***This is the first 10 minutes of Bucky Ball, full episode available in link at the bottom of this description***

Bucky McMillan, 42, is the head men’s basketball coach at Texas A&M University. A Birmingham native and graduate of Birmingham-Southern College, McMillan arrived on the college scene in 2020 when Samford University hired him out of nearby Mountain Brook High School, which he had turned into a national powerhouse.  Deploying an entertaining style and relentlessly marketing the program in the community, McMillan quickly turned Samford into one of the SoCon's most exciting programs before leaving for College Station this past #SearchSZN.

He joined the show from Texas A&M’s basketball practice facility and discussed the surprising benefits of jumping directly from high school to Division I, the meaning of Bucky Ball, the visionary thinking of the athletic director who first hired him at Samford, and his genuine belief that he can one day lead the Aggies to a Final Four.

You can purchase the full episode with no recurring charges for $3 by following this link: Bucky Ball Single Episode Link

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***This is the first 10 minutes of The Forbes List, full episode available in link at the bottom of this description***

Steve Forbes, 60, the head men’s basketball coach at Wake Forest University. A native of Lone Tree, Iowa, and a graduate of Southern Arkansas University, Forbes arrived in Winston‑Salem on April 30, 2020 during the throes of COVID. At 55, Wake became his first power conference gig after decades of toiling in the junior college and assistant coaching ranks. He came to Wake after getting his first head D1 job at 50 when he won the East Tennessee job and promptly turned that program into a SoCon power.  Forbes has worked for four Final Four coaches, has long been known as an elite recruiter, and is a fantastic storyteller. He joined the show from North Carolina and discussed a lifetime in the sport, what people don’t understand about Gregg Marshall, and the challenges of resurrecting a moribund program in an ACC that’s very different than the one he encountered upon arrival five years ago.

You can purchase the full episode with no recurring charges for $3 by following this link: The Forbes List Single Episode Link

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***This is the first 5 minutes of Mussel Beach, full episode available in link at the bottom of this description***

Eric Musselman, 60, is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Southern California. A native of Ashland, Ohio, and the son of longtime coach Bill Musselman, Eric arrived in Los Angeles after five successful seasons at Arkansas, where he led the Razorbacks to three consecutive NCAA Tournament runs that included two Elite Eight appearances and a Sweet Sixteen. Before that, Musselman guided Nevada to three straight NCAA berths, including a 2018 Sweet Sixteen. His path to the college game came after a long career in professional coaching, including head coaching stints with the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings and several years leading NBA and G League teams. Musselman joined the show from his home near the beach to talk about the program he’s building at USC, the lessons he carried over from the NBA, his relentless approach to roster construction in the transfer portal era, and how he navigates LA commutes.

You can purchase the full episode with no recurring charges for $3 by following this link: Mussel Beach Single Episode Link

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***This is the first 10 minutes of Ben McIowa, full episode available in link at the bottom of this description***

Ben McCollum, 44 is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Iowa, which hired him this past offseason after a wildly succession debut season as a D1 level coach at Drake. A native of Storm Lake, Iowa, McCollum put together one of the most impressive stretches in recent coaching history during 15 remarkably successful seasons at Northwest Missouri State. Under his leadership, the Bearcats captured four national championships, went to six Elite Eights, and posted five 30‑win seasons, earning McCollum a reputation as one of the game’s premier program builders and the ignominious honor of being the original #SearchSZN darling. A former Northwest Missouri State guard himself, McCollum transitioned into coaching shortly after graduation, first as a GA at his alma mater, then as an assistant at Emporia State and finally back to his alma mater bas head coach beginning in 2009. McCollum joined the show from Des Moines to talk about how he builds programs, why his success at lower levels will translate to the Big Ten, and whether he was familiar with the Curry Hicks Sage’s impassioned internet bullying campaign aimed at convincing the UMass Athletic Director to hire him in 2022.

You can purchase the full episode with no recurring charges for $3 by following this link: Ben McIowa Single Episode Link

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***This is the first 5 minutes of FRIAR, full episode available in link at the bottom of this description***

Kim English, 36, is the head men's basketball coach at Providence College. A Baltimore native and former Mizzou Tiger, English arrived in the Renaissance City after two seasons as the head coach at George Mason. English began his coaching career after a stint playing for the Pistons and a number of top tier clubs overseas. He has also served as an assistant coach at Tulsa, Colorado, and Tennessee., respectively. English joined the show from Boston where he discussed the meaning of his trademark phrase “Mindset,” his coaching influences, his favorite Providence restaurants, and how he went about constructing the roster for this coming season after a challenging second year at the helm.

