Midwest Elite Basketball Brad Schmit: College basketball coach, entrepreneur and personal development enthusiast.

“Started from the bottom now we here.” The famous mantra from Drake, fits the men’s basketball program at Ancilla College well. Upon Coach Butcher taking the program over six seasons ago the program hadn’t tasted much success in the school’s history. Since the takeover, Coach Butcher has compiled a 100-63 overall record, led the team to it’s highest ever national ranking at #2 in NJCAA Division II and is becoming a regular in post season play. How did a former player of this program take it from the bottom of the Michigan Community College Athletic Association to the top?

The details of this dramatic program turnaround are explained by the guy who took them to this new level. It was a pleasure for me to sit down with Coach Butcher and hear about what he did to get the Charger program to the mountain and how they are striving to stay there. Highlights of this podcast include:



* 100th Career Victory

* Taking over a struggling program

* Buy-In: Selling It, Believing It, Maintaining It

* Program Culture

* From the hunter to the the hunted

* Player Development

* Value of Relationships



About Coach Butcher

Coach Aaron Butcher (@CoachButcher) is in his sixth year as the head men’s basketball coach at Ancilla College. He is the first coach in the program’s history to be a former player and now the head coach. In his six seasons he has put together quite the resume. With 100 career wins, multiple post season appearances and a current NJCAA D2 national ranking of #2, it is easy to say the Chargers program is becoming a premiere destination for players. At the time of this recording the Chargers are currently 17-1 overall and undefeated in league play.

Coach Butcher started his college coaching career as an assistant coach for NAIA powerhouse, Indiana Wesleyan. All three seasons on staff the program played in the NAIA National Tournament, finishing in the Elite Eight two different times. Along with his coaching positions, Coach Butcher has worked basketball camps across the Midwest and was an AAU coach for the Spiece Indy Heat.

References and Links

Ancilla College Men’s Basketball

NJCAA National Rankings

Michigan Community College Athletic Association

Spiece Indy Heat

 

For this first episode of the 2017-2018 college basketball season the MEB operations team thought it would be fun to flip the script and have someone interview me.  MEB Co-Owner, Craig Doty, is the guest host for this special edition of the podcast. There is a very different feel to this episode with a new voice leading the question asking and having the regular host responding. Hopefully everyone enjoys hearing a little bit of my personal background and story. It should provide a personal relationship with me moving forward as we continue the MEB podcast.

Content included in this interview includes:



* Basketball journey: Playing career to full time college coach

* Moving to Montana

* Current state of the Yellowjackets program

* Nicknames

* Coaching Goals

* Self Development: What gets me excited

* Off Court Passions

* Doty Special Edition “Rapid Fire Questions”



About Coach Schmit

Coach Brad Schmit (@Coach_Schmit), is currently in his sixth season coaching the Montana State University Billings men’s basketball team. During those six seasons, Schmit spent one season as a volunteer assistant, four seasons as the lead assistant and now holds the title of associate head coach. During his time as a Yellowjacket, the program has maintained a quality level of play in the competitive GNAC. 3 out of 5 seasons the team has qualified for the conference tournament (top 6 out of 11 qualify), fielded multiple all-conference players and is now off to the best start in over 15 years with a record of 5-0.

Schmit made his journey to MSUB after 10 seasons playing and coaching for his alma mater, Morningside College. The time spent coaching the program he helped build as a player was a very rewarding time in his career. The Mustangs reached new heights during his tenure as a player and coach. Schmit compiled a 193-126 record (117-73 as a coach) including three NAIA National Tournament appearances, three Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) titles and a GPAC Conference Championship.  All of the accolades Schmit earned as a player led him to be inducted into the 2017 Mside Hall of Fame.

Away from basketball Schmit has a variety of hobbies all tailored to being outdoors. He is passionate about mountain living and enjoys his time snowboarding, hiking and exploring the amazing landscape of Montana. Ideally these activities include his two favorite people, his beautiful wife Jacque and his son 18 month old son Preston.

 

References and Links

MSUB Yellowjackets Men’s Basketball

Great Northwest Athletic Conference

Morningside College Men’s Basketball

Morningside Hall of Fame Article

 

Skill development is a small component of a college basketball program, but one area that is rapidly growing. NCAA Division I programs have started having a “Director of Player Development” on staff and lower levels are starting to enhance the workouts they are doing with their players.Almost every single NBA player has their own “skill instructor” and a quick Google search will provide you with countless videos on how to dribble, pass and shoot.

With the amount of information out there it would be very easy to get overwhelmed by the content available and not know which drills to even do. A big takeaway from this short interview is to “Cut the Fluff” from workouts and keep things “Vanilla”.

