A Pen And A Napkin

Tony and I had some scheduling conflicts this weekend, so we were unable to do our usual thing . . . but I still had some stuff that I wanted to throw out there, so here's a shorter, solo pod with just me (for better or worse).I'm really excited to announce that my second book will be available on July 1st, 2025! It's called "The Last Of The Cowboys: The Story of Snow Valley Basketball School",and at the center of the story is America's oldest, continuous basketball camp. Founded in 1961 in California, then later adapted and brought to Iowa in 1994, it will be celebrating it's 30th anniversary this summer. It's a great story about the true reasons why people coach basketball, so I encourage you to pick up a copy!I also talk about the Houston-Florida game, the WNBA draft, chaos in the Nuggests front office and the NBA playoffs. We wrap up talking about our clinic this past weekend, which was a great success!Hope you enjoy this; let me know what you think!

Sidney (NE) Boys HC Austin Lewis comes on the pod this week to chat about a variety of topics, including working as an administrator and a coach to get people to work together, keeping kids invested in your program, some of his favorite drills, shell drill, breaking down practices into groups and swinging back and forth between two classifications. A really fun conversation with one of Nebraska's up and coming coaches!

March Madness is upon us, and special situations, per usual, are at the forefront of the great games. It's alot about preparation and repetition to get the execution that you want and need in these clutch moments. Tony and I break down our thoughts on BLOB's, SLOB's and EOG situations, what we like to do to prepare our teams for these situations and how we put together our playbooks. Along with that, we've got our thoughts on the great UConn run in the women's tournament while giving our predictions for what is going to happen tonight in the men's championship game. We also discuss "Who's Up?" and "Who's Down?" this week. Alot of fun in this podcast!

Bennington (NE) Boys HC Luke Olson jumps on episode #270 this week to discuss a variety of topics! We chat about his family's coaching tree, being a mental skills coach, the growth of his community and how they've tried to adjust their program to it, developing their youth program, practice culture and much more! Coach Olson has done a great job in building up the Badger program and has them on the brink of taking them to heights they haven't seen; terrific chat, so enjoy!

Tony and I are back with multiple references to The Beatles and Kip Dynamite to help explain the important qualities of what you should be looking for in an assistant coach and how you build out your staff. We go through a multitude of qualities that you should look for in your individual coaches and then how to put them all together as one unit. Along with that, we have our trivia, a discussion on March Madness and an extended "Arby's" segment about the coaching carousel! Sit back and enjoy!

A veteran of the game for over half a century, Dave Bollwinkel from the Chicago Bulls joins the pod this week! Coach Bollwinkel started out as a high school coach before moving his way up the ranks to becoming a Division I HC at St. Mary's (CA) before spending the last 25 years as an NBA scout. We also talk about the in's and out's of coaching, the draft process, changes that he's seen in the game, and much more! Enjoy this great conversation with Coach Bollwinkel!

It's the best weekend of the year! Love having so much basketball on, and I'm sure that many of you are like me in that it has been non-stop hoops the last four days! In this week's pod, Tony and I take a look at both tournaments and what are some of the things that we can learn from them, both on and off the floor. Along with that, we have trivia, and we have some new candidates to buy Tony and I some Arby's! We wrap things up with "Who's Up?" and "Who's Down?", so enjoy this week's pod!

We have a great episode with episode #268 with McCool Junction (NE) Boys HC Jabe Wurtz! Coach Wurtz has raised the level of the program at McCool, finishing with the third place trophy this year at the D1 state tournament this season! Coach Wurtz and I discuss some of his influences, making the climb to the state tournament, half court offensive principles, BLOB defense and working with your administrators. Coach Wurtz is a rising star here in Nebraska, so enjoy his podcast!

Tony and I are back after a week off, and we're here to talk about shooting. As we all know, the three point shot has never been as important to the game as it is now, and as we step into the off-season, it's imperative that we find shooters and improve them so that our offenses can be as efficient as possible. Tony and I discuss how we can help shooters develop, along with some trivia, a discussion on the dismissal of Fran McCaffery, and other topics. Enjoy the podcast!

We had alot of fun at the "Mellow Mushroom" with Coach Nate Wall, Centura GBB HC Laetheion Brown and Sidney GBB HC Tyler Shaw last Friday at the Nebraska Girls State Tournament! We talk about a variety of topics, including gardening and how that can play into developing your coaching skills. We also talk about the summer, finding the right camps for your team and looking forward into next season. A really, really fun conversation!Thanks again to Mike and his crew at the "Mellow Mushroom" in downtown Lincoln! Mike and his staff always take care of us and treat us like kings and queens, and it is greatly appreciated!!

