Chris Kreider returns to Georgia Tech 19 years after his first stint there, now an assistant coach under Scott Cross, and joins the show to talk about the craft of being a great assistant coach. Drawing on 20-plus years working for eight head coaches, Chris explains how staffs create alignment through clear roles and organization, how ambitious assistants can grow , and the specific leadership traits he's absorbed from mentors like Scott Cross, Ben Lanier, Dan Earl, Charlton Young, and Paul Hewitt. He lays out the three things every high school coach should develop in players — how to work, how to play, and how to win — and shares how players can win the margins by controlling the controllables. The guys also run a rapid-fire "tier ranking" on culture, continuity, best-player-as-best-leader, and conceptual basketball in today's game. Chris closes with hard-won wisdom on staying a lifelong learner, keeping perspective, and lifting up the next generation of coaches.

Show Notes:

• Entering a new staff right
• Faith and family drive decisions
• Clear lanes and responsibility matrix
• Advice for ambitious assistants
• Avoiding staff role jockeying
• Leadership lessons from eight coaches
• Work, play, win: player development
• Winning the margins: control controllables
• Teaching competitiveness through daily details
• Tier-ranking culture and continuity
• Simplifying amid heavy roster turnover
• Closing wisdom for coaches

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After analyzing over 100 million shots, basketball data scientists at Noah Basketball have uncovered the formula of the perfect shot, helping players on 28 of 30 NBA teams improve their accuracy faster than ever before.

This same patented shot-tracking technology is now available to you in the Noah Backboard for a fraction of the cost. Learn more today at noahbasketball.com. Inquire while supplies last!

Find out more about PGC Coach's Courtside Retreat here: https://coach.pgcbasketball.com/courtside-retreat-special/

Every culture has problems — what separates the good ones is how they work through discomfort and adversity together. In part 2 with J.P. Nerbun, author of The Culture Captain, we explore how to lead yourself first, how to give and receive feedback, and why responsibility and self-awareness are the foundation of any healthy team. J.P. shares why authenticity is harder than it sounds, how to fill your own leadership gaps, and what it really looks like to pour into a leadership group day by day. Along the way TJ and Sam share their insights both the the value of a mirror-holding mentor, and the balance between coaching standards and team-created standards. Shift your coaching from transactional to transformational with culture and leadership tips from this episode.

Show notes

• Task conflict vs. relational conflict
• Beliefs drive behaviors, not vice versa
• Three types of team standards
• Culture is cultivation, not construction
• Feedback loops that start with self
• Not getting rocked by feedback
• No followers means no leaders
• Radical responsibility and player awareness
• Training leaders to see the floor
• Shifting focus from self to others
• Start with self-awareness and mirrors
• You can't just copy Wooden
• Filling gaps: the Joey Votto story
• "Coach me" vs. "me me"
• Daily huddles over weekly meetings
• Working with your leadership group
• Where to find J.P.'s books

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After analyzing over 100 million shots, basketball data scientists at Noah Basketball have uncovered the formula of the perfect shot, helping players on 28 of 30 NBA teams improve their accuracy faster than ever before.

This same patented shot-tracking technology is now available to you in the Noah Backboard for a fraction of the cost. Learn more today at noahbasketball.com. Inquire while supplies last!

Find out more about PGC Coach's Courtside Retreat here: https://coach.pgcbasketball.com/courtside-retreat-special/

In this episode, J.P. Nerbun joins TJ and Sam to talk leadership development from the inside out, built around his new book for athletes, The Culture Captain. J.P. explains why knowing yourself is deeper than a personality assessment, and shares his "peel the onion" exercise for helping a diverse roster uncover the shared values that hold a team together. The conversation touches on practical aspects of coaching such as captain selection, and how you can build player to player accountability. J.P. and Sam also draw the line between the "curious challenge" and the "direct challenge," making the case that transformational coaching needs more truth paired with genuine care. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation — don't miss the next episode as they go deeper.

