Hardwood Hustle

For a head coach, building a staff may be the most important thing you do for your program. In this episode TJ, Sam, and Lisa discuss how coaches can go about selecting their staff and prioritizing the most important things for them and their program. Everyone needs to decide what their non negotiables are whether you’re applying for a job or looking to hire. This discussion will help you think about your approach and consider the best ways to move forward with your staff.

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This week, Josh Merkel, head coach at Randolph-Macon joins TJ and Sam to discuss what its like to takeover a program, implement systems and strategies, and build and sustain a culture of excellence. Josh shares from his 10 years of head coaching experience and is no stranger to success. His program has gone 67-6 over the past three seasons, including 33-2 in ODAC play and he’s been named ODAC coach of the year three seasons in a row.

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TJ & Sam discuss Xs and Os from this year’s NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Four matchups. There’s always a lot to learn from watching the systems and strategies of teams who are winning at the highest level. This episode will help you start thinking about what’s going to help you win next season and apply learnings appropriately to your team.

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In Part 2, TJ and Sam share how parents and players can navigate youth basketball, player development, and finding teachable moments and learning opportunities. It’s a discussion about stepping back and seeing the big picture within the game and ensuring we all contribute to a positive sport experience in whatever role we’re in.

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This week we’re starting a two-part series about how to run better programs and grow the game of basketball. Referees, coaches, players, and parents all factor into our basketball experience. Our next two episodes will help you understand these four roles better especially when it comes to creating the right competitive environment for your program. First up, referees and coaches.

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Players today have more choices than ever and it’s becoming all too common for players to transfer to another team for a variety of reasons. In order to equip ourselves as coaches to better serve our players and programs, TJ and Sam discuss how we can do both. Listen to this episode to hear where you need to keep your focus in order to lead and navigate well in this volatile transfer environment.

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How do we help our players build their confidence? Too often it feels like trial and error as balancing the right amount of encouragement and challenge for each player can be difficult. In this episode, TJ and Sam discuss the best approaches coaches can take to help players earn and develop their confidence.

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This week special guest, Joni Taylor, Head Coach for Georgia Women’s Basketball join us on the podcast. With almost 20 years of coaching experience Joni is racking up the honors as a head coach. Just this season she was named Coach of the Year in the SEC Conference and took Georgia to the SEC Tournament championship game for the first time since 2004. In this episode Joni shares how she leads her program and what she’s learned. It’s full of takeaways for coaches both on and off the court.

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In the spirit of March Madness we dive into how and why championship habits make for special teams and special achievements this time of year. Every coach wants to win and be successful and one thing that can separate us from our competition, are the little things we invest in every day. In this episode, TJ and Sam give some great ideas and examples of how to inspire and implement championship habits with your team.

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This week we take on four quick topics in our “4 Quarters” episode. TJ, Sam, and Lisa discuss how coaches may approach each topic and what could shift late in the season. – Is there ever a good reason to quit? How do the best teams get late season wins? Can transition offense win you a championship? And eating… you’ll have to listen to find out.

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