The Jump Around with Blake DuDonis

Today I was joined by Penn head coach Mike McLaughlin, the fastest coach to win 400 games in NCAA history (459 games).

We talk about his time at Holy Family University and how he turned Penn into one of the best mid-major’s in the country. We also discuss his time as a member of the Washington Generals, the hapless opponents of the Harlem Globetrotters.

Also discussed was his 57% career three-point shooting as a player, the challenges of the Ivy League, and what has been his hardest time as a coach.

Gonzaga head coach Lisa Fortier joined me to talk all about her program's success, both when she was an assistant and when she took over as the head coach five seasons ago.

We discuss the challenges in having so much success and what happens when they lose, the confidence she learned to have in herself over time, how her team handled losing their best player from a season ago when she unexpectedly decided to graduate, and the story of a player leaving behind her appendix in Missouri.

Yale head coach Allison Guth joined me today and we talked about a lot. We covered why she took the Yale job and the apparent attraction to academically challenging schools, her team's 19 win season a year ago and why a WBI championship was so important to them, and what her team is like now.

We also discuss "Guth's Goodies" and her incredible streak of running 4-6 miles a day for a year straight, even if that meant running at 3 a.m.

Louisville head coach Jeff Walz joins me and we cover a variety of topics. We discuss his climb up the coaching ladder and how unexpected it was for him, how his program has been able to be so successful and some of the, err, "questionable" officiating (my words, not his) in the game.

We also talk about if he is color blind or not, his stutter and how he has gotten over his fear of public speaking, and a great Angel McCoughtry story.

Joe Tartamella, the head coach at St. John's, has been a part of the women's basketball program in Queens since 2002. I talk to him about his unusual climb while staying at one place, the program's success and why they are able to play UConn so tough time and time again.

We also discuss one of the best practice teams ever, the end of his playing career in the over-30 league and what to expect from his team moving forward.

Cheryl Reeve, GM and head coach of the Minnesota Lynx was kind enough to join me in person in their downtown Minneapolis offices. We talked about her crying in her first ever college game, how her former bosses have helped mold her, who would in a fight between all the WNBA coaches and what needs to be down to foster real growth in the WNBA.

Missy Tiber, head coach of the University of North Alabama, joins me to talk about her team's first season at the D1 level and what it's been like since their upset of Vanderbilt in their first game. We also discuss her journey to North Alabama and how the success (and failures) in her career have led her to this point.

We also talk about her team's 5-0 start and what the expectations are moving forward.

ESPN analyst and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo, Sports Illustrated writer and former National Sportswriter of the Year (and author) Steve Rushin, and Washington Mystics assistant coach Eric Thibault all joined me to talk about... Thanksgiving.

We had a Thanksgiving draft. How ridiculous.

With the college season beginning today (!!), I was joined by UCLA head coach Cori Close. We talked about her team's breakthrough to the Elite Eight last season and what her expectations are after losing a great senior class.

We also get into Cori's faith and how that drives her coaching, plus a deep talk about her purpose as a coach.

Joining me for this episode is Oregon head coach Kelly Graves. Fresh off of a #3 ranking, the highest preseason ranking in program history, Kelly and I talk about his team and the lofty expectations put on them. We also talk about the growth of Sabrina Ionescu, his star point guard and potential #1 pick in the WNBA draft if she chooses to leave.

We also talk about his small roster (only 9 healthy players), the expereience that a few of their players got while representing Team USA in the 2018 FIBA 3x3 World Cup and about a tough non-conference schedule.