A Pen And A Napkin

Every coach wants to be prepared and have enough of their scheme in to function early in the season, but we also only have so much practice time available and we have alot of things to focus on. In this episode, Tony and I break down what we have implemented on offense, defense and special teams, and what are the things that we consider as we implement those schemes in our first couple of weeks of practice.

When we put together our thoughts and plans for our seasons, we tend to error on the side of the most optimistic outcomes. Realistically, there are going to be things that go wrong; injuries, bad practices, underperformance, etc . . . This week, Tony and I discuss these very scenarios and more and what you can do to work through the situations when things go wrong . . .

Ras Vanderloo, the highly successful boys head coach at Sioux City East (IA) comes on this week and we have a great conversation! We talk about coming from a coaching family, being involved with USA Basketball, aspects of youth sports and coaching that should be emphasized, delegating responsibilities to your assistants, and much more! A really fun conversation with one of Iowa's best!

In order to build a quality program, we have to have special nights to create traditions and honors for people in the past, present and future. Some of these nights have direct ties to our current programs, while other nights can serve our community at large. In this week's "Coaching Staff", Tony and I go through some special nights that we've put together in the past and things we're thinking about in the future.

The GBB HC at Mustang (OK), Katie Smith has built one of the best programs in the Sooner State. On this week's pod, Coach Smith discusses playing for her father, how to build a great culture, how to run a quality summer league and much more! A great conversation with one of Oklahoma's best!

This week, we are really excited to welcome on Katie Smith, the GBB HC at Mustang (OK) High School. Coach Smith discusses a variety of topics including how to put together a quality summer league, slogans to get her important cultural messages across, playing and coaching with her father and much more. A great conversation with one of Oklahoma's finest!!

As coaches, it is important that we teach the game properly and efficiently. In this episode, Tony and I break down teaching methods, how to get the most out of your team, what your priorities should be, and much more!

Today, we're celebrating the 150th interview podcast of "A Pen And A Napkin" with former University of Kansas and University of North Carolina Head Coach Roy Williams! Coach was very gracious with his time, and we had a wide ranging discussion, from his coaching influences to retirement, running an efficient offense, improving from year one to year two, Michael Jordan and much more! Enjoy episode #150!!

Have a solid plan going into your season is essential for success, but what are some of the things that you should consider when putting that plan together? This week, Tony and I break down how we put together are practice schedules going into the season, including when to implement certain concepts, how to implement certain concepts and other considerations. Enjoy our conversation!

We had a great night last night at Wine 121 in Omaha as myself, Sarah Goodwin from Bennington (NE) High School, Kirk Walker of the College of St. Mary's and Shawn Gilbert, the Head WBB Coach at Midland University sit around and talk some hoops. We chatted about how to handle a cancer on the team, early season adjustments, establishing roles, integrating new players into your program, what a head coach looks for in an assistant and much more!!

Every program should be meeting with both their players and their parents before the season begins. With those meetings should be some sort of packet of information to share with your families about pertinent information about your upcoming season, your philosophy and anything you feel is important to the success of your season. In this episode of "The Coaching Staff", Tony and I go into a bunch of details on what to share and how to share it with both your players and your parents.

Dylan Seikel, the new men's HC at SUNY-Canton, comes on the podcast this week. Voted a "30 under 30" by the NBCA last year, Coach Seikel is stepping into his new job as a late hire, so we chat about what he's trying to implement, hiring a staff on short notice, offensive and defensive philosophy and much more! A great conversation with one of America's best young coaches!

As we inch closer to the opening of our practices, we have a lot of important things that have to be taken care of. In this week's edition of "The Coaching Staff", Tony and I discuss a variety of different aspects of your program that you should have taken care of before the first practice of the year, or at the very least, taken care of early in the season. Over the next few weeks, Tony and I will then break down and get more specific about many of these topics!

