Explore every episode of the podcast No Off Season Podcast

Today Coach Marshall Cho from Oregon comes onto the podcast to share the game with us. I have been a fan of Marshall's for a long time and I know that he is a wealth of knowledge. A true trailblazer in his field, Marshall has an innate ability to bring communities together.

Drawing upon his skills and relationships, he has successfully developed thriving programs, inspired athletes on a global scale. Marshall's journey as an educator began through the prestigious Teach For America program, where he taught mathematics in the South Bronx and Harlem. 

Additionally, he served as the boys' basketball coach at Future Leaders Institute, leading the team to a remarkable victory in the New York City Charter School Championship. Join us in this captivating podcast episode as we delve into the extraordinary life and accomplishments of Marshall Cho.

Explore his unwavering dedication to basketball, his transformative work as a coach and educator, and his remarkable ability to foster unity and growth within communities through the power of the game.

After having some good time off in NYC it really allowed me to collect my thoughts and allowed me to step back and see the big picture. 

Having trained so many players from youth to professional level, one of the topics that I feel like is not talked about enough in our profession is the topic of mental health. Our field of sport is a masculine one, athletes feel that if they come across as vulnerable, they will be eatten alive. However, as humans we all go through our ups and downs.

I share 3 rituals I believe we can stay mentally healthy.

Slappin Glass has been one of my Go-To websites for the longest time. So to have one founders on was so exciting for me. Pat and Dan are a wealth of knowledge and just flat out lovers of the game!

The topics we covered today included:

1.) How they got started with the platform

2.) Trends of modern day offence and defence

3.) Start, Sub and Sit different topics

4.) Business advice for basketball coaches and trainers.

I loved having these guys on the podcast they were a good mix of knowledge and humour and I look forward to continuing to be a student of there's into the distant future!

Yannie Chan is the first ever locally school girl in the history of Hong Kong to play in the NCAA. Today I have the good fortune to sit down with her and talk to her about her experience as a sophomore in college.

Discussions that I have with Yannie are:

1.) Her outlook on the future of Hong Kong basketball.

2.) Her future plans in terms of basketball and life.

3.) What needs to be done for Hong Kong to reach its full potential in basketball.

Jason Thompson is a special guest. I had the good fortune of playing with him when I was in high school in New Jersey during some ad hoc tournaments. It has been so cool to watch Jason develop from a kid that went to Lenape High School, that was recruited by Rider University (Mid major D1) and make it to the NBA! I spoke with Jason about:

1.) How he beat the odds to go from a Mid Major D1 school to playing 8 years in the NBA

 2.) His work ethic during those years that led up to the NBA

 3.) Aspects of the NBA that we may not see from the outside.

 4.) The JT foundation and what he is doing philanthropically. and a lot more!

Thank you Jason so much for coming on. Was great to reconnect with you and love everything that you are doing from coaching to giving back to the community.

You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with! It is very likely you have heard this saying and there is any even better chance that you simply ignored it.

Building a community of like minded people who have the same goals as you is abolsutley imperative that for you to reach your goals. Your circle needs to be tight and you need to protect who comes in at all cost.As a coach I now fully admit that we can have a huge impact over a player, but not as much as their entire community can have. Coaches need to humble themselves, we are only one piece. There parents, teachers and most of all their friends are going to play just as big, if not an even bigger role than we can have. BUILD A COMMUNITY

Jon Giesbrect is the Owner and Lead Instructor of Play Free, a membership training service that helps players enhance their basketball mindfulness, improving their confidence, resilience and focus. I have been a fan of Jon's for a long time and have followed many of his lectures and talks on social media (Instagram: @Playfreebball).

The topics that Jon and I cover are:

1.) Where he is from and how he got into basketball

2.) How his career his transitioned within the basketball world.

3.) How he combines the technical, tactical and mental component to create a holistic program for this athletes and much much more!

I truly learned a lot from Jon and look forward to having him on the podcast again!

Todd Wright is an assistant coach and Vice President of Player Performance at the Los Angeles Clippers. Todd is also Fellow of Applied Functional Science from the Gray Institute which is where I base the foundation of my training off of.

