Idaho Basketball Coaching Podcast

Austin Johnson joins the podcast to talk about Lewis-Clark State College Men's Basketball Program. Johnson just finished this third year as head coach and led the Warriors to the NAIA Championship Game. He was also named the NABC's NAIA Coach of the Year for the second straight season. Johnson, who is originally from Kansas, discusses how his path in coaching led him to Lewiston. He gives an inside look to his coaching philosophy and the culture he's helped build at LCSC. 

Idaho Basketball Coaches Association founder Jon Nettleton joins the podcast to discuss the NFHS's decision this week to allow state's to adopt a 35-second shot clock without penalty for the 2022-23 season. Nettleton, who is the head boys coach at Mountain View in Meridian, has been an advocate for Idaho to adopt a shot clock. He helped conduct a survey a few years ago that found nearly 90 percent of Idaho's coaches were in favor of a shot clock. Nettleton shares the potential path for how a shot clock might be adopted by the Idaho High School Activities Association. He also identifies ways that a shot clock could improve the game in Idaho.

Diogo Cunha joins the Small-Sided Coaching Development Series to discuss spacing concepts and curling off of off-ball screens. Cunha is an up-and-coming basketball coach who originates from Portugal. He is currently a youth coach with the City of Birmingham Rockets in the United Kingdom.

Cody Hansen joins the podcast to talk about McCall-Donnelly Girls Basketball Program. In his seventh season, Hansen led the Vandals to their first state tournament appearance since 1993. It also happened to be McCall-Donnelly's first year in the 3A classification after a decade in the 2As. Hansen is a longtime high school coach who spent a year as a grad assistant at the University of Idaho. In this podcast, Hansen shares some of his influences over the years and discusses how his program uses analytics. He also gives some of his favorite drills and talks about the approach he used to keep a smaller team competitive.

Aaron Fernandez joins the Small-Sided Coaching Development Series to discuss practice planning for all levels of basketball. Fernandez has coached at various levels of basketball as head and assistant coach. Most recently, he worked as a player development coach and video coordinator at Davidson College. He is currently finishing his Masters degree in Coach Education and Athlete Development at Xavier University and coaching 2 AAU teams in North Carolina. Fernandez starts the episode by debunking 3 coaching myths and sharing how he has changed in the podcast. Later in the podcast, he talks about the importance of decision-making in teaching the game and provides ideas for how coaches at all levels can incorporate this important skill into their practices.

Jordan Ax joins the podcast to talk about Owyhee Girls Basketball Program. Owyhee High opens next school year and will be the newest school in the continuously growing Meridian School District. As the program's first head coach, Ax talks about the challenge of facing the unknown with the school still under construction and students deciding if they will attend. He discusses the challenges of playing at the 5A level with a team that will likely feature several young players. Ax also talks about working with state champion coaches Andy Harrington (boys coach) and Dane Roy (athletic director) in building a basketball culture. Before being named Owyhee head coach, Ax was the head girls coach at Vallivue High School. Before that, he was a longtime boys assistant coach.

Seth Kindig joins the Small-Sided Coaching Development Series to give 5 tips for how you can be a better coach. Kindig is the Director of Girls Basketball & head varsity coach at Providence Christian Academy in the Atlanta area. You may have come across Kindig’s notes from coaching clinics or podcasts that he regularly posts on his Twitter account. Kindig also started TCD Teams, which helps coaches create transformative relationships with their players. In this podcast, Kindig give 5 tips for being a better coach with detailed explanation and examples for application. The tips include Know Yourself To Lead Yourself; Apply The Support Challenge Matrix; Use Constraints; Be Mindful, Not Mindless; and Remember You Coach People, Not A Sport.

Jeff Sanor joins the podcast to talk about the Meridian Boys Basketball Program. Sanor capped off his fourth year as head coach by leading the Warriors to the 5A State Championship. Sanor is a longtime coach who graduated from Boise High School. After a standout high school career, Sanor played three years at the University of Washington before finishing at Boise State. In the podcast, Sanor reflects back on the past four years at Meridian and his coaching style. He also discusses his coaching mentors and how he filters through all the information available for coaches. Finally, Sanor discusses his decision in a District game against Eagle where his team held the ball out for several minutes.

Jarrod Moore joins the Small-Sided Coaching Development Series to talk about coaching and player development. Moore is the Coach Development Manager for New South Wales Basketball, which works with more than 80 basketball associations in Australia's most populous state. Moore has a considerable background in teaching coaches how to coach. In this podcast, Moore discusses a number of topics that will benefit all coaches in their development. He provides some great takeaways for working with parents and feeder programs. Moore also provides tips that will help veteran coaches nurture younger coaches and players.

Bryan Chase joins the program to talk about the St. Maries Boys Basketball Program. Chase capped off his seventh year as head coach by guiding the Lumberjacks to the 2A state title. Chase has built one of the most consistent programs in the state. St. Maries has made the state semifinals all seven years and finished third and second the previous 2 years. A former girls basketball coach at St. Maries, Chase relives St. Maries run at this year's state tournament. In the state semifinal, the Lumberjacks hit a 3-point shot with .6 seconds remaining on the clock to beat defending state champion North Fremont. The next day, St. Maries rallied from five down with 90 seconds remaining to win the school's first state title in six decades. Chase discusses playing in the 2A Central Idaho League and his coaching influences.