Its Just Different Podcast

An AAU program offering your athlete $15,000 might sound like a win. Bruno Corras explains why it could cost your family more than it pays.Bruno, director of Elevate Elite and Elevate Your Game (EYG), joins Ashley Roberts to talk about what parents should look for in an AAU program, why money should never be the deciding factor, how roles change from high school to AAU to college, and what real development looks like. He also breaks down what each position needs, what makes a true shooter, the empty promises parents should run from, and exactly what he'd do if he were starting over with a sixth grader.Follow Ashley on Instagram: @_thisisashleyrJoin the Basketball Parent Community for direct guidance, resources, and conversations with other basketball families:https://www.skool.com/itsjustdifferent/about?ref=e5c985b2c58c47afb7bb18a0d15b34e6Shop DIFFERENT apparel: https://itsjustdifferentapparel.comUse code PODCAST for 15% off.

The points tell you who scored. They do not tell you everything an athlete did to help the team win.Paige Love joins Ashley Roberts to talk about evaluating basketball impact, understanding an athlete's role and using evidence to guide development. We get into efficiency, winning habits, why one great game is not enough and what an athlete can do when they believe they deserve a bigger role.This conversation also covers school fit, asking direct questions and helping athletes take ownership of their basketball journey.Follow Ashley on Instagram: @_thisisashleyrJoin the Basketball Parent Community for direct guidance, resources, and conversations with other basketball families:https://www.skool.com/itsjustdifferent/about?ref=e5c985b2c58c47afb7bb18a0d15b34e6

Another athlete gets an offer, and suddenly you're questioning everything about your own athlete's journey. Before you change teams, chase another school or decide you're behind, ask what your athlete actually needs next.In this solo episode of It's Just Different, Ashley Roberts talks through basketball recruiting timelines, early offers, high school roles, prep versus public school and practical next steps for uncommitted seniors. The goal is to make a decision that fits your athlete's development and opportunities.Inside this episode:1. Why there is no single recruiting timeline for every athlete.2. How comparing offers can distract you from the next useful step.3. Questions to ask about the athlete's high school role.4. Why early interest does not replace relationships and development.5. What to consider before choosing prep school.6. How uncommitted seniors can review their film, school targets and communication.Ashley on Instagram: @_thisisashleyrJoin the Basketball Parent Community for direct guidance, resources, and conversations with other basketball families:https://www.skool.com/itsjustdifferent/about?ref=e5c985b2c58c47afb7bb18a0d15b34e6Shop DIFFERENT apparel: https://itsjustdifferentapparel.comUse code PODCAST for 15% off.

Your daughter misses a shot, looks into the stands and sees your reaction. What is she learning about mistakes—and how might she carry that lesson into the next play?Ashley Roberts and Lisa Willis discuss confidence, mental performance and the parent's role in helping an athlete recover. Lisa connects everyday mistakes at home with basketball, explains why three missed shots don't erase preparation, and offers a different approach to the car ride after games.In this conversation:• Build a next-play home while keeping accountability.• Help your athlete separate facts from the story she tells herself.• Use catch, clear, connect to understand recovery.• Ask what your child needs before offering post-game feedback.• Support the person beyond the performance.Ashley Roberts on Instagram: @_thisisashleyrLisa Willis on Instagram: @lisawillis40Join the Basketball Parent Community for direct guidance, resources, and conversations with other basketball families:⁠https://www.skool.com/itsjustdifferent/about?ref=e5c985b2c58c47afb7bb18a0d15b34e6⁠

Your daughter wants to play college basketball. But if your family is only looking at D1, what could you be missing?Hardin-Simmons head women's basketball coach Kendra Whitehead joins Ashley Roberts to unpack the D3 conversation parents keep asking for: the level of competition, college costs, recruiting interest, and finding a program that fits the athlete and the person.They discuss how a coach evaluates recruiting emails and highlight film, why travel spending should connect to the schools actually recruiting your daughter, and the questions families can ask when interest feels unclear.In this episode:• What families misunderstand about D3 basketball• Why financial-aid examples require a closer look at actual family costs• How distinctive skills, personalized emails, and useful film help coaches evaluate recruits• When to explore other levels and ask a coach where your athlete standsFinancial examples reflect the situations discussed in the interview; they are not guaranteed aid offers or typical costs for every family.Join the Basketball Parent Community for direct guidance, resources, and conversations with other basketball families:https://www.skool.com/itsjustdifferent/about?ref=e5c985b2c58c47afb7bb18a0d15b34e6Connect with Ashley Roberts on Instagram: @_thisisashleyrShop DIFFERENT apparel: https://itsjustdifferentapparel.comUse code PODCAST for 15% off.Join the Basketball Parent Community for direct guidance, resources, and conversations with other basketball families:https://www.skool.com/itsjustdifferent/about?ref=e5c985b2c58c47afb7bb18a0d15b34e6

How do you know when your athlete needs a new team and how do you make that decision without feeling disloyal to the coach who believed in her?

Ashley Roberts sits down with Chay and Victor Mann, parents of college basketball player Chloe Mann, for an honest conversation about development, team loyalty, and raising an athlete without letting sports take over your relationship.

Both former Kansas State athletes, Chay and Victor share what their own experiences prepared them for and what they still had to learn as sports parents. From independent basketball to Duncanville and Chloe’s college journey from Cincinnati to Grand Canyon, they discuss how their family approached changing environments and making difficult decisions.