Todd is someone that I have looked up to for a long time! I love how he is able blend a true functional movement program specifically for the movements of the game along with elements of strength and power development. It would be what I consider the total package for any player. 

Topics that I discussed with Todd are:

1.) His background and how he got into strength and conditioning. Especially the early days when he was first starting out.

2.) His Assessments on how he elevaluates players physically.

3.) Building relationships and accountability with players in order to get the best results.

And a whole lot more. As I mentioned before, Todd is truly someone that I look up to and I'm so glad to have had him on the podcast. 

Andrew Rang is the Head Coach of Trine University's Women's Basketball. In 2022 they made an amazing run in the D3 NCAA tournament and made it all the way to the Final 4.

Topics that Coach Rang and I discussed today are:

1.) Culture building and creating a "Self Developed Culture" for the players to hold each other accountable 

2.) The Red Belt mentality of always getting better

3.) What a year of basketball would look like at Trine and many more topics 

Enjoy guys!

Coleman Ayers is the founder of 'By Any Means Basketball" a globally known training service that shares world class information as well as an online platform for learning. He has also opened a state of the art training facility called "Detail" in Miami Florida.

Coleman's story on how he got into the industry is truly admirable! Betting on himself instead of going the college basketball route, he decided to get a head start in coaching and moved to Miami from DC.  Coleman shares stories of what it was like first starting off in the training industry and the long hours, blood sweat and tears it took for him to get his start.

Among many things, one of the traits I really admire about Coleman is his consistency and his persistence into whatever he does. Enjoy this guys!

Joe Mazzulla is the interim Head Coach of the Boston Celtics. Before his career began in the NBA Joe was a star player at the University of West Virginia under coach Bob Huggins. After his career in college, Joe went into coaching at the college levels for Glenville State and Fairmont state before moving into coaching in the G League. 

One of the characteristics that truly seperates Joe as a coach is his passion for applying researched back teaching methods into his coaching. I learned so much from talking to Joe and the wealth of knowledge and experience from so many levels, we are truly lucky to have him on the show. Let's get into it!

Kayleigh and Kaylynne Truong play for the women's basketball team at Gonzaga University (a very prestigious basketball and academic school located in Washington state).

Collectively they have earned multiple honours from the West Coast Conference for athletics as well as their academics level. But most importantly they are a shining example to the world of what Asian women can do in the game of basketball. The girls team that I coach were extatic when they found out I was going to have the Truong twins on the podcast!

Topics that we go over today include:

1.) Their backgrounds and how they got into basketball.

2.) A day in the life of a Division 1 college athlete

3.) Their experience playing on the Vietnamese national team

4.) Their message to Asian American athletes about success and following their passions.

This was an unbelievably important episode for me because I learned so much about Kayleigh and Kaylynne's background and experience growing up as Asian American basketball players. They are so inspirational to so many around the world who aspire to be just like them!

Logan Schwartz is currently a clinical professor at the University of Texas as well as the owner of Vitality Restoration that has been running for 10 years. Prior to that he as an assistant basketball strength and conditioning coach for the Men's Basketball program at the university of Texas along with Todd Wright.

For me one of the main reasons I wanted to have him on is that is also a GIFT Fellow of the Gray Institute which I draw the foundation of my training from as well.

Topics that Logan and I talk about today are:

1.) Logan's background and how he got into strength and conditioning 

2.) What it was like starting off as an intern to eventually a senior role for for a powerhouse program.

3.) Logan's training methods for basketball players and how it differs to the majority of other basketball programs in the country.

4.) How much does maximal strength actually matter to the game of basketball, or are their other qualities that are equally as important?

5.) Finally advise to new strength coaches looking to one day be in the same position that Logan is today.

I connected very well with Logan on and off air. There were so many similarities between how we train basketball players and what we feel are the most necessary qualities in developing a robust athlete! Enjoy guys I definitely learned a lot.  

Troy Horne is a pop and rock musician who is also an author of a few great books mainly the AAU Bible and Mental Toughness for young athletes.

