We sit down with Rylan Jones — one of the most decorated high school basketball players in Utah history.

A two-time Mr. Basketball, state champion, and on the Utah high school basketball record books.

Rylan shares the highs and lows of his incredible journey through high school, college, and now professional basketball.From starring at Olympus High School to competing at the University of Utah, Utah State, and Samford, Rylan breaks down the behind-the-scenes stories — including his final college season, where he nearly upset powerhouse Kansas in the NCAA Tournament.🎙 Topics covered:

Growing up in Utah basketball culture

Winning a state championship and breaking records

College hoops at three different programs

Playing on March Madness’s biggest stage

Advice for young players chasing their dream

If you’re a fan of Utah basketball, high school hoops, or inspiring sports stories, this is one you don’t want to miss.👍 Like, comment, and subscribe for more interviews with top basketball talent.

Be sure to check follow Rylan's journey on his Instagram page:

https://www.instagram.com/rylanjones15/

Please consider following us on social:

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Chapters:

0:00 Intro

0:52 Coaches' Quotes

2:37 Playing the "Right" Way

5:36 Dad Coach Relationship

7:04 Getting Teammates to Play Better

9:10 What Should Kids Work On?

12:27 Calm, Competitive Mentality

13:52 Move From Logan to Olympus

16:30 Olympus Successes

20:42 Countering Scouting Reports

24:34 College Recruitment Process

27:55 University of Utah Experience

32:18 From the U to Utah State

37:30 Transfer Portal Experience

43:13 Samford Experience

48:12 Getting in Shape

49:48 NCAA Tournament Kansas Game

54:39 Next Play Mentality

57:48 Playing in Home Town

1:02:22 End of Season

1:03:53 Playing Professionally

1:06:08 The Future

1:09:00 Game Day Traditions

1:11:02 Outside Basketball

1:12:33 Staying Grounded

1:14:26 Advice to Freshman Self

1:16:01 Was it Worth It?

#basketball #rylanjones

Coach Landen Cummings just finished his first year at East High School in Salt Lake City and he talks about what he looks for in players, lessons he's learned so far, and what he looks forward to with his team in the upcoming year.

Landen lives basketball. Playing in college and coaching through AAU, as an assistant high school coach, and now a varsity head coach.

Be sure to check out the East High Basketball Instagram page:

https://www.instagram.com/easthighbasketball/

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Chapters:

0:00 Intro

0:25 Pressure of Past Successes

2:22 Successes From Last Year

6:00 Advice for 1st Year Coaches

9:11 Building a Culture

12:00 Balance of Discipline and Caring

14:46 Looking to This Year

18:02 Coach Cummings' Style

19:17 Tryouts

24:32 Participation of Bench Players

26:50 Message to Parents

31:02 Picking a Staff

38:40 AAU vs High School

43:03 Time Outside Basketball

44:55 Landen's GOAT

47:29 How Playing Experience Impacts Coaching Style

50:00 Coach's Legacy

#basketballcoach #basketball #coaching

Coach Steve Galley is a legendary coach in the state of Utah. He started at Olympus High School, was the head coach at West Jordan and spent most of his career at Riverton High School - the school's first head basketball coach.

He was also the coach of the Riverton team that knocked Erik's team out of the state tournament his senior year.

Coach Galley is now a podcaster and professional coach for high-performance athletes and their parents.

Coach Galley's Podcast: The Stop Parenting & Start Coaching Podcast:

https://www.youtube.com/@UC_x0vx8w5LP5VWjSXQzRW1A https://open.spotify.com/show/4a0hrAkcEcdUlvn6C47kuo

Coach Galley's Website:

https://createtransformbecome.com/

Coach Galley's LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-galley/

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CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro

