Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast

We are fortunate to have Liam Jefferson on this episode. 

Jefferson is a head coach with the London Lions boys academy. Prior to that he spent 12 years as an assistant and head coach at Loughborough University.

Jefferson also was an assistant coach on Great Britain’s U20 staff last summer.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN

1:40 - The state of basketball in Great Britain

3:40 - Reasons for taking the London Lions job

5:55 - The purpose of the youth academy

7:50 - Roster rules for BBL teams

9:30 - Takeaways from using the CLA in development

12:50 - How the coaches are working together

14:50 - Areas that have been harder to implement

18:35 - A typical week for players

21:05 - Comparisons with England’s soccer academies

22:00 - Practice planning and implementation

26:10 - Individual development plans

29:50 - Connection between academy & the top team

32:05 - Categorizing player’s roles

35:05 - Using the CLA to teach players (PnR)

39:50 - Purposeful feedback in practice

42:15 - The bridge between practice & games

44:40 - Using film to guide development

48:35 - Personal development as a coach

We are fortunate to have Nathan Williams on this episode. Williams is the head coach at Bonners Ferry High School. He helped guide the Badgers to their first state title in boys basketball last month. 

Prior to that, Williams has coached at a variety of levels, including seven years as the head coach in Stanfield, Ore. Williams was also a standout basketball player in high school and was member of the Whitworth team that played for an NAIA championship in 1996.

1:35 - First State Title for Boys Basketball

2:40 - Characteristics of the 2023-24 team

7:20 - The role of older siblings & toughness

9:10 - Approach after finishing second the previous year

11:30 - Preparing a team for what they might see at state

15:30 - Coaching influences growing up

18:25 - Changes as a head coach from previous stops

21:20 - Teaching aspects of the game

23:40 - Culture building at Bonners Ferry

29:10 - Lessons from playing higher level teams

30:25 - Developing lateral quickness

32:00 - Preferred offensive attack

33:55 - Creating confusion for the defense

35:30 - Advantage situations in the post

37:00 - Preferred defensive approach

40:25 - Lessons learned from coach sons

42:15 - Having a son who is a college prospect

44:50 - Looking ahead to next season

We are fortunate to have Andy Harrington on this episode. Coach Harrington is the head boys coach at Owyhee High School in Meridian. The Storm just concluded a dominate season and are now celebrating their second 5A state title in the last three years.

This marks Coach Harrington’s third state title as a coach. And, of course, we have to mention that he is an OG when it comes to the podcast, having appeared on Episode 7 of the podcast.

• 2:15 - This year’s state title run
• 4:00 - The importance of offense
• 5:40 - Vision of the Owyhee administration
• 8:15 - Influential people & resources
• 10:25 - Getting ahead of player issues
• 12:20 - Determining roles & playing time
• 14:25 - Giving assistant coaches subbing duties
• 16:15 - Other assistant coach responsibilities
• 21:10 - Fundamental work in practice
• 22:20 - Building offensive responsibilities
• 24:00 - Favorite offensive actions
• 24:50 - Defensive priorities for players
• 28:25 - Teaching rebounding
• 29:20 - Cutting back on film
• 32:40 - Liam Campbell attributes
• 35:20 - Prepping for next season
• 37:05 - Storm troopers
• 38:45 - Organizing a big tournament
• 41:10 - Motivations as a coach
• 43:00 - Growth areas since 2020
• 44:10 - The importance of having a vision

We are fortunate to have Tyrel Derrick on this episode. Derrick is the head girls coach at Lakeland High School in Rathdrum. 

In his second year, Derrick guided the Hawks to the 4A state tournament where they lost to Pocatello in the third place game. Prior to coaching girls, Derrick was an assistant for the Lakeland boys team.

Derrick was a very talented guard at Lakeland in high school who surpassed 1,000 points in his career and went on to play at Wheaton College.

We are fortunate to have Jon Yu on this episode. 

Yu is passionate about teaching the game through a Constraints-Led Approach. Much of this episode focuses on Yu's use of the CLA, especially when it comes to shooting.