Troy's journey into the basketball world was almost by chance, when one of his sons was identified by a teacher as A high potential basketball prospect. From there Troy and his son Moses worked tirelessly travelling around the country and entering AAU tournaments. I really enjoyed reading Troy's book, because he takes a parents perspective(which is very different from a normal coaching perspective on the game)

Today I spoke with Troy about:

1.) His background in performance and music and lessons that he can apply to the basketball world.

2.) How the game has changed from when his son first started off to where it is today.

3.) What are some of the do's and don't do's when it comes to trying to help your kids reach their dreams

And many many more topics.

This was a very meaningful episode! I absolutely loved stepping back and learning our game from a different perspective. I also thought it was really cool to have someone outside the industry share their journey and experience. Truly a great episode.

James Maye is an assistant coach for the Long Island Nets, before joining the Nets, we has also had experience working with the Greensboro Swarm. 

Prior to coaching, James has had an extensive career playing professional basketball overseas. He has been to countries such as Mexico, Hong Kong and also played for the national team for the Dominican Republic. 

In this conversation we talk about:

1.) James's background and how he went from player to coach?

2.) Where the G League and the NBA is headed in terms of style of play.

3.) What James is currently learning to take his basketball and life knowledge to the next level.

4.) Advice that James would have for younger coaches getting into the industry.

On a personal note I had the good fortune of training James when he played professional in Hong Kong. I would like to say in all my years of coaching, I have never seen a more professional player in terms of the way he conducted himself on and off the court. He the perfect example of what a true professional player should be and act like!

Enjoy guys! 

Chong Xie is the Founder of Secrets to Athleticism and is a Fascia Coach for athletes from youth all the way up to professional level athletes! He has also develop "The Hyper Arch Training and Therapy System" which has given tremendous results for athletes all over the world! 

Topics that I discuss with Chong Xie today are:

1.) The introduction to Fascia and how it affects our performance as well as everyday life.

2.) How traditional strength and conditioning MAY be hurting your performance in the long run.

3.) The difference between a strong mover and poor mover.

4.) How Fascial training can. Help us hit more 3's!

Chong Xie is someone who is an out of the box thinker which I love. I'm sure that there is a lot of things that I can be tweaking in my program that will give my athletes better results. LETS GET INTO IT!!

Adrian Barr is the Founder of Barr Running based in California. Adrian is one of the most out of the box thinkers that I have come across. His ability break down speed and apply it into every sport is something that separates him from the crowd.

I've been in the athletic performance field for over 10 years and learning his concepts was truly a breath of fresh air. 

Adrian and I discuss topics such as:

1.) What he looks for when an athlete first comes into work with him.

2.) How basically all athletic movements derive from running in some shape or form.

3.) How traditional strength and conditioning methods play a part in his program if at all.

And many more topics. Let get into it. 

Mike Guevara also know as Mr Doin it Movin is a Athletic Performance coach based in California. Although Mike didn't grow up playing basketball, his passion for sports and athletics led him into a career of Athletic Development where he has now been coaching for the past 12 years.

Today Mike trains some of the biggest players in today's game such as Dru Holiday, Spencer Dinwitty and Rajon Rondo just to name a few. Mike's  continuing thirst to get better is really infectious and really motivated me to take my game to the next level. 

Topics that we talked about today were:

1.) Creating Buy in with top level players 

2.) Performance Assessments

3.) Returning from injury both from a physical and mental standpoint.

4.) What Mike is diving into now to take his teaching and coaching to the next level and many many more topics.

Again I could really feel Mike's energy and the passion for what he does. I truly reminds me that as a performance coach we should be grateful to be in such a rewarding industry to help players be the best they can be! Let's dive in. 

Bobby Whyte is the Owner of Hy Power Performance in Northern New Jersey. Bobby started off as a multi sport athlete that acceled in multiple different sports but especially basketball. His love for sports eventually led him into the athletic perfofmance world, where he trained everyone from youth to NFL athletes. Today Bobby owns one of the most well known basketball services where athletes from all over the world line up to work with him.

This is a two part podcast where we discuss training as well as personal issues. We go into depth on topics such as.

1.) Creating Buy In with his players

2.) Athletic Assessments for any new players that walk into the gym.

3.) Bobby's past as a drug addict and how it shaped him into the man he has become today. 

4.) How Bobby apporoaches working with kids that remind him of himself.