They also reflect on the sacrifices, money, and childhood moments they would approach differently.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• What’s different when the athlete becomes the parent

• How to include your child in major basketball decisions

• Team loyalty, independent programs, and knowing when to move

• Why being the star doesn’t always mean your athlete is developing

• How to evaluate training and development opportunities

• Playing multiple sports versus specializing

• Motivating your child without forcing your own dream

• Adjusting to college basketball and evaluating a transfer

• Protecting your relationship and your child’s identity beyond sports

• What Chay and Victor would do differently today

Whether you’re evaluating a club team, investing in training, or preparing your daughter for college basketball, this conversation offers questions to help your family think through the next step.

JOIN THE BASKETBALL PARENT COMMUNITY

Join the Basketball Parent Community for direct guidance, resources, and conversations with other basketball families:

https://www.skool.com/itsjustdifferent/about?ref=e5c985b2c58c47afb7bb18a0d15b34e6

GET THE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION https://itsjustdifferentapparel.com/pages/3-year-anniversary?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=comment&utm_campaign=three_years_different_2026

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

What would make you change your athletes team: development, the environment, or something else?

LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/its-just-different-podcast/id1710474099

Share this episode with a sports parent who is weighing their family’s next move.

Your daughter can score 20 points for one team and have a completely different job on another. That does not automatically mean a coach is holding her back—it may be the adjustment that exposes what she needs to develop next.Coach Kelley Meiklejohn joins Ashley Roberts to explain what changes between AAU and high-school basketball, why trust and communication matter, and how parents can support athletes without removing every difficult moment. They discuss changing positions, training outside team practice, balancing basketball with grades and sleep, realistic college levels, and why D2, D3, and JUCO can be valuable paths.In this episode:• Why an athlete’s AAU and high-school roles may be different• How coaches build trust through attendance, accountability, and communication• When adversity is productive—and when a role may truly be the wrong fit• Why games reveal trained skills rather than create them• How families can evaluate D1, D2, D3, JUCO, and other opportunities• What incoming varsity players must learn about pace, defense, IQ, and team cultureAshley on Instagram: @_thisisashleyrJoin the Basketball Parent Community for direct guidance, resources, and conversations with other basketball families:https://www.skool.com/itsjustdifferent/about?ref=e5c985b2c58c47afb7bb18a0d15b34e6Join Different First Access to shop new DIFFERENT merch before the public:http://itsjustdifferentapparel.com/firstaccess

Families are making expensive decisions about prep school and reclassification without checking whether their athlete's courses actually protect NCAA eligibility.In this episode, Ashley Roberts sits down with educational consultant Shanay Y. Howard to explain the transcript checks, Division I 10/7 requirement, prep-school questions, and athlete-support systems parents should examine before changing schools or adding another year.You'll learn:• Why high school graduation requirements and NCAA eligibility requirements are not the same• How to check every attended school's NCAA-approved core courses• What to ask about academics, housing, mental health, training, scheduling, and recruiting access• When reclassification may solve a real problem—and when it may only add costNCAA certification is individual and current rules can change. Confirm your athlete's situation with the NCAA Eligibility Center and the appropriate school professionals.Subscribe for direct, practical conversations that help parents make smarter decisions throughout the girls' basketball journey.Ashley on Instagram: @_thisisashleyrJoin the Basketball Parent Community for direct guidance, resources, and conversations with other basketball families:https://www.skool.com/itsjustdifferent/about?ref=e5c985b2c58c47afb7bb18a0d15b34e6Join Different First Access to shop new DIFFERENT merch before the public:http://itsjustdifferentapparel.com/firstaccess

Parents can spend thousands on basketball exposure and still end up with footage a college coach skips. Rare—Sean Rogers of Rare Footage Sports—breaks down the difference between a social-media highlight and useful recruiting footage, and why chasing attention can expose an athlete before she is ready.

In this episode, Ashley and Rare explain how parents can define the job of a video, evaluate a media outlet's credibility and relationships, avoid paying for edits coaches will not watch, and recognize what makes athletes stand out beyond scoring.

What you'll learn:

• How to decide whether footage is for memories, social reach, or coaches

• What to ask a media outlet before paying

• Why exposure can reveal weaknesses as quickly as it creates opportunity

• What coaches notice beyond points, including communication, leadership, grades, and parent behavior

Follow Rare on Instagram:

@rarefootagesports

Follow Ashley on Instagram:

@_thisisashleyr

Subscribe for direct, parent-centered guidance on competitive girls' basketball: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0X3Dw6PhEInhKQM7s_MOow?sub_confirmation=1

Waiting for the right coach to discover your daughter is not a recruiting strategy.Brooke Bizzell earned three Division I offers while playing on an EYCL team. In this conversation, Brooke and her parents explain how they combined updated film, detailed outreach, repeated follow-up, live-period opportunities, player development, and NCSA to create recruiting interest—including the relationship that led Brooke to commit to Houston Christian.In this episode, you’ll learn:• Why a circuit or AAU program cannot do all the recruiting work for an athlete• How Brooke’s family made NCSA work for them• Why detailed schedules, film, and consistent coach outreach mattered• What families should consider when choosing an AAU team• How Brooke handled recruiting uncertainty without abandoning her team• What uncommitted athletes should do instead of waitingWatch through the end for Brooke’s advice to uncommitted 2027 athletes.Subscribe to It’s Just Different Podcast for honest conversations that help parents make smarter decisions throughout the girls’ basketball journey.

Stay in Touch

Ashley: https://www.instagram.com/_thisisashleyr/

Brooke: https://www.instagram.com/brookes_ballin12/