Go to https://tocculture.com/ to learn more about J.P.'s books and programs. [More on J.P. below].

Show Notes:

• Why The Culture Captain
• The four levels of leadership
• Knowing yourself beyond personality tests
• Above the line vs. below
• The "peel the onion" exercise
• Finding and identifying shared values
• How to choose team captains
• One or two players steer everything
• Player-led vs. coach-led teams
• Coach as culture facilitator, not controller
• Never ask what you won't do
• Don't wait for natural-born leaders
• Teaching players to follow first
• The "stamp": affirmation and gratitude
• Responsibility means action, not excuses
• Coach approval vs. peer approval
• Working through fear
• Curious challenge vs. direct challenge
• Empathy without accountability relieves nothing
• Popovich and Tim Duncan model
• The note-card feedback drill
• Feedback as conversation, sometimes directive
• Building trust through real vulnerability
• Be brave, not just safe
• Where to find J.P.

More on J.P. Nerbun:
J.P. Nerbun is an ICF certified PCC Executive Coach (trained at Georgetown University), Growth Edge Coach, Facilitator, and author of The Culture System.

He partners with leaders and teams across sports, education, business, and healthcare to intentionally create strong team cultures that drive results. Leveraging a practical and systematic approach developed through his background as a professional basketball coach and educator, J.P. enables organizations to achieve higher performance by focusing on shared vision, growing trust, building cohesion, and raising standards. He is the founder of the specialized coaching firm, TOC, and hosts The Coach Culture Podcast.

Send us a Message. If you'd like us to reply, include your contact info.

After analyzing over 100 million shots, basketball data scientists at Noah Basketball have uncovered the formula of the perfect shot, helping players on 28 of 30 NBA teams improve their accuracy faster than ever before.

This same patented shot-tracking technology is now available to you in the Noah Backboard for a fraction of the cost. Learn more today at noahbasketball.com. Inquire while supplies last!

Find out more about PGC Coach's Courtside Retreat here: https://coach.pgcbasketball.com/courtside-retreat-special/

Every coach obsesses over their offensive and defensive systems, but TJ and Sam argue the real edges live in the details most teams neglect. Starting from an old Billy Donovan stat — that players hold the ball only 5-8% of the time they're on the court — they break down how to teach, celebrate, and measure the game away from the ball, from off-ball actions to making defensive plays that quietly save your team points. They make the case for having an intentional rebounding identity and treating passing as a trainable skill instead of an assumption.

Show Notes:

• Why the game happens without ball
• The Billy Donovan touch-time stat
• Five off-ball offensive actions
• Defensive plays that save points
• Selling players on enjoying defense
• Building your eye for off-ball
• Celebrate, measure, then track
• Dean Smith's three-part motto
• Spot-measuring crash and cut rate
• Rebounding as a season-changer
• Deciding your rebounding identity
• Defensive philosophy shapes your rebounding
• Passing as a trainable skill
• The three T's of passing
• Killing the "maybe pass"

Send us a Message. If you'd like us to reply, include your contact info.

After analyzing over 100 million shots, basketball data scientists at Noah Basketball have uncovered the formula of the perfect shot, helping players on 28 of 30 NBA teams improve their accuracy faster than ever before.

This same patented shot-tracking technology is now available to you in the Noah Backboard for a fraction of the cost. Learn more today at noahbasketball.com. Inquire while supplies last!

Find out more about PGC Coach's Courtside Retreat here: https://coach.pgcbasketball.com/courtside-retreat-special/

TJ and Sam open the mailbag for a three-part conversation on the issues coaches wrestle with most. First, they explore self-improvement and blind spots — why identifying trusted voices, dropping the ego, and getting out of the weeds are essential to your leadership. Next, they get into parent culture: communicating expectations, consistent communication, and relationships built on trust rather than avoidance. Finally, they deliver a recruiting update for a landscape reshaped by NIL, the transfer portal, eligibility rulings, and roster crunches — landing on the truths that still hold: if you're good enough you'll get found, fit matters more than the destination, and real connections still open doors. It's a wide-ranging episode with something for coaches at every level.

