Small School: Big Time Hoops

The Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa Bob Amsberry joins the pod. With over 20 years of head coaching experience and 400+ wins he shares the triumphs and struggles he has faced as a coach. We talk about life before coaching and how one chance encounter changed his life. He also takes me through his time at Rockford College, how he started 0-25 in his first year and how he was able to turn the program around. We also broke down his time at Wartburg, the incredible 5 year run they are currently on holding a 131-20 record. As always thank you for tuning in! Enjoy!

The Head Womens Basketball Coach at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa Justin Heinzen joins the pod. Heading into year 14 as the head coach at Loras he has amassed a 202-122 record with 12 winning seasons, 2 conference championships and 3 NCAA Tournament Appearances. The last two years the DuHawks have combined to go 47-10 with back to back NCAA tournament at large bids.We talk about the growth he has seen from his program, why these past two years have been so special and how the DuHawks got to this point. We also talk about his unique journey into college basketball, his start at Lakeland University, and the things he learned a long the way. We also talk about how he became the head coach at Loras, he reflects on those first few years and he gives some advice on how to be successful early in your career. As always thank you for tuning in!

The Head Womens Basketball Coach at NAIA Concordia Nebraska Drew Olson joins the pod. Concordia is a perennial championship contender under Coach Olson. During his time at Concordia he has amassed a 385-98 record to go along with a national championship and two national runner ups. We talk about his journey as a collegiate athlete at Concordia and how that community shaped him. We also talk about his stops as a collegiate coach and how fate led him to his Alma mater. We also talk about his faith, how he incorporates it into everything he does and why he believes it is a big part of his success. Concordia is coming off of a 32-2 season which was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We talk about how it felt to have the opportunity to defend their national championship taken away from them and some of his favorite memories from this past year. Coach Olson is as genuine as they come and offers some great advice for young coaches. Also this is officially episode #10 of the podcast! Thank you to everyone who has supported, and listened to the Pod!

The Head Women’s Basketball Coach at D2 Michigan Tech Sam Hoyt joins the pod. The Huskies are one of the perennial powers in the GLIAC. Coach Hoyt is no stranger to success. During her playing days at Michigan Tech she amassed a 103-22 record with a national championship game appearance. She was twice named an All-American and left the school top 10 in scoring. We talk about some of her best (and worst) playing memories. We also talk about her journey which has included stops at D1 Youngstown State, and D2 schools Northwood and the University of Sioux Falls. She also tells me about what it means to her to be the head coach at Michigan Tech, and why she loves the community of Houghton. Finally, we talk about some of the difficulties she has faced during her journey and she speaks about how she is advocating/helping her players grow as individuals on and off the court.

The Head Women’s Basketball Coach at St. Cloud State University Lori Fish joins the pod. The Huskies are coming off of a 23-7 season which saw them win the conference tournament for the first time since 2008-09. We talk about that accomplishment and what it was like having that opportunity taken away due to the pandemic. We also talk about her journey from big time player in St. Cloud to a first team all conference performer at South Dakota State. She also takes me through her experiences as a high school coach, a GA at her Alma Mater and her time at the D1 level. We talk about why returning home was always something she wanted, and we relive some of her favorite moments from her coaching career. As always thank you for tuning in and ENJOY!

The Head Women’s Basketball Coach at the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Brad Fischer joins the pod. UW- Oshkosh and Fischer are the benchmark for success in women’s basketball in the state of Wisconsin. Fischer’s accolades as the head coach at UWO: 185-47, 20+ wins each season, 7 First or Second place conference finishes, 6 NCAA tournament appearances. We talk about how he has been able to do it and some of the memories he has made along the way. We also talk about his journey as a collegiate player and coach. He also tells me about why during his climb as a coach he took a “Sabbatical” year and how that has led him to be so successful as a coach. We also talk about why he believes the Wisconsin girls and women’s basketball is in a great place. Finally we finish with some rapid fire questions and coach gives us some unique answers! This was a longer interview but it was a truly great one!

The Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin Lauren Busalacchi joins the pod. Ripon is coming off of a 20 win season and their 4th straight with 17+ wins. We talked a lot about her ability to create culture and what has allowed her to be so successful at Ripon. We also talked about the struggles she faced at the beginning of her tenure, and the changes she realized she needed to make. She also tells me about her playing days at Clarke, how she pursued her Doctorate and coaching career at the same time, and what she learned along her journey. Finally we talk about how learning about Tribal Leadership changed her life (This is an awesome story!) and she tells me about why she is excited for the future of Ripon WBB.

The Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin Chaia Huff Joins the pod. Coach Huff is coming off her most successful season as the head coach at Edgewood finishing the year 25-3. A truly remarkable feat for a program that just four years ago went 0-25. We talk about that tough year and the journey it took to get to this year. We also talk about the fact that she didn’t play college basketball, how she got her start in coaching and her stops along the way that brought her to Edgewood. She tells me why this season left her wanting more and what makes her excited about the future (25-3 this year with NO SENIORS.. I mean come on!)

The Head Women’s Basketball Coach at the University of Wisconsin - Platteville Kelly McNiff joins the pod. Coach McNiff is coming off of her first year as a collegiate head coach. Hear from her about her time as a player at UW-Oshkosh, where she finished with a 98-15 record. We also discuss her time as a high school head coach, where in four years she compiled a 96-11 record and was able to raise that gold ball. She also tells me about what it was like to return to her alma mater as an assistant coach and how they were able to make 5 NCAA tournaments in 6 years. Finally we talk about year 1 as the head coach at UW - Platteville and where she sees her program going in the future.

The Head Women’s Basketball Coach at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls Blake DuDonis joins the pod. Coach DuDonis is coming off of year #1 as a collegiate head coach. Hear from him about his experiences as a D-1 assistant, SEC analyst and scout for the Washington Mystics. We also discuss how he ended up at UW- River Falls and why the Falcons are built for success. He also discusses how he uses his voice to promote change and why he feels a personal responsibility to be a mentor, advocate and ally to others. Finally we talk about our first Women’s Basketball WOW moment, Blakes dance moves and what we miss most during this pandemic. (Hint it’s food related!) *Disclaimer: This Podcast taught me about the frustrations of technology!! Hope you still enjoy*