The Rising Coaches Podcast

DJ Irving is the current Assistant Coach at the University of Miami, Coach DJ Irving. Coach Irving is a young coach in the industry but has grown at a rapid pace following his playing career at Boston University and a Professional Stint in Spain. Following his playing career he has had opportunities to work at Penn State, Boston University, Roman Catholic Prep and the University of Miami. In this episode, coach Irving dives into a deeper look at how his first position came about, Miami’s system and what makes their successes so unique and how a coach can develop their own coaching voice as a young assistant.

James Fraschilla is the Assistant Coach at Capital City Go-Go, Coach James Fraschilla. Coach Fraschilla’s coaching career started with the Maine Red Claws as a Head Video Coordinator and Player Development coach and would later take him to places including Indiana University, USA Basketball National Team, Salt Lake City Stars, Orlando Magic, Grand Rapids Gold, Washington Wizards as well as getting the opportunity to coach the 3x3 mens Olympic games. In this episode, we dive into what Coach Fraschilla has learned as a G league assistant, some key things he looks for during film breakdown and an in depth look at the USA 3v3 Olympics play styles.

Tyler Thorton is the Assistant Coach and Player Development Coach at Howard University, Coach Tyler Thornton. Coach Thornton is a young coach in the industry, following his stellar playing career at Duke University, he would play a few years in the CBA as well as time in Nova Scotia and Finland professionally. His coaching career would start at Marquette where he would be a graduate assistant and would lead him into where he is now at Howard University. In this episode we learn about some of the unique things he has taken away while playing for Coach K at Duke, some common duties as a Player Development coach at Howard as well as some best practices to help develop the modern day bigs.

Brian Baudinet Is the assistant coach at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Coach Brian Baudinet. Following Coach Baudinet’s playing career at Rochester, he shortly became a coach starting in a role at Trinity College and moving to American International College, the Tulsa 66ers, Duquesne University, and now UMBC. Before UMBC he held a head coaching title at Canterbury School where he held an overall record of 87-19 and won back to back NEPSAC Coach of the year awards. On this episode, Coach Baudinet talks with us about some of the ways he has grown from the High School ranks to be a D1 assistant coach, how he and his staff would plan in game strategies and match ups as well as some daily practice plans they would follow during his stint in the G League.

Dr. Richard Sander is the Athletic Director at Eastern Tennessee State University and the man behind the TopConnect Symposium, Dr Richard Sander. Dr Sander is a very active individual in the community while formally being the Athletic Director at VCU and having brought numerous NCAA Championships to the Richmond area. In this episode we talk about what Dr. Sander looks for in a coach when looking to hire for that next head coaching position, what all the Top Connect Symposium includes for assistant coaches as well as how someone such as yourself can get invited to meet and learn from more athletic directors and coaches in the industry at this event.

KT Harrell is the Director of Basketball Operations at the University of Michigan, Coach KT Harrell. Coach Harrell starts his coaching career following a stellar playing career at Auburn and a stint internationally. Following his playing career, he started his coaching career as a Graduate Assistant at Auburn which would lead him to be the Director of Basketball Operations at Florida Atlantic and then the University of Michigan. Coach Harrell is a young coach in the industry continuously on the rise but has learned from some of the best basketball minds in the industry so far. He shares what he has learned from coaches such as Bruce Pearl, Dusty May and Tony Bennett, what all his current role as a DOBO includes as well as some challenges he has faced along his journey so far.

Kyle Getter is the Associate Head Coach at the University of Notre Dame, Coach Kyle Getter. Coach Getter started his coaching career following his playing career at Centre College and got his first coaching position at Hanover College. Following Hanover he has grown to places such as Marshall, Wright State, Dayton, Walsh University, VCU, Radford, Liberty, Virginia and now Notre Dame. While in his time at Virginia he even helped the Cavaliers win the National Championship in 2019. On this episode we talk about how a coach can practice their coaching philosophy, some major takeaways he has learned from legendary coaches he has worked for along the ride as well as an in depth look on how their staff have prepared for special situations throughout the season.

