Basketball Coach Unplugged (A Basketball Coaching Podcast)

https://teachhoops.com/
What your players learn from how you treat the referee, and how to ask a question that actually gets answered.
Four minutes left in the opener, down three, and the whistle goes the other way. Coach Steve Collins knows that feeling in your chest, and he knows the moment that comes right after it, when every kid on the bench turns to see what the head coach does next. Early in his career he thought working the officials was part of the job. Then he watched film of his own bench and saw his players copying every arm wave and every frustrated face while the other team ran back for layups.
In this deep dive for opening week, Steve breaks down how to talk to officials in a way that actually helps your team. He covers why your players borrow your emotions, how to ask a question an official can answer, when to speak and who should do the talking, and how to give your players a real plan for officials that holds up when they are angry. It is about respect, it is about modeling, and it is about keeping good officials in our gyms for years to come.
Part 1: The Mindset

The opening scenario: a late charge call in game one and the five seconds that teach your bench more than a week of practice

Steve's confession about working the officials, and the bench film that changed his approach

Why your players borrow your face, and the two claps and a point that tell them "next play"

The difference between a verdict and a question, with three questions an official can actually answer

The official who told Steve his driver was leading with his off arm, and how that fixed a problem

Part 2: The Timing and the Plan

Waiting for the dead ball, free throws, and timeouts before you speak, and asking only one question

Why only the head coach talks to officials and assistants never do

Teaching players a plan instead of a rule: captains greet officials, captains ask questions, everyone else plays the next play

Practicing bad calls in scrimmages so the reaction is trained before November

The fiery senior who took a breath, sprinted back, and took a charge on the next possession

Shaking every official's hand, raising real concerns through your athletic director, and being the reason officials stay in the game

Chapters

00:00 Coach Unplugged intro

00:16 Opening scenario: the late charge call

01:18 Pre roll: TeachHoops.com bench management and game day checklists

01:40 Watching film of my own bench

02:29 Takeaway 1: Your players borrow your face

03:39 Takeaway 2: Ask a question that can be answered

05:51 Takeaway 3: Pick your moment and one voice

06:57 Mid roll: TeachHoops.com game management library and community

07:20 Takeaway 4: Teach your players a plan for officials

09:07 Takeaway 5: Let it go before the handshake line

10:10 The opening week challenge

10:29 Post roll: TeachHoops.com

This week's challenge: Before your first game, decide your one signal for a bad call and teach it to your team at practice.
Format: Deep Dive, two parts.
Resources: Bench management guides, game day checklists, game management resources, practice plans, courses, and on court clinics at https://teachhoops.com/
Recorded at the Fifth Quarter Studios in Madison, Wisconsin.
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Transition defense, the first three steps after a shot goes up, and the easy baskets you are giving away.
Coach Steve Collins once had a team that was excellent in the half court and kept losing close games anyway. So he sat down with a stack of game film and a legal pad and asked one question about every basket his team gave up: was our defense set, or not? The answer was not even close. Far more than a third of the opponent's points came before five defenders were back.
In this deep dive, Steve takes on the part of defense that starts on offense. He explains why your own shot is the starting gun, why every player needs to know exactly who is back before the shot goes up, why the first three steps go to the paint and not to a man, how to stop the ball and talk, and why the frustration tax after a missed shot is costing your team more than you think. It is a practical plan for the opening weeks of the season, built to take away the easy baskets.
Part 1: The Shot Is the Signal

The film study that revealed where the points were really coming from

Why defense starts the moment your own shot leaves a player's hand, not when the other team gets the ball

The three steps that decide transition, and why nobody gets to stand and admire a shot

Finishing every drill that ends in a shot with a sprint back, so the first step becomes a habit

A safety rule simple enough for a tired sophomore: the point guard is always back, the player at the top is the second man back

Why the rule itself matters less than every player being able to say it out loud

Stopping scrimmage to hold one player to his job, and what it taught him

Part 2: The First Three Steps and Beyond

Sprint to the paint, not to your man: basket, ball, man, every time

Why a sprinting defender beats a backpedaling one

The daily paint touch drill, whistled on the release, with everyone in the paint before the ball crosses half court

Stopping the ball and talking: the first man back makes it change direction and yells "Ball!"

