Slappin' Glass Podcast

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!

In this episode of Slappin’ Glass, we’re joined by John Andrzejek, Head Coach at Campbell and former defensive coordinator for Florida’s national championship team, for a deep dive into the real trade-offs that shape elite defensive systems.
Coach Andrzejek walks us through how his defensive philosophy has evolved across stops at St. Mary’s, Columbia, Washington State, Florida, and now Campbell—highlighting the tension every staff must navigate between precision and pragmatism, technique and energy, and staying out of trouble versus thriving inside the scramble.
We explore the decision-making behind scrambling vs. anti-scrambling defenses, how and why he blends principles from St. Mary’s, Houston, and Iowa State, and what it truly takes to guard the modern, spacing-driven game. The conversation gets deep into the weeds on no-middle principles, switching high and low, tagging schemes in middle pick-and-roll, and organizing rotations when things inevitably break down.
Offensively, Coach Andrzejek shares how he teaches cutting around the pick-and-roll through a mix of rules and reads, why simplicity drives better decision-making, and how repetition of core situations builds true situational awareness. We also tackle post-doubling philosophies, personnel adjustments, practice design, and the balance between scouting detail and playing fast.
As always, we close with a Start, Sub, or Sit that dives into cutting around the pick-and-roll and post-doubling strategies, plus Coach Andrzejek’s thoughts on the best investment he’s made in his coaching career.
This is a clinic-level conversation on defensive problem-solving, offensive clarity, and building systems that hold up against elite talent.
What You’ll Learn
The strategic trade-offs between scrambling vs. anti-scrambling defensive systems
How elite programs blend no-middle principles with modern spacing realities
Why playing really hard often matters more than perfect technique
How to organize rotations and tags when the ball gets to the middle
Switching high and low to keep the ball out of the paint
Teaching cutting around the pick-and-roll using rules that unlock reads
Why offensive simplicity leads to better decision-making
Different philosophies for doubling the post and protecting the rim
How practice design, film, and repetition build defensive awareness
The long-term value of film study and coaching mentorship
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!

Slappin' Glass sits down this week with the Head Coach of Texas MBB, Sean Miller! In this highly insightful conversation from when Coach Miller was at Xavier, the trio dive into Coach Miller's thoughts on all things about handling pressure, including playing through the "gray areas" of it, and discuss transition defensive concepts and teaching guards to hedge ballscreens during the always fun "Start, Sub, or Sit?!"
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!