Episode #311 features Nick Thompson, the head boys basketball coach at Elkhorn (NE). Coach comes from a lineage of great coaches and has learned from some of the best coaches in the state of Nebraska. Coach discusses his journey, being selective in the jobs he applied for, why Elkhorn was the job for him, growing as a coach, building a fundamentally sound program, the importance of defense and more! This was a fun conversation with one of Nebraska's best up and coming coaches!

We've got a lot of great stuff to talk about in this edition of "The Notebook", including:

*College basketball achievements by freshman and old coaches

*Fixing collegiate eligibility

*Navigating up's and down's of January

*Preparing for late game scenarios

*Putting together your rotation based on analytics

ENJOY!

It is GREAT to have Mike Neighbors, the former HC at the University of Arkansas and current assistant coach for the Los Angeles Sparks, back on the podcast! Coach and I break down a bunch of different topics, including the new Refindex.com to help rate officials at the collegiate level. We also talk about the last year of his life, from getting let go from his dream job to moving into the professional ranks and we also spend some time talking about some of our recent favorite books. This was alot of fun to have on Coach once again!

Blake DuDonis is the lead Assistant Women's Basketball Coach at Fairfield University, one of the best mid-major women's basketball program in the country. Coach DuDonis and the Fairfield staff have a unique philosophy to their program, which he dives into in the podcast! Coach also talks about his basketball journey, going from a head coach to an assistant coach, the next steps for their program, offensive transition, special situations and more! This was a really fun conversation with one of America's up and coming assistant coaches!

Ryan Hintz is the head boys basketball coach at Blue Valley (KS) High School, where he has built a really consistent program. He comes on the podcast this week to talk about a bunch of different topics, including being a transformational coach and how to motivate young people today, growing as a coach, developing back to the basket post players, developing a solid youth program and much more! A really fun podcast with one of the best coaches in the Kansas City Metro area!

The latest edition of "The Notebook" features an extended discussion of "January Season" and how to navigate perhaps the toughest season of the year, including growing your own team. We also have a segment on game situations to cover and prepare for. Our last segment deals with "New Year's Resolutions" and how to best prepare yourself for the New Year and how to make yourself better. Enjoy!

Really excited to have on Chris Mayes, the author of the "Drive The Gap" Substack series! Coach Mayes has two decades of international basketball experience that he has brought here to the United States and is now sharing with the world. In this episode, we break down the differences between the way the game is played and developed here in the United States as opposed to Europe, where coaches need the most help, player development at both the perimeter and the post, scouting and much more! Alot of fun talking with Coach this week!

Merry Christmas from APAAN! We've got a bunch of things to talk about this week in "The Notebook", including game situations, a great 1 on 1 drill, analyzing the 49-0 stretch of the Heartland going into Christmas break, Emirates Cup champion New York Knicks and more!