The Challenge of Holding Players Accountable

The speaker discusses the difficulties coaches face in holding players accountable and making decisions about playing time, emphasizing the importance of objective decision-making and explaining the process to the players.

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Guest: Kyle Smith, Washington State Head Coach

Washington State head coach Kyle Smith joins the Basketball Podcast to share Nerdball analytics insights.

In his first three seasons at Washington State, Smith has rebuilt the Cougars putting himself in rarified air at WSU as he has finished his first three seasons at .500 or better joining Tony Bennett as the only Cougars head coach to post .500 or better records in their first three seasons after taking over a sub-.500 club. In addition, he has posted back-to-back winning seasons, the first time in over a decade at WSU.

Smith began his coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater Hamilton College. He then moved to Division I as an assistant at Air Force, Saint Mary's, and San Diego. He got his first head coaching job at Columbia University in 2010, where he led the Lions to three postseason appearances and a 101-83 record in six seasons.

In 2016, Smith was hired as the head coach at the University of San Francisco, where he continued his success with three consecutive 20-win seasons and two postseason berths. He also implemented his signature "Nerdball" system, which uses analytics and data to evaluate players and opponents.

Breakdown

1:00 - Washington State Rebuild

5:00 - Nerdball System

9:00 - Data and Analytics

14:00 - Removing Biases

20:00 - Mindset Training

23:00 - Improvement

24:00 - 50 Categories

28:00 - Idea of Turning Threes

29:54 - 30:56 - Hoopsalytics Ad 3

34:00 - Watching the Process

37:00 - Isolation Efficiency