We're really excited to have Josh Luedtke, the head boys basketball coach at Creighton Prep (NE) this week! Coach Luedtke talks about his background as a Prep graduate, being a "football guy" coaching basketball, changing to an uptempo philosophy and some of the great traditions at Creighton Prep. Great conversation with one of the Metro's best!

This week, Tony and I break down what are some of the do's and don'ts of observing higher level practices; what you should be looking for, what you shouldn't be doing and how to communicate to people whom you think will help your career. In the second half of the podcast, we take a dive into the current situation with the Warriors and how we might handle it. Enjoy!

We wrap up Season 1 of "The Film Room" with one of the greatest documentaries about the game of basketball ever, the 1994 classic "Hoop Dreams". Dexter Goodner of Ord, Nebraska helps me break down this documentary that was critically acclaimed at its release and still stands the test of time today. Enjoy our conversation!

We've got. a great week of "Quick Hitters" lined up this week, starting off with Josh Pastner, the Men's Basketball Head Coach at Georgia Tech, discussing early season practices and how to construct your practice plans. Bill Flitter, out the the San Francisco area, jumps on to chat about his practice planning system, while Denis Schaefer, the Men's Basketball Head Coach at Grand View (IA) University, discusses the process he went through in changing his philosophy later in his career. Three great conversations with three terrific coaches!

As we get closer to our seasons and our numbers increase in our open gyms as fall sports wrap up, we need to come up with ideas that will change up the usual "play to 11 by 1's and 2's" concept. This week, Tony and I break down over a dozen different scrimmage ideas that we've used to help our teams get better and think about the game without forcing us, as coaches, to make them think.

Perhaps the greatest sports film ever made, Norman Dale's Hickory Huskers make the trip to Butler Field House to play in perhaps the biggest game in Indiana high school history. My friend Tony Chapman and I break down the 1986 classic "Hoosiers" from start to finish, and hopefully we see Coach Chapman running "The Picket Fence" sometime this season in Grand Island!

My old high school friend and Iowa Hall of Fame Coach Dick Jungers of Newell-Fonda (IA) comes back on for his 4th solo podcast. In our annual discussion, Coach Jungers and I discuss preparing for the season, how we design practices, building your program through player development and building a challenging schedule, amongst other things. Great conversation with a great lifelong friend!!

As our season gets closer, we want our programs to start preparing for our seasons, both as individual players and as a whole. In this week's "Coaching Staff", Tony and I break down different things that we've done in the past and what we're doing now to prepare our teams, including how to work with our athletes that are currently playing a fall sport.

One of the greatest, yet one of the most controversial, coaches of all time is 3x national champion Bobby Knight. Coach Knight, as it is well known, had so many good qualities, but he also had a dark side to him, which ultimately led to his dismissal at Indiana. ESPN took a look at Coach Knight's last days in "The Last Days of Knight", and Carl J. Pierson and I break down this important documentary

Excited to get back to dropping podcasts! This week we have Kyle Cooper, the head men's basketball coach at Howard College (TX). In this pod, we discuss "the grind" that it takes to achieve success, working under Billy Gillespie, man to man defense, drill work and much more. Great discussion with our first JUCO coach!

Unfortunately for some of us this upcoming season, we're going to get off to a less than desirable start. One of the toughest circumstances to handle as a coach is when you feel like you're not playing up to your potential, especially early in the season. What are some ways to handle this, depending on your circumstances? Tony Vis and I break down some different ways to handle (and perhaps not handle) things.

Jen Wragge of Elkhorn (NE) GBB jumps on this edition of "The Film Room" to break down an early 2000's classic film, "Love And Basketball", starring Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan. We chat about the importance this movie gave to women's basketball, a few plot holes and alot more!

We're back at Wine 121 in Omaha with another "Roundtable" format with Andy King, boys basketball coach at Elkhorn North, Tom Krehbiel, boys basketball coach at Boys Town, and the legend simply known as "G", Andy Gerlecz, the girls basketball coach at Papillion LaVista-South. We chat about the MBCA, getting ready for the season, youth programs and much more!