Brad Kanis the Founder and CEO of EuroProBasket, Brad Kanis. Brad joins us with a ton of basketball and international experience following his playing career at Grand Canyon University and even having a stint with Houston Rockets NBA Summer League and later would bring him all around the world including, South America, Syria, Taiwan, Dubai, Japan, Uruguay, China, Africa and Europe. He now helps place athletes with international teams based on their skills and abilities. In this episode we talk about the different play styles that he has encountered while traveling to different countries, common themes agencies and coaches are looking for in a player and he even shares some details about events they run that could benefit coaches in the industry.

Katy Young Staudt is the Vice President of TurnkeyZRG. Katy joins us with heavy experience in recruiting and placement of coaches in various collegiate positions as she has worked as a director of recruiting and holding nearly 20 years of experience working in search firms. She has helped support 150+ searches for division 1 Head Coaches at places such as Yale, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Cal and Texas A&M, just to name a few. In this episode we talk about what led her into the placement side of coaching, what a coach should be expecting if working with a placement agency and what most agencies or athletic directors are looking for when hiring for their next position.

Drew Hanlen is a NBA Skills Coach and Consultant, CEO of Pure Sweat Basketball and a published Author. Coach Hanlen built his business from the ground up and now is one of the most well known NBA trainers in the game. Working with players such as Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Bradley Beal and Zach Lavine, just to name a few. In this episode we talk about the journey Hanlen has had growing his business portfolio over the years from the ground up, what a typical layout of his workouts would consist of as well as some major takeaways he looks for in players when preparing for an upcoming workout through film breakdown. Please welcome to the podcast, Coach Drew Hanlen.

Matt Brase is the Assistant Coach for the Philadelphia 76ers. Coach Brase’s playing career allowed him to play at Arizona as well as helped propel his career on the other side of the ball. Following Arizona he took positions at Grand Canyon, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston Rockets and 76ers, all as an assistant. Coach Brase also held head coaching stints with Rio Grande Valley and a stint in the professional leagues in Italy. In this episode we talk about some great things he has learned from a Legendary Coach in Lute Olson, some differences coaching in the college ranks compared to the NBA and some common themes he has learned amongst successful teams he has worked with.

Ganon Baker is an experienced Skills Development trainer, KeyNote Speaker, Life Development coach, Consultant and Author. Coach Baker has been in the industry helping athletes from all levels including the youth all the way to the NBA. Baker currently works alongside numerous clients in the NBA, NCAA and WNBA as well as numerous other countries as well. Baker has worked with many players, a few including Lebron James, Kobe Bryant and Maya Moore just to name a few. In this episode we learn about what goes into Coach Baker’s workout plans, how he prepares for them in advance to make sure his clients get the best out of their workouts and also some different ways you can best use your communication skills to be the best leader possible.

RJ Allen is the Head Coach at Newman University. Coach Allen has grown himself in the industry, following his playing career at Hutchinson Community College, he started in a Graduate Assistant position at Concordia University. He grew in his role and ended up taking an assistant coach at Woodbury High School before being appointed the Associate Head Coach at Newman University and ultimately being appointed Head Coach, where he has been for 8 seasons. In this episode we talk about some bumps in the road as a first year head coach, how his coaching philosophy has evolved and on their growth so far this season.

Ryan Pannone is the Assistant Coach at the University of Alabama, Coach Ryan Pannone. Coach Pannone has worked his way up the coaching ranks holding positions in 5 countries including China, Slovakia, Israeli, Germany and South Korea as well as positions including Wallace State Community College, Erie Bayhawks, New Orleans Pelicans and currently the University of Alabama. Pannone has a strong coaching background and a wealth of knowledge for the game overall as you will come to learn. Pannone speaks on common threads amongst the different countries he has coached in, some of his favorite offensive actions as well as how to build a strong team culture in a program.