Playing outnumbered: protect the rim, fake at the ball, and force one more pass

The frustration tax: the one second of hanging your head that turns into a layup the other way

The scorer who made a deal to be first back after every miss, and how it became a point of pride

Why the coach yelling at the official is not coaching transition defense either

Chapters

00:00 Coach Unplugged intro

00:16 Opening: where the points really come from

01:08 Pre roll: TeachHoops.com transition defense drills

01:26 The film study and the legal pad

02:21 Takeaway 1: The shot is the starting gun

03:48 Takeaway 2: Decide who goes back before the shot

05:54 Takeaway 3: Sprint to the paint, not to your man

07:11 Mid roll: TeachHoops.com transition defense progression

07:36 Takeaway 4: Stop the ball and say it

08:45 Takeaway 5: Do not pay the frustration tax

10:27 This week's challenge

10:37 Post roll: TeachHoops.com

This week's challenge: Chart one scrimmage and count every basket you allow before your defense is set.
Format: Deep Dive, two parts.
Resources: Transition defense drills, teaching progressions, practice plans, courses, and on court clinics at https://teachhoops.com/
Recorded at the Fifth Quarter Studios in Madison, Wisconsin.
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Lead Like a Pro, finding the toughness and leadership in a crowded gym, building relationships that transcend basketball, and the advice he would give his younger self.
In Part 2, Coach Steve Collins and Dr. Matthew Raidbard dig into how a coach actually changes the way they lead. Dr. Raidbard explains what his book Lead Like a Pro walks you through: figure out the style you are really practicing, decide whether it matches your values, then learn from real coaching stories and practical tools how to grow into the leader you want to be.
From there the conversation turns to the court. Teaching five players to move as one, what college coaches really look for in a recruit, why relationships off the floor earn trust on it, and how to correct a player without tearing him down. It wraps with a rapid fire round and the one piece of advice Dr. Raidbard would give his younger self.
In this episode

A menu of leadership options, and matching them to your own values

Why sport and level matter less than you think for leadership style

What the book walks a coach through, from self assessment to practical tools

Naming the book, and two years from first draft to release

The hardest thing to teach: getting five players to execute one plan

Breaking it down part by part, letting players fail, and repping it over time

What college coaches look for in a recruit: toughness, leadership, and talking on defense

Why the difference between the fifth and ninth best player in the gym is what kind of teammate he is

Building relationships that transcend basketball, and why the wins follow

The one coach he would spend an hour with: Pat Summitt

Rapid fire: game day routines, superstitions, and the best player he has seen in person

Correcting players one on one instead of across the gym

His advice to his younger self: listen, be patient, and have empathy

Chapters

00:00 TeachHoops.com pre roll

00:56 Lead Like a Pro and a menu of leadership styles

01:52 Does the sport or level matter?

02:20 What the book walks you through

04:12 The next step once you know your style

05:08 Naming the book and two years of writing

07:56 The hardest thing to teach

09:20 Letting players fail and repping it over time

10:44 What college coaches look for in a recruit

13:04 TeachHoops.com mid roll

13:32 A coaching philosophy built on relationships

15:24 An hour with Pat Summitt

16:48 Rapid fire questions

20:32 Superstitions and chewing gum

21:00 Correct players one on one

22:24 Best players and the Jordan versus LeBron debate

23:48 One skill, the shot clock, and the jump ball

24:44 Advice to his younger self

25:40 Raidbard Leadership and where to find the book

26:36 Post roll

Coach challenge: The next time a player makes a mistake, pull him aside and ask "What happened there?" before you tell him what went wrong.
Resources: Learn more about Dr. Raidbard's work at Raidbard Leadership, and find Lead Like a Pro wherever books are sold. Practice plans, leadership resources, courses, and on court clinics at https://teachhoops.com/
Missed the start? Go back to Part 1 for Dr. Raidbard's coaching journey and leadership research.
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From a 24 hour drive for a Division II job to Dartmouth, Chicago State, and a study of 200 college coaches who did not know their own leadership style.
Dr. Matthew Raidbard did not have a relative in the business, a friend in the business, or a practical degree. He had a history major, a resume full of travel team experience, and a habit of following up one more time than anyone asked him to. That relentlessness got him a Division II assistant job in Silver City, New Mexico, and started a college coaching career that ran through Dartmouth, Florida Gulf Coast, and eight seasons at Chicago State before he moved into athletic administration.
In Part 1, Coach Steve Collins and Dr. Raidbard walk through that journey, what changes from Division II to the Ivy League to a traditional Division I program, and why he calls Chicago State the toughest job in the country. Then they get to the research behind his book, Lead Like a Pro: a study of more than 200 college basketball coaches, and the surprising gap between the leadership style coaches think they practice and the one they actually do.
In this episode

The games that hooked them both on basketball, from conference championship week to the old Wisconsin Field House

How coaching his younger brother's travel team turned into a career

Relentlessness as a separator: you only need one yes

Learning to do everything at a small Division II school, from game operations to driving the softball team

Dartmouth, the Ivy League experience, and going toe to toe with Jeremy Lin and Harvard

Florida Gulf Coast and the difference between Ivy recruiting and traditional Division I recruiting

Eight seasons building Chicago State, and why it may be the toughest job in college basketball

Earning a doctorate while coaching, and moving into compliance and administration

His current role as executive senior associate athletic director at the University of Hartford

The dissertation that became the book: do coaches know the leadership style they actually practice?

