Hardwood Hustle

This week we’re joined by the creator of the Read & React Offense and founder of Better Basketball, Rick Torbett. Over 20 years ago Coach Rick asked some hard questions about how he could create a flow to his offense, play his 5 best players regardless of position, and truly help his players learn the game. In Part 1 Coach Rick shares the stories behind how he developed it and why so many coaches have implemented the Read & React Offense.

Every season has its own challenges and as we know, adversity is coming for us and our players. This week TJ and Sam discuss how to navigate and mentor players face the challenges of earning playing time, receiving tough coaching, or being disappointed in their role. Helping players understand that adversity is meant to make us better if we learn how to face it head on is a great opportunity as a coach which can change the trajectory of our players lives. Listen this week to join the discussion and follow us @hardwood_hustle to stay connected.

This week TJ and Sam discuss In-Game coaching strategies including making strategic adjustments, how and when to use timeouts, managing our emotions and our team’s energy, using stats during games, and ensuring your team is prepared.

Show Notes:• Intro Topic• Injured player example• Michigan football stealing signs• Justifying breaking rules• Rick Majerus example• Reading opponent's scout• Winning the right way• Celebrating the right way• Getting a technical on purpose

This week we’re joined by Coach Jonas Allen. With years of high school and college coaching experience, Coach Allen was in his second year as a head coach, when he was ready to quit. In this episode he shares how he transformed his coaching and quickly turned around his program to win a state championship.

This week TJ and Sam dive into the details of what will make your offense work this season. They discuss spacing, screening angles, timing, assessing different offensive strategies for your team, and much more. 

With all the 'Me First' influences we have in our culture, it can be even more challenging to develop great teams and great teammates in our programs. This week TJ’s associate head coach, Graham Maxwell joins us to discuss how to take our programs to the next level by ensuring we help our players zoom out and develop the tools and skills to be a great teammate in basketball and in life. The difficulty level is high, but the reward is worthwhile.

This week’s episode is about offensive and defensive rebounding strategies and tactics including things you can try with your team and lessons learned from TJ and Sam.Show Notes:• Offensive rebounding percentage• How many to send to the glass?• Creating clarity• Tagging• By area on the court• Do what you do best• What your players do naturally• Emphasis and accountability• Statistical examples• Defensive rebounding strategies• Basketball IQ, physicality, and incentevize• Practice details• TechniqueSign up now for our In-Game Coaching Track: PGCCoaching.com

This we discuss staff dynamics and how both assistants and head coaches can lead well and bring the best out in each other even when it comes to disagreements and giving feedback.Show Notes:• Importance of alignment• Giving assistants ownership • Loyalty to the head coach• Finding the best solutions for the team• Can you agree to disagree?• Being all in• Importance of trust• We're in the relationship business• How staff dynamics effect the teamSign up now for our In-Game Coaching Track: PGCCoaching.com

This week we’re joined by Todd Gongwer, a best-selling author, speaker and teacher on leadership and cultural development. He wrote one of our favorite books, Lead… for God’s Sake, and in this episode they discuss leading well in a competitive environment amidst the pressures of winning.Show Notes:• Responsibility crisis• Finding blind spots• The emphasis on results• Winning the right ways• Pursuing happiness• Finding peace• Being a competitor• Passion v. Purpose• Making an impact• What will be enough• What other relationships are effected• Finding purpose• Reaping the rewardsLearn more from Todd Gongwer:@ToddGongwerKardiatg.comTodd's Gongwer's Bio:(Pronounced GONG-wur)For nearly thirty years, Todd Gongwer has been building his expertise in leadershipand team dynamics by serving in a variety of senior level roles in business andathletics. From entrepreneurial start-up, to public company to college athletics,Todd’s real-life practical experiences in these worlds have given him a perspectivethat allow

This week TJ and Sam zoom out on offense and discuss different approaches coaches take in choosing their offensive strategy. They discuss what works and what doesn’t, and how to get your team to buy-in.Show Notes:• Getting players into roles• Style of coaching• The good and bad of freedom on offense• Understanding what wins• Having to breakdown bad habits• Scoring v. winning• Cultivating discipline and responsibility• Does your team know?• Players losing trust early in the season• Offensive essentials: pressure on rim, perimeter threat, shot selection• Getting your team to understand and buy-in• Deeper questions about your strategy• Playing small example• Bringing your coaching to life• Paint Touches

