Whether it’s parents, recruiting, or analytics the game is changing, and this week TJ and Sam discuss how it’s affecting coaching at all levels.

Show Notes:
• More changes more rapid then before 
• Coaches staying and going 
• Players skill level 
• Parents investing in athletic careers
• AAU basketball a waste? 
• Recruiting today 
• Freedom and transfer dilemma 
• Emotional investment in coaching 
• Officials - Who wants that job... 
• Women’s hoops 
• Analytics

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Sam is joined by Coach Graham Maxwell to discuss in-game and late-game coaching tactics that we often see in March or tournament time with our teams.

Show Notes:

• Inbounds underneath / BLOBs
• Shot selection
• Using timeouts
• Late clock 
• Fouling up 3
• Stopping their best player
• Having a non-free throw shooter in the game

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This week Sam is joined by Josh Merkel, Head Men’s Coach at Randolph-Macon to discuss end of season evaluations, off-season plans, and ways to continue improving your program.

Show Notes:
• Postseason feelings
• Locker room after your last game
• Finding 1%ers
• How do you talk about championship goals
• Value of player IQ
• Getting better during the season
• Getting player feedback
• Off-season goals
• Leadership lessons
• Evaluating and implementing changes
• Josh's off-season plan
• Implementing shooting challenges
• Sam's practice shooting routines
• Evaluating offensive and defensive systems
• Finding the curve ball
• Taking notes from March Madness
• The hedgehog concept
• Knowing your strengths and who you are
• Focusing on the most important things

More about Head Coach Josh Merkel and his program.

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Having just finished their seasons, TJ and Sam discuss how they process that end of season feeling we all have as coaches.

Show Notes:
• The feeling of it being over
• Approach to the locker room 
• Expressing gratitude
• Modeling for your players
• Approaching individual players
• Adapting to the new reality
• How recruiting has changed
• Transitioning to a new routine
• Turning the page to growth
• Finding shortcuts and mentors
• Post season evaluations and exit interviews
• How to helpful feedback
• Committing to telling the truth
• Putting yourself out there
• The opportunity to impact

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This week we’re joined by Coach Charli Turner Thorne winningest coach in Arizona State program history and now assistant coach with the Phoenix Mercury. In this episode she shares both successes and learnings from her long coaching career.

Show Notes:
• What's changing in the game
• Everyday fundamentals
• Characteristics of the best teams
• Investing in your culture
• Role of rest and recovery
• Creatively holding your team accountable
• How to build toughness
• EFT 
• Helping your players perform
• Investing in relationships with players
• Fatigue in coaching
• Leading yourself well
• Being a learner
• Book recommendations
• What it takes to develop leaders

About Coach Charli Turner Thorne:

• 2024 Arizona Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
• WNBA Phoenix Mercury Assistant Coach
• The winningest head coach in ASU women’s basketball history and No. 2 all-time in career wins (488) by a Pac-12 coach, Two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year, 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, 3 Pac-12 championships (two regular season titles and the league’s first tournament title in 2002) and the program’s only two NCAA Elite Eight appearances
• Past president of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s (WBCA) Executive Committee
• During the summer of 2009 Turner Thorne served as the head coach of the USA Women’s World University Games Team which went undefeated (7-0) and captured the gold medal at the 2009 World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia. In the summer of 2007 Turner Thorne served as an assistant coach on USA Basketball’s U21 World Championship Team which won the gold medal at the FIBA U21 World Championship in Moscow, Russia.
• As a player, Turner Thorne lettered four years at Stanford where she played three years under Tara VanDerveer. She graduated from Stanford in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and later earned her master’s degree in education from Washington in 1990.

Credit: Sun Devil Athletics webpage

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This week TJ and Sam share 3 tips for your late season and postseason success. To finish on a high note they discuss how to rebound well, keep your team fresh, and strategies for performing under pressure.

Show Notes:

• Double down on rebounding
• The little things win games
• Habits and desire
• Utilize your best rebounding lineups
• Celebrating rebounding
• 3 winning stats to know
• Fresh February
• Why teams get worn down
• Player check-ins & getting pulse of your team
• It's never too late - keep fighting for what is right
• Handling pressure
• Focus on the right things
• Coaches - understand how you show up
• Players - keep it simple
• Where you put the extra energy
• Calming your team down

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Whether it's a game plan, season plan, or plan for your program, at some point when it doesn't go well we're all faced with questions, concerns and challenges about if our plan should change. In this week's episode TJ and Sam discuss how coaches adapt and assess while also staying true to who they are.

Show Notes:
• The skill of being adaptability as coaches
• Culture & Leadership are the base
• Failure to adapt
• When to change strategies and schemes
• How to assess the situation
• Style of play
• What type of coach are you?
• Fringe things v. winning habits
• When your adjustments won't make a difference
• Preparing for the best teams
• Winning multiple ways

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This week, in order to unpack some best practices and strategies to coach development and growth, TJ and Sam reflect on 4 ways coaches can choose the best approach.

Show Notes:

• Intro to topic, different approaches to take
• How to pick the right one
• Find your authentic voice
• When it's time to reinvent yourself
• Knowing yourself
• Identifying your gifts & blind spots
• Coaching to your North star
• Developing coaching skills
• Apologizing to your former players
• Loving, hostile, firm, and permissive
• Recap

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This week, Coach Graham Maxwell joins Sam and TJ to discuss how your leadership and team culture affect your Xs and Os, especially your team’s shot selection.

Show Notes:
• The art of coaching - mastering all facets
• Identifying what each team needs
• Getting buy-in about shot selection
• Playing CIA - Confident, Intelligent, and Aggressive
• FG%'s - Educating players and coaches
• Hearing the player's perspective
• How players earn freedom
• Being able to 'show' players
• Playing fearless and riding the edge
• Transparency with the team
• Being able to back it up with the #'s
• Teaching shot selection
• Do you know your team?
• Letting players in on your coaching
• Heartset and mindset
• Film sessions focused on when they're getting it right
• The fundamental of winning and losing
• Talented v. less talented teams
• Every player should anticipate shooting
• Adjusting game to game - season to season
• Confident yet responsible

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This week, Sam and TJ discuss 4 important tips and strategies for your player development that you’re going to want to incorporate right away.

If you're interested in going deeper on this topic, or joining our community of coaches, go to https://coach.pgcbasketball.com/ to learn more about upcoming coaching tracks and membership.

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