Rob Lanier is the first year Head Coach of Rice University, Coach Rob Lanier. Coach Lanier joins us with a current 141-135 Head Coaching record holding head stints at Siena, Georgia State, SMU and now Rice University. Coach Lanier started his coaching journey at Niagara University as an assistant and held various other assistant positions at St. Bonaventure, Rutgers, Texas, Virginia, Florida and Tennessee.On this episode, we talk about some takeaways Coach Lanier has learned working under legendary coaches Rick Barnes and Billy Donovan, how to grow and maintain a culture as a first year head coach and an overview of the style of play Rice has been looking to incorporate this year.

Carlin Hartman is the Associate Head Coach at the University of Florida. Following Hartman’s playing career at Tulane, he played a few years in a Semi Professional league and then right into his first coaching position at Rice. Following Rice, Hartman held various positions at McNeese State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Richmond, Centenary, James Madison, Columbia, Oklahoma, UNLV and currently The University of Florida. In this episode Coach Hartman talks about some of the biggest challenges he has faced in his growth as a coach, how the game of basketball has evolved over his years as a coach as well as how analytics plays a major role in basketball to this day.

Dedrique Taylor is the Head Coach at California State Fullerton University. Coach Taylor is in his 12th season as a head coach, all while at Cal State Fullerton. Coach Taylor started his coaching career following his playing career at UC Davis and pivoted into various roles at Loyola Marymount, Portland State, Nevada and Arizona State. Looking back on Coach Taylor’s coaching career, we take him back to his first year as a head coach and learn what he would have done differently as a head coach, we dig deeper into some of the biggest challenges he has faced as a head coach as well as how him and his previous teams as an assistant overcame the ups and downs of a season to learn and grow from things the next season.

Jason hart is the Assistant Coach at the University of Kentucky, Coach Jason Hart. Coach Hart joins us starting in the AAU circuit as well as High School ranks as a Head Coach at Taft High School following his 9 year NBA Career. Following Coach Hart’s year stint with Taft he has made coaching stops at Pepperdine University, USC, NBA G League Ignite and currently The University of Kentucky. Coach Hart talks to us on this episode about his experiences growing in the ranks from coaching in High School to one of the highest College basketball programs, some things Kentucky and Coach Pope have looked to instill into Kentucky their first year as a staff as well as some differences he has learned coaching in NBA in comparison to College.

Today, on the Rising Coaches Podcast, we got the pleasure of speaking with a legendary High School coach, USA National coach and USAB National Director for Coach Development, Coach Don Showalter. Coach Showalter has coached for 45+ years, achieving the status of a 10x gold medal winner with USA Basketball and 10x USA basketball development Coach of the Year awards. He has also received Iowa Coach of the year accolades 10 different times, and was inducted into the Iowa High School hall of fame in 2016. While with USA basketball, Coach Showalter's U16 and U17 teams have an international record of 62-0. Showalter's success is amazing in the industry and he currently helps to give back by helping other coaches learn and grow themselves. We are excited to learn more from a true great in the industry.

Jim Shaw is the Associate Head Coach at Stanford University. Coach Shaw joins us with a strong career of winning, while being a part of 19 NCAA tournament teams in his time making stops at Western Oregon State as a player, and holding various assistant positions at Idaho State, Oregon State, University of Portland, Oklahoma, University of Washington, Saint Mary’s, Washington State and Stanford, while also holding a Head Coaching stint at Western Oregon University and posting a 102-30 overall Record as a Head Coach. In this episode, Coach Shaw talks about some things he looks for when searching for that next assistant coaching position, some common threads amongst all of his successful teams and a breakdown of a typical college practice lay out.

Jamie Wood is the Founder and CEO of HYPHENATED ATHLETICS, Jamie Wood. Jamie Wood joins us as previously holding an assistant athletic director position at Ohio State University as well as formerly being the Assistant Athletic Director of NIL at Texas A&M. Now he currently runs his own company called HYPHENATED ATHLETICS which helps student athletes with their NIL. In this episode we talk heavily on the new elephant in athletics, NIL or Name, Image and Likeness. Jamie talks about what a typical person in a NIL coaching position would handle on a day to day basis, what all NIL consists of for college athletics as well as how coaches best work with their athletes to ensure NIL does not become a distraction in their day to day lives.

