We are fortunate to have Chris Oliver return to the podcast for this episode. Oliver, of course, is the basketball podfather with his own show, The Basketball Podcast, and website, Basketball Immersion, two of leading resources for coaches around the world. He also is a consultant with Nike & the NBA involving their youth basketball initiative which we will talk about a little later. --- Subscribe to the Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast newsletter:...

We are fortunate to have the return of Liam Jefferson on this episode.  The episode focuses on how Jefferson develops his practices using CLA methods to introduce conceptual principles in his new position. Jefferson was on earlier this year to talk about his role with the London Lions Youth Academy and installing a conceptual offense. It quickly became one of our most popular episodes. A lot has changed since that time. Jefferson is now the head coach of the Oaklands Wolves and clinician...

We are fortunate to have Ty Keck on this episode to discuss practice planning and structure.  Keck is the head girls coach at Skyline High School in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He led Skyline to a 4A state runner-up finishes in 2022 and 2024 and has been a great resource for coaches like myself who have adopted a conceptual offense and CLA principles. EPISODE BREAKDOWN 2:00 - General approach to developing a practice plan 3:10 - What’s a practice philosophy that’s changed for you over the...

We are fortunate to have John Adams on this episode. In fact, I was fortunate to spend an evening with Adams in Kenmare, County Kerry during my trip to Ireland. Adams is a co-founder and current chair of the Kenmare Kestrels Basketball Club. The club was founded in 2006 and boasts close to 350 members, with youth and adult teams competing in the KABB (Kerry Area Basketball Board). Adams, who is originally from Maine and has degrees from Notre Dame and Harvard, managed to fit in some time...

We are fortunate to have Bill Himmelberg on this episode. Himmelberg is the head coach of the women’s basketball team at the University of Providence in Great Falls, Montana. The Argos made their way to this year’s NAIA National Championship game, but fell to No. 1 Dordt University by 4 points. Himmelberg is entering his 15 season as Providence’s head coach. He also has experience coaching at the high school level. -- Check out the Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast newsletter on substack:...

We are fortunate to have Ryan Josephson on this episode.  Josephson is the head boys coach at Camas High School near Vancouver, Washington. Since starting as an assistant coach for the boys, the Papermakers have enjoyed unprecedented success in their school’s basketball history, including a sixth place finish in the 2023 4A State Tournament.  Over the last 4 years, Camas has averaged more than 70 points per game. -- Check out the Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast newsletter on substack:...

We are fortunate to have Kirby Schepp on this podcast. Schepp is the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Manitoba. Schepp has coached at all levels in his more than 3 decade of coaching, including stints with national teams of Canada and Egypt. Most people know Schepp from his online coaching clinics, including the presentation “Don’t Teach Them Plays, Teach Them “How to Play,” which has more than 1 million views on YouTube. Schepp covers a lot for coaches to consider...

We are fortunate to have 2 guests for this episode.  The first guest is James Anderson, who has appeared on two episodes of the podcast. Anderson is the head boys coach at Lake City High School in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Our second guest is new to the podcast. Adam DeGroot is the head coach at Joliet Catholic in Joliet, Illinois. Both coaches run conceptual offense, and in many ways, run conceptual defense. The episode is a mid-summer check-in to discuss what we've learned. -- Check out...

We are fortunate to have Brian McCormick on this episode. McCormick name is probably familiar to you. He has coached players at all levels all over the world for several decades, and his impact on the game is remarkable.   McCormick, who has a PhD in Exercise and Sports Science from the University of Utah, released his 27th book for basketball coaches in March. NADA is his first book to focus on defense. -- Check out our newsletter on substack:...

We are fortunate to have Chris Cheng on this episode to talk about 5-Out Trigger Offense.  Cheng is the head men’s coach at the University of Windsor in Ontario. He also happens to be the head coach of Canada’s U17 National team which will be competing at the World Championships later this summer. -- Check out our newsletter on substack: https://coachingidaho.substack.com/ -- SHOW NOTES 2:10 - Pathway to a 5-Out Offense 4:30 - Evolution in Offense 5:50 - Offensive DNA 7:55 - Drill to...

We are fortunate to have Jason Hardy back on the podcast. The pride of Valley High School joined us last April to discuss how to use data to game plan and program build. Hardy was the manager for the Idaho men’s program while going to school in Moscow. Most recently, he was a grad assistant for the Toledo women’s team. Hardy is also a player development coach for CoachSessions. -- Topic Breakdown 1:40 - Defining Early Offense 2:35 - Early offense and offensive efficiency 5:15 - Keys...

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 -...

We are fortunate to have Drew Dunlop on this episode.  Dunlop is a co-founder of The Pro Lane, a development facility in Wisconsin that works with players at all levels.  Dunlop has coached around the world and is recognized for his modern approach to training.  At The Pro Lane, he helps designs training environments that allows players to explore solutions that transfer to the game. https://twitter.com/CoachDrewD https://twitter.com/TheProLane EPISODE BREAKDOWN 1:30 - Path...

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...

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...

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...

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 Phillip O’Callaghan on this episode.  O'Callaghan is a tennis coach and secondary PE teacher in Cork, Ireland. He has a popular twitter account and Substack newsletter dealing with skill acquisition. NOTE: There are a couple of minor technical issues involving the audio. EPISODE TOPICS 1:20 - O’Callaghan’s interest in skill acquisition 3:25 - How frustration led to a better way to train 5:00 - Skill acquisitions impact on other aspects of coaching 6:16 -...

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 -...

We are fortunate to have Kurt Guelsdorf on this episode of the podcast.  If you are like me, you’ve probably used one of Coach G’s resources, especially if you run any Dribble Drive action.  Guelsdorf was a very successful high school coach in Oregon. He is now the associate head coach at Clackamas Community College. In this episode, we talk some Dribble Drive but also hit on a number of topics of interest for coaches young and old. Episode Topics 1:30 - The impact of asking why as a...

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...

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...