A Pen And A Napkin

Jacob Mohs, the boys basketball coach at Ashland-Greenwood (NE) HS, comes on the podcast this week to talk about a variety of different topics. We chat about his coaching influences, coaching different sports, what he learned about a winless season and developing his youth program, along with how he developed his "offensive standards" and how they teach their motion principles. A great listen!

100 Foundation Fridays!!!! Hard to believe that this is #100, but here we are! This week, we're going to talk about the do's and don'ts of discussing with your players about their season and their futures, from questionnaires to timing of these discussions. It's important that you put alot of thought into each and every one of these discussions, so here's some tips on a very important topic that will help get your next season off to a great start!

Just a quick hitter pod on updates, apologies and future plans for "A Pen And A Napkin" . . .

Nate Pribnow has rebuilt Fremont (NE) Bergan into a perennial state tournament contender, and in this week's podcast, he shares a bunch of great information about his program. We discuss playing in what is probably the best conference in the state, sharing athletes, offensive and defensive philosophy, servant leadership, melding AAU and high school ball and much more. Great conversation!!

It's early February, so we're all looking for an edge heading into. post season play. What are the things that we should be focused on as we head into the final stretch of the regular season? Fundamentals, execution, confidence and camaraderie are at the top of the list, but here's some of my thoughts on prepping. your team for the home stretch!

Every team needs days off; that's obvious. But sometimes, especially this time of year, it's great to take a day off WITH your team and do something that will boost morale and energy for the stretch run of the season. In this "Foundation Friday", we talk about different ideas that you can use to "surprise" your team with a great bonding experience!

Legendary Minnesota coach Larry McKenzie comes on the podcast this week. A 6-time state champion, Coach McKenzie talks about building up programs in two different schools, finding his calling as a high school coach, developing the Minnesota Black Basketball Coaches Association, pressure defense, "The Creed" and creating an individual plan for each player. Terrific conversation with a great coach!

Newly minted IGCA Basketball Hall of Famer (Class of 2022) Don Martindale comes on the podcast this week! The GBB HC at Estherville-Lincoln Central, Martindale has 12 Regional Final and 5 State Tournament appearances on his resume. We chat about influences, the origins of the Estherville "Midgets" nickname, rebuilding a program, organizing a youth program and much more. Enjoy listening to one of Iowa's finest!!

The best way to evaluate our teams and make them better is by meticulously watching our own game footage. There are good ways and bad ways to use game footage to your advantage, so this week we'll go through some of the things that I've picked up upon when it comes to game evaluation, along with how to share those things with your team!

This week's episode features Greg Berdnt, GBB HC at Hastings St. Cecilia's (NE) HS. With a career record of 126-17, Coach Berdnt has built a juggernaut at St. Cecilia's, and he details his "Competition Culture", the bond with his child hood friends and what it taught him about coaching, coaching at lower levels, half court offense and defense and much more!

Many times, we get caught up in the day to day grind of the middle of the season, but we need to keep our big picture goals and purpose in mind. From practice length to quotes, here's some quick hitting things that we all need to remember as we get into the dog days of January!

We open up 2022 with Todd Wolfson, the Boys HC at St. Francis (Pasadena, CA) High School. As I record in a blizzard and he records a stone throw from the Rose Bowl, we discuss leaving one successful job for another, having a slow build over the season, having a great coaching staff, stats and what he looks for and creating a great family atmosphere and culture. This is a great pod to start off 2022!

Alot of teams will be traveling over the break and spending the night with their teams. Although it's a great opportunity to bond as a team, it is also your responsibility to make sure that everything is lined up as well as possible. Here's some things that I've learned over the years about putting together a travel itinerary for a team trip

In our latest (both figuratively and literally) episode of "A Pen And A Napkin", Chris Strathman, the highly successful GBB HC at McPherson (KS) comes on the pod! In this pod, we discuss the value of continuity of our coaching staff, building a youth program, transition basketball, half court defense, and the lost art of the live scout. Alot of great information in this late night conversation!!

At this point of the season, we're all looking at our teams and what we can or need to do to improve our teams. Some of us might be considering radical adjustments to our teams and lineups, while others are looking at tweaks. Here are some things to consider before you make any major adjustments to your team, both for the short term and the long term.

In part two of our podcast, Carl Pierson goes through the writing of "The Other Side of Glory". The book details the journey of the Waconia Wildcats' 2019-20 season and their pursuit of a state tournament berth that has eluded the program for over four decades. In a season of ups and downs, high expectations, joys and disappointments, the spirit of the team and the joy of high school athletics shines through. A great read for any coach and team!!

In this special two-part podcast, we talk to Carl J. Pierson, the author of "The Politics of Coaching". We talk about how the book came about and then dive into some of the major political pitfalls that a coach can get caught up, from parental agendas to working with administration to the structure of your program. A great listen and a lot of really important topics discussed for all coaches at all levels!