Yu is from British Columbia, Canada who is coaching this year in Vietnam for the Saigon Heat and as a player development coach for The Performance Lab. Prior to moving to Vietnam, Yu was held the same role for College Prep Italy under friend of the pod, Alex Sarama.Yu also has coached high school and AAU basketball in Canada.

Alex Sarama from Transforming Basketball joins the podcast again for a Thanksgiving discussion.

Sarama discusses his roles with the London Lions, Portland Trail Blazers, and Rip City Remix. He also reflects back on lessons learned while leading College Prep in Italy. Finally, he shares information on his new venture, Transforming Basketball.

Did you know that the Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast has a newsletter? Be sure to subscribe at coachingidaho.substack.com.

We are fortunate to have Nicole Symons on this episode of the podcast. 

Symons is the head girls coach at Coeur d’Alene High School. She led the Vikings to a 24-2 record and the 5A state title in Idaho this past season. It was the first state title for Coeur d’Alene since 2014.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN

2:20 - Approach to turning a program around

4:25 - Timeline for competing for a state title

6:55 - Selling players on the hard work

10:50 - Bring swagger and confidence into a program

15:00 - How do you make practices harder than games

18:10 - Building a relationship with players so they work hard

20:25 - Helping players become the right type of leaders

24:45 - Keys to coaching your child

28:25 - Having two parents as basketball coaches

30:20 - Deciding to come back after your child has graduated

32:45 - What’s the role of the high school team for high-level recruits

36:00 - Determining team concepts with a D-1 recruit

40:30 - Dealing with expectations after a state title

43:50 - Advice to yourself: Dealing with Parents

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We are fortunate to have Christian Narciso on this episode. 

Narciso is professional basketball coach from Italy who has had the opportunity to coach at different levels across Europe.

Most recently, Narciso was a head coach in Malta where his team enjoyed a successful season, including claiming the Louis Borg Cup.

The Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast is now on Substack. Subscribe today at CoachingIdaho.substack.com/

We are fortunate to be visiting David Arseneault Jr. for today’s episode.

Coach Dave is the head men’s basketball coach at Grinnell College in Iowa where he was a standout player for his father. 

Grinnell, of course, is know for its System — a fast-paced style that employs trapping all over the court and quick shooting. 

Before taking over at Grinnell, Arseneault was the head coach or the Reno Bighorns for two years, including a season where they set a D-League record for offensive efficiency.

We are fortunate to have Carly Clarke on today’s episode. Clarke is the head coach at Toronto Metropolitan University. She lead TMU to an undefeated season and national title in 2022.

Clarke is also a coach with Canada Basketball. She’s an assistant for the senior women’s national team, and this summer she will coach Canada at the FIBA U19 World Cup.

In this podcast, we talk about the rise of the women's game, developing a process as a coach, providing and receiving feedback, and the role of a mental performance coach.

Be sure to check out the Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast Newsletter. https://coachingidaho.substack.com

We are fortunate to have Jason Hardy on this episode. Hardy was a standout at Valley High School before attending the University of Idaho. There, he was a manager for the mens team for three years.

Hardy’s life changed drastically this winter when he did an internship with the University of Toledo’s woman’s basketball team. The Rockets upset fifth-seeded Iowa State in the NCAA tournament before losing to Tennessee in the second round. Hardy recently announced he will be a graduate assistant at Toledo next season.

The Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast has a newsletter. Check it out!

https://coachingidaho.substack.com/

We are fortunate to have Nate Sanderson on this episode. Sanderson is a highly successful girls basketball coach in the state of Iowa.

You probably know Sanderson from the Coaching Culture Podcast and his work at the Thrive On Challenge. It is through these platforms where Sanderson has helped coaches around the world create strong cultures within their programs.

In this episode, we discuss the end-of-season assessments, mentoring assistant coaches, and staying confident as a head coach.

Did you know ... the Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast now has a newsletter. Check it out at https://coachingidaho.substack.com.

We are fortunate to have Adam Hiatt on this episode of the podcast. Hiatt is the head men’s coach at Montana Tech in Butte. The Ore Diggers just finished the season 29-5 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Tournament.

