Summary
Former Oak Hill Academy coach, Steve Smith, discusses his experiences coaching NBA players, the importance of work ethic and desire, the impact of specialization in sports, changes in the game, recruiting and placing players, and the opportunities he had as a college coach. He also discusses his career decisions, coaching against LeBron James, his biggest win, his favorite movie, and his connection to Al Pruitt and Henry Clay. Coach Smith reflects on his decision to stay at Oak Hill despite other opportunities, including an assistant job at Louisville, and dives into winning the Geico National Tournament in 2016.

00:00 Introduction and Background
01:16 Coaching NBA Players
02:16 Work Ethic and Desire
03:16 Specialization in Sports
04:41 Injuries and Training
07:33 Changes in the Game
08:32 Strength and Conditioning
10:25 Surprising Players
11:50 Building a National Powerhouse
15:10 Recruiting and Placing Players
19:53 Changes in College Recruiting
23:13 Transfers in High School and College
25:04 Building a Team at Oak Hill
29:27 Recruiting Process at Oak Hill
34:15 Choosing College Programs
39:05 What it Takes to Play at the D1 Level
43:20 Opportunities as a College Coach
44:46 Career Decisions and Staying at Oak Hill
47:08 Coaching Against LeBron James
50:18 Biggest Win of Steve Smith's Career
52:40 Favorite Movie of All Time: Hoosiers
54:58 Connection to Al Pruitt and Henry Clay
58:48 Closing Remarks

Connect with Steve:
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/ohacoachsmith/
Twitter | https://twitter.com/OHACoachSmith

🔗 Connect with Cory:
 
Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
Email | [email protected]
Phone | 859-317-1166

🔖 Subscribe to the PREP Athletics Podcast:

iTunes | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prep-athletics-podcast/id1546265809?uo=4
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/6CAKbXFiIOhoHinzsReYbJ
Amazon | https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c37179d-3371-47f9-9d97-fd569e8802a7/prep-athletics-basketball-podcast #AmazonMusic  

Summary
In this episode of the Prep Athletics Podcast, host Cory Heitz interviews Coach Thomas Adams-Wall from Western Reserve Academy. They discuss various topics, including growing up on a prep school campus, the benefits of playing multiple sports, choosing the College of Wooster, coaching at Western Reserve Academy, recruiting and college exposure, admissions for student-athletes, coaching McDonald's All-American Chris Livingston, the challenges of placing girls in prep schools, placing boys and girls in college, admissions criteria for student-athletes, and more. Coach Adams-Wall shares his insights and experiences as both a coach and an admission officer at Western Reserve Academy.

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction and Background
02:02 Growing Up on a Prep School Campus
03:24 Playing Multiple Sports vs. Specializing
04:20 Choosing the College of Worcester
07:14 Coaching and Working at Western Reserve Academy
10:01 Recruiting and College Exposure
13:19 Admissions and Student-Athletes
16:33 Coaching Chris Livingston and Girls vs. Boys Basketball
20:22 Challenges of Placing Girls in Prep Schools
21:48 Placing Boys and Girls in College
23:38 Admissions Criteria for Student-Athletes
25:33 Quick Hitters
28:15 Favorite Movie and Hobbies
29:38 Final Thoughts and Contact Information

Connect with Thomas:
Email | [email protected]
Website | https://www.wra.net/athletics/our-teams/girls-basketball-varsity
Twitter | https://twitter.com/TAdams_Wall

🔗 Connect with Cory:
 
Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
Email | [email protected]
Phone | 859-317-1166

🔖 Subscribe to the PREP Athletics Podcast:

iTunes | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prep-athletics-podcast/id1546265809?uo=4
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/6CAKbXFiIOhoHinzsReYbJ
Amazon | https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c37179d-3371-47f9-9d97-fd569e8802a7/prep-athletics-basketball-podcast #AmazonMusic  

🔗 Connect with Cory:
 
Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
Email | [email protected]
Phone | 859-317-1166

🔖 Subscribe to the PREP Athletics Podcast:

iTunes | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prep-athletics-podcast/id1546265809?uo=4
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/6CAKbXFiIOhoHinzsReYbJ
Amazon | https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c37179d-3371-47f9-9d97-fd569e8802a7/prep-athletics-basketball-podcast #AmazonMusic  

On this podcast episode we are excited to have former college coach Steve Schafer join us.  He currently works for College Athlete Advantage which is a company that helps athletes with college placement.  In this conversation Steve breaks down the differences between D2, D3 and NAIA, the challenges in placement in 2023, how his company’s placement process works, recruiting websites, starting a college athletic program from scratch and much more. 

Connect w/ Steve:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CoachSchafer50
Email: [email protected]

🔗 Connect with Cory:
 
Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
Email | [email protected]
Phone | 859-317-1166

🔖 Subscribe to the PREP Athletics Podcast:

iTunes | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prep-athletics-podcast/id1546265809?uo=4
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/6CAKbXFiIOhoHinzsReYbJ
Amazon | https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c37179d-3371-47f9-9d97-fd569e8802a7/prep-athletics-basketball-podcast #AmazonMusic  

This week we welcome author Níall Ó Murchú.  Níall and I connected in Poland in early 2020 at the Wim Hof  retreat in Southern Poland.  Níall was my group leader and he spent the week teaching us the power of breath and how you incorporate it with the cold.  Níall and I are both former hoopers who have wives named Josie!  In this conversation we discuss how he got introduced to the cold and Wim Hof, his record setting performance in the European U19 basketball games, tips for young athletes on how to incorporate these modalities and much more. 

