The Practice Players Podcast The Practice Players

UNLV Men’s Basketball Head Coach Kevin Kruger reflects on his experiences from playing at Arizona State, in the NBA G-League (D-League at the time), and overseas. Coach Kruger shares some of the powerful lessons he learned from having legendary coach (Lon Kruger) as a father, as well as the importance of family in his life. Coach also touches on some of the pressing topics in today’s college basketball landscape such as recruiting, NIL, and the transfer portal.

Dedan Thomas Jr. shares his experiences as a young freshman on the rise to stardom in the Mountain West Conference, playing for his hometown UNLV Runnin' Rebels. He talks about his decision to skip his senior year of high school to reclassify up, why he is staying at UNLV for his upcoming sophomore season, and answers the hardest hitting question of all: why does Nick always beat him in 1-on-1?

Jadrian Tracey shares his turbulent basketball journey, from playing at St. Joseph's, transferring to JUCO, then making his way to having a career year at Oregon. Jadrian covers over some of his big time shots this season, how he gained the nickname "Bam", and the experience of winning the final Pac-12 tournament.

In this episode, Drew shares some of his favorite moments being a manager with The Minnesota Golden Gophers Men's Basketball team. Drew is a symbol of what positivity and hard work truly is, sharing his story of battling leukemia all while being a college student and working as a student manager. His powerful journey is a must hear lesson on perseverance for all.

Being a part of 2010 West Virginia's Final Four run with current Boston Celtics Head Coach Joe Mazzulla and the legendary Bob Huggins, non-negotiable coaching philosophies, work life balance as a young married man. Coach Ben Asher joins The Practice Players to discuss all this and more!

Wearing 3 different numbers in high school? Never taking a single campus visit to Ohio State? Announcing his commitment because of a dare with a friend? All-American candidate Bruce Thornton shares some wild stories from his recruitment process, and breaks down what has lead to an immensely successful start to his sophomore campaign.