Hiatt’s Idaho ties run deep. He was a standout player at Bonners Ferry High School, and then spent 2 years at Ricks College — when it was Ricks College. He also got his college coaching start at the University of Idaho under George Pfeifer and was the head coach at Westminster College in Salt Lake City.

We are fortunate to have Kareem Kalil on this episode. 

Kalil is a high school coach in Denver, where he had the opportunity to coach both the girls and boys teams at DSST: Byers. The girls team won its conference, qualifying for the state tournament for the first time in the school’s history.

Kalil also spent 3 months coaching at College Prep Academy in Italy, and will be heading back next week to finish the season. In this episode, Kalil talks about differences between coaching in the United States and Europe and ways to incorporate authentic learning into your program.

We are fortunate to have Jim Winger on this episode of the podcast.

Winger is the long-time boys head coach at Lake City High School in Coeur d’Alene. Winger started as the head coach at Coeur d’Alene High in 1992 and then moved to Lake City when it opened in 1994.

He stepped away from coaching for 5 years, but returned in 2008. At the time of this interview in early January, his team was the top-ranked 5A team in Idaho and in the top 40 rankings of teams nationally.

We are fortunate to have Francesco Nanni on this episode of the podcast.

Nanni is an Italian professional coach, who has more than 10 years of experience at various levels in Italy. He has established a big social media following from his clips of game breakdowns and drills.

Nanni recently released a serious of videos through Basketball Immersion that provide coaches with hours of drills for developing 1-on-1 skills for players at all levels.

We are fortunate to have Basketball Development Coach Steve Dagostino on this episode. 

Coach Dags has helped develop players of all ages and all levels since 2008. He and his staff typically train more than 1,000 players per year.

Coach Dags is a Court Coach for USA Basketball’s junior national team, and runs NBA Pre Draft workouts. Besides working with NBA players, he also coaches his daughter's youth team.

We are fortunate to not just have one coach on this episode, but three coaches with us today. The common thread among today’s guests? We all spent some time coaching basketball in Idaho this summer. 

Well, 3 of the coaches are actually from Idaho. The fourth coach, Alex Sarama, is from England and spent a week last June in the Gem State  conducting clinics on implementing his BDT Offense with Lake City, Skyline, and Sandpoint girls basketball teams.

Since that time, I’ve spent a lot of time discussing the game with Skyline’s Ty Keck and Lake City’s James Anderson. My conclusion: You won’t find two more knowledgeable basketball coaches in the state — especially when it comes to Sarama's BDT offense. 

The podcast is a discussion about our experiences coaching the BDT offense since Sarama's visit. If you are considering adopting the BDT offense, this the podcast episode for you.

We are fortunate to have George Couros on today’s podcast. Originally an educator in Canada, George is an Innovative Teaching, Learning and Leadership consultant based in Florida.

I had the opportunity to participate in a workshop led by Couros last month at my school, and I’m currently reading his book The Innovator’s Mindset. I’ve really enjoyed applying his message and approaches for encouraging an innovator's mindset in my classroom … and also in my basketball coaching.

Couros is also a basketball junkie. He played the game growing up and also has experience as a coach and referee. He's a proud season-ticket holder to the Orlando Magic.

We are fortunate to have Nate Colvill on this episode. Colvill is the new head women’s coach at North Idaho College.

He comes to Coeur d’Alene with an extensive basketball background, having played at the University of Montana in the 90s. He has coached at both the high school and college level, including a stint as an assistant for the Lady Griz where he coached my current assistant coach Madi “Madison” Schoening.

Colvill is an expert in post development and recently held a post camp in Coeur d'Alene. He also has a daughter who is 6'7 and is being recruited nationally.

We are fortunate to have Nabil Murad on this podcast. Coach Murad is from Ireland, and we conducted the interview at a hotel in Dublin.  (Apologizes for any disruptive background noise.)

Murad has coached basketball around the world, including the United States and UK. He is currently coaching in Austria, where among other things, he is the U16 Men’s National Team head coach.

Among other things on this episode, Murad discusses Individual Development Plans and encouraging players to be strong communicators and leaders.

We are fortunate to have J.P. Nerbun on this episode.

Nerbun, who played basketball at the University of South Carolina, just released his second book called The Culture System. The book gives readers a glimpse at the secrets of successful team cultures.