Hear us talk about climbing a mountain with just shorts and boots on while it was 17 degrees out.  I was trying to survive while Níall was profusely sweating.  And learn more about spending ten long minutes in a snowmelt creek.  I loved talking to Níall again and hope you enjoy it.  His books can be purchased in the linktree below.  Not too shabby that Oprah suggested a passage from his latest book, "The Power of Cold." 

Connect with Niall:
https://linktr.ee/breathewithniall

🔗 Connect with Cory:
 
Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
Email | [email protected]
Phone | 859-317-1166

🔖 Subscribe to the PREP Athletics Podcast:

iTunes | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prep-athletics-podcast/id1546265809?uo=4
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/6CAKbXFiIOhoHinzsReYbJ
Amazon | https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c37179d-3371-47f9-9d97-fd569e8802a7/prep-athletics-basketball-podcast #AmazonMusic  

In this mini episode I share my pre-game songs from 8th grade all the way to my senior year at the United States Air Force Academy.

Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1AwdczK0cSXqpdiMNxDMeY?si=917a1d99688249bb

🔗 Connect with Cory:
 
Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
Email | [email protected]
Phone | 859-317-1166

🔖 Subscribe to the PREP Athletics Podcast:

iTunes | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prep-athletics-podcast/id1546265809?uo=4
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/6CAKbXFiIOhoHinzsReYbJ
Amazon | https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c37179d-3371-47f9-9d97-fd569e8802a7/prep-athletics-basketball-podcast #AmazonMusic  

In this podcast I am proud to have my prep school roommate joining us. Colonel Lawrence Yazzie and I met on the first day of basic training at the United States Air Force Academy Prep School back in July of 1995. We stayed up too long that first night w/ me asking Yaz about growing up on a reservation. He was just as enthralled w/ me being a Catholic from Kentucky. We have been tight friends ever since. 

Yaz (as he is called by his friends) was one of the first native americans to play Division 1 basketball. In our conversation he tells us how he got good at basketball while growing up in the Arizonan desert. He talks about why he chose Air Force and the challenges of playing there. Yaz was a 3 point sniper and he talks about coming off the bench cold at the end of games to try and bring his team back. We also touch on him playing with his brother in college and the time he infamously made Sportscenter. Yaz works in cybersecurity at a national level and gives tips to all the listeners on how to practice online hygiene. 

🔗 Connect with Cory:
 
Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
Email | [email protected]
Phone | 859-317-1166

🔖 Subscribe to the PREP Athletics Podcast:

iTunes | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prep-athletics-podcast/id1546265809?uo=4
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/6CAKbXFiIOhoHinzsReYbJ
Amazon | https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c37179d-3371-47f9-9d97-fd569e8802a7/prep-athletics-basketball-podcast #AmazonMusic  

On this episode of the PREP Athletics Podcast, we welcome Fork Union Military Academy Boys Basketball Coach, Bob Williams. Bob shares with us his background as a player and starting out as a coach at a New York junior college. From there he had a successful career at both Glenville State and West Virginia Tech. Now in his third season at Fork Union, he talks about recruiting, placement, the military experience, the school's history and much more. 

Connect w/ Bob:
Twitter |https://twitter.com/coachbobwill
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/coachbobwilliams/ Website | https://athletics.forkunion.com/sports/mens-basketball

🔗 Connect with Cory:
 
Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
Email | [email protected]
Phone | 859-317-1166

🔖 Subscribe to the PREP Athletics Podcast:

iTunes | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prep-athletics-podcast/id1546265809?uo=4
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/6CAKbXFiIOhoHinzsReYbJ
Amazon | https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c37179d-3371-47f9-9d97-fd569e8802a7/prep-athletics-basketball-podcast #AmazonMusic  

In this episode we welcome La Lumiere School's Head Boys Basketball Coach, Pat Holmes. Pat has been the head coach since 2017 and has continued its national dominance. The previous two coaches are now D1 head coaches. Pat talks about the formula for turning La Lumiere into a national power and how he maintains it. We dig into how he chooses elite players for his roster, how he schedules his team, his gym being featured on ESPN, and much more. Fun fact: La Lumiere alums in the NBA have contracts worth close to $500 Million Dollars!! That is insane! I really enjoyed this interview and hope you all do as well.

Connect w/ Pat:
 https://twitter.com/LaLuBasketball
https://www.instagram.com/lalubasketball/?hl=en
[email protected] 

🔗 Connect with Cory:
 
Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
Email | [email protected]
Phone | 859-317-1166

🔖 Subscribe to the PREP Athletics Podcast:

iTunes | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prep-athletics-podcast/id1546265809?uo=4
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/6CAKbXFiIOhoHinzsReYbJ
Amazon | https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c37179d-3371-47f9-9d97-fd569e8802a7/prep-athletics-basketball-podcast #AmazonMusic  

On this week's podcast we welcome Northfield Mount Hermon Head Boys Basketball Coach, Michael Shelton. Michael grew up in Indiana and was a top player in the state. He played college basketball at Bellarmine before coaching at D3 Weslyan, D2 Univ of New Haven, and D1 Winthrop. He shares a lot of valuable insight on all three levels. He has also coached at Govenors Academy and Williston Northampton. Michael shares valuable information about different levels and the pros and cons of each.

Connect w/ Michael:
https://twitter.com/CoachShelton25
https://www.instagram.com/mike25259/
[email protected] 

🔗 Connect with Cory:
 
Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
Email | [email protected]
Phone | 859-317-1166

🔖 Subscribe to the PREP Athletics Podcast:

iTunes | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prep-athletics-podcast/id1546265809?uo=4
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/6CAKbXFiIOhoHinzsReYbJ
Amazon | https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c37179d-3371-47f9-9d97-fd569e8802a7/prep-athletics-basketball-podcast #AmazonMusic