Brett Reed is the Head Coach of Lehigh University, Coach Brett Reed. Coach Reed joins us as a coach who has grown in the profession himself. Starting as an assistant coach with Oakland Community College following his playing career at Eckerd, leading him into positions at UNC Greensboro, High Point and Lehigh all as an Assistant. After 4 years of learning and growing at Lehigh he is appointed the Associate Head Coach and then the Head Coach after one more year and holding a 53% winning record and the all time winningest coach in Lehigh history. In this episode we talk on what he looks for when hiring a coach, how to maintain a head coaching role as well as what to look for in Lehigh's offensive and defensive patterns.

Nick Sales is the Head Coach at Rose Hulman Institute of Technology. Following Coach Sales’s Playing Career at Defiance College, he soon became the Graduate Assistant there which then led him into assistant positions at Albion College and Marietta College. Following Marietta, Sales got his first head coaching position at Rose Hulman as he is now going into his third season. Coach Sales talks to us about some of the benefits of starting as a Division 3 Coach, some first year Head Coaching bumps in the road he has encountered as well as some Game Strategy and Preparation tips for other coaches.

Jake Lorbach is the Assistant Men’s basketball Coach and Director of Scouting for Eastern Kentucky University. Coach Lorbach is a young coach on the rise but has a plethora of knowledge in the game, having a playing career under coach Thad Matta at Ohio State University and working his way up the profession starting at St Edward’s High School, University of Colorado Springs, Kirkwood Community College and now where he stands, Eastern Kentucky University all in the assistant roles. Coach Lorbach also held the General Manager and Coach title for the Great Lakes Elite team in the TBT Tournament. In this episode Coach Lorbach talks about some of the main duties he has as a Director of Scouting as well as some of the things they look for in players, while also speaking on some of the best ways to know if a recruit is worth pursuing.

Bill Hubly is the Assistant Athletic Director of Scouting with the University of Pittsburgh Men’s team, Coach Billy Hubly. Coach Hubly joins us with a strong coaching background including various roles at Georgia Institute of Technology, East Carolina University, University of South Florida and currently the University of Pittsburgh. Coach Hubly, has made a great rise in the industry getting to learn from some phenomenal coaches, including Coach Brian Gregory and Jeff Capel to name a few. In this episode we talk about some things he looks for when scouting an opposing team, how NIL and the transfer portal have made an impact on basketball as well as some of the major takeaways he has learned from all of his stops with stellar programs.

Sean Damaska is the Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at the University of Dayton. Coach Damaska had started right into his coaching career following his playing career wrapping up at Northern Illinois University. His first coaching role would be with the Dallas Mavericks as a Player Development Intern and soon leading him to Dayton where he worked his way up from a Graduate Assistant into now as an assistant coach. On this episode Coach Damaska talks about identifying and developing young talent at Dayton, some typical duties of a recruiting coordinator and what he has built on his own coaching philosophy so far.

We take a unique turn and get to learn from not only a coach with 10 years of coaching experience but also someone with nearly 20 years of experience in team building and growing leaders, Coach Sean Glaze. Coach Glaze has coached two different high school programs including Cobb County Schools and Cherokee County, where he brought both programs from single digits wins to individual school record breaking programs. On top of this Coach Glaze has spoken in front of large corporations as well helping to motivate and build their teams programs as well as their cultures. This episode we talk about how a coach can help build their program's culture over time, how to build leaders out of your players and some of the best practices to motivate your team.

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we are continuing the second half of our previous conversation with a legend in the industry as a former NBA Head and Assistant Coach and most recent assistant coach for the University of Arkansas. Please welcome the second half of our conversation with coach Keith Smart.