Nerbun consults with athletes, coaches and parents at every level across the world helping with culture building through TOC Culture Consulting.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN

1:10 — What is culture in regard to sports team and programs?
2:25 — What part of the Culture System is most overlooked?
5:40 — Creating an authentic leadership philosophy
8:45 — Self-assessment methods to look at ourselves and program
13:20 — How to document and share your Culture System
16:30 — How to introduce change to a current standard
18:30 — What’s an appropriate number of standards?
20:35 — What are landmarks for coaches to make sure things are working?
22:50 — Addressing the challenging part of coaching
26:30 — Does having a Culture System impact performance?
28:10 — Is a Culture System different for a team trying to go from good to great vs. a team going from bad to good?
32:10 — What was your “Why” for writing this new book?

We are fortunate to have Marshall Cho on this episode.

Cho is the head boys coach at Lake Oswego High School in Oregon. Cho is also apart of USA basketball. He has worked the Nike Youth Summit since 2012, and most recently was at the Junior National Team Minicamp in April. 

Previous to working at Lake Oswego, Cho has coached in New York City, Mozambique, and DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland.

We are fortunate to have Chris Oliver on today’s podcast. I believe it is safe to call him The Hoops Podfather or The Basketball Coaches' Coach.

Odds are you’ve learned from Coach Oliver whether it’s on The Basketball Podcast or from one of the many resources from Basketball Immersion. In this episode, Oliver shares his thoughts on how coaches should approach practice.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN
0:55 - Who should practices be for?
2:22 - Practices as dance recitals
4:27 - Do practices have too much “busy work?”
6:42 -  Is the statement “I know you don’t like this, but …” acceptable for a coach during a practice?
10:15 - Normalizing the hard or less exciting parts of practice
11:25 - How does challenging players fall into athlete enjoyment?
14:10 - Tips for how to change your practices
18:12 - The benefits of two-way teaching
20:19 - Accepting and explaining the messiness of practice
24:00 - The role of practice in team cohesion
25:00 - Assessment methods for determine the effectiveness of a practice
26:47 - What has the Basketball Immersion journey meant to you?
29:00 - What does Basketball Immersion offer coaches?
32:48 - Servant leadership growing basketball

I’m fortunate to have Anthony Pugh on this podcast. Pugh is a Player Development Coach based in Ohio, who works with players of all ages and skill levels.

He is the founder of Clockwork Athletics. Besides providing detailed development for players, there are plenty of resources for coaches to help improve development within their program.

In this episode, we discuss helping players develop their finishing around the rim.

BREAKDOWN

1:05: Becoming a skills development coach
3:10: Difference between sharpening skills and developing new ones
7:05: Developing skills that fit into the player's role on a team
8:45: How many finishing moves does a good player need?
10:45: The trickle-down affect from the NBA
11:47: Finishing points of emphasis for young players
14:15: Teaching players not foul on finishing moves
15:35: Helping players to make quicker decisions when finishing
17:24: 3-part process for teaching a finishing move
21:40: How quickly do new skills show up in game situations
24:53: Teaching players how to use the glass
29:06: Keeping players engaged in training
31:00: The thought process when finishing
32:23: Teaching players other options than finishing
35:30: Methods for creating finishing situations
36:57: Breakdown between 1v0 vs. live situations in training
40:13: Overcoming the "I can't" or "I will never do this" phases

I’m are fortunate to be joined by Lyle Fuller in today's podcast. In the episode we discuss the impact that Name, Image, Likeness policies being adopted by state activities associations around the country could have on high school sports.

Fuller is a practicing attorney who graduated from Duke University in 2000. He is also a broadcaster and longtime Idaho high school sports fan in Preston.

BREAKDOWN
2:00: Idaho Activities Association adopts NIL policy
4:35: Why does Idaho have a policy?
5:52: Ohio considering NIL rules
10:30: How might high school athletes profit off their NIL?
12:30: Benefits and issues that could come from NIL
15:00: Will Idaho athletes get NIL deals?
16:50: How much money makes an NIL deal worth it?
18:25: Will this impact communities with multiple schools?
21:50: What do you think NIL looks like in 5 years?
27:30: Duke basketball talk with a Duke graduate
30:30: How good was the boys basketball in the 4A South East Conference?

