Blue Ribbon College Basketball Podcast

In the newest episode of the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Podcast, hosts Chris Dortch (@cdortch) and Kevin Ingram (@KIngramSports) discuss the SEC teams in Blue Ribbon’s top 25 for this season, Nate Oats’ impressive work at Alabama, and much more.Some of the topics the guys discuss:* The SEC teams in Blue Ribbon’s top 25 for the 2020-21 season* Alabama’s depth after an impressive recruiting haul* How Nate Oats is rebuilding the roster with the Crimson Tide* Expectations for when college basketball season could start * Potential formats for conference and non-conference schedules* Billy Donovan’s next move after leaving the Oklahoma City ThunderAll Blue Ribbon college basketball podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts.You can also listen in your email client or click on the “Listen In Podcast App” link above to listen in your podcast player of choice.Coming up on ThursdayThanks for listening to this free podcast from the Blue Ribbon Report.In Thursday’s long-form edition for paid subscribers, Blue Ribbon releases its full top 25 for the 2020-21 college basketball season. Plus, the My Favorite Venues series returns with Kevin Ingram’s look at North Carolina’s Dean Dome.Subscribe now for only $7.99 per month (or save $24 per year with an annual subscription) to have it sent directly to your email.Also, be sure to pre-order the 40th-anniversary edition of the Blue Ribbon Yearbook for the 2020-21 season. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blueribbon.substack.com

In the newest episode of the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Podcast, hosts Chris Dortch (@cdortch) and Kevin Ingram (@KIngramSports) welcome in first-year Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes (@ForbesWakeHoops).Some of the topics the guys discuss:* Forbes’ journey to becoming the Wake Forest head coach* Using the tradition of the program to sell recruits* The challenges of recruiting during the unique offseason* Possible scenarios for the 2020-21 college basketball season* Conversations with other ACC coaches on bubble optionsAll Blue Ribbon college basketball podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts.You can also listen in your email client or click on the “Listen In Podcast App” link above to listen in your podcast player of choice.Coming up on ThursdayThanks for listening to this free podcast from the Blue Ribbon Report.In Thursday’s long-form edition for paid subscribers, Chris Lee and Kevin Ingram take a look at college basketball guards who are thriving in the rebounding category. Subscribe now for only $7.99 per month (or save $24 per year with an annual subscription) to have it sent directly to your email.Also, be sure to pre-order the 40th-anniversary edition of the Blue Ribbon Yearbook for the 2020-21 season. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blueribbon.substack.com

In the newest episode of the Blue Ribbon SEC podcast, hosts Kevin Ingram (@KIngramSports) and Chris Lee (@chrislee70) discuss the legacies of John Thompson and Lute Olson before diving into several SEC storylines.Some of the topics of discussion include:* John Thompson’s incredible impact at Georgetown* How Lute Olson built Arizona into a national power* Projecting the strength of the SEC in 2020-21* The situation at LSU * Marshall Henderson joining the Ole Miss coaching staff* Jerry Stackhouse’s recruiting at Vanderbilt* How the unique offseason could impact teams bringing in a lot of new playersAll Blue Ribbon college basketball podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts.You can also listen in your email client or click on the “Listen In Podcast App” link above to listen in your podcast player of choice.Coming up on ThursdayThanks for listening to this free podcast from the Blue Ribbon Report.In Thursday’s long-form edition for paid subscribers, our series, The Coaching Journey, returns with a look at the career of Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay.Also, Marshall Henderson is back at Ole Miss, and we dive into his story as he joins Kermit Davis’ coaching staff.Subscribe now for only $7.99 per month (or save $24 per year with an annual subscription) to have it sent directly to your email.Also, be sure to pre-order the 40th-anniversary edition of the Blue Ribbon Yearbook for the 2020-21 season. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blueribbon.substack.com