Keith Smart is a former NBA Head and assistant coach and most recently former Assistant Coach with the University of Arkansas. Coach Smart is a legendary coach and player as he hit arguably one of the biggest shots in NCAA history, has a 20 year professional career and 27 year coaching career. Coach Smart has been the Head Coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings as well as holding assist positions with those same programs, also including the Fort Wayne Fury, Miami Heat, Memphis Grizzlies, New York Knicks and Arkansas. This episode we talk about some of the takeaways he has learned playing under Legendary Coach Bobby Knight, some major things NBA coaches look for when recruiting and some of the biggest challenges he has faced as a coach at various levels and do not forget to check out Part 2 on Monday!

Kelby Jones is the assistant Women’s coach at Oklahoma State University. Coach Jones has worked his way through the industry starting as a student manager at North Texas and growing into various roles at schools including the University of Texas, Mississippi State and now Oklahoma State University. Coach Jones talks about some takeaways he has learned while growing in the industry, utilizing analytics as a team and some of the most important elements to growing a strong basketball team.

Desond Oliver is the Assistant Men’s Coach at The University of South Florida. Coach Oliver has nearly 30 years of coaching experience including a head coaching stint at East Tennessee State and held assistant roles with Niagara, Texas A&M, Cornell, St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island, Georgia, Canisius, Charlotte, Tennessee and currently South Florida. In this episode Coach Oliver enlightens us on some takeaways he learned as a head coach, how his coaching philosophy has grown over the years and some common threads amongst the successful teams he has been a part of.

Jeff Battle is the Associate Head Coach at Georgetown University. Coach Battle has truly grown in the industry starting as a Graduate Assistant at Delaware and making stops in various roles at Caesar Rodney High School, Delaware State University, Loyola, Xavier University, Wake Forest, Providence and currently Georgetown University. Coach Battle has coached a wide range of tenured players, some including Chris Paul, Jeff Teague and Ish Smith. Coach Battle talks with us on rising in the industry starting as a High School coach, how his approach to coaching developed over the years and the ups and downs of the transfer portal.

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we are joined with the Director of Recruiting Operations and Assistant Women’s Coach at the University of Kentucky, Coach Ciara Gregory. Coach Gregory has a short list of schools with a rather quick incline, starting as a Graduate Manager at Charlotte and working her way up to being an Assistant Coach. Following her 5 years in Charlotte as a coach she found herself recently joining the Wildcats staff. Coach Gregory talks to us on some of her day to day duties as the Director of Recruiting Operations as well as some things that make Kentucky basketball so unique. Coach Gregory also has a strong background in working with guard play at Charlotte and she dives into some unique things she liked to work on. Please welcome to the podcast, Coach Ciara Gregory.

Brian Pauga is the Director of College Scouting and Basketball Intelligence for the Utah Jazz, Brian Pauga. Brian started as a student manager at Michigan State University and took an immediate jump into the NBA holding various roles with the San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz. Brian Pauga has 15+ years of scouting at the NBA level and shares with us some insight on some of the best ways to assess a players ability to fit in a system, best practices to grow in the NBA as well as his belief on what best separates a good scout from a great one.

Jeff Capel is the Head Coach of the University of Pittsburgh. Coach Capel joins us today with a wide range of coaching and basketball knowledge starting from his career as a player at Duke University and leading into his various assistant positions at Old Dominion, VCU and Duke. Coach Capel also held Head Coaching Stints with an overall record of 259-202 as a head coach at VCU as well as Oklahoma and currently the University of Pittsburgh. On this episode Coach Capel talks about some of his big takeaways he learned while playing and coaching under Coach Krzyzewski at Duke, some major takeaways he learned as a first year head coach at the age of 27 as well as promoting accountability amongst your players.

Dave Love is a long time NBA shooting coach. Coach Love joins us with 8 years of experience working in the NBA as a shooting coach, but nearly 20+ years of being a shooting coach and consultant for people of all ages. Coach Love has experience working with the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, G-League Ignite and most recently the Dallas Mavericks. On this podcast we talk on Coach Love's journey in the industry as a shooting coach, proper shooting mechanics that anyone should look out for, as well as some best practices to improve jump shots of any age and some brand new research founded on periodization of skill training.