Send us a Message. If you'd like us to reply, include your contact info.

After analyzing over 100 million shots, basketball data scientists at Noah Basketball have uncovered the formula of the perfect shot, helping players on 28 of 30 NBA teams improve their accuracy faster than ever before.

This same patented shot-tracking technology is now available to you in the Noah Backboard for a fraction of the cost. Learn more today at noahbasketball.com. Inquire while supplies last!

Find out more about PGC Coach's Courtside Retreat here: https://coach.pgcbasketball.com/courtside-retreat-special/

A strong season starts with an intentional preseason, and this week Sam and TJ  lay out the framework for getting it right. The most critical areas of coaching aren't mastered in silos — every workout, every meal, every interaction is a chance to sharpen your culture for success. They share how to develop leaders, improve your player development, and why you have to start every season from zero every season.

Show notes

• Five pillars, not five buckets
• Where leadership starts
• Mentoring 2-3 players
• Why it matters
• Giving players space to lead
• Weekly check-ins and honest feedback
• Match player development to strategy
• The LeBron and Reddick example
• Growth-oriented far from games
• Mission-oriented close to games
• Build a team habits document
• Don't chase the shiny thing
• Defense is player development too
• Culture is measured by interactions
• Gratitude, standards, and the McDonald's test
• Set standards you'll fight for
• Start every season from zero
• Create ownership in your values
• Adversity reveals where culture really is
• The "old crap" meeting explained
• Build better people, better culture

Send us a Message. If you'd like us to reply, include your contact info.

After analyzing over 100 million shots, basketball data scientists at Noah Basketball have uncovered the formula of the perfect shot, helping players on 28 of 30 NBA teams improve their accuracy faster than ever before.

This same patented shot-tracking technology is now available to you in the Noah Backboard for a fraction of the cost. Learn more today at noahbasketball.com. Inquire while supplies last!

Find out more about PGC Coach's Courtside Retreat here: https://coach.pgcbasketball.com/courtside-retreat-special/

Staff leadership might be the most overlooked skill in coaching, and one of the toughest. TJ, Sam, and Lisa explore what it takes for an assistant coach to bring value and grow, and what head coaches owe their staffs in return. Along the way they tackle why communication sits at the root of nearly every staff breakdown, why you should hire people you can "do life with," and how to correct a coach mid-practice without undermining them. They get candid about moody staffs, owning your mistakes, and the relational deposits that carry a group through the peaks and valleys of every season.

Show notes

• Staff leadership has no blueprint
• Communication needs
• Get alignment
• Values over talent
• Everyday keys to success
• Differences from leading your players
• EQ over Xs and Os
• The right way to correct
• Owning your mistakes
• Compete, serve, humility
• Stay out of the weeds
• Offering your gifts and talents
• Swallow the frog

Send us a Message. If you'd like us to reply, include your contact info.

After analyzing over 100 million shots, basketball data scientists at Noah Basketball have uncovered the formula of the perfect shot, helping players on 28 of 30 NBA teams improve their accuracy faster than ever before.

This same patented shot-tracking technology is now available to you in the Noah Backboard for a fraction of the cost. Learn more today at noahbasketball.com. Inquire while supplies last!

Find out more about PGC Coach's Courtside Retreat here: https://coach.pgcbasketball.com/courtside-retreat-special/

Most coaches are wired to compete, and that ambition can either fuel a career or quietly hijack it. In this episode, TJ and Sam explore how to honor your drive without losing sight of the impact you're making today. Using Dusty May's recent press conference as a jumping-off point, they work through the difference between contentment and complacency, and how gratitude eventually opens the next door. They share from their own coaching journeys and life changes reshape priorities over time. It's a conversation to catch yourself when you're thinking more about what's next than what's in front of you.

