Hardwood Hustle

This week TJ and Sam hit on an important topic for coaches which is how you confront your players and be honest with where they’re at while also creating a team culture that genuinely cares about each other. Send us a Message.

Coach Micah Mills is back on the show to discuss troubleshooting your offense and player development in order to find solutions to your offensive frustrations midseason.Show Notes:3 ways to look at offensive problem solving"Identify the problem so we can prescribe the right medicine"Being a "Defensive coach"Balance in using Sets Determining your offensive identity Start with understanding how you will generate shotsRole identificationGiving players "freedom" on offense is overratedClarity on what we are hunting Getting the ball to the paint is half the battle Skill Development and 18 ways to finish "Why are you working on that?"Money actionsWhat do we do best? How do we do it more?Timeout playsBe an expert on your teamSend us a Message.

This week TJ and Sam discuss managing your roster in terms of number of players along with playing time decisions in order to limit the headaches and maximize the potential of your team.Send us a Message.

This week we’re talking about aspects of your program that make for a winning culture such as setting high standards, building accountability, and growing through conflict and adversity.Show Notes:Intro episodeLevels to coaching and winningReality of Accountability and holding the line on standardsBeing unattached emotionally to standards Standards vs RulesSetting the BarHaving a powerful WHYRelationships and RebellionCoach mode at homeTransformational v Transactional Approach to AdversitySend us a Message.

Joined by special guest, Jason Peery, this week we dive into how he built a successful high school program as he shares his best practices when it comes to creating drills, teaching the game, and developing players.  Show Notes:Coach Jason Peery's backgroundBlood DrillsYour motive in care is really important Creating Connection Clear expectations Positive, negative or neutral coachingCoachabilityTeaching the little things What basketball can learn from pickleball Naming your drills Mental toughness vs emotional toughness More about Jason Peery:Currently assistant varsity coach at American Heritage High School in Utah under head coach Paora Winitana. Both of us have sons on the team.Former Head Coach at Pinewood High School (CA)Consulted Stanford Men's (Johnny Dawkins) and Women's Basketball (Hall-of-Face coach Tara Vanderveer) teams in 2013-2014, installing Triangle Offense in both programs, which went to Sweet 16 and Final Four respectively that year. Article in NY Times, "Riding the Tria

This week TJ and Sam discuss how to start the season off right by knowing what you need out of your first practices, how to evaluate your first games, and setting up your team for success not just at the start, but throughout the season.Show Notes:• General Thoughts on how to prepare your team for the first game of the season• First week of practice• Identifying the goal• How can you stack things• Balance Offense and Defense• Creating standards of practice• Attitude and effort• Capturing the vision of who you want to be as a team• Cover your butt coaching• Player Development• Handling adversity• Leadership• Holes in the ceiling• Working in 3s• Getting the foundation right• Learning and improving season to seasonSend us a Message.

This week we discuss the offensive and defensive implications of the 3pt line, how it affects your players and it's changed all levels of the game.Show Notes:How the 3 is changing the game.Defensive implicationsThe equalizerThe Steph Curry effectWhere coaching mattersThe next trendA coaching mistakeGuess TJ’s favorite NBA player right nowValue of players beyond the 3The hardest teams to play against The risk of being 3 point heavy Coaching shot quality Send us a Message.

This week Graham Maxwell joins the show to discuss how coaches can win in their relationships with opponents, players, and staff and why it can be the difference maker for you this season.Show Notes:• Opponent relationships• Healthy competition• Finding middle ground• Setting the example• Tony Bennett example• Staff relationships• Who over What• Coaching hard• Jockeying for positions• Being a generous listener• Acknowledging and celebrating• Catch them doing something good• What hurts relationships with players• Playing time• Sharing the burdenSend us a Message.

In light of Coach Tony Bennett’s recent retirement announcement, we thought we’d honor his legacy and what he’s given to the game by reposting his 2021 interview with us where he laid out his foundation as a coach and how his team bounced back to win a National Championship.Show Notes:• 5 Pillars / Core Values• Getting player buy-in• How you face adversity• Knowing your Why• Vulnerability & Leading by example• Developing leaders• Style of play & paying the price• Becoming a great teacher• What truly mattersSend us a Message.

In the world of coaching and leadership we often hear phrases and mantras that serve our coaching in a positive way. And there's also statements and quotes that initial appeal to us and may even carry some truth, but if we put too much stock in them, they could also steer us in the wrong direction. Before we know it, we may end up be off course. This week TJ and Sam discuss different 'coachisms' in the form of 3 truths and 3 lies and debate what's reasonable, what's practical, and what ultimately makes sense to apply to your coaching and share with your team.Show Notes:• Intro to Topic• Relationships are paramount to coaching and leadership• Competing is the ultimate equalizer• How you do what you do is the separator• Winning cures everything• Leaders are born, not made• Talent trumps teamSend us a Message.