Corry Irvin is the current Head Women’s Coach at Chicago State University. Coach Irvin has 25+ years of coaching experience ranging from the High school ranks all the way to Division 1 basketball. She has held numerous positions at schools including Saint Xavier University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Mississippi State University and presently Chicago State University. In this episode we cover building a culture, a program as a head coach and takeaway some great advice for helping coaches grow in the industry, just as she has.

Gabe Lazo is the Assistant Women’s Coach at the University of Tennessee. Coach Lazo has made various stops after his playing career ended at Barry University in a variety of roles including Florida International University, Stony Brook, George Washington, Mississippi State and currently Tennessee. Coach Lazo has an extensive background at a variety of levels while working his way up in the industry. This episode we talk about building your coaching philosophy, a division 1 coaches tips on recruiting and best practices to move up in the industry.

Dave Saur is the current Head Women’s Coach at Chatham University. Coach Saur has a strong coaching background starting in the Division 3 ranks and working his way up the chain, holding roles at schools including Thiel College, California University of Pennsylvania, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Stetson University, UMass Lowell, University Louisiana at Monroe and Chatham University, where he recently led his team to a PAC championship and Head Coach of the year award. In this episode we learn about some advice on moving up in the industry, utilizing your network to its fullest and creating a culture as a head coach.

Chad Boudreau is the current Head Coach at Western Illinois University. As a head coach, Boudreau holds an overall record of 97-33 holding 3 consecutive conference regular season titles in four years as well as recently earning a spot as a finalist for the Joe B. Hall award as being one of the top first year head coaches in Division 1. Prior to his head coaching career Boudreau started out at Hannibal-LaGrange as a women’s Graduate Assistant Coach. He would soon work his way to Indian Hills, Milwaukee, Wisconsin-Whitewater and Western Illinois as an assistant. Soon to be the head coach of Highland Community College and where he stands now, Western Illinois University.

Jon Vanderwal is the current head coach at Marietta College. Coach Vanderwal has grown a strong history at Marietta college raising the program from the bottom of the conference to now being a Nationally ranked D3 powerhouse under his tenure. Vanderwal has a head coaching record of 313-126 with a 72% winning percentage over his 17 year reign at Marietta as well as being presented the Glenn Robinson Award as the top division III coach in the nation.Vanderwal has also been awarded 4 coach of the year awards in the OAC as well as 4 Region Coach of the year awards while averaging 23.3 wins and 5.5 losses from the 2011-2022 seasons.We are honored to chat with such a strong division 3 coach.

Ronnie Burrell is the current assistant coach with the Portland Trailblazers. Following an extensive 15 year professional playing career including France and Germany, Coach Burrell would step into a Graduate Assistant Role with Florida Atlantic University as his first role as a coach. Following FAU he would take on various positions at IMG Academy, Brooklyn Nets, Long Island Nets, Chicago Bulls, College Park Skyhawks, and currently the Portland Trail Blazers. Coach Burrell has a tremendous coaching background while continuously moving up the chain on top of winning the NBA G League coach of the year award in 2023 with the Long Island Nets.

Jesse Reed is the current head coach at Franklin Regional High School. Coach Reed had a stand out career at American University and was one of the top players in the state of Pennsylvania coming out of High School. Following Coach Reed’s collegiate career he played a brief stint in Europe then found himself starting his coaching career for Saint Vincent College and then to Carnegie Mellon University which would lead him to where he stands now. While at Franklin Regional, Reed has grown the program to new heights, while recently going 27-4, setting school records and winning Coach of the Year accolades, only in his 3rd season as a head coach.

