Sport and the Growing Good

Mike Zdebski is the head football coach at Hamilton High School, the biggest school in Arizona and a traditional football force. Before beginning at Hamilton, Coach Zdebski spent 29 years on the sideline in Michigan, where he achieved at the highest levels and was elected to the Michigan High School Football Association’s Hall of Fame. In this episode of the SGG podcast, we discussed: 1.  The scale of high school football in Arizona, including high-level media attention. 2.  The friendships he developed through football. 3.  Learning the game while coaching with Pat Fox. 4.  Giving assistant coaches opportunities to continue learning while he was at Walled Lake in Michigan. 5.  Why he took over as head track coach… and encouraged his football players to run track. 6.  Identifying college coaches to learn from – including Urban Meyer and Dan Mullen – and the importance of developing trusting relationships with them. 7.  Using Zoom to promote learning for his football staff. 8.  Weekly leadership meetings for his players. 9.  Once a month team-building activities – centered on community service and fun. 10.  Reading together as a team. (you win the locker room first) 11.  Weekly team meetings. 12.  Why he took on a new challenge…and some of the specific elements of turning around a team that had experienced difficult times. 13.  Building a youth program. 14.  The impact of personal training on young football players. 15.  Providing support to his players in contacting colleges and supporting them through the recruiting process. 16.  Why there’s no need for “rah rah” speeches before games – but how important routine and focus are in developing mature teams. 17.  “Learning to be yourself” as a coach.

Marques Johnson is a commentator for the Milwaukee Bucks on Fox Sports. Marques had a distinguished career as a player: from Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles, to UCLA, and then in the NBA. One of the great players of his generation joined the SGG podcast to talk about his dad, some of the famous coaches he played for, and other coaches he’s observed over the years. We discussed: 1.  Marques’ father’s background coaching in Natchitoches, Louisiana and his “basketball bible.” 2.  Learning the game from his dad and competing at Sportsman’s Park (now called Jesse Owens Park). 3.  Growing up with future NFL great James Lofton. 4.  What he and his friends learned by playing the game with a ball of aluminum foil. 5.  Playing for Crenshaw High School’s legendary coach Willie West. 6.  Coach Wooden’s saying, “You don’t treat every player the same, because they’re not the same.” 7.  Coach Wooden’s meticulous notes after each practice. 8.  What Coach Wooden did for the only time before the title game in 1975. 9.  Don Nelson’s willingness to ask players for input. 10.  The Bucks’ 1983 sweep of the Celtics and why Coach Nelson didn’t want to “poke the bear.” 11.  Keeping a team “even keel” and keeping emotions in check through the ups and downs. 12.  Coach Mike Budenholzer’s growth as a head coach including the use of strategies such as “breaking bread,” “daily vitamins,” and knowing how to keep players’ best interest at the forefront. 13.  How he’s changed the ways he works on basketball with his own kids over the years – “it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

Donovan “Donny” Dooley owns and runs “Quarterback University,” where young quarterbacks are trained and developed “52 weeks a year.” In the growing industry of private skills development in youth sports, QBU has emerged as one of the football leaders in the Midwest. In this episode of the SGG podcast, Donny and I discussed: 1.  Learning the cerebral side of quarterbacking at a young age as he grew up in Detroit. 2.  Less than 1% of young quarterbacks making it. 3.  His parents’ influence on his and other kids’ lives through football. 4.  Detroit's PAL, inner-city black quarterbacks, and the early beginnings of QBU. 5.  Being a mentor, friend, and critic to his players. 6.  “What are you gonna do when you meet you?” 7.  The private coaching industry – and his concerns with parents. 8.  Parents as social media promoters of their kids. 9.  Providing access for inner-city families. 10.  His relationship with high school coaches. 11.  When counseling his players on how to make college choices, “don’t chase the logo.” 12.  Success stories off the field. 13.  His continuous learning from trusted leaders in the field.

Jim Delany served as Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference for over 30 years. Jim played basketball for Coach Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina. He is recognized as one of the most influential leaders in all of sports. Jim learned from, worked with, and helped shape a long list of great coaches. In this episode, we discussed: 1.  His remarkable direct and indirect lineage, which includes the likes of: James Naismith,  Ernest “Prof” Blood, Jim’s dad, Jack Dalton, Joe Lapchick, Dean Smith, Larry Brown, Eddie Fogler. 2.  Why his dad advised him to pursue law school. 3.  Coaching as “an art not a science” – which makes it difficult to predict who will be good at it. 4.  The value of experience… and the misleading indicators that the NCAA tournament can provide. 5.  Being an extrovert – who likes to “joust and laugh” – and growing up in a diverse, complex community. 6.  Sharing ownership of ideas and initiatives and building a culture of collaboration among competitors. 7.  Dean Smith as an innovator and builder of a “community of trust.” 8.  Why UNC won the close games. 9.  Why Coach Smith designed some defensive schemes to give up easy shots. 10.  Being passionate, curious, frank, prepared, and creative every day. 11.  Learning the “gestation period” for ideas. 12.  Guiding, supporting, and leaning on his Big Ten team. 13.  Re-committing to physical activity in his 60s. 14.  Learning from others (Gavitt, Byers) – and “not needing to make every mistake yourself.”

