Slappin' Glass Podcast

In this episode of the Slappin’ Glass Podcast, we sit down with master storyteller and communication expert Clare Murphy to explore the powerful role of storytelling, narrative, and communication in building culture within elite sports teams.
Drawing on her work with organizations ranging from the Mission Critical Teams Institute to elite sports environments and NASA, Clare breaks down why stories—not information—are the most effective way leaders transmit belief, values, and identity to their teams.
Together we dive into how coaches can use storytelling to build trust, strengthen cohesion, communicate under pressure, and shape the narrative of their teams. Clare also explores the neuroscience behind why stories stick in the brain, the difference between leadership and membership, and how rituals, shared narratives, and reflection practices can accelerate team belonging and performance. 
What You’ll Learn
Why storytelling is the most powerful tool for transmitting culture and belief within a team
How stories activate emotion, empathy, and long-term learning in athletes’ brains
The difference between top-down leadership and flexible “membership” within teams
How coaches can co-create the story of a season with their players to build ownership and accountability
Practical ways to use rituals, traditions, and storytelling exercises to strengthen team cohesion
Why information overload can sabotage halftime communication and how to simplify your message
How leaders can transmit belief through presence, voice, and emotional control
Why coaches must examine the stories they tell themselves about leadership and identity
How building a trusted peer network or coaching tribe can accelerate professional growth and combat isolation
Key Topics & Concepts
Storytelling in coaching
Team culture and cohesion
Leadership communication
Membership vs hierarchical leadership
Co-creating team narratives
Halftime communication strategies
Emotional regulation for coaches
Rituals and traditions in team culture
Coaching reflection and storytelling practice
Sponsors
FastModel Sports has been helping coaches diagram plays for years, and now FastDraw, FastScout, and FastRecruit are integrated into Hudl’s full basketball ecosystem—allowing coaches to move seamlessly from play diagrams to film and player insights.
Learn more at hudl.com/slappingglass
Slappin’ Glass is also proud to partner with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Join thousands of coaches this April at the NABC Convention in Indianapolis, featuring clinics, film sessions, and networking with coaches from around the world.
Register at nabc.com/convention
To join coaches and championship winning staffs from the NBA to High School from over 60 different countries taking advantage of an SG Plus membership, visit HERE!

In this episode Slappin’ Glass welcomes back one of Europe’s most thoughtful and dynamic coaching voices, Andrea Trinchieri. Coach Trinchieri returns for a wide-ranging conversation on defensive identity, in-game coaching, leadership evolution, and the modern coach–player relationship.
With most teams deep into the season, the discussion begins around identity — and whether it’s ever truly fixed. Coach Trinchieri frames the basketball season as evolution, requiring adaptability, clarity of core values, and defensive systems that can toggle aggression without overhauling structure. From simplifying coverage to managing player psychology, this episode dives into the balance between tactical precision and human connection.
Throughout the conversation, Coach Trinchieri shares his philosophy on:
Why simplicity — not complexity — often produces the best defensive results
How to “upgrade” or “downgrade” a base coverage without disrupting rotations
The psychological reality that players find rhythm through offense before committing defensively
The importance of situational awareness in managing substitutions and early-game momentum
Layered rebounding principles and how to incentivize “no man’s land” effort plays
When and why to implement tagging concepts on the offensive glass
The evolving coach–player dynamic in an era shaped by NIL and social media
The episode also features a compelling round of Start, Sub, or Sit, where Coach Trinchieri breaks down what he prioritizes at the start of games, which statistical margins matter most (rebounding, free throws, turnovers), and how in-game evaluation must remain fluid and situational.
At its core, this episode centers on a driving question:
How can coaches evolve tactically while strengthening the relationships that ultimately define success?

For coaches seeking insight into defensive structure, in-game management, leadership philosophy, and sustainable team identity, this conversation delivers a masterclass in both strategy and humanity.
What You’ll Learn
How to build a defensive identity that can toggle aggression without sacrificing clarity
Why offensive involvement fuels defensive commitment
A framework for balancing scouting preparation with non-negotiable core values
How to address early-game energy issues without overreacting
A layered approach to rebounding: one-on-one battles, neutral rebounds, and effort incentives
When tagging principles are most effective — and when they are not
How defining roles creates hierarchy, chemistry, and clarity
Why long-term coaching success should be measured by player evolution, not public opinion
This Episode is Sponsored By:
NABC Convention
Join coaches from across the country April 2–6 in Indianapolis for five days of X’s & O’s clinics, educational sessions, networking, and championship-week access. Slappin’ Glass will be hosting a classroom-style film session breaking down the game’s best global trends. Register at nabc.com/convention.
Hudl — FastDraw, FastScout & FastRecruit
The tools coaches trust are now fully integrated into Hudl’s complete basketball ecosystem — moving seamlessly from play diagrams to film to player tracking. Learn more at hudl.com/slappinglass.
For more coaching resources, breakdowns, and the free weekly newsletter, visit slappinglass.com.
To join coaches and championship winning staffs from the NBA to High School from over 60 different countries taking advantage of an SG Plus membership, visit HERE!