Show Notes:

• Ambition helps or hinders
• Dusty May's telling press conference
• Impact over climbing ladders
• Which economy are you focused on
• Wrong ladder, wrong roof
• Content is not complacent
• Be great where you're at
• Gratitude
• Shifting priorities
• Experience and humility
• Living the dream
• Today's opportunities
• High standards fuel transformation
• Getting the next door to open

Send us a Message. If you'd like us to reply, include your contact info.

After analyzing over 100 million shots, basketball data scientists at Noah Basketball have uncovered the formula of the perfect shot, helping players on 28 of 30 NBA teams improve their accuracy faster than ever before.

This same patented shot-tracking technology is now available to you in the Noah Backboard for a fraction of the cost. Learn more today at noahbasketball.com. Inquire while supplies last!

Find out more about PGC Coach's Courtside Retreat here: https://coach.pgcbasketball.com/courtside-retreat-special/

What if your practices could build basketball IQ, sharpen habits, and raise engagement all at once? In this episode, Sam and TJ break down how to use a games-based and constraints-led approach to make sure what your team works on in practice actually transfers to games. They share specific games you can steal — from five-point plays and golden guns to weak-hand assist rules — plus the coaching framework behind them. TJ also unpacks the master-teaching skill of "loading and unloading" constraints so players are challenged without being overwhelmed. Whether you coach seventh graders or college players, this conversation will change how you design your next practice.

Show Notes

• Why practice design builds culture
• TJ's freshman year shaped his philosophy
• Coaching today's "epic learner"
• Fun and winning aren't opposites
• Engagement drives retention and improvement
• Filter every idea through your team
• Kirby Smart's lesson on evolving practices
• Beware the copycat coaching trap
• Pick three habits to be elite at
• Games that check multiple boxes
• Let players choose the five-point play
• Empowering players builds basketball IQ
• The whistle is the teacher
• Don't remove yourself from the game
• Tie games to the Key 5 Blueprint
• Build habits like the "peek" rule
• Loading and unloading constraints properly
• Right dosage beats more rules
• Use point values to create gravity
• Coaches should be learning, too

Send us a Message. If you'd like us to reply, include your contact info.

After analyzing over 100 million shots, basketball data scientists at Noah Basketball have uncovered the formula of the perfect shot, helping players on 28 of 30 NBA teams improve their accuracy faster than ever before.

This same patented shot-tracking technology is now available to you in the Noah Backboard for a fraction of the cost. Learn more today at noahbasketball.com. Inquire while supplies last!

Find out more about PGC Coach's Courtside Retreat here: https://coach.pgcbasketball.com/courtside-retreat-special/

Every coach preaches toughness and confidence — but how do we actually define and teach them? In this episode, TJ and Sam dig into the five mental components of a player's mindset: approach, confidence, composure, toughness, and competitive greatness. You'll hear the lion vs. sparrow mentality, the NATO principle (not attached to outcome), and a simple 30-year coaching test for spotting your toughest players. If you want a real edge that 80% of teams ignore, give this one a listen.

Show Notes:

• Why mindset separates special teams
• Five mental components coaches must teach
• Habits drive a consistent approach
• Responses vs. reactions: decide ahead
• Lion vs. sparrow mentality explained
• Preparation plus quality thinking equals confidence
• Stop tying identity to made shots
• Composure starts with the coach
• NATO: not attached to outcome
• Transition defense reveals true toughness
• Define toughness, don't just preach it
• Competitive greatness starts in unseen hours

Send us a Message. If you'd like us to reply, include your contact info.

After analyzing over 100 million shots, basketball data scientists at Noah Basketball have uncovered the formula of the perfect shot, helping players on 28 of 30 NBA teams improve their accuracy faster than ever before.

This same patented shot-tracking technology is now available to you in the Noah Backboard for a fraction of the cost. Learn more today at noahbasketball.com. Inquire while supplies last!

Find out more about PGC Coach's Courtside Retreat here: https://coach.pgcbasketball.com/courtside-retreat-special/