For most of us, the off-season is closer than we think. This week we’re joined by Mano Watsa, president of PGC Basketball to discuss how players, coaches, and parents can focus on the most important aspects of player development.

Show Notes:
• Introduction
• Preparing players
• Personal trainers and how to utilize them
• Overskilled and underdeveloped
• The quality of the experience: Time, Energy, and Money
• Dreams, Direction, and Discipline
• Matching the player's aspirations, not the parent's
• Increasing passion and confidence
• The camp experience
• Why PGC
•. Go to https://pgcbasketball.com/ to find out more

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This week TJ and Sam discuss coaching tips and strategies that impact winning and can make a big difference for your team and season.

Show Notes:
• Playing harder
• Play hard, smart, and together
• What loses
• Coaching effort
• Coaching examples
• Identifying the standard without emotion
• Avoid coaching out of frustration
• The game is held hostage
• Coaching the mistake
• The role of analytics
• Effecting winning - What gets lost
• Shot generation & Shot selection
• Getting the map right
• Substitutions and balance

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This week we discuss a quote from UCONN Men’s Coach, Dan Hurley about wanting his players to be obsessed, how we agree and disagree with his statement, and what that might look like for your team.

Show Notes:
• Coach Dan Hurley's quote
• Helping your players love the game
• Baseline standards and expectations
• Understanding individual player perspectives
• Not wanting obsessed players
• How to help players who aren't as committed
• Players want high standards
• Identify your non-negotiables
• Modeling love for the game
• Knowing what matters most

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This week is a 4 quarters episode with TJ and Lisa discussing ball pressure, preparation, rebounding, and what we do in our culture when we’re winning versus when we’re losing.

Show Notes:
• Ball pressure
• Compete and anticipate
• Anticipate what they do if you apply pressure
• Changing pressure – keep offense guessing
• Mental pressure = mental fatigue
• Teach players the nuance of pressure
• What types of teams to pressure
• Preparation & Scouting
• What you do physically to prepare matters
• Layer it in and build – grow over time
• Emphasis everything and get nothing
• Implications of switching
• Rebounding
• Habits & Individual Approaches
• Mentality & Urgency
• Personnel options
• Playing the percentages & angles
• Culture – When you’re winning v. losing
• Focusing on the process
• The importance of honesty
• Knowing the heartbeat of the team
• Meeting your standards every day

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This week TJ and Sam hit on an important topic for coaches which is how you confront your players and be honest with where they’re at while also creating a team culture that genuinely cares about each other. 

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Coach Micah Mills is back on the show to discuss troubleshooting your offense and player development in order to find solutions to your offensive frustrations midseason.

Show Notes:

• 3 ways to look at offensive problem solving
• "Identify the problem so we can prescribe the right medicine"
• Being a "Defensive coach"
• Balance in using Sets 
• Determining your offensive identity 
• Start with understanding how you will generate shots
• Role identification
• Giving players "freedom" on offense is overrated
• Clarity on what we are hunting 
• Getting the ball to the paint is half the battle 
• Skill Development and 18 ways to finish 
• "Why are you working on that?"
• Money actions
• What do we do best? How do we do it more?
• Timeout plays
• Be an expert on your team

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This week TJ and Sam discuss managing your roster in terms of number of players along with playing time decisions in order to limit the headaches and maximize the potential of your team.

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This week we’re talking about aspects of your program that make for a winning culture such as setting high standards, building accountability, and growing through conflict and adversity.

Show Notes:

• Intro episode
• Levels to coaching and winning
• Reality of Accountability and holding the line on standards
• Being unattached emotionally to standards 
• Standards vs Rules
• Setting the Bar
• Having a powerful WHY
• Relationships and Rebellion
• Coach mode at home
• Transformational v Transactional 
• Approach to Adversity

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Joined by special guest, Jason Peery, this week we dive into how he built a successful high school program as he shares his best practices when it comes to creating drills, teaching the game, and developing players. 

Show Notes:

• Coach Jason Peery's background
• Blood Drills
• Your motive in care is really important 
• Creating Connection 
• Clear expectations 
• Positive, negative or neutral coaching
• Coachability
• Teaching the little things 
• What basketball can learn from pickleball 
• Naming your drills 
• Mental toughness vs emotional toughness 

More about Jason Peery:

• Currently assistant varsity coach at American Heritage High School in Utah under head coach Paora Winitana. Both of us have sons on the team.
• Former Head Coach at Pinewood High School (CA)
• Consulted Stanford Men's (Johnny Dawkins) and Women's Basketball (Hall-of-Face coach Tara Vanderveer) teams in 2013-2014, installing Triangle Offense in both programs, which went to Sweet 16 and Final Four respectively that year. Article in NY Times, "Riding the Triangle to the Pinnacle"
• Coach of top Pro pickleball players, including Tyler Loong, Meghan Dizon, Etta Wright, and Alix Truong. 
• Founded the UHSPA (Utah High School Pickleball Association) with his wife Lisa, to the bring the sport of Pickleball to high schools in Utah.
• Runs various businesses and investments, including commercial real estate an angel investing group, also works with youth and young adults, including mental health initiatives.
• Founded Sportstalk.com (1999) (Acquired by ESPN, turned into ESPN Insider, now ESPN+)
• Once Bishop in LDS Church, very interested in promoting gospel throughout the world. Served 2-year mission in Brazil.

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This week TJ and Sam discuss how to start the season off right by knowing what you need out of your first practices, how to evaluate your first games, and setting up your team for success not just at the start, but throughout the season.

Show Notes:
• General Thoughts on how to prepare your team for the first game of the season
• First week of practice
• Identifying the goal
• How can you stack things
• Balance Offense and Defense
• Creating standards of practice
• Attitude and effort
• Capturing the vision of who you want to be as a team
• Cover your butt coaching
• Player Development
• Handling adversity
• Leadership
• Holes in the ceiling
• Working in 3s
• Getting the foundation right
• Learning and improving season to season

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