Talking Split

In sport and likely in life, we all want things to happen for us as soon as possible. Coaches and players can fall victims to this, but in most cases the patient route is the better path for people to go down. We discuss some of the things that those in the sport need to be careful of, and how to avoid the pitfalls of fast tracking or being too transfixed on short term wins over long term development.

As we all return to coaching for another year, we delve into what we are going to focus on in 2026, and what are we looking forward to leaving behind? Coaching is all about growth and reflection, so there are no doubt things in your coaching world that can do with a little bit of a review to make your coaching better for the year ahead. Time to do a review, and work out what you’re going to apply for your own coaching this year!

You may have noticed this week that there was an announcement around the Coach Development Framework in Australia coming up, and we dive all the way into it to give all the coaches out there some insight into what is on the horizon, with Neil Gray from Basketball Australia.
We discuss what it means for coaches, how they gain their accreditation, and how they can upskill to be the best coach they can be!

Final episode for the year, and we are catching up with the Melbourne Tigers Head of High Performance, Nick Abdicevic, to discuss all things coaching that he’s experienced in his 25 years at the helm. We discuss his history in coaching, various mentors he’s had and why they’re important, the role that the shuffle offence has played in his development, and his experiences in coaching from domestic basketball through to the senior level. Nick has been a key influence to a lot of players and coaches, and it’s great insight into the experiences of one of Victorian Basketballs elite coaches.

Whilst doing a bit of reflecting recently we looked back to some of the areas we wish we knew when we first started out as coaches. This probably could have gone on for a lot longer as there are a lot of things we have learned over the years, and we’ve all made a lot of mistakes. Reflection is one of the most important parts of being a coach, so hopefully this can help you avoid some of the mistakes we have made or at least speed up the process for you!

Making his podcast debut this week is Brenton O’Brien, the new Country Men’s Head Coach as we discuss some of the things that we as coaches can do, that might annoy our players. From subbing patterns, to communication, and delivering feedback there are plenty of mistakes we have made over the years, and some we probably weren’t even aware of that hopefully can allow coaches to reflect on their own coaching, and how we can be better with some changes!

It’s been a while of pre-recorded pods, but for better or worse, we are back this week to talk about an area of basketball we can sometimes get caught forgetting, the fun! Not the same for everyone, and players and coaches will potentially want to experience different things, but we discuss how each area can impact on the other, and some tools for making it more fun for everyone involved.

In this episode, we speak with Andy from The Hoops Geek tabout the development of digital tools designed to support coaches with diagramming, substitution management, and practice planning. 

We discuss how technology is influencing coaching workflows and how coaches can integrate these types of tools into their everyday practice.

Joined this week with Matt & Bo from Autism Spectrum Australia to discuss the impact that coaches can have when coaching people who has Autism.

We unpack what Autism is, share some real-life examples for coaches to relate to, and practical steps and advice that coaches can use in their own coaching to make sport, and the experience more inclusive for everyone!