It's time once again to sit down at the Mellow Mushroom in Lincoln, Nebraska to discuss a bunch of different topics related to the state tournament. We chat about the excitement of the state tournament, the preparation level that you need to have at the tournament, mistakes we've made, and how to bridge the downtime between your substate title game and your first round state tournament game. Along with that, we have Carter Plum's "Mellow Mushroom Review". Enjoy the pod!

We all got into coaching so we could help plan large meals, right? Well, the end of the year banquet is important to your program, as it is the last time that this edition of this team will be together, so everyone deserves a great send off. In this episode, Tony and I break down the details of putting together a good banquet and how to retain favor with parents, players and administrators. We also have trivia (or do we???), a discussion about Diana Taurasi, some of the scum of the earth and a tribute to one of Iowa's best . . . enjoy!

Kyle Courtney has built a really nice program at Rapids City Christian (SD), and he is our guest for episode #265! Coach Courtney has spent time in a variety of places, and he discusses how those travels have influenced his career. Along with that, Coach Courtney discusses his run and jump defensive philosophy, getting to the state tournament last season, the unique culture of his program and much more. Really fun conversation!

Breaking bad habits and building good ones are the key to any player's or teams success. In this episode, Tony and I discuss strategies that you can implement to help yourself, your players or your teams to break bad habit and create new habits that are going to be much more positive for you. We also have our trivia portion, alot of great #21's, a down time for Jayhawk fans, an good time for Fighting Irish fans, and our "Who's Up?" and "Down?" segment. Great discussion on creating the positive habits necessary for success!

On episode #264 we are pleased to have Mike Vuncannon, the head boys basketball coach at Columbus Scotus (NE)! Coach Vuncannon has been with the program for over 20 years and has the Shamrocks on the brink of a state tournament appearance. In this episode, we discuss Coach Vuncannon's influences, correlating being a golf pro with coaching basketball, the rigors of playing in a really tough conference, his half court offense and defensive philosophy and much more, including "The Scotus Way". Really fun conversation with Coach Vuncannon!

As we enter into tournament time, the pressure mounts on both coaches and players. How do you get your players to relax, enjoy the moment and make plays under pressure situations? That's what Tony and I take up this week! We discuss visualization, breathing, practice situations, one on one conversations and much more to help you put your players in the best situations possible. Along with that, we have some trivia, a great TWIB segment breaking down the big headlining games in both men's and women's college basketball, Tom Izzo's great week and much more!

Basketball lifer and longtime NBA player development coach Dave Severns is our guest for this week's podcast! Coach has had a long career in the game, and currently serves as a scout for the Indiana Pacers. Coach discusses his career, his "Hoop Of The Day" tweets, some of the best coaches he's seen this year, being a great assistant, networking, building trust and some of his favorite skill work drills and concepts, with much, much more! A really fun conversation with a guy that just loves basketball!

February and March are when the microscopes really come out when it comes to your team's attention to detail and ability to execute under pressure. What are some of the things that you should be working on, and how should you be working on them? That's what Tony and I break down this week on "The Coaching Staff"! Along with that, Tony and I discuss a couple of big NBA trades, the Texas-South Carolina match up, Dickie V's return to the announcer's booth and much more!

Mid-American Nazarene MBB HC Adam Hepker is our guest for episode #262! Coach Hepker, after an outstanding playing career, has taken over at his alma mater and continued to build on the legacy of Rocky Lamar. Coach Hepker discusses Coach Lamar, how playing overseas influenced his coaches career, the ability to tell players the truth, practicing with great temp and much more. A really fun conversation with one of America's best young coaches!

Late January is a time period where we are stereotypically hit with numerous disruptions, from injuries to illness to discipline issues to transfers and players who unfortunately decide to quit. When these things inevitably happen, how do you navigate through the process and still keep your team moving in the right direction? That's the topic that Tony and I are breaking down this week. We do that, along with trivia, and then an in-depth discussion on the MASSIVE Luka for AD trade. We finish up with some WNBA signings and our "Who's Up?" and "Who's Down?" segment.