We are fortunate to have Colby Blaine on this podcast. Blaine is the head men’s coach at the College of Idaho.

In just his fourth year as head coach, the Boise High grad as already surpassed 100 wins with the Yotes. That includes a 32-5 record this season, which saw the CofI advance to the Elite 8 in the NAIA National Tournament.

In this episode, Blaine talks about the past season, why college basketball in Idaho is underrated, and the process the coaching staff uses to define players' roles.

We are fortunate to have Alex Sarama back on the podcast. Sarama is a basketball coach based in Italy.

You probably know Sarama from his work with Basketball Immersion, where he’s become a team and coaching development resource for basketball coaches around the world.

Sarama recently wrote about developing a comprehensive vision and coaching development plan for basketball programs. On this episode, we dive into what a comprehensive vision that includes styles of play is and why it is important. 

Sarama also identifies ways you can share this with coaches in your program and help develop buy-in.

We are fortunate to have Darren Hansen on this episode of the podcast.

In this episode, Hansen answers questions related to strength and conditioning development for basketball players in and out of season.

Hansen has a degree in Exercise Science and is the owner of HansenAthletics, an online strength and conditioning platform that focuses on a performance-based approach to develop athletes. Hansen works with athletes worldwide, but has physical location in his hometown of Pocatello where he works with athletes at all levels and abilities.

We are fortunate to have Ty Keck on the podcast.Keck is the Skyline Girls Basketball Program Director. 

He just finished his seventh season as head coach and has helped the Grizzlies win trophies the last 2 years at 4A state tournament. That includes Skyline’s first appearance in the state final, where the Grizzlies lost to Burley.

Keck talks about a season that he's called a "roller coaster." Keck also discusses the process of implementing a conceptual offense.

We are lucky to have Zachary Eastman on today’s episode. Eastman is the head coach of the Lapwai boys basketball team.

Lapwai just finished off an undefeated season (27-0) to win their second straight 1A Division II championship. It was the program's 12 state title.

Lapwai led the state in scoring with 83 points per game and beat two 5A teams. Senior standout Titus Yearout will play next year at the University of Idaho. 

We are fortunate to have Andy Jones on the podcast. Jones is the head coach at Timberline High School in Boise.

The Timberline girls just beat rival Boise High to claim their first 5A basketball title since 2003. It’s the seventh state title for Jones, who is now just 2 titles behind the legendary Emery Roy for most titles.

We are fortunate to have Allison McNeill on the podcast. Coach McNeill is a legend when it comes to basketball coaching.

After playing at the University of Oregon and short spurt overseas, McNeill coached at the college level in both Canada and the United States.

She went on to coach the Canadian Women’s National Team for 16 years, which included a quarterfinals appearance in the London Olympic Games.

We are fortunate to have James Anderson on today’s podcast. Anderson is the head coach of the Lake City girls basketball team.

Besides girls basketball, Anderson has also coached on the boys side and has a lot of experience with youth development.

Anderson’s team just had an impressive run in the top bracket of the Tarkanian Classic this week. Lake City lost in the tournament championship game by 1 point. It was the Timberwolves first loss of the season.

We are fortunate to have Casey Wheel on this podcast. Wheel is a strength and conditioning coach at Pacific Ridge School in Carlsbad, California.

I’ve had the fortune of watching Wheel talk about athletic development and have learned a lot from his presentations.He also has a great Twitter and TikTok accounts where he posts a lot of content related to athletic development. 

In this episode, Wheel gives advice on how to develop athleticism — especially agility — in your program. He also shares tips on working with athletes transitioning from another sports season.

Coach Mike Winters joins the Small-Sided Coaching Development Series to discuss his new book about coaching high school basketball.

Winters has more than 25 years of experience as a boys high school coach in Illinois. Winters just published a book called The Journey: Lessons from the Hardwood.

Winters’ book is a blend of macro and micro aspects of coaching basketball. There are a lot of big picture lessons on leading a program, mixed with some specific details that will make you a better coach in regard to X’s and O’s.