Northern Michigan Head Coach Matt Majkrzak joins Slappin’ Glass for a deep dive into how structure can actually create freedom.
Coach Majkrzak walks through Northern Michigan’s unique approach to scripting games in four-minute segments, pairing substitution patterns with offensive play calls to give players clarity, confidence, and rhythm. Rather than scripting to control players, the goal is to simplify decisions early, allowing creativity, reads, and flow to emerge naturally as possessions unfold.
The conversation explores how layered offense evolves from simple foundations—like cross-screen/down-screen—into modern blends of Princeton concepts, ball screens, staggers, and motion, all while ending in familiar spacing that helps players play fast and free.
Majkrzak also shares insights on fixing flat starts, teaching lock-left defense, crashing the offensive glass with five, and why celebrating “play busts” accelerates player growth more than perfect execution ever could.
A practical, thought-provoking episode on teaching players how to think, not just where to stand.
What You’ll Learn
How to script games in four-minute segments that align lineups, substitutions, and play calls
Why scripting can reduce pressure on players while increasing confidence and decision-making
How layered offense evolves from simple actions into flow, reads, and freedom
Practical ways to fix flat starts without panic or over-adjusting
Why celebrating “play busts” can accelerate offensive growth
To join coaches and championship winning staffs from the NBA to High School from over 60 different countries taking advantage of an SG Plus membership, visit HERE!

In this episode of Slappin' Glass, we’re joined by storytelling and communication expert Philipp Humm for a deep, practical conversation on how coaches can communicate more clearly, persuasively, and memorably—especially under pressure.
Philip breaks down why how you communicate often matters more than what you say, and why stories—when used intentionally—can cut through resistance, build trust, and create lasting behavioral change. He introduces his simple but powerful P.A.S.T. framework (Place, Action, Speech, Thoughts), giving coaches a repeatable structure for telling stories that actually stick rather than drifting into vague summaries or over-contextualized explanations.
The conversation explores when storytelling is the right tool (and when it isn’t), how elite leaders stay concise without losing emotional impact, and why vulnerability—not polish—is the engine of connection. Philip also shares why great communicators think in frameworks, limit takeaways to one clear action, and start with structure rather than circling toward a point.
We then put theory into practice with live improv exercises, showing how improvisation builds communication confidence and clarity in time-compressed moments like timeouts and huddles. The episode closes with a thoughtful Start–Sub–Sit on locker-room culture tools (quotes, visuals, and physical objects), plus Philip’s best investment in his own career—and why movement, presence, and emotional regulation matter for leaders navigating constant pressure.
This is a must-listen for coaches looking to sharpen their communication edge, strengthen buy-in, and lead with greater clarity and intention beyond the Xs and Os.
What You’ll Learn
How to use the P.A.S.T. storytelling framework to make messages vivid, emotional, and memorable
When storytelling creates more impact than direct instruction—and when it doesn’t
Why elite communicators lead with structure, simplicity, and one clear takeaway
How vulnerability and emotional honesty increase trust and retention
Practical improv techniques to improve clarity and confidence under pressure
The role of physical objects, visuals, and stories in reinforcing culture (and why quotes often fall flat)

To join coaches and championship winning staffs from the NBA to High School from over 60 different countries taking advantage of an SG Plus membership, visit HERE!

What were the ideas from 2025 that coaches couldn’t stop thinking about—the ones that kept showing up in practice plans, film sessions, and staff rooms?
In this Slappin’ Glass Mailbag Episode, Dan Krikorian, Patrick Carney, and Eric Fawcett revisit the most compelling concepts covered by Slappin' Glass in 2025 as well as questions sent in by coaches around the world, unpacking how modern teams are creating advantages on both sides of the ball—and why the best programs are increasingly focused on flow, disruption, and continuity rather than isolated actions.
The conversation begins with a deep dive into “jumping on the pickup” in pick-and-roll defense—a subtle but powerful technique for shrinking passing windows, generating deflections, and creating turnovers without abandoning base coverage. From there, the discussion expands into broader defensive trends around smart aggression, including selective hitting, late-clock doubles, ATO disruption, and how elite teams steal possessions without gambling.
Offensively, the group explores the growing influence of Total Basketball—a philosophy rooted in eliminating pauses between offense and defense, tagging up on the glass, arriving “already playing” in the half court, and flowing seamlessly from one advantage to the next. Coaches will hear how leading programs are emphasizing shape over spacing, simplifying actions to increase pace, and using familiar structures to unlock better decision-making under pressure.
Beyond tactics, this episode also weaves in insights from some of Slappin’ Glass’ most impactful off-court and analytics conversations of the year, including:
Guiding teams into flow states
Measuring and developing decision-making
Understanding kill shots, runs, and game-swing moments
Using analytics that actually help during games—not just on Twitter
This mailbag isn’t about trends for trend’s sake. It’s about how elite coaches are thinking, teaching, and designing environments that allow players to play faster, freer, and more connected—and what those ideas suggest about where the game is heading next.
🎥 This episode is also available on YouTube, with embedded video clips that bring the concepts to life.
To join coaches and championship winning staffs from the NBA to High School from over 60 different countries taking advantage of an SG Plus membership, visit HERE!