Episode 116: Today’s guest needs no introduction.  Anyone listening to the Hoop commitment podcast knows who Jay Bilas is.  And I feel so lucky that I was able to pick his brain on what it means to be tough.  If you’re like me, you read his legendary ESPN article and immediately shared it with your players and coaches.  It was the first time that someone defined toughness in a way that inspired me.  

Toughness isn't about pounding your chest after a routine play or getting in an opponent’s face.  It isn't about being physically intimidating.  Jay defined toughness as setting good screens, running to a teammate when they need help up and talking on defense. I loved the article so much that I bought his book, and in preparation for this interview, I just read it again.  

It is full of amazing stories from when he played at Duke, when got drafted in the NBA, when coached alongside Coach K, and when got his law degree.  There’s very few people that are more qualified to write a book on toughness than Jay Bilas.  He lives it every day with the amount of preparation he does as an ESPN announcer and the humility he shows as he lifts up those around him.  If you want to learn what it means to be tough on & off the court, you’ll love this interview.

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Episode 115: And now to part 3 of the Dr. Dave Tiberio Trilogy! I’ve been excited for this interview because I’m learning how important training fascia is, but I’m not sure I’ve been optimizing it with my players.  As always, DT does an amazing job of taking the complicated and making it understandable. 

Click here if you want to watch the 22-part Fascia Series on Youtube 

Keep listening if you want to learn what fascia is, why it is important, and how to optimize it during your training.

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Episode 114: This is part 2 with Dr. David Tiberio and he spends the entire episode talking about proprioceptors… what they are, where they’re located, how they communicate with the body, and how we can tweak exercises to improve  performance on the court.  You’re going to love learning the science behind activating specific proprioceptors by training in different ranges, at different speeds, and in different environments. 

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Episode 113: Dr. David Tiberio is the dean of the Gray Institute’s 40-week mentorship program, which is known for training, treating and conditioning athletes in all 3 planes of motion.  Dr. Tiberio has published numerous articles in scholarly journals and is professor emeritus at the University of Connecticut.  In 2007, Dr. Tiberio  received the Kendall Award from the American Physical Therapy Association for "outstanding and enduring contributions to the practice of physical therapy." 

Dr. Tiberio was kind enough to come on the podcast to answer the seemingly simple question, how do you activate muscles?  As a strength coach, I’ve always been confused on how to effectively cue athletes without telling them to, "squeeze their glutes" or, "focus on their core."  And what started as a simple question not only turned into an hour long episode, but Dr. Tiberio was nice enough to come on the show again to record parts 2 and 3 and talk about proprioception and fascia.   

If you’re a trainer or coach that wants to effectively train athletes to perform better on the court, Dr. Tiberio is going to give you a combination of timeless wisdom and the latest in scientific findings on how to activate muscles. 

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Episode 112: Now I’ll admit that I’m a little biased, but I don’t remember ever seeing a college basketball player with better footwork than Drew Timme.  He is unguardable in a 1-on-1 scenario because of his creativity and endless moves.  

Last year Drew was named the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year and this year became Gonzaga’s All-Time Leading Scorer. Every ESPN announcer that has ever covered the Zags is in awe of his footwork and feel for the game.  

And so I decided to dedicate this entire episode to finding out how he does it.  I asked Timme about the set-up work he does before even receiving the entry pass, how he uses his eyes and hips to feel the defense, how he decides what move to use and what drills he did to become such a great finisher.  

If you want to learn more about Drew, follow him online at @drew_timme2

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Episode 111: This interview is about finding better ways of having your practice time transfer to game success.  As a strength coach, I’m always thinking about how the exercises we do in the weight room impact my player’s ability to move and handle contact on the court.  Just because someone can add more weight onto a barbell, doesn’t mean  they’ve become a better basketball player.  

And what today’s guest shares is that just because your ball handling or shooting has improved in a drill, it doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to do it during a game.    

Tyler Leclerc is a gym owner and player development coach located in Lowell, Massachusetts. Tyler uses the constraints-led approach and small-sided games to get results that transfer for players of all ages.

Today I got to pick his brain on why a games-based approach to training produces superior results and is more fun than doing traditional 1-on-0 drills.  If you’re looking for new training ideas that are based in motor learning science, you’ll love what Tyler has to share. 

You can find Tyler on social media @tjltraining

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Episode 110: Now this month’s podcast is a little unusual, since my guest is the host of another basketball performance podcast, and in this episode, he actually interviewed me.  

We hit it off and so I wanted to share our episode and encourage you to check him out online.  Justin Ochoa is the owner of PACE Fitness Academy located in Indianapolis, working with basketball players from youth to pros in the weight room and on the court. 

We connected through his Gem sessions podcast, which bridges the gap between trainers, coaches, athletes and families in the basketball community.  Today he was kind enough to interview me about the 3 levels on basketball nutrition, 3 levels of basketball training, and the 3 levels of basketball leadership. For anyone who enjoys a systems approach to training, I think you’ll enjoy the conversation!

You can find Justin on social media at @justinochoa317

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Episode 109: Tyler Lesher the Head Athletic Trainer for UCLA men’s basketball program.  He’s a certified orthopedic physician extender and certified strength & conditioning specialist.  Before joining UCLA’s staff, he worked in the NBA and G League. 

Tyler earned his doctorate in Health Science and exercise leadership, focusing on reducing systemic inflammation through nutrition & exercise.  With his extensive basketball & medical experience at the college and pro level, I thought he would be the perfect person to chat with about reducing knee pain & inflammation.   

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Episode 108:   Cliff Spiller is the Director of Strength & Conditioning for Men’s Basketball at the University of Oregon.  Prior to joining the Duck’s staff, he was an assistant with the NBA’s Utah Jazz. 

We became friends through the Gray Institute’s 40-week Fellowship in Applied Functional Science, so I couldn’t think of anyone better to talk about functional training for hoops.  In this episode, Cliff shares how he designs programs in the spectrum between traditional and functional, the importance of variability, and how he’s preparing his college players for the next level. 

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Episode 107: TJ Conley is the Head of Sports Performance for EWU Men's & Women's Basketball.  He's a former NFL player turned strength & conditioning coach who joined me on the podcast to talk about the importance of speed in basketball.

I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside TJ Conley for years at U-District PT and Gonzaga, and I don’t know if I’ve seen a coach pay more attention to detail.  He is meticulous with his coaching cues and creates a motivating, high energy environment for his players to learn and train in.   

With his extensive football background, I wanted to pick TJ’s brain on how he incorporates speed training with his basketball players.  And so in this episode, we chat about why basketball players need speed, the best exercises and drills to use and how to avoid common mistakes that coaches make in the weight room.

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