0:30 Toughest team/player to prepare for

1:46 Greatest Player He's Coached

2:25 Time Machine to Year

16:28 How Coaching has Changed

9:07 Imposter Syndrome

10:40 Parent Interactions with Kids

12:23 The Scoreboard of Society

18:12 Approaching Parents as a Coach

26:12 Player Pushback

28:02 Good Teams vs Bad Teams

31:24 Structuring Practice

33:48 Support Team for Players

36:07 Balancing Coaching and Friendship

38:30 Better Questions for Players

44:12 Understanding vs Doing

45:48 How Coach got into Coaching

51:02 Advice for Newer Coaches

52:00 High School Coaches are Set Up to Fail

58:53 How to Handle Losing Seasons

1:01:18 Stop Parenting & Start Coaching

1:05:50 Coach Galley's Other Interests

1:08:00 Connecting with Coach Galley

#basketball #highschoolbasketball #stevegalley

Coach Brian Allfrey just completed his first year as the Copper Hills High School Boys Varsity Basketball Coach. While this is his first year as the Copper Hills head coach, Coach Allfrey has been coaching for decades, and is one of the most well-connected coaches in Utah. He shares the challenges of being a 1st year head coach, coaching a star talent like Isaiah Reiser, and building good young men on and off the court.Fun Fact: Coach Allfrey coached co-host Eric Bland when Eric was in High School. Be sure to check out the Copper Hills High Basketball Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/chhsbasketball/Please consider following us on social:https://www.youtube.com/@MakingTheTeamPodcast?sub_confirmation=1https://www.instagram.com/making_the_team/https://www.tiktok.com/@making.the.teamChapters:0:00 Intro1:04 Successes This Year2:03 First Year Observations4:33 Coaching Talent6:06 Learning From Others9:01 Coach Allfrey's Coaching Philosophy12:21 How Basketball Has Changed14:56 Coach vs Player15:50 What To Expect From Tryouts18:21 Coaching Your Own Kids19:37 Advice to 1st Year Coaches21:21 Picking a Staff23:15 Juggling Work and Coaching23:58 Dealing with Countless Opinions27:07 Life isn't Highlights28:45 Relationship with Officials31:20 Changing Coaching Style34:15 Developing Youth Programs37:07 Coaching and Family Pressures39:36 Developing College Players41:06 Advice for Parents of Players43:22 Practice Time46:39 Balancing Minutes and Conditioning51:43 Hopes for Copper Hills Program59:00 Scheme or Players1:00:56 Players or Coaches1:03:51 Message for Copper Hills Players and Parents#basketballcoach #basketball #coaching

Isaiah Reiser is entering his senior season as the point guard of the Copper Hills High School basketball team. He is set to become the all-time leading scorer in Copper Hills school history and shares his mindset, work ethic, and goals for his basketball career.

Isaiah's IG:

https://www.instagram.com/isaiah.reiser/

Special thank you to DMCreative Films for the awesome highlight videos.

Give him a follow: https://www.instagram.com/dmcreat1ve_/

Be sure to check out the Copper Hills High Basketball Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/chhsbasketball/

Please consider following us on social:

https://www.youtube.com/@MakingTheTeamPodcast/sub_confirmation=1

https://www.instagram.com/making_the_team/

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Chapters:

0:00 Highlight Intro

0:49 1000 Point Mark

2:00 Balancing Scoring and Teammates

2:46 Youth Basketball

3:50 Family Influence

4:37 Other Sports

5:12 Isaiah's Strengths

6:56 Dealing with Pressure

8:30 Struggle with Perfectionism

9:55 Favorite Move

10:15 Preparing for Other Teams

11:40 Teammates

13:10 Upcoming Team

13:42 Not Overlooking Teams

14:30 Region Rivals

15:12 Game Day Traditions

17:20 Emotional Style

18:20 Favorite Shoes

20:05 Playing for Coach Allfrey

21:12 Building Team Chemistry

22:24 Realities of High School Basketball

25:45 Work Outside Practice

26:56 Best Player Isaiah's Played Against

27:37 Favorite Off-Court Moments

28:05 Instagram Question

29:17 Where Isaiah Wants to Improve

30:48 Isaiah's Future

31:38 Isaiah Outside Sports

32:03 Advice to Freshmen

#isaiahreiser #copperhillsbasketball #highschoolbasketball #basketballtraining #podcast #basketballplayer

35-Year Basketball Official reveals the realities of high school officiating.

For any athlete, coach, or parent, this information is a must-watch to better understand how to work with referees, even if you disagree with calls. Turns out, most people don't actually know basketball rules, and your fiery taunting of referees is not helping, but hurting your team.

Special thanks to Bret Kinghorn for being willing to answer the tough questions and provide these valuable insights.

Please consider following us on social:

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Chapters

0:00 Teaser

0:55 Getting Started in Officiating

2:30 How to Become a High School Ref

6:05 How Referees are Evaluated

9:54 How to Talk to Referees

12:32 Are Make Up Calls Real?

13:48 What is a Charge?

15:07 How to Handle Missed Calls

18:04 Players Talking to Referees

19:20 Parents Talking to Referees

21:15 Throwing a Parent Out

22:41 Trigger for a Technical

23:55 Personal Relationships with Coaches

25:31 Humanizing Officials, Coaches, and Players

27:50 Game Preferences

28:25 What Makes a Good Coach or Player?

30:02 Do Officials Know Good Players?

33:05 Flopping Rule

35:10 What is a Travel?

39:55 Rules that Aren't Rules

41:58 The Art of the Call vs By The Book

44:55 Rivalry Games

48:10 Not Working Games with Certain Coaches

50:03 Worst Thing a Parent Has Said

52:32 Funny Parent Stories

56:00 Referee Shoes and Uniform

59:06 Clothing Mishap Story

1:00:52 Handling Injuries

1:03:22 Throwing a Jump Ball

1:03:54 Over and Back Rule

1:04:32 Equality is NOT the Job

1:06:52 Player Trash Talk

1:08:30 Does Arguing with Refs Help?

1:10:37 Official Shortage

1:13:24 Greatest Athletes He's Officiated

1:17:15 Bothered By Missed Calls

1:18:00 Why Referee?

Ike Palmer is a 6'6" wind currently playing at Utah State Eastern. In his freshman season, he averaged 17 points per game and is a force to be reckoned with.

Ike had a stellar high school career at Herriman High School and currently holds several school records, including scoring 39 points in a game.