Brian Morehouse the Head Coach for Hope College Women's Basketball. Hope College is the 2022 Division 3 National Champions. Coach Morehouse was able tor rack up 650 wins faster than any other Coach in NCAA history regardless of what division they are in. 

In today's discussion, we go over the topics of:

1.) Culture building for a powerhouse organization and the concept of "Winning in the Dark" and 'The Win Everything Mindset"

2.) How his coaching philosophy has changed over the years.

3.) A look inside to what it takes to be the best program in the country.

4.) The impact that coach Morehouse wants to leave on his program as well as the impact that he wants to leave on each individual he encounters.

Hope you enjoy guys!

If anyone wanted to hone their skills in the late 90's and early 2000's Ganon Baker would probably be the name that first comes to mind.

I had the great fortune of catching up with Ganon on the podcast. We talked about:

1.) What it was like when the skill training industry was brand new.

2.) What it takes daily to have boundless energy and to bring passion to each and every training session. 

3.) The proper ratio of skill developement to game exposure in order to give you the best possible results.

4.) Spiritual training that will in turn help fuel your journey no matter what field you are in.

Zach Kancher is the Associate Head Coach of the women's basketball team at Towson University. He has great deal of experience at all levels of the game. Today he shares with us: - His expertise in recruiting and film breakdown and scouting reports.

- What a yearly plan looks like for a division 1 college player.

- How Zach and his team go about building culture.

- Off the court passion in educating student athletes on the process of voting.

- True physical preparation for basketball players.

- Mindset: How we can use it in everyday life on and off the court.

- 5 Levels of Leadership "How it can be applied on the court and in your business"

- Why decision making is the most important part of basketball skill development.

- Modern basketball concepts such as "2 Side Transition" and the 32 Match up Zone.

The Hang Out series is a like having lunch with a friend. I have planned no topics at all, we just see where the conversation takes us. Alex had tonnes of awesome topics to talk about. - The myth of fundamentals (Why so many coaches feel like players need to master the "Fundamentals" before they play basketball" - Differential shooting and how that has impacted Alex's philosophies - Constraints led approach to skill development Awesome episode!

Today we have Roberto Iezzi on the podcast. Roberto brings a wealth of knowledge from over 15 years in the strength and conditioning industry. Today we deep dive into topics such as 

1.) Key aspects of training basketball players and things to keep in mind.

2.) Load management throughout the year

3.) Developing transferable strength, power and speed.

4.) Training high quality movement skills that not only boosts performance but reduces the chances of injury. 

James Janssen is the Assocaite Head Coach of the Davidson Wildcats Women's Basketball Team. James and I go into depth on topics such as:

1.) His background 

2.) A games approach to teaming basketball

3.) Tagging Up Defensive System

4.) Decision Making Skill Development  

Jen Fay is an assistant coach at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, she is also the founder of "Backyard Buckets" which in my opinion one of the most informative podcast out there. In this episode she shares so much information of the recruitment process, skill development and her background of grit and toughness that got her to where she is today. You can follow Jen on instagram at @jenfaybball, on YouTube  @Jen Fay  or Twitter @jenfay_QU

1.) Growth Mindset 

2.) Decision Making for Skill Work 

3.) Creating a Championship Culture

and much much more!

 Alex Sarama joins us on the basketball performance podcast. Alex is one of the brightest young coaches out there and is an out of the box thinker when it comes to challenging traditional ways of doing things to get better results. Today we go through:

1.) Alex's background and how he got into basketball

2.) How teaching through a games and constraints led approach has led to much better results.

3.) Conceptual offense and many many more interesting topics.

Today we are very lucky to have Steffan Jones on the show. Steffan is the founder and owner of Pace Lab a performance company that trains cricket fast bowlers to increase the power, velocity and mechanics of their bowling. Steffan is also the Director of Sports Performance at the Wellington school in the UK. Although Steffan comes from a different sport, I couldn't help but to reach out to him because I feel like his principles and philosophies are similar to ours at Strive and there is a tonne of carry over from him no matter what sport we coach in. Lets get into it.

Gary Gray is the owner and founder of the Gray Institute in Michigan. Gary has been in the movement field for over 40 years and has worked with some of the best basketball players and strength and conditioning coaches ever! 

