Deep 3 with Vlad Moldoveanu Vlad Moldoveanu

Episode 27 and the end of season 1 of the " Deep 3" podcast brings us a special guest, Gheorghe Muresan. Romania's 2nd NBA player after Ernie Grunfeld and NBA's Most Improved Player for the 1995-1996 season. In the NBA he played for the Washington Wizards and New Jersey News, now he is the President of Giant Basketball Academy. In this episode, you will her from Ghita about:




How he started playing basketball

His move to Pau Orthez( France) from Cluj-Napoca, Romania. 

What it means to be a foreign player and the language barrier

His first NBA training camp

Why practices for him were never hard!

What was his mindset the year when he earned the "Most Improved Player" in the NBA award

What did he like most about the NBA and what he misses or does not miss about the NBA

His thoughts on the Romanian National Team and the future of it



You can find George Muresan on social media: 

Twitter: @GeorgeMuresan77

Make sure you follow on IG/Twitter:

Twitter: @deep3vm

Instagram: @deep3vm

Nima Omidvar- NCAA Assistant Coach 

Worked at NC State, University of Maryland, South Alabama  Nima is arguably one of the best and most active recruiters in NCAA basketball. He has been a part of the top recruiting classes in NCAA Division 1, at NC State, University of Maryland, South Alabama. 

Currently has his own podcast called "Thru_the_tunnel" , a part of the rising coaches podcast network.   - 


How and why did he get into coaching? 
Talked about his experience at Jewish Day School, St John's College HS( He coached me there during the 06-07 season) and Paul VI. 
Talked about how the WCAC is one of the toughest High School conferences in the nation - 
We touched on his time at North Carolina State and University of Maryland. How he helped them recruit players and how he learned how to recruit with the best
Difference between recruiting in the ACC vs at a smaller school or smaller conference. 
His new podcast, all inside info on thru the tunnel- a podcast about college recruiting. 

You can find Nima on TWITTER and Instagram



His podcast can be found here - Thru_The_Tunnel

This entry in the Deep3 Podcast series is very special to me as I'm hosting my fellow AU Alum, Angre Ingram. Andre is currently playing for the South Bay Lakers and has been recently selected as President of the NBA G League Players Union. He's also played with the Los Angeles Lakers.  Here's what we'll be discussing in episode 25!  

▶️ Time spent at American University and transitioning to the Pro game. 

▶️ What made Andre stay in the G League 

▶️ Giving meaning to Andre's decision to stay in the G League, income and having to work other side jobs to support his family. 

▶️ The feeling of getting the call up to finish a season with the Los Angeles Lakers. 

▶️ Differences between the G League and the NBA as far as court basketball. 

▶️ What's on the top of Andre's agenda regarding the G League Players Union. 

▶️ Goals and future plans for the G League? Is there interest in competing with European leagues? 

▶️ Mentorship and how Andre got started on his way to becoming a mentor.

Episode 24 brings me face to face with Toddrick Gotcher. A Texas legend, ranked #2 in the State of Texas coming out of High School, playing at Texas Tech under 3 different head coaches and currently in ABA League with MZT SKopje. A deadly assasin from the 3 point line and a terrific defender, TG is creating his own story in Professional hoops. Has played with success in some of the top leagues in Europe.  His mindset is performance ready and we talk about his time in each team but also about goal setting, mindset of a role player and getting out of your comfort zone. 



Toddrick has also played for Besiktas Istanbul, Ifaistos Limnou, Cholet, Koroivos. 




1:25 - Relationship with current Texas Tech- Head Coach Chris Beard
2:50- Sticking through 3 head coaches at Texas Tech- Adapting each year- Transfer culture
5:45 - Becoming a vocal leader, getting out of the comfort zone
7:25- Transition from college to professional basketball
9:05- Adjusting to France coming from Greece
11:15- Moving back to Greece for this 3rd year to play for Ifaistos Limnou and his time on the island
13:15 -Growth Mindset off the court and improving areas of his life with the time off the court
16:10- How he copes without his family overseas
18:00- Time in Besiktas
19:20- Playing for Coach Dusko Ivanovic
22:25- Advice to younger players
27:35- Preparing for life after his professional career
29:20- 3 Must have’s for a college head coach
37:45- Book recommendation

For this episode I had the great pleasure to talk with sharpshooter Trevor John and his unique story. A Cal Poly and Drexel University alum, Trevor grew up in a basketball family( His father was a collegiate coach). He also had some bad luck coming out of college as he faced an injury and broken promise( contract) from a European Pro team. Then he missed out on his first year as COVID came and leagues got cancelled. We talk about his story, mental toughness and how he got through a rookie year where he did not have a chance to play. How important his mental approach was to the game, to stay sharp, get better and stay ready for his first Professional contract. 


00:30- Talking about coming over and transition as a rookie during COVID times 
01:50- Expectations- coming over for the first time over from the US 
02:50- Coming from a basketball family- How has that helped and shaped him as a basketball player 
05:10- How does having a coach in the family, help a player understand coaches 
08:30- Transition from HS to College basketball 
13:40- Understanding your role and preparing for your role and also expand your game. 
19:30- Talking about Drexel and his grad transfer from Cal Poly. Why Drexel? What was the adjustment to being a main player on the team. 
26:45- About his rookie year deal that fell through, then approach after not signing the very first summer out of college. G League tryouts and challenges 
33:45- Expecations from this year for himself and the team Min 38- Few things he had time to do in Constanta

Aaaaand I'm back from the podcast hyatus with a treat for you guys. A great talk with Mike Morrison, currently playing for Yalovaspor in Turkey.  Here's the rundown.

▶️ 1:00 - The College experience and the adjustments needed from High School to College

▶️ 4:05 - Leaving George Mason University and signing with Antwerp Giants even before graduating. How does that transition look like? 

▶️ 8:30 - First off-season. What were the expectations from his first year overseas? 

▶️ 13:00 - Going into what his 4 years in Frankfurt were like, and about winning the FIBA Europe Cup. 

▶️ 18:00 - The move from Greece to Thailand. The why and the how. Basketball and lifestyle-wise. 

▶️ 22:30 - Thailand work ethic and the pros of one long practice per day. 

▶️ 27:30 - What Mike learned from COVID and so much time off. "Might be fat when I retire" :)

▶️ 34:50 - Moving into a bigger role and what it means to shift your mindset from being a role player to being a star. 

▶️ 41:15 - Self-talk, or as Mike puts it "Controlling the converstasion in your head".