Craig Bundy is an Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Famer whose impact on players, teams, and communities transcends the football field. Coach Bundy “sees the big picture” in sports, focusing on not just wins and losses, but upon the ways we can grow the good through teamwork and competition. In this episode of SGG, we discussed: 1.  The impact that his high school football coach had on his life. 2.  Becoming a head high school coach “way, way too early.” 3.  What he learned when he left coaching to try a career in sales. 4.  Learning the game at the University of Illinois and other stops along his journey. 5.  When yelling is necessary. 6.  Seeing the big picture when working with kids. 7.  Communicating with parents. 8.  The Best Buddies partnership. 9.  The “Team Together” concept – which emphasizes selflessness. 10.  How service-related work can contribute to winning on the field. 11.  The unique role of football in individual and community lives.

Jeff Duncan Andrade is widely revered as a leading professor and dynamic speaker. He’s also a public school teacher, author of books and articles, and the founder of a school. But did you know that he was also a championship-winning high school basketball coach and, before that, an elite athlete? In this episode of the SGG podcast, we discussed: 1.  How travel basketball opened the world (and universities) to him beginning in middle school. 2.  How sports revealed his “inner math and science nerd.” 3.  Developing an identity, becoming a better person, and having fun in sports. 4.  What he wished coaches would have helped him understand. 5.  The end of his college athletics dream…and Dr. Harry Edwards’ life-changing hour with him. 6.  Why he (literally) burned his college sports gear. 7.  The good and bad aspects of the trend toward more coaches being “institutionally detached.” 8.  Why schools should recruit teachers of color with coaching backgrounds. 9.  Why he asks leading university schools of education if they have consulted with their football and basketball coaches. 10.  “Presence is profound.” 11.  The multigenerational “community participation” lessons that schools should learn from sports and churches.

Paul Chryst is the head football coach at the University of Wisconsin. He’s led the team to great heights, both on the field and off. Recognized as a leading mind in the game, Coach Chryst serves as a model from whom other coaches in Wisconsin and beyond can learn. In this episode of the SGG podcast, we discussed: 1.  Shattering the backboard during a high school basketball game. 2.  Noticing high school football programs that have organized “systems” and passion around their programs. 3.  His impressions of the benefits and potential problems associated with the growing private coaching industry. 4.  Being the “young guy in the staff room” for many of his formative years as a coach. 5.  What he looks for when hiring young coaches. 6.  How he organized all the coaching information he picked up over the years. 7.  Deek Pollard’s motto: “It’ll feel better after it quits hurting” … and Coach Chryst’s emphasis on working hard and having fun together. 8.  Why he wanders among the players during each day’s pre-practice stretching time. 9.  Starting over on Sundays each week during the season. 10.  Listening to other coaches, and asking the right questions at the right time. 11.  Continually seeking new and better ways to coach and lead. 12.  “Football brings us all together, but at the end, if all we have is football, then we’ve missed something.”

Paula Wilkins is the head coach of the University of Wisconsin’s women’s soccer team. After competing at Division 1 and national levels, she’s been a successful coach in major college soccer – at both Penn State and Wisconsin. Coach Wilkins is full of wisdom. In this episode of the SGG podcast, we discussed: 1.  The advantages of playing soccer with boys until age 16. 2.  Her first soccer coach – and his long-term impact on her trajectory. 3.  The ways her college coach trusted her – and prepared her for a coaching future. 4.  The characteristics of successful youth soccer coaches – including honesty. 5.  Learning about recruits from opposing club coaches and opposing club players. 6.  Looking for a special talent/skill in a young player, and how the skill shows when times are tough. 7.  The changes she made in 2013-14, including improvements in communication. 8.  Defining effort. 9.  Her everyday habit of touching base with each of her players during warm-ups. 10.  Writing out each day’s practice plan and theme so players know what to expect before they begin. 11.  Letting former players know about their lasting impact on the program. 12.  Getting things in order before something bad happens.

Fran McCaffery is the head basketball coach at the University of Iowa. He was the youngest Division 1 head coach in the country at Lehigh University at age 26 and has enjoyed numerous successes and accolades at multiple stops in the ensuing years. Coach Fran is one of the best. In this SGG episode, we discuss: 1.  Getting noticed and supported at a young age in Philadelphia by Sam Rines, who ended up coaching Kobe Bryant. 2.  What he’s looked for in an AAU program as a father of four kids. 3.  The funniest teammate he’s been around – and the importance of humor on a team. 4.  Team personality as part of culture. 5.  Having purposeful conversations with players who are different – and knowing how to reach each of them in meaningful ways. 6.  Basketball not being “a game of perfect.” 7.  Getting through the long winter grind of the season – and locking in on hoops while class is out of session. 8.  Building confidence in players. 9.  Being there for players when the going gets tough.

Greg Gard is the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin. As a winner of multiple conference titles and numerous awards, he’s recognized as a leader in the profession. Those who work with Coach Gard admire his skill and steadiness as a leader in Madison. In this SGG episode, we discuss: 1.  His early interests in college basketball – and why he was initially an Iowa Hawkeye fan. 2.  His experience as an eighth-grade basketball coach. 3.  Attending Bob Knight clinics as a young coach. 4.  Coaches as teachers who pay attention to detail. 5.  The importance of interpersonal communication on teams. 6.  Being vulnerable as a head coach. 7.  Developing a staff that has diverse ideas, but a unified voice. 8.  His relationships with other head coaches, including Bo Ryan, Tom Izzo, Dick Bennett, and Matt Painter. 9.  The decrease in high school coaches working inside the schools. 10.  “Being where your feet are” – paying attention to the job in front of you – not other jobs you covet down the line. 11.  Researching the intangibles of potential recruits. 12.  Where he sits (and why) when he attends a high school game to recruit. 13.  Why he talks to secretaries and janitors at the schools he visits. 14.  Seeking quality family time as opposed to chasing “balance.”