Brad Vaught, the head women's basketball coach at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC), comes on "A Pen And A Napkin" for episode #261. Coach Vaught has built a strong program over the last five years at NIACC and his team is on the brink of a national tournament birth this season. Coach Vaught discusses some of his coaching influences, the advantages of going the JUCO route, how recruiting may change with new eligibility rules, his offensive philosophy, working with parents and much more! Great conversation for episode #261

It's late January, and we are in the proverbial "Dog Days" of basketball season. You still have to have the urgency to get better, but you also can't burn out your players and make practices so intense that they don't have the proper physical and mental rest that they should have, so how do you do that? That's what Tony and I discuss this week, along with our TWIB topics, Who's up and down and much more!!

Todd Hale, the veteran boys head coach at Atkinson West Holt (NE), comes on the podcast to discuss a variety of topics. Coach Hale discusses his influences, constantly adjusting your program, bringing in outside instructors to his program, some of his favorite drills, practice set up and much more! Coach Hale has built a solid program at West Holt and it shows in this interview!

Hey, just joking on that earlier post this morning! You got a preview of this week's interview podcast, but here's Tony and I from last night discussing thoughts and strategies on how to kickstart your team in January!

We are officially in the middle of January, and by now we have some teams that are really hitting their stride, while other programs are struggling. There are a variety of reasons why teams may be struggling, but the question we ask ourselves when we are in that situation is "How do we get ourselves out of this?" This week, Tony and I go through numerous scenarios and give out our advice to help coaches and programs who may be at a place that they didn't anticipate being at right now. Along with that, we have our trivia, our TWIB segment and our "Up and. Down" segment; hope everyone enjoys our newest installment of "The Coaching Staff"!

How many times, as high school coaches, have we complained that our players and our parents really don't understand what Varsity athletics is truly all about? Well, here at "A Pen And A Napkin", we're going to do our best to help educate and change that! May 3rd and 4th, 2025 at Omaha Marian High School will be our 1st Annual "Varsity Preparation Academy" basketball event! This will help both players and parents of girls going into grades 6th-9th for the 2025-26 school year prepare themselves for the opportunity to play Varsity basketball! Taking the best from USA Basketball, Snow Valley Basketball School, Point Guard College and my own camp experiences, this hybrid approach to player and parent development both on and off the floor can help either your players or your parents prepare for the Varsity basketball experience. Get signed up today!!

Chip Daehling is the boys basketball coach at Douglas County West (NE) High School, and he has built a high competitive program the last few years, culminating in his first trip to the state tournament last season. In this week's pod, we discuss that state tournament birth, building his program, replacing a strong senior class, building an identity in his program, moving up a class and much more! A really fun podcast with one of Nebraska's up and coming coaches!!

At the heart of any defense is your defensive transition philosophy. This week, Tony and break down the importance of defensive transition, drills that you can use to help implement your philosophy and help with repping your transition, and then we wrap up our discussion with various different methods that you can transition. We have our trivia, our TWIB segment and Who's Up? and Who's Down? to cap everything off, including a discussion on Mick Cronin's "soft" comments . . . enjoy this week's podcast a day late (sorry, I was sick yesterday!)

Brandon Shaver, the head boys basketball coach at Lake Travis (TX) High School comes on the pod this week to chat about a variety of topics. Coach Shaver discusses his interview process, building a culture through his "Man Up Monday" program, getting the community involved, the importance of working camps outside of your own, networking and much, much more! Alot of good stuff to help you build. your program with. Enjoy our. conversation!!

Once you have been established and the wave of immediate responsibilities have been taken care of when you take over a job, one of the first things you may consider doing is building up your alumni network within your program. Having alumni support is always a bonus to have with your program, so Tony and I go through a variety of different ways to build your network and support from players that came before your current team. We also have trivia, another twist in the Jimmy Butler saga, the power of the SEC and much more!

Matt Sayman is our first guest of 2025, and I'm excited to have him on! Coach Sayman is the boys head basketball coach at Grapevine Faith (TX) High School, and he has built a terrific program that starts with building shooters first. We discuss that, along with his writing of the book "The Leftovers" about his experiences with the Baylor program during the last days of Dave Bliss and the first days of Scott Drew, his own "JAMODI" podcast, building their culture at Grapevine, turning his life around at age 30 and much more. Alot of fun talking hoops with Coach Sayman!