You can purchase the full episode with no recurring charges for $3 by following this link: FRIAR Single Episode Link

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***This is the first 10 minutes of The Big Schert(z) full episode available in link at the bottom of this description***

Josh Schertz, 50, is the head men's basketball coach at Saint Louis University. After dominating the D2 ranks for a dozen or so years at Lincoln Memorial, the Brooklyn native and FAU alum turned around Indiana State during a three year stint in Terre Haute before winning the SLU job during the 2024 #SearchSZN cycle. He's held assistant roles at a range of D2 spots as well. Schertz discussed his highly unusual path to becoming a head basketball coach, what he learned from being a youth tennis star, how he implements his complex offensive system, and why Nick Saban--respectfully--might be wrong when he says "how you do anything is how you do everything."

You can purchase the full episode with no recurring charges for $3 by following this link: The Big Schert(z) Single Episode Link

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***This is the first 10 minutes of Skinn It To Win It, full episode available in link at the bottom of this description***

Tony Skinn, 42, is the head men's basketball coach at George Mason. A decorated Mason alum who helped lead the program on its miraculous Final Four run in 2006, Skinn returned to his alma mater prior to the 2023-2024 season. In his second year at the helm, he led the team to within a possession of an A10 title and 27 wins. His name emerged in a number of high profile coaching searches, but he'll be back in Fairfax this season. Before taking the Mason job, Skinn had stints as an assistant at Maryland, Ohio State, Seton Hall, and Louisiana Tech. The D.C native joined the show from Virginia where he discussed his basketball upbringing in the DMV, how he gets guys to buy into his trademark defensive intensity, the backstory of Mason's 2006 run and the difficulty of coaching in the A10 during the portal era.

You can purchase the full episode with no recurring charges for $3 by following this link: Skinn It To Win It Single Episode Link

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***This is the first 10 minutes of Smith and his Tree, full episode available in link at the bottom of this description***

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Kyle Smith, 56, is the head men's basketball coach at Stanford. He’s previously served as head coach at Washington State, the University of San Francisco, and Columbia. He's also been an assistant at San Diego, Air Force, and St. Mary's, where he worked under the legendary Randy Bennett. Smith has led as geographically diverse a career as anyone in the sport and has famously succeeded at places where most others failed. The former English major and quick-witted conversationalist joined the show from Silicon Valley as Sage was witnessing his beloved Knicks blow a late lead to fall to the Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The duo discussed Smith's vast coaching tree, his start in the profession, the challenges of recruiting to Pullman, Washington and much more.

You can purchase the full episode with no recurring charges for $3 by following this link: Smith and his Tree Single Episode Link

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***This is the first 10 minutes of HIM Crutchfield, full episode available in link at the bottom of this description***

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Jim Crutchfield, 70, and the current coach at Nova Southeastern, represents something of a litmus test within the basketball world. If you know ball, you know Jim Crutchfield. By record alone, he's inarguably among the most successful coaches in the history of the sport. If you're just a regular fan, however, you may not know of him at all.  He didn't even get a head coaching shot until his late 40s and has spent his entire career toiling in the D2 ranks. But his success and philosophy have spawned legions of acolytes within the profession. (Joe Mazzulla and Eric Spoelstra are among two of his biggest.) The West Virginia native joined the show from his home in South Florida, where he currently serves as Head Coach of the defending national champion Nova Southeastern Sharks. He discussed the unique but simple fundamentals undergirding his 'system,' why his pocket of West Virginia has produced such great coaches, and the risk aversion of Division 1 athletic directors.

You can purchase the full episode with no recurring charges for $3 by following this link: HIM Crutchfield Single Episode

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***This is the first 20 minutes of May in June, full episode available in link at the bottom of this description***

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Dusty May, 48, is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Michigan. He’s previously served as Head Coach at Florida Atlantic University where he led the Owls to its first ever Final Four in 2023. He began his career as a manager under Bobby Knight at Indiana and has held administrative or assistant coaching roles at Indiana, USC, Murray State, Eastern Michigan, Louisiana Tech, and the University of Florida.  Dusty joined the show from Michigan and discussed schoolboy hoops in the Hoosier state, the influence of Mike Davis, his second thoughts about taking the FAU job, the Final Four fatigue that enveloped his Owls squad the year after its legendary run, and Michigan's commitment to NIL in year two and beyond.

You can purchase the full episode with no recurring charges for $3 by following this link: May in June Single Episode

Subscribe to CurryHicksSage.com for access to all Burning Sage episodes as well as breaking news e-mail alerts, blog posts, and other paywalled content. Follow this link for subscription options: Subscribe to CurryHicksSage.com