Coaching Mud

In this episode I chat with Coach Dennis Hutter. He's the Head Coach of the NAIA school, Mayville State University located in Mayville, North Dakota. He has been at the helm of their women's basketball program for the last 15 seasons. He's led the Comets to three conference championships, including “back to back” championships the past two years. In addition, they've qualified for the NAIA National Tournament three times, and even advanced to the "Sweet Sixteen" in 2014. Coach Hutter has been named the NSAA Coach of the Year twice, in 2014 and 2019. He's going to talk to us about his journey at MSU, what he's learned in the process, and how he has changed as a coach.

Coach Hutter can be found on twitter @HutterCoach

Today I spoke with 25 year old Head Coach, Karim McDonald. Coach Karim is in his second season as the head coach at Greenriver College. He started coaching at the age of 17. He's coached at the AAU, high school, and college levels. In this conversation he will share his journey through coaching and the challenges of being a young head coach. 

Coach Karim can be found on twitter @TheLegendKmac

This episode is extremely special to me, because it features my very good friend, and former college teammate, Nicole Ballestero. Nicole joined the Concordia University Irvine women's basketball program in the summer of 2017 following the completion of her master’s degree as a graduate assistant at the University of Idaho. She received her master's in movement and leisure science with an emphasis in leadership. Before Nicole went to the Potato State, she coached for one year at her alma mater, Vanguard University. Nicole competed for the Lions from 2012-2014 after transferring from the University of San Diego.  While at Vanguard, she was an All-American during both of her seasons of competition.  She was also named the GSAC and Women’s College Basketball Association NAIA Player of the Year in 2014.  Following her time at Vanguard, Ballestero played professionally in Denmark for the Aaboyhoj Greens during the 2014-2015 season. I'm so excited to have her share her experience going straight from a GA to a top assistant, the different cultures she's been a part of, and more!

Coach Nicole can be found on twitter @nkb_03

On this episode I spoke with, one the most competitive women I know, Head Coach Lisa Faulkner. She was an absolute stand out player for National Basketball Hall of Fame Coach, Brad Smith at the high school level and then for NAIA Hall of Fame, Coach Russ Davis at Vanguard University. Now she is a successful Head Coach herself. Her success began year one in the seat. This is a great episode that consists of her journey through being an assistant coach for some very tough division 1 programs including: Boston College, Northern Arizona, and the University of Denver. She explains everything she did to get through the 'mud' and how that carried over to her success as the Head Coach of her own program, and so much more! Check it out! 

Coach Lisa can be found on twitter @CoachFaulkner21

This episode features Coach Matt Lowry. Coach Matt graduated from USC in 2014 with a Major in Communications. He started his coaching career shortly after, as the Golden West Middle School Boys Basketball Assistant Coach. While coaching the boys middle school team, he became the Director of the AAU basketball team, Travis Lady Jets, in which he still leads today. In 2018 he accepted the position as the Head Junior Varsity Girl's Basketball Coach for his alma mater, Vanden High School. Coach Matt has spent a lot of time this summer on multiple coaching Zoom clinics. It's a pleasure to have him on to share his story and the challenges that may rise from coaching girl's jv basketball. 

You can find Coach Matt on twitter @MattALowry

Dr. Coach Danny Pueblos wears MANY hats. He is known as Dr. Coach because he earned his Doctorate in Sport Psychology and because he hosts his own Podcast called "The Dr. Coach Show". He is one of my Assistant Coaches at Orange Coast College where he focuses on the mental aspects of the game. He also is the Director of Mental Performance of 1 Vision Sports and Entertainment where he provides mental performance training to elite athletes and performers of all sports and levels. And finally, he is a Psychology and Sport Psychology Professor at various colleges and universities throughout Southern California. He is a huge asset to my staff, and I am super excited for him to share his journey and knowledge on this podcast. 

You can find Coach Danny on Instagram and Twitter @docpueblos

In this episode I chat with Assistant Coach Mike Janikowski of the Muskegon Community College Jayhawks. Coach Mike focuses mainly on post player development and recruiting with Jayhawks, but as all of you coaches may know, that's not all he does! Nonetheless, Coach Mike helped lead the Jayhawks to a record of 26-4 last season and a bid to the National Tournament. Unfortunately, like many other colleges seeking post season play last year, they were unable to compete due to Covid-19. This year he has 17 new incomers on his team. He's going to tell us about his journey through coaching.

You can find Coach Mike Janikowski on twitter @JanikowskiMike