The WIBCA Coaches Podcast

The guys sit down with Mick Hoffman, the Executive Director of the WIAA, ahead of the upcoming 2026-27 basketball season. Mick details his upbringing and his career path that led him to his current position with the WIAA. The guys also discuss the upcoming basketball season and points of emphasis. 

The guys host Rob Friese, the current Executive Director & Treasurer of the Washington State Coaches Association (WSCA). Rob was a stud of a player at his alma mater Willapa Valley and then continued that career at Eastern Washington University where he was also inducted in to their Hall of Fame for football. Rob had a stellar career as a player, a coach, and an administrator. Rob has been long committed to improving coaching in Washington with his work with the coaches association.  

We have the pleasure of sitting down with Coach Allen Thomas of Timberline High School. Coach Thomas has consistently put competitive teams on the court since for the Blazers since becoming the head coach in 2013. Coach Thomas does a great job and we were luck to get him on the podcast!

The guys sit down with current NBA Official, Scott Twardoski. Scott and Coach Fitterer go way back to their times at Highland High School outside of Yakima, Wa. Scott chronicles his life involved in sports, culminating now as an NBA official. 

The guys sit down with Central Washington native and Quincy Alum, Nate Harris. Nate has made sports, specifically officiating, his occupation as he has risen through the ranks and now is a highly respected official in the Big 10 Men's Basketball Conference. The guys discuss life as an official and go into topics such as making it a profession & developing great relationships with officials. We all know there is a shortage of officials and we need to do our part to build that relationship. 

The guys sit down with Adna High School Basketball Coach, Luke Salme. Adna has a strong tradition of being a perennial power in the 2B ranks in Washington State. In the 2025-26 season, Adna went on a late magical run in the post-season, eventually losing in the State Championship game, as the #9 seed, to Colfax High School. Adna returns every starter and is expected to be one of the, if not the, championship favorite going into this upcoming season. A large portion of the podcast outlines how Adna and Coach Salme plan on handling these high expectations.  

The guys sit down with Kelso High School Alum and long time coach Joe Kinch. Joe's a great guy, coach and long-time advocate and asset for WIBCA. 

They guys recently sat down and recorded an Episode with reigning 1A State Champion Coach of Lynden Christian, Tim Zylstra. Coach Zylstra is an alum of Lynden Christian and has been a coach in the program for several years. He took the helm in the 2021-22 season and in his 5 years has won 3 state championships. 

Kellen sits down with WIBCA Hall of Famers Joe Harris (Bridgeport & Chelan-Retired) & Pat Fitterer (Highland, Sehome, Eisenhower, Ellensburg-Retired). The guys talk about short turn-around games in playoffs and how to prepare for that. They also talk about end of season planning and closing out things with players before the State Tournament is over. 

Here is part 2 with Basketball Immersion's founder, Chris Oliver. This conversation definitely causes you to think about how you approach practice and the game. The best player development is coach development!