In the newest episode of the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Podcast, hosts Chris Dortch (@cdortch) and Kevin Ingram (@KIngramSports) welcome in ESPN’s Seth Greenberg (@SethOnHoops).Some of the topics the guys discuss:* Possible scenarios for the start of the 2020-21 college basketball season* How bubble events could be structured* The financial issues for mid-major schools with a potential conference-only schedule * How coaches are having to adapt to recruiting and offseason player development* The importance of having experience in college basketballThe Blue Ribbon College Basketball podcast will be available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more podcast platforms soon.For now, you can simply listen in your email client or click on the “Listen In Podcast App” link above to listen in your podcast player of choice.Coming up on Thursday* Luka Garza (Brian Ray/hawkeyesports.com)Thanks for listening to this free podcast from the Blue Ribbon Report.In Thursday’s long-form edition for paid subscribers, Chris Dortch shares the story of Iowa star Luka Garza, Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook’s National Preseason Player of the Year. It’s one of the most in-depth profiles you’ll ever read on the best player in college basketball.Here’s the intro to this incredible 4,000-word feature:College basketball’s most unstoppable force is about to become that much tougher to guard. Luka Garza is busting out the skyhook.It’s only fitting that Garza, Iowa’s 6-foot-11, 260-pound force of nature who racked up a fireplace mantle’s worth of honors last season, would unleash that particular weapon on unsuspecting defenders. One might say it’s the destiny of the man who last year won numerous national player-of-the-year awards, consensus first-team All-America accolades, the NABC Pete Newell Big Man of the Year award, and the one trophy that might have meant the most to him—Naismith Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year.That’s because, as Garza has recounted many times, at an age when his friends were watching cartoons, the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon, Garza was pouring over old NBA game tapes. Garza’s father, mentor and first skills coach Frank, who is 6-7 and played college basketball at Idaho, correctly reasoned he and Garza’s mother Sejla, who is 5-11 and played professionally in Europe, had a son with the potential to grow into a physically imposing big man.Frank Garza was going to make sure his boy had the right tools of the trade.So goodbye cartoons and hello watching tapes of Jake Sikma’s reverse pivot; Hakeem Olajuwon’s Dream Shake; Kevin’s McHale’s smorgasbord of head fakes, drop steps and fadeaway jumpers; and above all, the signature weapon of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer Kareem-Abdul Jabbar—the skyhook.When he was younger, Garza would practice all those moves and more on a mini hoop in the family’s basement. As he grew older, his laboratory became a basket in the driveway. Who needed cartoons? The boy had become obsessed with basketball.Subscribe now for only $7.99 per month (or save $24 per year with an annual subscription) to have it sent directly to your email inbox.Also, be sure to pre-order the 40th-anniversary edition of the Blue Ribbon Yearbook for the 2020-21 season. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blueribbon.substack.com

Editor’s Note: Blue Ribbon is expanding its podcast network with its first conference podcast. Other conference podcasts will be available in the future. The first episode of our national podcast, the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Podcast, is already available. In the inaugural episode of the Blue Ribbon SEC podcast, hosts Kevin Ingram (@KIngramSports) and Blake Lovell (@theblakelovell) discuss the state of SEC basketball entering the 2020-21 season.Some of the topics of discussion include:* Potential bubble scenarios in college basketball* Why the SEC was a big winner at the NBA Draft deadline* The importance of Yves Pons returning to Tennessee* Rick Barnes’ continued success on the recruiting trail* The impact of Kenny Payne leaving Kentucky for the New York Knicks* LSU having the talent to compete for a league title* Why consistency is the key for Florida* Alabama’s loaded roster in Nate Oats’ second season* The challenges for Vanderbilt in trying to climb the SEC ladderAll Blue Ribbon college basketball podcasts will be available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms soon.For now, you can simply listen in your email client or click on the “Listen In Podcast App” link above to listen in your podcast player of choice.Coming up on ThursdayThanks for listening to this free podcast from the Blue Ribbon Report.In Thursday’s long-form edition for paid subscribers, our series, The Coaching Journey, returns with a look at the career of Lipscomb head coach Lennie Acuff. Chris Dortch catches up with the veteran coach to discuss his path to becoming a Division I coach, lessons he’s learned along the way, and much more.Also, another new series debuts with Kevin Ingram’s first installment of My Favorite Venues. He shares fun memories of his trips to Allen Fieldhouse and the rich tradition of Kansas basketball.Subscribe now for only $7.99 per month (or save $24 per year with an annual subscription) to have it sent directly to your email.Also, be sure to pre-order the 40th-anniversary edition of the Blue Ribbon Yearbook for the 2020-21 season. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blueribbon.substack.com

In the inaugural episode of the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Podcast, hosts Chris Dortch (@cdortch) and Kevin Ingram (@KIngramSports) welcome in ESPN’s Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi).Some of the topics the guys discuss:* The cancellation of the 2020 NCAA tournament* College players returning to school vs. going pro in an uncertain basketball landscape* Lunardi’s projected No. 1 seeds entering the 2020-21 season* How Baylor, Gonzaga, Villanova, and Virginia continue to have success* The importance of having experience in the NCAA tournament* Lunardi’s process for building a bracket, even in the summertime* Potential scenarios for college basketball to return amid the pandemicThe Blue Ribbon College Basketball podcast will be available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more podcast platforms soon. For now, you can simply listen in your email client or click on the “Listen In Podcast App” link above to listen in your podcast player of choice.Coming up on ThursdayThanks for listening to this free podcast from the Blue Ribbon Report.In Thursday’s long-form edition for paid subscribers, the Blue Ribbon Report staff takes an inside look at the transfer phenomenon in college basketball. We talk to Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis, Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes, UAB head coach Andy Kennedy, San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher, Kentucky assistant Joel Justus, Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd, and former Gonzaga star Dan Dickau for insight into how transfers have become such a big part of the sport.Subscribe now for only $7.99 per month (or save $24 per year with an annual subscription) to have it sent directly to your email.Also, be sure to pre-order the 40th-anniversary edition of the Blue Ribbon Yearbook for the 2020-21 season. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blueribbon.substack.com