Ethan and Steve welcome Newman School coach Jackson Johnson after Newman’s second straight NEPSAC AAA title and its first National Prep School championship, plus an NEBL title, with 11 college commits (nine Division I) on the roster. Johnson reflects on how connected and resilient the championship group was, the difficulty of turning from the AAA playoffs into the National Prep Tournament, and how more intentional January recovery planning helped avoid late-season fatigue. 

Topics

01:23 Coaching and New Dad Life

02:16 Processing a Title Season

03:42 Gauntlet to National Prep

06:50 Managing Fatigue and Prep

11:37 Illinois Fit and Growth

15:38 Building Leaders on Stacked Roster

20:06 Ivy Commits and Unsung Heroes

23:06 Relating to Modern Players

28:00 Program Rise and Recruiting Buzz

33:05 Helping Players Get Recruited

33:36 Coaches as Experts

34:26 Navigating Agents

34:53 How Recruiting Changed

35:59 Building Next Season

36:39 Player Development Focus

37:58 Full Court Press Begins

38:49 Best Ball Handlers

41:46 Best Shot Blockers

45:01 Overrated Stats Debate

52:57 Rebounding and Margins

57:11 Wrap Up and Thanks