This week TJ and Sam discuss the importance of practice design and share common mistakes you’ll want to avoid in your practice planning this season.Show Notes:• 1. Lack of preparation• Communication and delegation + more tips• Picking the right things to practice• Enrolling your players• Knowing your strengths and practices• What to pay attention to• 2. Distributing roles in practice• "If you try and watch everything, you'll see nothing."• 3. Identifying influential practice factors• Doing your best stuff most of the time• 4. Designing more than the 'What'• Flow of practice• 5. Marrying the practice planSend us a Message.

This week we’re joined by Micah Mills, head coach at Wilmington College and PGC Coaching mentor to discuss managing the energy, emotions, and egos of your players as well as yourself.Show Notes:• Bringing energy & being your authentic self as a coach• Teach players how to bring their own energy• Individual hype numbers• Engaging with individual players• Managing your own energy• Changes with time• Consistency with the option to change it up• "Don't let your circumstances dictate your behavior."• Regulating emotions• Individual differences• Helping your players - Walking a fine line• Ensuring your team has an edge• Buying into a team mentality• Having the right conversations• The role of social media today• Speaking the truth to players• Controlling the narrative• Getting it right before its too lateSend us a Message.

A good passing team is a well coached team. This week we discuss all things related to helping your players be better passers this season.Show Notes:• Why you should consider being a pressing team.• Thinking ahead in your season• Developing better passers and emphasis in practice• "Passing is like leadership"• Executing your sets• "Make the simple play"• Inability to pass is limiting - Minimize risky decisions• Defining good passing• Coaching pet peeves• Coaching different types of passes• What will you do the most in your offense• Jump Passes• Taking care of your possessions• Team confidence• Better Passing = More FunSend us a Message.

Building a successful program is all about how you cultivate the identity of the team. This week, TJ and Sam discuss 4 principles to help shape your team culture and strengthen your team identity in something bigger than any individual.Show Notes:• Topic Intro• Shared Ownership- Getting players to lead- Working through conflict• Shared suffering- giving players ownership• Individual Responsibility- Having it come to life in practice• Collective pride- Why its important- The challenges coaches faceSend us a Message.

This week the team discusses “Less & More” -  where as coaches we should be looking to add more to our programs both on and off the court and where can we make additions by subtraction.Show Notes:What should players do less and more of?Relationships, social media, fundamentalsWhat should parents do less and more of?Perspective, teaching, blaming, relationship buildingWhat should coaches do less and more of?Preparation, mindset, drama, improvementOffense: Shot selection, transition, teachingDefense: Aggressive, switching, emphasisSend us a Message.

TJ and Sam discuss the Xs and Os decisions all coaches have to make going into their preseason and the implications for your team.Show Notes:• Topic IntroOFFENSE• Why + Who = What + How• Does it matter if it's a fun offensive system to play in?• Balancing freedom & structure• Testing your team's IQ• Does your team know:- What they're hunting- How to hunt it- How to improve• Does talent need structure?• Getting player buy-in• Ability to spread the floor• Making up for deficits• Questions to ask• How many things can you be great at?DEFENSE• To pressure or not• Matching your offense and defenseREBOUNDING• Both sides of the ball• Tagging• Creating rolesSPECIAL TEAMS• How committed do you want to be?• Defense• Low Clock / Late GameSend us a Message.

This week we’re joined by Head Coach Missy Traversi from Army women’s basketball. With over 16 years of coaching experience at all levels, Missy shares how she’s developed as a leader, been able to adjust her team’s style of play and how the culture at West Point has shaped her coaching.Show Notes:• Leadership• Sprinting toward failure• Changing style of play• Understanding the analytics• Generating the right shots• Finding what will help your team win• What others are doing well• Controlling the pace of the game• Next Right Thing• West Point Culture• Being the model for your athletesMore about Coach Missy Traversi:Coach Traversi is going into her 4th season as the Head Coach for Army Women's Basketball. Previously, Missy spent 5 seasons as the head coach at Adelphi University. At Adelphi, she coached the Panthers to an 83-37 (.692) overall record, two NE10 Southwest Division regular-season championships, an NE10 Tournament Championship in 2017, and two NCAA Division II Tournament berths. In 2019-20, Tra

How does your team react when they face a high pressure defense? This week the discussion is around the habits, mindset, and principles you’ll want to instill next season in your players in order to be great at breaking and handling pressure.Show Notes:• Intro to Topic• Teaching necessary skills and habits• Flipping the mindset - Pressure is a facade• Being the aggressor• Making it part of your style• Who passes the ball in• Availability of the first pass• Squirrel analogy• 3 available receivers• Attack out of first or second reversal• Alignment and stretching the defense• Why you should be a pressing team• Role identificationSend us a Message.

This week TJ and Sam discuss fundamentals, but maybe not in the same way you’re used to. They’re talking about how to develop and communicate core principles that set the foundation for your team’s success.Send us a Message.

If you want to better teacher of the game it’s important to understand how your coaching is received. This week the discussion is about putting yourself in the shoes of the learner so you can maximize your coaching.Show Notes:Why focus on your teachingOvercoaching v. undercoachingSetting goals and creating a learning environmentConnecting with playersContinuous improvement in your coachingUnderstanding the psychology behind coachingEmbracing the role of the learningFinal thoughts and a challenge for coachesSend us a Message.