Part of our purpose as coaches is to develop the whole person, not just the basketball player, and we also want our players to have a sense that they are one with the community and the community is one with them. This week on "The Coaching Staff", Tony and I discuss different service projects our programs have done and how to implement them, along with their importance to both your players and your community.

The Loyola Marymount Lions, under Coach Paul Westhead and with All-Americans Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers, were must-see TV for basketball fans in the late 1980's. Playing the "Philly Style", Marymount set scoring records that will never be broken. This great run was marred by great tragedy when Gathers tragically died on the floor on March 4th, 1990. Millard West GBB HC Marc Kruger and I breakdown the great "30 for 30" "The Guru of Go" examining the Marymount era, Gathers' death and its fallout, both good and bad.

This week, we are really excited to host Aaron Thomas, the head boys basketball coach at Aplington-Parkersburg (IA)! We have a great discussion on a variety of topics, including the influence of his father, the legendary Ed Thomas, on both his coaching career and the community of A-P. Along with that, we discuss teaching leadership, transition offense and scoring alot of points, developing your youth program, and much more! Great discussion with one of Iowa's best!

A big part of our job as high school coaches is supporting other programs while also thinking of new and different ways to garner support for our programs. In this episode of the "Coaching Staff", Tony and I discuss what you can do to make other programs feel appreciated while also discovering different ways to get your community involved with your program!

Tyler Shaw and I break down the "He Got Game", the 1998 basketball classic directed by Spike Lee and starring Ray Allen and Denzel Washington. We discuss redemption, the pressure on athletes from the "hangers on", where would Jesus Shuttlesworth have been drafted if he had gone pro and perhaps the greatest sports agent ever captured on film, Mr. Dom Pagnotti!

Back from the ashes is the "Quick Hitter" format! This week we talk with three coaches that I worked the Snow Valley Basketball School with earlier this summer; Ryan McAdams, the WBB HC at Arkansas-Fort Smith discusses rebounding, while Dave Schlabaugh discusses building motion offense. Liz Kay brings us home with a discussion on special situations and end of game situations. Great discussion with three terrific coaches!

In Episode #2 of "The Coaching Staff", Coach Vis and I chat about different aspects of a necessary evil to any good high school program, the process of fundraising. Coach Vis and I discuss alot of the do's and don'ts of fundraising, and what are efficient ways that we've come up with to help increase the budget of your program!!

Bob Hurley Sr. of St. Anthony's (NJ) might be the greatest high school coach in the history of the game. With over 900 wins, 23 state championships and 3 "national championships", Hurley's legacy only grows with time. In 2010, the documentary "The Street Stops Here" details the journey of his 2008 team, along with the ups and downs of trying to keep St. Anthony's open. My friend Nate Wall of David City Aquinas (NE) helps me break down this tremendous documentary!

Episode #140 features Jeremy Rickertsen, the Head Boys Basketball Coach at Cedar Rapids Prairie (IA)! Coach Rickertsen talks about his evolution as a coach, including coaching on the same sideline with his best friend, being the high school HC of an NBA lottery pick (Keegan Murray), communicating effectively with parents, practice set up and execution and much more! Great conversation with one of Iowa's best!

Welcome to "The Coaching Staff"! One of my oldest friends in coaching, Tony Vis, was wrangled into this weekly series on coaching advice. This week, we're going to talk about your coaching inventory; what are your programs needs and what are your wants when it comes to putting a quality program together? At the end, we have a little basketball trivia and some other information, so enjoy!!

Ever seen a 5'5" point guard with a 56" vertical leap? Probably not, unless you've witnessed Michael J. Fox in his classic 80's film "Teen Wolf"! One of my oldest friends, Ryan Meyer, comes on the pod to discuss the ins and outs of this movie, including observations that most basketball coaches may not notice. We had a great time recording this, so enjoy the same banter we've had for almost forty years!