In this episode of the MEB podcast I sat down with Coach Evan Lavery to talk specifically about the skill work he does with his players. This is an area of his program that Coach Lavery has always been passionate about and constantly seeks to improve. I know I will be taking things from this interview and implementing them with my own players. Some highlights from our conversation include:



* Closeout Drill’s: Start of each workout

* Shot Charts: Benefits of tracking makes and misses

* Quality of workouts over quantity

* Toning back pre-season conditioning

* Assistant Coach=IDEA GUY

* Head Coach=DECISION MAKER

* JC Program runs like a 4-Year Program



About Coach Lavery

Coach Evan Lavery, is entering his second season at the helm of the Rock Valley College Golden Eagle men’s basketball program. Being the head coach at RVC is still fresh for Coach Lavery, but the program as a whole has his hand prints all over it. Before taking over as the head coach, Lavery spent three years as an assistant coach. During this time all the Golden Eagle’s have done is win. With an overall winning percentage of .845, 2 National Titles and a list of guys who have moved on to the four year level, it is safe to say the RVC men’s basketball program is one of the best junior college programs in the country.

Only heading into his sixth year as a college coach at the ripe young age of 29, the coaching trajectory for Coach Lavery has been a fast one. Focusing on developing his athletes in all areas of their lives is one of the main selling points for his early success. The players who are a part of the Golden Eagle men’s basketball program get a chance to develop as players and young men before making the jump to the four year level. “We’ve had a lot of four year coaches on campus already this fall and they all comment on how organized we are. Running our program like a four year program is one of the main factors to our success.”

Before taking over as the head coach at RVC, Lavery spent three years as assistant under Coach Craig Doty. Lavery played his college ball at Kishwaukee College for two years before finishing his career at Central Methodist University.

References and Links

Rock Valley College Men’s Basketball

 

Whether you are a high school coach, high school player, administrator, college coach or college athlete, this podcast is for you. If you are looking for advice on creating a universal lifting program for high school athletes, check. If you are a college basketball coach preparing for the pre-season, check. If you are looking for advice on athlete recovery, check.  There are countless nuggets to choose from in the entire episode.

The difference between this episode of the podcast and all the previous ones, is this hits a larger demographic of listeners. You don’t have to be a college basketball coach to enjoy this or get something from it. Nich is truly an impressive human being and knows more about the body than 99% of the population. I hope everyone enjoys the content as much as I did.

Highlights from the interview include:



* Performance: #1 Metric we should be evaluating

* Strength in the core: Building block of high school weight training

* Weight room is a tool to improve at your individual sport

* Testing Metrics for high school athletes

* Mobility before increasing strength

* Quality of workouts over quantity

* Limited Time: Basketball over weight training….focus on your sport

* The Long Game: Power throughout competition and season

* Recovery: Sleep, Nutrition, Alcohol

* Sauna-Cold Treatment: When to use? Benefits?



About Dr. Nich Pertuit

Dr. Nich Pertuit is the director of Health and Human Performance department at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana. Nich specializes in Human Performance in the domains of Sport and Health, and has been working in the teaching and performance realm for 15 years. He holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Health, Exercise and Sports Sciences from Texas Tech University.  Along with his PhD, he is holds the highest ranking of Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. If you are thinking of getting the epicanthoplasty procedure done then you should consult a specialist and ask for their opinion.

His list of accomplishments is far ranging with consultant work being done with, Stanford University, Cal Poly Pomona, the University of Texas, and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. Nich has also helped build the first ever Health and Human Performance Mobile Lab at Rocky Mountain College, along with rewriting the HHP curriculum for the RMC department.  Nich even spent some time as a professional athlete kicking for multiple teams in the Arena Football League.

Nich believes that HEALTH is a behavior, and that education is the greatest motivator to affect behavior. However, knowledge is only part of education. Experience, motivation, mindset, perspective analysis…all of these and more must also be included in proper education.

On a personal note, Nich loves soccer, animals, the state of Montana, reading and enjoying life. His wife, Laura, and him just welcomed their baby girl Ellie into the world this June, and love spending time in the mountains with their dog, Koda.

References and Links

MEB Podcast Show Notes-Dr. Nich Pertuit

 

96 Players, 12 Teams, 12 Coaches and 2 Bus Drivers…….sounds like a logistical nightmare for some, while for Vince Hordemann and the Select Basketball program, it is just another summer on the AAU circuit.

