32:40 – What leaders do 

·      34:05 – Adrenaline 

·      38:50 – Firefight 

·      42:15 – Characteristics of leaders 

Guest: Ryan Pedon is an assistant  coach for THE Ohio State Men's Basketball team. In this podcast Coach Pedon discusses topics such as positivity, being invaluable, work ethic, and his journey to Ohio State.  

 ·      Background

·      Working in an administration role 2:40 

·      Networking – 8:30

·      Be invaluable – 16:00 

·      Reputation – 22:50 

·      Blue collar work ethic – 30:45 

·      Making the most of your time – 34:55 

·      Hiring questions – 44:10 

Guest: Rob Ferrara is a Senior Manager of VIP Development for DraftKings. Rob and I have known each other since college and he has had a great journey in the gaming world so far. Once graduating college he picked up his stuff and moved to Las Vegas to work in the gaming industry. In this episode Rob talks about the Vegas lifestyle, working with high end clients, his role now at Draft Kings, what he looks for when hiring people and more. 

Breakdown: 
Background 
2:30 - How he got his job at MGM 
5:45 - Staying in touch with your connections 
8:35 - Moving across the country 
11:40 - High level clients 
14:00 - Ask questions 
16:15 - Vegas events 
20:00 - DraftKings 
25:45 - Hiring people 
30:45 - Stand out in interviews 
33:10 - Future of sports betting 
41:05 - Relationships 

Guest: Dr. Atur Turakhia is an experienced leader, educator, and team builder. After graduating from UC Berkeley with a Bachelors in Molecular & Cell Biology, he obtained his medical degree at the University of California, Irvine. He currently serves his community as the Associate Medical Director for Children, Youth, & Prevention Behavioral Health Services within the County of Orange Health Care Agency. Atur has also worked with multiple professional athletes. 

Breakdown: 
·      1:15 Background 

·      5:05 Culture 

·      7:30 Courage to open up 

·      12:00 Techniques to use 

·      17:07 Proactive 

·      24:50 Maturity 

·      27:30 NBA Mindset 

·      35:00 Routine 

·      43:00 Getting in the zone 

Guest: Matt Elkin is the Director of Basketball Operations at Ivy league power Yale University. Coach Elkin started as a student manager and has climbed his way up in the basketball since graduating. In this episode he talks about coaching prep school, moving across the country to LA, his time in AAU basketball, and much more. Enjoy!

Breakdown: 
•1min - Background 
•2min – Manager at Wisconsin 
•5:20min – Coaching D3 in college 
•9:15 min – Vermont Academy 
•15min – Prep School Route 
•18min – Working with kids 
•21:30 – Lifestyle of working at a prep school 
•26:50 – Process of moving to California 
•35:40- West Coast Elite AAU

Guest: Kyle Young is a sophomore on the Siena Men's Basketball team. In this episode Kyle and I talk about his adjustment to college hoops, mindset during the pandemic lockdown, and investing as a college student. Enjoy! 

Breakdown: 
-Background 
2:13- Adjustment to college 
6:02- Pandemic Mindset 
14:00- Control what you can control 
18:00- Changing weights 
21:02- Goals 
24:40- Controlling your emotions 
31:50- Continue to grow 
33:20- Investing 

Guest: Dwayne Killings is the Associate Head Coach at Marquette University for the Men's Basketball team. Coach Killings and I met about five years ago and he's always been willing to help the next generation. I appreciate him taking time to join the podcast! 

Breakdown: 
:30 - Background 
4:00 - Connecting with people 
9:30 - Learn from everyone 
14:50 - Building trust 
19:30 - First impression of Marquette 
23:45 - Culture 
30:10 - Show what your thing is 
34:02 - Go visit schools
35:00 - Social media 
37:09 - Interview questions 

Guest: Drew Flanagan is a former Villanova Men's Basketball student manager. I met Drew while working camp at Lehigh University. Since graduating Drew has climbed the ladder in the fundraising world. He currently works as the Director of Business Development at George Washington University. Enjoy! 

1:00 - Background 
3:45 - Working camps 
9:20 - His time at Stanford
13:20 - Be authentic 
18:10 - Willing to do anything 
20:15 - Attention to detail 
25:20 - Relationships / Coaching HS 
29:50 - Fundraising and recruiting 
34:45 - Coaches in fundraising 
40:00 - Using social media 
47:15 - Advice on how to get a "real world" job

Guest: Josh King coaches for MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg a professional team in Germany. He's our first overseas coach on Chop Talk and has taken a unique route to get to where he is today. 

1:00 - Background 
3:00 - Getting bumped up 
6:00 -Hoop Group 
8:00 - Working in the real world 
13:30 - Getting a job in sales 
17:00 - Marshall vs UNH 
18:24- Recruiting JUCO 
20:45- Getting involved with a job in Europe 
23:38- Environment in Europe 
28:00- Understanding European Basketball 
32:45- Adjust to Europe 
37:00- Goals 
38:40- What have you learned? 
42:40- What players need to understand about overseas 
52:00- Advice for breaking in 

Guest: Coach Carm is the head coach at Siena College for the Men's Basketball team. Before coming to Siena he had stops at George Washington, Boston University, Providence, Fairfield, and Siena as an operations guy. He is also our FIRST D1 head coach to come on Chop Talk. Hope everyone enjoys! 

2:25- Coaching in the community your grew up in 
3:45- Getting your foot in your door 
5:30- Pick the right fit 
8:25- How do you find minutes to get on the floor? 
10:45- Winning a MAAC Championship 
12:45- What would you tell your college self? 
15:25- Habits and Routine 
20:40- Eating with your team 
24:25- Challenges with COVID 
27:10- How do you become a better coach each day? 
29:40- Coaches 4 Change 
35:40- FAMILY 
40:25- Organize recruiting information 
43:00- Weaponize your phonebook