GBB HC of Holy Innocents (GA) and my Snow Valley Basketball School camp friend Nichole Dixon jumps on the podcast with me this week! On this week's pod, we chat about coaching multiple sports, embracing AAU as a HS HC, "Wisdom Wednesdays", "Truth Tuesdays" and the "Tradition Board", among many other things. Great conversation with one of the best from the state of Georgia!

Reading is the lifeblood to the brain, and we, as coaches, must have a solid foundation of reading to keep ourselves sharp and also have the ability to share the most pertinent information to our players to make them better. This week, I'm going to discuss some of my favorite coaching books, then, in the second half of the pod, we have a major announcement about "A Pen And A Napkin"

Episode #2 in our "Film Room" limited series features myself and my (awesome, beautiful, wonderful) daughter Genevieve Plum breaking down the ESPN 30 for 30 "The Bad Boys". We go through our father/daughter basketball documentary history, the legacy of this edition of the Detroit Pistons, the very complicated legacy of Isiah Thomas, basketball lessons learned and much, much more; sit back and enjoy!!!

We're starting a new feature this week on APAAN; we're going to review five Hollywood features and five documentaries where some/most/all of the focus of the film is on basketball and how these films can help you become a better coach! This week's feature is the Nick Nolte/Shaquille O'Neal classic from 1994 "Blue Chips"!! I break this movie down with Scott Polacek, head girls basketball coach at Howells-Dodge (NE). Let me know what you think and enjoy!!

One of the major aspects of "special teams" in basketball is baseline and sideline out of bounds execution on both sides of the ball. On this week's "Foundation Friday" we discuss the importance of BLOB and SLOB execution, when to implement, how to implement and different thoughts on one of the most important aspects of "winning on the margins"!

Boys Basketball Head Coach of Waukee Northwest (IA), Brett Watson has done a great job of taking a first year school and got them to the state tournament. In this podcast, we talk about "The Process", stepping into a championship level program, his "Core Values", "Marginal Gains" and many other aspects of the mental game. Alot of great information, especially on some non-traditional coaching concepts!

Usually we have a pretty good idea of how our teams work behind the scenes, but sometimes you need to drill down a little deeper with your teams. Here are three "team tests" that we have used in the past to help you and your coaching staff figure out what your team is REALLY like and what they really think about themselves and their teammates.

Mike Hilmer, Head Boys Basketball Coach at North Linn High School (IA), jumps on the podcast this week to talk about coaching his kids, hosting the team hangout, getting your team ready to play in February and March, run and jump pressure defense, shot selection and more! Great conversation with a coach that has been to five straight state championship games!!

98-99% of our AAU programs do things the right way, both on and off the court. However, the incidents that happen at AAU and youth events continue to escalate in intensity and violence from all areas; players, coaches and even parents in the stands. This week, I'll share some experiences that have happened recently and some proposals to help bring this madness under control.

Doug Billman, Boys Basketball HC at Antwerp (OH) comes on the podcast this week to chat about a variety of topics, including half court offense and defense, coaching at his alma mater, taking a program to unprecedented heights, high standards and much more! Really good conversation with one of Ohio's best!

Many of us, in some way, shape or form, track our players progress in the summer. It is also important to reward our players and recognize the efforts that they put in, so we came up with a system for this summer and beyond that we call our "Wall of Honor", which is tangible, measurable and can be reached by EVERYONE in the program, but only if you are willing to put in the time!

Really excited to have Brendan Dittmer, GBB HC at Elkhorn Valley (NE) High School, on the podcast this week! In this episode, Coach Dittmer and I chat about building a great culture in a small community, as well as rebuilding a program from within. Along with that, we discuss transition offense and defense, statistical analysis and the Junior Falcon program. Great listen for our listeners this week!

Most of our programs are going to be active in the summer, but what is the purpose of our summer activities? Along with that, how do we evaluate and measure our summer activities, both in our individual players and as a team/program.? Here's some thoughts and ideas on how to take a look back on your summer or look ahead to what you have to accomplish this summer.