Merry Christmas, or as we say in our house "Happy Festivus"! This week, Tony and I discuss our Christmas wish lists for the game of basketball, especially at the high school level. We talk about rules, contracts, parent relationships and a whole slew of stuff that we'd love to see changed about the game. Along with that, we have trivia, TWIB and "Who's Up?" and "Who's Down?" . . . Tony and I sincerely hope that everyone has a great holiday season!! We'll be back in two weeks, as we're taking next weekend off to spend some time with family. Safe travels and have a great holiday everyone!

Dave Slifer is in his 35th year of being a head coach at the collegiate level at the NAIA and NCAA DII ranks, and he has a great story to tell! This week, Coach Slifer and I discuss his career (with a few minutes down memory lane) while also discussing his coaching family (literally), signing a multi-year deal, winning a national championship, offensive and defensive philosophy and much more. A really fun conversation with one of DII's best coaches!

There's nothing better than having a packed, loud gymnasium with great student bodies going after it in the dead of winter. We'd all love to have a great student body presence, but how do we build that up within our programs? That's the topic that Tony and I dive into this week, and we give our thoughts, tips and advice on how to build a great student body presence at your games. We also have trivia, TWIB and our "Who's Up/ Who's Down?" segment as I jump on my soapbox to talk about the NCAA tournament's possible expansion . . . Enjoy!

It was a privilege and an honor to have on "Basketball Lifer" Clay Moser for this week's interview! Coach Moser has coached all over the country and the world, from the Los Angeles Lakers to China, and he discusses his experiences coaching with everyone from Jim Valvano to Phil Jackson. Coach also discusses networking, his consulting programs, analytics and how to come up with simple formulas to rate player efficiency, how to evaluate players, what makes great coaches and much, much more. A great conversation with one of America's smartest basketball minds!

Building your team's defense step by step, brick by brick is integral to your team's success. This week, Tony and I discuss the basic things that you should be looking at to build your team's defensive system, from offensive board coverage to rebounding on your defensive end and everything in between. Closeouts, communication and defensive transition need to be at the core of everything that you do defensively! We also have some trivia, our TWIB segment, and who's up and down; enjoy this week's show!

Samuel Schlautman is the head girls basketball coach at David City (NE) and has built the program into a place where they are ready to make a run at the state tournament here in Nebraska this season! Coach Schlautman comes on the podcast to talk about his influences, growing numbers in your program, trying to create more offense, the pressures of returning everyone from a good team, BLOB's, transition defense and building a solid cultural foundation for his program. Enjoy this week's podcast!!

Much of our success as coaches is due to how we manage late game situations. In this pod, Tony and I break down late game situations that you should be prepared for as soon as possible, including late game shot selection, fouling up 3, fouling, delay game, pressbreaks, timeouts and "special teams". We also have our weekly trivia, a discussion on Danny Hurley and Maui, remembering Lou Carnesseca, the surprising Houston Rockets and a quick "Who's Up" and "Who's Down" . . . enjoy!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope that everyone enjoys this "appetizer" of a podcast with Karen Self, the highly successful GBB HC at Seton Catholic Prep (AZ). Coach Self has spent all 33 years of her coaching career at Seton Catholic, winning 12 state championships and is closing in on the all time record for wins for any basketball coach in the state of Arizona at 832! In this pod, Coach Self and I discuss her almost walking away from coaching after one season, the lessons she's learned in her coaching career, the chase to 832, her half court defensive philosophy, statistical analysis, being a strong female role model and more! Terrific conversation with one of the best coaches in the country!

There's a big difference between being the hunter and the hunted, and if you are fortunate enough to be the hunted, you are going to face the prospect of people aiming to come after you and upset you. This week, Tony and I break down the steps that you can take to prevent being upset, even though it is almost inevitable that you are going to be upset by someone in your season. We go through things you can do with preparation and practices, along with the mindset that you need to drill into your team to avoid being upset.Along with that, we have trivia, the flailing 76ers, "Feast Week" dream destinations, Azzi Fudd back for UConn, Ups and Downs, multiple Marv Alberts and multiple Phil Dunphy references . . . yep, it's "The Coaching Staff"! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Very excited to have Lincoln Christian (NE) GBB HC Scott Klein on the podcast this week! Coach Klein won a state championship last season with his squad, and he has everyone back from that team for this season except for one starter. Coach Klein discusses his basketball journey, their run to the state championship, taking over a program with high expectations, transition offense, pressure defense and much more. Really fun conversation with a great basketball coach!