Being it is the month of July, it is only fitting we sat down with someone directly involved with an AAU program. As summer basketball continues to grow, with the expansion of the NBA D-League and NCAA DI programs having more time to work with their kids, it only makes sense it would trickle down to the high school level. Where it occurs at the high school level is with the growth of AAU. The shoe sponsored tournaments are being broadcast on ESPN, programs are better funded, tournaments are growing and college coaches are rushing out to see kids play.

So many things were covered in this episode and is well worth the listen. Here are some topics covered:



* 2017 AAU Tour: Bellevue, WA to Anaheim, CA to Las Vegas, NV

* How they look for kids to play in their program

* Importance of basketball IQ and character

* Coaches on the Select staff

* Select Basketball origin story

* Vince’s daily routine/discipline

* Where is AAU heading

* Content marketing



About Vince Hordemann

Vince Hordemann (@VinceHordemann) , is one of two brothers who owns and operates Select Basketball. The Select program was founded back in 1998 and has grown each year under the Hordemann brother’s. Vince’s career in basketball started with the Idaho Stampede, a CBA team that came under the NBA D-League umbrella, as the Director of Public Relations. As he got involved with the Stampede, he was approached to take over the Boise Select program, which eventually became Idaho Select. As Montana Select started up a few summers ago, more teams got involved and it was time to create one universal brand, Select Basketball.

What I love about Vince’s role with Select, is his business acumen behind the scenes for the program. From the design of their website (one of the best basketball websites around), to the organization of travel, Facebook living games (he also provided color commentary) and content marketing, the guy is truly one of the hardest workers in the AAU world. “If kids are going to trust in us, we are going to give them everything we got.”

As the Select brand continues to grow the future looks bright for the organization. With three teams competing at the 14U, 15U, 16U and 17U levels, the basketball for Select just continues to improve.

References and Links

Select Basketball Website

Select Basketball on Twitter

Vince’s Personal Blog

Select Facebook Page

NW Premier Summer Results

Double Pump Best of Summer Tournament

If anyone was destined to be a head high school coach in the state of Minnesota, Coach Tesdahl of New Prague High School, would have to be that guy. It is almost as if the basketball gods created the Tesdahl family to solely be coaches. The patriarch of the coaching tree starts with Tesdahl’s Grandpa, Bob McDonald.  From Coach McDonald you can branch off any direction of the family tree and find coaches throughout the family. Bryce happens to be one of the youngest members of the McDonald/Tesdahl coaching tree. With years of learning from his Gpa, Mom, Dad, Uncles and Aunts, it is no surprise the early success Bryce has had.

In his two short years leading the New Prague program he has taken his boys to new heights. With back-to-back 20 win seasons, appearances in the sectional tournament and the 1st ever top ten rating at the 4A level, the leadership Tesdahl has displayed is making the Trojans a force to be reckoned with. As he continues to develop the culture of the program, he has his sites set on making a state tournament run in the coming years.

The conversation I had with Bryce went in a multitude of directions with highlights including:



* Transition from college coaching to high school coaching

* Time Management

* Multi-Sport Athletes

* Preparing kids for college athletics

* Social Media: Good, Bad and How to Police

* Family Coaching Tree

* Back in my Day Stories

* Goals for New Prague Program



About Coach Tesdahl

Coach Tesdahl (@CoachTesdahl), is entering his eighth summer of directing camps for Midwest Elite Basketball. He is currently the Head Boys Coach at New Prague High School in New Prague, Minnesota. Tesdahl was an NSIC All-Conference point guard at Bemidji State University from 2008-2012. He set a NSIC single-season record with 173 assists his senior season. After his playing career he moved on to the University of Minnesota Duluth as a Graduate Assistant. Coach Tesdahl was in Duluth for three seasons, during his tenure he helped the UMD program increase their win total from 8 to 12 to 16.

“Tessie” as he is called by his friends and TeamMEB members, is the co-owner of MEB-Minnesota. His basketball roots run deep in the state. He is the grandson of the legendary high school coach, Bob McDonald. Coach McDonald coached for 59 years at Chisholm High School, compiling 1,012 wins. His mother was the Head Coach for the Crosby-Ironton girls basketball team, his father is currently an assistant for Crosby-Ironton boys team, his brother Brock is an assistant at Hopkins High School, and he has several uncles and cousins coaching at various levels.

Coach Tesdahl led his New Prague program to a 20-8 season in his inaugural season. This included a Wright County East Conference Title. This season his team finished 20-8 and were boasting an undefeated record at 12-0. They garnered state wide attention when they cracked the top ten rankings for the 4A level, a first in the programs history. With multiple players moving on the 4-year collegiate level, this year was by far the most successful in the Trojans history.

References and Links

New Prague High School Boys Basketball

Carrying on the Family Legacy