1.) Gary and I go through our approach to developing a well rounded player on the court and in the weight room. 

2.) We go into how to combine traditional strength training with 3 dimensional training.

3.) How we bring this 3 dimensionality on the court and how it translates.

4.) The behavior science of working with players and how we can serve them best!

Trevor Ragan is the Founder of The Learner Lab formerly known as "Train Ugly' We dive into a wide range of topics with Trevor including:

1.) Motor Learning and how to incorporate it into basketball for the best results.

2.) Small Sided Games and how it has a great blend between involvement of the athlete and real game decision making.

3.) Becoming a "Jungle Tiger' 

4.) Reframing fear to allow you to push your comfort zone for maximum improvement.

Sefu Bernard is the Director of Player Development for the Washington Mystics. He is also the owner of ACX basketball. Today we dive in to how Sefu breaks down skill development piece by piece, to give it the highest chance of transferring from workouts/ practice into the game. 

Honestly speaking, I would recommend listening to this episode a couple of times, because there are just so many nuggets that Sefu gives out here!

Kirby Schepp is the Head coach of the University of Manitoba as well as the being a part of the Canadian Men's National Basketball team for the past nine years. Kirby was the presenter of the very popular Youtube video "Don't teach plays teach them how to play" which has changed the thinking process for many coaches worldwide. Today Kirby talks about his experience training youth all the way to national team players as well as his experience internationally and some of the differences between basketball in North America compared to the rest of the world. 

Brian McCormick is one of the most forward thinking coaches in the world. He is the author if 19 books such as 180 shooter, Developing Basketball Intelligence and my personal favorite Crossover. Today we go into depth and talk with Brian about hot to holistically train youth players. 

Mike Mackay is a Master Coach Developer for Canada basketball. He is one of the most respected coaches in the world regardless of what level, and has a wide range of experience coaching players at all levels. What separates Mike from most coaches, is his incredible attention to detail as well as always challenging the norms of what is traditionally taught in basketball. His systematic approach to teaching skills in mind blowing and this is an episode you absolutely wont want to miss!  

Joerik Michiels is the founder of Elite Athletes basketball in Belgium. With a burning desire to do everything in his power to elevate youth basketball in Belgium and around the world, Joerik and I talk about how he first got started, his unique perspective of training youth and  how to build world class culture in an organization!

In this episode mental skills trainer Graham Betchart shares with us what it means to "Play Present" Graham shares his insight on what it really means to train the mind and how we can get an edge on our competition before a game. Graham encourages players who "play it safe" to take a different approach in how they view the game in order to get the outcome that they really want.

In this episode we hang out with NBA skills trainer Jordan Lawley. Jordan dives deep into how he survived a brain tumor and how that experience pushes him to be the best version of himself at everything that he does. Jordan shares his training template with us on how he trains everyone from kids, to NBA superstars. This is not an episode that you want to miss!

On this Episode we have one of the best coaches in the game Phil Handy from the Los Angeles Lakers here to share his knowledge and experience with everyone. Phil and I talk about what NBA players can learn from high school players, how coaches need to take their ego out of the equation in order to serve their players and how Phil analyzes the game through film and study!

On Episode 4 we have Blair O'Donovan who is the Director of Physical Preperation for the Washington Wizards. On this episode Blair shares his knowledge on initial assessments for basketball players, creating buy in from players and coaches and how to create a healthy lifestyle for basketball players in order to take their game to the next level!

On Episode 3 we have speed expert Lee Taft come on the show and discuss how to develop multi directional speed for basketball. We also dive into what the most important traits are for youth basketball in order for them to become great players in the future.

Drew is the Founder of Pure Sweat Basketball, a world renowned basketball skills development company. We talk about how to create buy in with our players as well as how to take our skill work sessions and turn them into game time results!

For Episode 1 we are very lucky to have guest Mike Nilson founder of Hoop Commitment. Mike is a former starter for the Gonzaga Bulldogs for 1997-2000. He was named Defensive Player of the year, and played a crucial role in helping Gonzaga solidify their place in the Elite 8 and establishing them as a powerhouse in the NCAA.