Coaches who are serious about their development should put this book on their reading list.

Trent Harrison joins the podcast to talk about the Middleton Girls Basketball Program. 

In his first season as head coach, he guided the Vikings to the 4A SIC crown and an appearance in the 4A state tournament. Harrison was the assistant coach at Middleton the year before.

Harrison has experience coaching boys basketball at Caldwell. He is also the JV football coach at Middleton.

Coach Ágúst Björgvinsson joins the Small-Sided Coaching Development Series to discuss basketball in Iceland.

Björgvinsson is a long-time coach in Iceland who is based in Reykjavik. He is currently coaching with Iceland's U-16 mens national team and works for Valur, one of Iceland’s top clubs.

Björgvinsson has coached both men’s and women’s senior teams in his career. He has also coached at several camps in the United States.

This interview was conducted at Valur’s athletic complex in Reykjavik.

Garrett Hickey joins the Small-Sided Coaching Development Series to discuss player development.

Hickey is the associate head coach for Fairfield Prep in Fairfield, Connecticut. He’s also the founder of #ShareTheGame🏀, a hashtag and blog that is a great resource for basketball coaches at all levels.

In this episode, Hickey shares his thoughts and ideas for developing a defensive culture in your program.

Justin Wetzel joins the Small-Sided Coaching Development Series to discuss player development.

Wetzel is originally from Cut Bank, Montana, and has coached at the high school, college & professional levels. Currently, Wetzel is an assistant coach for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the G-League. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach for the Wisconsin Herd. Wetzel also coached high school and college basketball in Montana and North Dakota, including a head coaching stint at Dickinson State.

In this podcast, Wetzel shares some of the lessons he has learned in nearly two decades of coaching. He also defines player development and shares how he works with players to create player development plans.

Austin Johnson joins the podcast to talk about Lewis-Clark State College Men's Basketball Program. Johnson just finished this third year as head coach and led the Warriors to the NAIA Championship Game. He was also named the NABC's NAIA Coach of the Year for the second straight season.

Johnson, who is originally from Kansas, discusses how his path in coaching led him to Lewiston. He gives an inside look to his coaching philosophy and the culture he's helped build at LCSC. 

Idaho Basketball Coaches Association founder Jon Nettleton joins the podcast to discuss the NFHS's decision this week to allow state's to adopt a 35-second shot clock without penalty for the 2022-23 season.

Nettleton, who is the head boys coach at Mountain View in Meridian, has been an advocate for Idaho to adopt a shot clock. He helped conduct a survey a few years ago that found nearly 90 percent of Idaho's coaches were in favor of a shot clock.

Nettleton shares the potential path for how a shot clock might be adopted by the Idaho High School Activities Association. He also identifies ways that a shot clock could improve the game in Idaho.

Diogo Cunha joins the Small-Sided Coaching Development Series to discuss spacing concepts and curling off of off-ball screens.

Cunha is an up-and-coming basketball coach who originates from Portugal. He is currently a youth coach with the City of Birmingham Rockets in the United Kingdom.

Cody Hansen joins the podcast to talk about McCall-Donnelly Girls Basketball Program. In his seventh season, Hansen led the Vandals to their first state tournament appearance since 1993. It also happened to be McCall-Donnelly's first year in the 3A classification after a decade in the 2As.

Hansen is a longtime high school coach who spent a year as a grad assistant at the University of Idaho. In this podcast, Hansen shares some of his influences over the years and discusses how his program uses analytics. He also gives some of his favorite drills and talks about the approach he used to keep a smaller team competitive.

Aaron Fernandez joins the Small-Sided Coaching Development Series to discuss practice planning for all levels of basketball.

Fernandez has coached at various levels of basketball as head and assistant coach. Most recently, he worked as a player development coach and video coordinator at Davidson College. He is currently finishing his Masters degree in Coach Education and Athlete Development at Xavier University and coaching 2 AAU teams in North Carolina.

Fernandez starts the episode by debunking 3 coaching myths and sharing how he has changed in the podcast. Later in the podcast, he talks about the importance of decision-making in teaching the game and provides ideas for how coaches at all levels can incorporate this important skill into their practices.