Some of us are big scouters, spending alot of our practice time and time with the team, while other coaches don't spend nearly as much time on our opponents. Both methods have produced successful results, and you have to do what you're comfortable with. In this "Foundation Friday", here are the methods that we use to prepare for our opponents.

Legendary Harlan (IA) boys basketball coach Mitch Osborn, owner of over 700 wins, jumps on the podcast this week to discuss a wide variety of topics. We chat about the overall success of Harlan's athletics, mixing business with coaching, being an administrator, youth programs, practice set up and fighting cancer. A great conversation that you're going to get alot from.

In the hustle and the bustle of the early season, we sometimes forget the details of what we could or should be doing on game days to get prepared for the game, then we're left scrambling at the last minute to get these things taken care of. Here's a preemptive list of things that you should be thinking about before game night!

Lisa Steele, the former GBB HC at Paul VI (New Jersey) comes on the podcast this week! In this terrific conversation, we talk about the adjustments that great players have to make to be a coach, coaching at different levels, the importance of a mentor, taking care of the family first, marketing your program and her fledgling broadcasting career. We also dive into the "Blizzard" match-up zone, working with administration and scouting. Great conversation!!!

Here are a few quick updates about this season and things to expect for the upcoming 3-4 months!

We organized our first youth tournament last weekend, and it was a great success, but it didn't come without some lessons along the way. We had a great group of people that helped organize the tournament, so here are some things that we did well, and there are a few things that we plan on adjusting for next years tournament.

Clark Ribble, the head boys basketball coach at Beatrice (NE) high school, comes on the podcast to discuss a wide variety of topics, including coaching in California, his progression as a head coach, "rebuilding" the culture of their program, the great influences of his career and building a community culture where everyone in the community is behind the program. A great listen this week!!

We're all going to be in a situation where we are going to move a player up a level. As coaches, we look at it as a talent issue, but there are alot of variables that we should consider before we pull the trigger on this decision. In this "Foundation Friday" we look at those variables and what you should do when you make that decision to move a player(s) up.

Women's Basketball Hall of Famer and WNBA champion Lin Dunn comes on the podcast this week to discuss a wide variety of topics. We chat about the beginnings of Title IX, coaching in the 1992 Olympics and sharing a private plane with the "Dream Team", getting your team to peak at the right time, coaching the shot clock, special situations and much, much more. You're going to love this conversation!

Establishing clear boundaries, clear lines of communication and other important variables to your program while also creating an environment of fellowship and trust is a daunting task for most of our coaches. In this "Foundation Friday" we discuss tactics that you can use to try to take a situation that most coaches dread, the early season parent meeting, and try to turn it into a positive experience for both parents and coaches.

Wow, 100 interview episodes!!! That is just crazy to believe!!! In celebration of hitting triple digits, we're bringing back the three that got things going; Kelly Flynn from Fremont (NE) High School, Jen Wragge from Elkhorn (NE) High School and Kevin Scheef from Wahoo (NE) High School. We discuss transition, what we're prepping for the first week of practice, breaking down the season into smaller segments, special situations and much more!! Thanks to everyone who has supported the pod, and we look forward to 100 more!!

We know what we want our players to look like at their optimum level, but have we really taken the time to really map out our players journey and find the checkpoints along the way? In this "Foundation Friday", we go through our "Mastery of Skills" checklist and what we should and should not include to show positive progress for our players.

I'm excited to have Jordan Arensdorf, the GBB HC at Pleasanton (NE) High School. We chat about a variety of topics, including the pressure of winning when you're expected to win, handling a locker room after a tough loss, preparing for the state tournament, half court offensive and defensive philosophies, and the advantages of teaching K-12 PE. Alot of good nuggets in this pod!

There are a million different ways to end practice, but we often forget how important it is to end practice on a high note. It's important that before you get to the end of practice, you have a plan for how you're going to end practice. Here's some thoughts and ideas on how to end practice in a variety of different scenarios and ending it on a high note!

Casey Hall and I come back to discuss who we think is going to win the major awards this season, and then we break down the playoffs round by round to try to predict who is going to be hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy next June. We had alot of fun doing this, so let us know what your picks are and what you think of ours!

Casey Hall and I get together to discuss and preview the Western Conference for the upcoming NBA season, highlighting the teams that we like, some teams that we don't like, and we both identify a sleeper that we think is due to get over the top this season. Have some fun with some amateur prognosticators, and let us know what you think of our predictions!

Casey Hall and I take some time to preview the 2021-22 NBA season this week, starting with the Eastern Conference. We go through the three tiers; the 5 teams that we don't believe will make the playoffs, the four teams that we think will be in the play-in, and then we preview the six teams that we believe to be in the top six. We're just having some fun, but let us know what you think of our predictions!