Why transformational leadership, paired with quick decision making, came out on top

The five leadership styles every coach should understand

Chapters

00:00 TeachHoops.com pre roll

00:28 Meet Dr. Matthew Raidbard

02:20 The games that hooked us on basketball

05:08 Coaching his brother's travel team

06:58 The 24 hour drive to Western New Mexico

07:46 Relentlessness and the one yes

08:52 Two years at Division II

09:48 Dartmouth and the Ivy League

11:12 TeachHoops.com mid roll

11:40 Florida Gulf Coast

12:08 Eight seasons at Chicago State

12:56 Obstacles from Division II to Division I

16:44 Why Chicago State is the toughest job in the country

18:40 Moving into administration

19:36 Hartford and life as an athletic director

20:32 How the book Lead Like a Pro came about

21:56 The gap between the leader you think you are and the leader you are

22:24 The best leadership style for coaches

23:20 The five leadership styles

23:48 Why coaches need real leadership training

24:16 Post roll

Coach challenge: Write down the leadership style you believe you practice. Then ask one assistant and one player to describe how you lead, and compare the answers.
Resources: Dr. Raidbard's book, Lead Like a Pro, is available wherever books are sold. Practice plans, leadership and culture resources, courses, and on court clinics at https://teachhoops.com/
Continue the conversation in Part 2.
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Teaching players to talk on defense, and why a quiet team is usually a confused team.
Walk into almost any gym during the second week of the season, close your eyes for one defensive possession, and listen. Sneakers. A dribble. Maybe a coach. Five kids guarding the ball and not one of them saying a word. For years Coach Steve Collins treated that silence as a toughness problem, stopping practice to yell "Talk!" and getting about two possessions of noise before the gym went quiet again.
What finally changed his thinking was simple: kids do not stay quiet because they are shy, they stay quiet because they are not sure. A quiet team is usually a confused team. In this two part deep dive, Steve walks through how to give players the words, how to give every spot on the floor a job that comes with a word, how to make talk count in practice, and why the coach sometimes has to get quieter so the players can get louder.
Part 1: Giving Them the Words

Why "Talk!" is a wish, not an instruction, and why getting louder as a coach does not fix it

The real reason teams go silent: kids are not sure where the ball is going, who has help, or what the word even is

A six word defensive vocabulary: ball, help, screen left, screen right, switch, shot

Giving every word exactly one meaning, and quizzing freshmen in the huddle until it sticks

Why timing matters as much as the word: early talk wins possessions, late talk just explains them

Assigning talk by position: the ball defender, the help defenders, the screener's defender, and the closest player to the rim on a shot

The quiet guard who got one job, the "ball" guy, and could be heard from the parking lot by November

Part 2: Making It Stick

Scoring the talk: in the shell drill, a stop with no talk is not a stop

Scrimmage rules that reward a five player talking stop and take away a point for an uncalled shot

The manager with a clicker counting every defensive call, and the number players started asking for before the score

The silent possession, and letting players discover for themselves what happens without communication

Why the coach yelling every rotation teaches players to wait for his voice instead of using their own

Getting the whole staff on board, because one quiet head coach and three loud assistants changes nothing

Coaching between possessions instead of during them, and the October day Steve folded his arms under the basket

Praising the talk out loud, not just the steal or the charge

Talk is information, not volume, and how a talking defense becomes a team that talks in timeouts, huddles, and hard January nights

Chapters

00:00 Coach Unplugged intro

00:16 Opening: the quiet gym

01:07 Pre roll: TeachHoops.com defensive drills and communication progressions

02:21 Why quiet teams are confused teams

02:29 Takeaway 1: Give them the words

04:09 Takeaway 2: Every job has a word, and the quiet guard

06:05 Takeaway 3: If it is not scored, it is not real

07:44 Mid roll: TeachHoops.com shell drill progressions and the coaching community

08:04 Takeaway 4: Sometimes the coach has to get quieter

09:58 Talk is information, not volume

10:34 The six word challenge and post roll

This week's challenge: Pick your six defensive words, teach them tomorrow, and do not count a stop in practice until you hear them.
Format: Deep Dive, two parts.
Resources: Defensive drills, shell drill progressions, communication teaching tools, practice plans, courses, and on court clinics at https://teachhoops.com/
Recorded at the Fifth Quarter Studios in Madison, Wisconsin.
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