Ike shares his perspective on the transition from high school to college athletics.

Follow Ike here:

https://www.instagram.com/ikepalmerr/

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Chapters:

0:00 Highlight Reel

0:35 High School vs College

1:32 Workout Routines

1:58 College Practices

2:41 College Recruitment Process

4:28 Being a Scorer

5:41 Ike's Stats

7:24 Helping Former Teammates

7:53 Different Coaches

9:00 Family Influences

10:10 Mentality from Rookie to Veteran

11:28 College Game Day & Travel

12:29 Advice to Freshman Self

12:51 Best Players Ike's Played Against

14:04 High Intensity Environments

15:01 Basketball Shoes

15:29 Favorite Basketball

16:11 Work in the Offseason

16:27 Utah Top 50

17:50 Biggest Jumps as a Player

18:39 Memorable Plays

19:14 Basketball Terminology

20:04 Signature Move

21:05 Advice to Younger Players

21:43 Dealing with Failure

22:30 Advice to Parents

It's easy to give in to self-doubt and the urge to quit, especially when facing challenges. But by focusing on mental strength and grit, you can learn to believe in yourself and push through those tough times.

Lance Gummersall is entering his 19th season as a coach. It will be his 2nd year as the Riverton Head Basketball Coach and he shares the challenges and struggles of building a program from year one.

Lance shares how a competitive drive and will to win is impossible to ignore, but the life lessons for the kids are most important.

Special thank you to Jackson Bilawa for the great coaching videos and pictures.

Be sure to check out the Riverton High Basketball Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/rivertonhoops/

Please consider following us on social:https://www.youtube.com/@MakingTheTeamPodcast/sub_confirmation=1

https://www.instagram.com/making_the_team/

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Chapters:

0:00 Intro

0:26 Our Town

1:14 Positive Memories

3:40 Player Sentiments

4:59 Balancing Competitiveness

9:02 Tryout Experience

11:21 How to Stand Out as a Player

13:24 Building Youth Programs

18:50 Players Transferring

19:31 Coaching Mentors

24:04 Scheming with the Team

25:36 Picking a Staff

28:40 Relationship with Referees

31:05 Playing Underclassmen

33:26 What Separates Great Players

35:14 Why Does Lance Coach?

38:53 Toughest Years

44:25 Sneaker-head

45:51 Designing Gear

47:58 Filtering Everyone's Opinions

51:57 Game Day Decisions

54:45 Team Shoes?

55:32 Wrapping Up

#basketball #highschoolbasketball #coach #coaching #podcast

Bryker Couser is a vocal senior team captain of the Davis Darts.

They are fresh off their 2025 Utah 6A State Championship and Bryker made some crucial plays down the stretch to put the game away for his team. Bryker talks about accepting his role on the team, being ready for big moments, and his future.

Special thank you to Red Petal Media and Isaac Fisher SportsPhotos for the insanely awesome highlight videos and pictures.

Be sure to check out the Davis High Basketball Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/davishighbasketball/

Please consider following us on social:

https://www.youtube.com/@MakingTheTeamPodcast/sub_confirmation=1

https://www.instagram.com/making_the_team/

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Chapters:

0:00 Highlight Reel

1:01 Recap of Bryker's Dagger 3

4:06 State Championship Environment

5:58 Bryker's Role

9:13 Bryker's Youth

9:56 High School Work

11:20 Pressure

12:15 Fear of Failure

13:27 Finality of High School1

4:44 Coach Sims

16:22 Assistant Coaches

18:07 Questions from Instagram

23:00 Relationship with Teammates

24:00 Game Day Traditions

27:29 Realities of High School

29:32 Future Plans

30:03 Was it Worth It?

31:18 Advice to Freshmen

#basketball #highschoolbasketball #basketballtraining #podcast #basketballplayer

Coleman Atwater is one of Utah's top basketball players.

He is a prolific scorer, and the senior leader of the State Championship Davis Darts. He led the state in 3 pointers and was the 2nd leading scorer in 6A.

Coleman is a serious athlete, but he's also brilliant, earning academic all state honors. He has devoted a lot of time and energy to becoming the player and young man he is. We hope you enjoy his insights.

Special thank you to Red Petal Media and Isaac Fisher SportsPhotos for the insanely awesome highlight videos and pictures.

Be sure to check out the Davis High Basketball Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/davishighbasketball/

Please consider following us on social:

https://www.youtube.com/@MakingTheTeamPodcast/sub_confirmation=1

https://www.instagram.com/making_the_team/

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Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:30 Recap of this Season

3:51 Coleman's Role

5:01 Dealing with Defensive Attention

6:58 Battles with Opinions

9:42 Whose Opinion Matters

11:55 Coleman's Work Ethic

16:25 Signature Spin Move

18:28 Becoming a State Champ

21:17 Playing for Coach Sims

24:57 Game Day Traditions

28:35 Coleman's Teammates

30:09 Favorite Shoes

32:35 Off the Court Passions

34:22 Questions from Instagram

37:32 All Star Game

39:14 More Qs from Instagram

43:38 Becoming him

46:36 Advice to Freshmen