As you approach your early season individual and team development, there are numerous questions that you need to answer to put your team in the best situation possible. What are those questions you should be asking of your program and of yourself? Tony and I break that down throughout this episode, things that you need to try to answer to the best of your ability to help set your team up for as successful of season as possible!Along with that, we have trivia, we have our TWIB segment where we discuss South Carolina WBB and their dominance, NBA injuries, Wemby busting out, LeBron's defiance of Father Time, and our early scout on Cooper Flagg, plus Who's Up? and Who's Down?Enjoy!

Mark Potter is the former head men's basketball coach at Newman University (KS), and his story is both special and difficult to tell. Coach Potter is a major advocate for mental health, and he knows first hand the toll that anxiety and depression can take on anyone after he went through his own mental health crisis almost 15 years ago. Coach Potter goes into detail about his story, his struggles and his new mission in life to hep others know that it's okay not to be okay . . . it's a great story to hear right before the start of the season, knowing that you need to take care of yourself before you can take care of your team.Along with his mental health story, Coach talks about revitalizing the program at Newman, along with making the transition from NAIA to NCAA DII, passing, fundamentals and a whole bunch of other topics. Enjoy this really important podcast!https://www.d2up.org/

Tony and I are back together this week (thanks Casey!!) and we're excited to talk about preseason player meetings and their importance! We discuss some things that you should be doing to help create a positive atmosphere while also being honest and transparent with important issues with your players. Along with that, we also break down some best practices, like taking notes during your meetings, amongst other things. We also have trivia, give out some Arby's and we discuss some of the big headlines of the beginnings of the professional and college basketball season. Enjoy!

I cannot thank everyone enough for their support over the last 5+ years of APAAN, and we've hit another major benchmark with episode #250!!! I'm really pleased to have on Creighton University WBB HC and longtime friend Jim Flanery on the pod this week. Flan has one of the most experienced and cohesive rosters in the nation this year, and we discuss a variety of topics, including his development as a coach, the evolution of the program, how he develops his motion offense, scheduling a tough slate every year and much more! We had a great time chatting, and I hope you've enjoyed all the pods, but this one was pretty special; enjoy!!!

Tony was really busy this week, so I called in Mr. Casey Hall to come in and pinch=hit this week! Coach Hall was the lead assistant for the Class A state champion Millard West Wildcats last season, and they have their three leading scorers back from last year's squad, so I thought it would be good to discuss 'staying hungry' and keeping that same motivation going after a degree of success. We go through a bunch of different things, and we also have our usual segments on trivia, multiple Arby's winners and a great chat on the direction of the WNBA. Enjoy the pod!

Really excited to have on Ryan Coenen, the GBB HC at Woodbine (IA) for episode #249! Coach Coenen has "built" a dormant program at Woodbine into a consistent winner, including a 2023 state tournament run, the first for the town since 1974. In this pod, Coach Coenen discusses his "competitive cauldron", his RRP philosophy, developing high standards, zigging and zagging, his emphasis on defensive transition, building a great practice and much more! Really enjoyable podcast with Coach!

Ever wondered what your spouse was really thinking or what it was like to be in their shoes? Parents, have you ever really thought about the effect that you have on a coaches family? Coaches, do you know what your spouse needs from you? We try to answer these and more questions as we met up at Wine 121 with Scott Wragge, husband of Jennifer Wragge of Elkhorn (NE) GBB HC, Jodi Scheef, wife of Kevin Scheef of Wahoo (NE) BBB HC and my wife, Carla Plum, as we go through a bunch of different topics related to coaches and their families. I hope you enjoy this unique look into the lifestyle of being involved in coaching!

Last week, Tony and I made a plethora of suggestions as to how you could/should start your practices, so this week it only makes sense to discuss what you could be doing to end your practices. We throw out a bunch of ideas, including shooting drills, scrimmage ideas, cultural exercises and much, much more! We also have trivia and an extended TWIB segment, where we discuss the shocking resignation of Tony Bennett, along with the WNBA finals, college basketball preseason rankings and much more! Enjoy!

Paul Dwyer has built a terrific small school girls basketball program at Elmwood-Murdoch (NE) high school, and he's our guest for episode #247! Coach Dwyer discusses his basketball journey, including building his program and garnering community support, unifying his program through slogans, cooperating and work with AAU programs, defensive philosophy and much more! Enjoy this week's pod!!