Slappin' Glass Podcast

Tennessee Women’s Basketball Head Coach Kim Caldwell joins the podcast to detail the connected system behind her high-possession style of play.
Caldwell explains how her teams pursue a 20-shot advantage through forced turnovers, offensive rebounding, limiting their own turnovers, and getting to the foul line. She breaks down the habits that must be unlearned to play fast, how shot selection connects to floor balance, and why crashing four naturally establishes matchups for the press.
She also discusses subbing for fatigue rather than mistakes, giving defenders freedom within the run-and-jump, and the danger of introducing a Plan B that contradicts the team’s identity.
In Start, Sub, or Sit, Caldwell ranks communication, decision-making, and execution when players reach their physical limit. The conversation closes with her approach to full-court practices, eight-minute drills, conditioning, and choosing coaching jobs where winning is possible.
Timestamps
2:20 – Kim Caldwell joins the show
2:34 – The goal of creating 20 more shots
4:29 – Adjusting the shot-margin target by competition level
5:13 – Unteaching habits and training with a 12-second clock
6:33 – Defining a good shot within the system
7:41 – Preferred opponent shot profile
9:12 – Using defense to regain pace and momentum
10:47 – Substitution patterns and playing in short bursts
12:55 – Attacking teams that try to slow the game
14:36 – What Caldwell tracks during timeouts
16:49 – Crashing four and “building a house”
18:37 – Matching up and flowing into the run-and-jump
19:45 – Giving defenders freedom to err toward aggression
20:26 – Conviction, adaptation, and the danger of Plan B
23:04 – Protecting leads without abandoning pace
25:14 – Late-game shot selection and pressure adjustments
26:12 – Caldwell’s philosophy on calling timeouts
28:02 – Start, Sub, or Sit: Practice tipping points
30:12 – Player-to-player communication under fatigue
31:51 – Keeping chaos within the right boundaries
33:14 – Full-court practice and conditioning
35:03 – The eight-minute drill limit
36:46 – Finishing the final conversion of a drill
38:19 – Building practice plans with the staff
40:04 – Caldwell’s best career investment
41:39 – Slappin’ Glass takeaways
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UC Davis Head Coach Jim Les joins the Slappin’ Glass Podcast to discuss the daily habits behind elite performance, building trust before asking for hard truth, and creating a team environment where productive conflict can be handled quickly. Coach Les explains why urgency starts with what a staff is willing to tolerate, how written player goals can sharpen accountability, and why “the game knows” has become a central teaching idea in his program.
On the tactical side, he breaks down UC Davis’s use of Princeton and chin action, the value of a dynamic catch before the pick and roll, teaching split cuts through clear order of operations, and using multiple offensive modes during a game. The conversation closes with ball-screen coverage complexity, deciding whether to fix or cover a team weakness, and the coaching investment that has kept him learning for more than two decades.
Episodes Chapters
02:51  The traits of elite players and teams
03:22  Urgency habits and editing your life
08:40  How Coach Les changed as a communicator
11:17  Protecting the head coach’s voice
13:40  The game knows
15:47  Building a pre-practice habit system
18:17  Teaching passing off the dribble
19:36  Productive conflict inside a team
22:27  Staff communication and alignment
25:06  Investing in relationships with players
28:51  "Start Sub or Sit" Princeton into pick and roll
30:15  Dynamic catches and sprinting into the screen
32:03  Why Princeton punishes good defensive principles
34:55  Teaching split cuts and the feeder is the leader
36:36  Attacking the closeout before the ball screen
38:12  Using multiple offensive modes
40:02  "Start Sub or Sit" changes in coaching philosophy
41:41  Scaling ball-screen coverage complexity
45:19  Fixing a weakness or covering it
47:05  Coach Les’s best career investment
49:07  Slappin’ Glass recap
To join coaches and championship winning staffs from the NBA to High School from over 70 different countries taking advantage of an SG Plus membership, visit HERE!

Siena University head coach Nevada Smith joins the Slappin’ Glass Podcast to discuss the difference between speed and pace, the details behind “25 Speed,” and how his teams work to create advantages within the first five seconds of a possession.
Smith breaks down one-handed passing, finishing development, empty-side pick-and-rolls, high-slot spacing, attacking defensive absolutes, and creating “confusion zones” through guard-to-guard actions.
During “Start, Sub, or Sit,” he shares his approach to offensive rebounding, reading ball flight, crashing five, training disadvantaged transition situations, and developing point guards who can commit a second defender.
What You’ll Learn
 Why Smith separates speed from pace—and how he defines “25 Speed.” 
 How finishing work and one-handed passing support a faster offense. 
 Why high-slot spacing and empty-side pick-and-rolls create downhill attacks. 
 How Siena identifies and attacks defensive absolutes. 
 Why guard-to-guard actions create “confusion zones” against switching defenses. 
 How shot selection and ball-flight recognition shape offensive rebounding. 
 Why committing a second defender is Smith’s top point-guard skill. 
 How the first 36 minutes inform Siena’s offense during the final four.
To join coaches and championship winning staffs from the NBA to High School from over 70 different countries taking advantage of an SG Plus membership, visit HERE!

Point Loma Head Coach Justin Downer joins the Slappin’ Glass Podcast to discuss building offensive decision trees around advantage creation, organizing offense into four connected phases, and using the “power of three” to simplify reads.
Downer explains how Point Loma identifies its three best offensive leverage points, recruits primary ball handlers rather than traditional point guards, and teaches ball-screen decisions through three levels: the primary defender, the coverage, and the help behind it.
In Start, Sub, or Sit, the conversation shifts to creating productive adversity, building clear feedback loops, highlighting roles, tagging up, and switching with physicality.
What You’ll Learn
How Point Loma organizes offense into four phases without making the players feel restricted by the structure. 
 Why every offensive decision begins with identifying the advantage it is meant to create. 
 How the “power of three” shapes decision trees, offensive actions, and player reads. 
 Why Point Loma evaluates primary ball handlers through processing and decision-making rather than traditional point-guard traits. 
 How to teach ball-screen reads through the primary defender, the coverage, and the help behind it. 
 Why Downer corrects aggressively during teaching segments but avoids providing answers during competition. 
 How role highlighting allows bench players to retain their strengths when their minutes change. 
 Why tagging up, forcing left, and physical switching help Point Loma dictate the possession before the offense can create an advantage.
To join coaches and championship winning staffs from the NBA to High School from over 70 different countries taking advantage of an SG Plus membership, visit HERE!

In this high-level, candid, and engaging return to the show, Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy joins Slappin' Glass for his third appearance. Van Gundy dives deep into what it takes to defend the NBA's best players—emphasizing the fundamentals of transition defense, rebounding, and avoiding reckless fouling. The conversation explores stunt vs. full help principles, creating physical defenses through communication, and the challenge of preparing against high-powered offenses.
A special edition of “Start, Sub, or Sit” covers skill development, offensive rebounding priorities, and what Van Gundy learned moving from broadcasting back to the NBA bench.
Authentic, honest, and packed with coaching wisdom, this episode is a must-listen for coaches at all levels looking to sharpen their defensive philosophies and leadership approach.
Topics Include:
Defending elite players with discipline and fundamentals
Communication as a driver of physicality
The evolving role of offensive rebounding in the NBA and other levels
How to give appropriate and impactful feedback to players
Van Gundy’s “sniper rule” for transition defense 😂
“Start, Sub, or Sit” on skill development and late-game coaching lessons
To join coaches and championship winning staffs from the NBA to High School from over 70 different countries taking advantage of an SG Plus membership, visit HERE!