God Shammgod Jr. is the current Player Development coach with the Boston Celtics, Coach God Shammgod Jr.. Coach Shammgod started his coaching career after his playing career ended at Fairmont State where he played under head coach Jerrod Calhoun. As a coach he would hold a brief stint at Youngstown State and then back to Fairmont State. Coach Shammgod would soon transition back to Indiana University of Pennsylvania, soon to make it into the G league with the 76ers at the Delaware Blue Coats and where he stands now, a player development coach with the Boston Celtics. We are excited to learn from a young coach with a tremendous basketball background.

We have a unique turn as we are celebrating our 100th episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast! It's hard to believe we've reached this incredible milestone, and we couldn’t have done it without you, our amazing listeners. Over the course of these 100 episodes, we’ve explored, learned, and connected with so many incredible coaches at all levels in the profession. Today’s episode is a special celebration where we talk about some of the best takeaways we have learned from previous guests including the best advice for coaches to move up in the industry, most unique journeys we have covered and much more! Whether you’ve been with us since the beginning or joined us recently, we’re so grateful you’re here to mark this milestone. So let's dive into this celebratory 100th episode!

Joe Gallo is the head coach at Merrimack College. Coach Gallo capped Merrimack’s final years in division II with 3 NCAA tournament appearances and snapped a 19 year championship drought, along with his 143-98 head coaching record at a nearly 60% win-loss ratio. Following Gallo’s playing career at Merrimack, he moved a few inches over to another seat allowing him to start his assistant coaching career. Following 4 years he moved on to Dartmouth and Robert Morris both in the assistant roles until he got the head job back at Merrimack. Coach Gallo has propelled his teams to 3 regular season championships and 2 tournament titles including a variety of Coach of the year awards. We are excited to speak with a young but great coach in the industry.

Chad Murray is the current head coach at Pacific Lutheran University. Coach Murray stepped into coaching after his playing career finished at Chapman University. His first coaching gig came about at North Central College then into Vassar College and Nebraska Wesleyan University in the assistant roles. Coach Murray then stepped into his first head coaching gig at Cornell College which would eventually lead him into his head role at Pacific Lutheran University. Coach Murray would help the Lutes reach their first league championship since 1986 and claiming the NWC Coach of the Year award.

David Grace is the current head coach of Campbell Hall High School. Coach Grace has a tremendous background starting in the High School ranks as an assistant at Trevor Browne HS and taking a head coaching position soon after at South Mountain HS. Following his brief head coaching stint, Coach Grace took a step into the college ranks at Sacramento State, San Francisco, Oregon State, UCLA, California, and Vanderbilt, all in the assistant roles and then back into a head role at Centennial HS and where he now stands, Campbell Hall High School. Coach Grace was ranked by ESPN as the 7th best recruiter helping get numerous players including Lonzo Ball, Scotty Pippen Jr., and many more. We are excited to learn from a tremendous coach and nationally known recruiter.

Jerrod Calhoun is the current Head Coach at Utah State University. Coach Calhoun has done a remarkable job growing programs over the years and leaving a place better than he found it. Following his playing career at Cleveland State he took a student assistant position with Cincinnati which would help him get his first assistant coaching position at Walsh University. Following 3 years at Walsh, Calhoun landed a role with West Virginia University under coach Bob Huggins which would help set himself up into his head coaching positions with Fairmont State, Youngstown State and now Utah State University. Coach Calhoun has grown each program he has taken over as a head coach and currently holds a record of 242-144 with a 63% win percentage and numerous regular season championships along with a Horizon coach of the year award. We are excited to talk with a veteran coach and first year Head Coach of Utah State.

Roy Blumenthal is the current Special Assistant to the Head Coach at Ryder University. Coach Blumenthal has five decades of coaching experience at the High School and Collegiate levels including his 25 year reign at West Chester University with experiences as the Head Coach and Founder of the Global Sports Academy Goodwill Select teams. He has been inducted into the Hall of Fame at West Chester for his commitment to the program over the years and has worked an extensive amount with international student athletes over the years. We are excited to learn from a tenured coach and current special assistant at Ryder University.