This week we discuss the importance of how a coach evaluates their team throughout the season. Specifically we dive into evaluating games, practices, players, and staff.Show Notes:• Games– Are we overcomplicating it?– Focusing feedback on what you value– Age & Stage – Picking 3 Things• Players– Trying to do too much– Narrow the focus and name the win– The role of joy in development– Diagnosing and prescribing• Practices– Engagement and enjoyment– Create a plan for evaluation– Boosting culture in the midst of outside pressures– Sam’s practice examples– Right level of challenge & difficulty– Creating data in practice• Staff– Alignment & role clarity– Communicating the focus– Streamlining feedback

This week TJ and Sam discuss whether individual stats or team success get you in the hall of fame, what it means to impact winning, and how to get our players to value more than just scoring. Show Notes:• Recent comments from Gilbert Arenas• How you measure stats• Impacting winning• What we value in our culture•  Winning matters• Accounting for all factors• NBA player examples• Who makes teammates better• High value on scoring• The coach's eye test• Highlight culture• Putting the puzzle together• What's best for your team

This week we kick off the episode discussing a recent event in coaching where a professional football player went to the head coach to complain about the offensive coordinator. From there we touch on a variety of topics including coaches making adjustments, navigating relationship dynamics, and the challenge of leading today.

This week we’re joined by Coach Dean Lockwood from Michigan State who has 40 years of coaching experience in both men’s and women’s college basketball, as both an assistant and head coach, and including 5 Final Four appearances and two national championships at the University of Tennessee with legendary coach, Pat Summit.Show Notes:• Mentorship and growing as a coach•  Pat Summit•  Importance of fundamentals• Top offensive and defensive habits• Telling players the truth• Differences and similarities coaching men and women• Coach development• Assistant coaching

We’ve heard it said, you become like the 5 people you spend the most time with and in this episode, Sam and TJ discuss what that means for you and your coaching journey.Show Notes:• Surrounding yourself with the right people• Finding mentors• When the student is ready, the teacher will appear• Are you attracting the right people• Our environment shapes us more than our intentions• People, places, and things• Awareness• Influencing weaker environments• The need for community

It takes some work to get the pieces of our teams to come together and complement each other. In this week’s episode, we discuss what factors into picking your starting five, managing your rotations, and how to get everyone bought into the team’s success.Show Notes:- Starting the game well- Finding complementary parts and playing small- Be afraid to switch it up- Who you're bringing off the bench and when- Identifying and communicating roles- Getting your team to buy-in- Not making decisions in a silo- Fitting players into your system- Knowing your personnel- Pivoting when it's not working- When superstars don't mesh- Team culture implications- Golden State examples- Helping players step up into roles and thriveSign up for our fall coaching clinics and shooting colleges at https://pgcbasketball.com/camps/coaching-clinic/

In this week’s episode, Sam and TJ discuss how we can maximize our team’s potential by keeping it simple both on and off the court and why it’s so important to our success.

This week Associate Head Coach from Utah Women’s Basketball, Gavin Petersen joins the show. Coach Petersen has over 20 years of  Division I coaching experience and is in his 8th season at Utah where the program is coming off a 27-5 season after advancing to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. In this episode we discuss what a successful program culture looks like, staff dynamics, qualities of a great head coach, shot selection, and more.Show Notes:Building a Winning Culture• Unselfish Players• Making winning plays and the right plays • Doing extra work• Grind, Grit, and Fun• Right fitMaking it Fun• Celebrate each other• Music• Buddy System• Getting to another levelMake the right playSkill development time percentageUsing Analytics• Wide open 3pt shots• Transition 3s•"There is no yellow light"Shout praise whisper criticismGood Shot - Bad Shot• Understanding the Why• Meet them halfway• Giving them a voice• Clarifying vague coach languageLeading Your Staff• Allowing your staff to coach• Growing a

This week TJ and Sam discuss how to prevent your team from coming out flat, what to do tactically during the game to get them out of it, and how to approach them after a game where you came out flat.Pregame Prevention: • Knowing how your team prepares and gets ready • Resulting • Maybe it's something else • Why, Short Term Solutions, Tactics, Substitutions Tactics: • Increase Defensive Pressure • Using the Early Timeout • Using Questions • Explaining Your Strategy • Green Offense • Using Sets & Focusing on ExecutionAAR: • Approaching Your Team & Building Ownership • Punting • Using Group Chat • Time & Place • Getting to Clarity • Developing a Sense of Urgency • Smelling a Loss & Grabbing Their Attention • Self-Evaluation & Accountability