In our latest episode of "Quick Hitters", we bring on a variety of coaches. Jamie Smith, the GBB HC at Solon (IA) comes on to discuss program building, while University of Nebraska Men's Assistant Head Coach Doc Sadler jumps on to discuss their half court defensive concepts. In our second half, Winona State MBB HC Todd Eisner is back to discuss half court offense, including a deep dive on ball screen concepts. We finish with my old child hood friend and classmate Jay Huff, the Activities Director at Burlington (IA) HS to discuss what coaches should be doing to be proactive with issues before their season starts. Alot of great perspectives; enjoy!!

Andy King, former Creighton Prep AC and current Boys HC at Elkhorn North (NE), jumps on the podcast to talk about a variety of topics, including his playing career, building a program literally from scratch, the importance of skill development, coaching AAU while also being a high school head coach, and how he has an open door policy when it comes to his practices.

Most of us have some sort of vision for our programs, but have you taken the time to specifically think ahead one, two or even three years into the future? In this "Foundation Friday" we take a look at the "3 Year Plan", which we've used to help rebuild our program step by step, outlining our priorities and giving our program the opportunity to have some tangible methods to measure the progress we've made. If you're interested in a copy, feel free to reach out to me [email protected]

Winona State (MN) MBB HC Todd Eisner jumps on the podcast this week to discuss a wide variety of topics, including his own playing career and the influence of Creighton University on his life, bringing two different schools to the national title game, going from being a head coach to an assistant and then back to being a head coach, and taking a deep dive on half court defense and the Pack Line. Awesome conversation on a verity of topics!

How many times do we think it or we say it; "That's a great drill, and we need to do that one more often." Too often we allow what we believe to be our best drills to NOT be part of our practice plans, so take them and bring them to the desert island with you! In this pod, we talk about making sure that you have your best and most important drills in your practices on a consistent basis!

As one of my childhood heroes, Harry Caray, would say . . . "Holy Cow!!!" It's been two years since "A Pen And A Napkin" has launched as of today, and I am so humbled by those that have supported this concept! In appreciation, I'm offering a special 50% off on all of our "University" videos; go ahead and take a listen

The 2021 Iowa Coach of the Year, Dick Jungers, is back for his annual appearance as we celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of "A Pen And A Napkin" this week! In this episode, we discuss adjustments made throughout the season for Coach Jungers' team as they made it a three-peat at Newell-Fonda, building a culture of winning, the psychology of coaching, practice set up and execution, delegating responsibilities to your assistant coaches and much more!

In today's game, it is important that you have an open and sincere dialogue with your teams, but what is the line between what is good for your program and when you are giving up too much control? In this episode, we talk about how promises are different than negotiable topics and how to handle those situations.

We're really excited to have Brett Coultier, the Head Boys Basketball Coach at Princeton (MN) HS! In this pod, we dive deep into breaking an 87 year state tournament drought, using social media to enhance your program, playing at a high pace, off-season development, switching man to man defense and many more topics, including who we think we will Season 23 of Big Brother! Great conversation!

As coaches, it is important to have clear lines of communication with your players, but where does that communication start? In this episode of "Foundation Friday", we talk about our preseason questionnaire and how that can be used to get to know your players on a level other than basketball, while also giving you the opportunity to clean up possible areas of concern before they even start!

Really excited to have Liz Kay, the GBB HC at Wahconah Regional HS (Mass.) to chat hoops! In our conversation, we theorize about the smaller number of female coaches in relation to male coaches in the profession, having her best team ever but not having the opportunity to play for a championship, working camps, building a great culture, building a youth program and more!

As much as we would like to have ALL of our players get along and love each other ALL of the time, that is simply impossible. Conflict is inevitable, even in the best of times, so what are some things that we can and/or should do to help resolves these situations and keep your team on the right track.

We're back with another great roundtable discussion with Millard West GBB AC Casey Hall, Creighton Prep HC Josh Luedtke and Omaha Marian HC Tom Tvrdy. In this episode, we discuss the 2021 state tournament, off-season preparation, using the fall to get ready for the upcoming season and ways to minimize stress as you coach. Terrific discussion!

Elkhorn Mount Michael (NE) HC Derrik Spooner is our guest this week! Coach Spooner talks about a variety of topics, including the uniqueness of Mt. Michael, wearing dual hats as an administrator and as a coach, preparing for the season, developing a strong class, passing, practice planning and more. Alot of great information to mine from this one!

Although there are many coaches who run some sort of pressure defense, there are alot of different things and philosophies when it comes to pressure. In this pod, we discuss different thoughts and ideas on pressure defense; when to apply, why you would apply it, how to apply it, the positives that can come out of it, and when to pull back from applying full court pressure.

Tony Chapman of Striv Sports and Nebraska Preps comes on the podcast as a pinch hitter this week to discuss a bunch of great topics, including being a coaches kid, covering the historically great 2021 Nebraska Boys Basketball tournament, things that can be done to make youth sports better and great things that he sees in coaching while covering a wide variety of sports and activities. Great conversation; enjoy!