Hardwood Hustle

HardwoodHustle.com

The Hardwood Hustle is a basketball podcast brought to you by PGC Basketball seeks to educate, empower and encourage coaches around the world. Your hosts, TJ Rosene, Sam Allen, and Lisa O'Meara share their experiences and perspectives centered around the game of basketball. Guest interviews from the biggest names in basketball and beyond, provide keen insights into how coaches can achieve a high level of success and be transformational in the lives of their players.

  1. 5d ago

    Episode 676 - 4 Quarters: Drills, Decisions, and Preparation

    In this episode, Sam and TJ break the show down into 4 Quarters/Topics: defensive drills, decision making, offensive drills, and forward thinking as coaches prepare for their seasons. They share their favorite D drills, including Sam’s three-stop kill drill and TJ’s no-help ball defense game. They discuss why coaches should evaluate decisions by the information available at the time instead of “resulting,” using late-game foul decisions as the example. Next come two offensive games that change behavior with simple scoring rules. They close with why anticipating adversity and avoiding complacency separate good seasons from great ones. Show notes Four quarters format previewKill drill: three stops in a rowWhy devote thirty minutes to itAdjusting drills by days from gameFour-on-four, no-help ball defenseDefense: mindset, effort, communicationNFL kickoff decision sparks conversationThinking in Bets and “resulting”Foul up three: weighing the oddsTJ’s no-foul decisions backfirePre-deciding foul trouble and lineup rulesOne-rule games: five-point offensive reboundsWolos and Utahs shot selection gameGames teach, but coaches still coachPreseason “what could go wrong” meetingFailure isn’t fatal; avoid complacencyCoaching human nature and staying humbleGear offer for PGC Coaching membersSend us a Message. If you'd like us to reply, include your contact info. After analyzing over 100 million shots, basketball data scientists at Noah Basketball have uncovered the formula of the perfect shot, helping players on 28 of 30 NBA teams improve their accuracy faster than ever before. This same patented shot-tracking technology is now available to you in the Noah Backboard for a fraction of the cost. Learn more today at noahbasketball.com. Inquire while supplies last! Prepare Smarter, Adjust Faster, and Lead with Confidence When the Game Is on the Line Join us Sunday, October 25th at 8 pm EST (5 PM PST) In this free live training, TJ Rosene and Sam Allen will show you how to prepare before the game and make better decisions in the moments that have the biggest impact on winning. Register at PGCHustle.com/Webinar

  2. Oct 13

    Episode 675 - Do They Need You, or Do They Own It?

    As a coach, when you step away from practice, what happens? Today, Sam and TJ dig into how coaches can build real rather than performative habits, resist over-coaching, and over time develop a mentality of ownership within their team. They discuss how often to stop practice as the season progresses and how to hand leadership to your players step by step. They also share simple ways to measure intangibles like effort and culture without an analytics department. They close with why simple, sound, and solid beats complicated, and why the goal is to be the icing on the cake. Show Notes: Prepare the player for the pathWould your culture survive without you?What are we actually measuring?Sam’s “no curfew” parenting goalTeaching versus over-coachingAlways teach the whyGames approach versus structured practiceSet desired outcomes for every practicePlayers must believe, not just obeyStop play less each weekPlay, coach, then pass to leadersTeacher talk versus coach speakSimple ways to track effortAsk questions so players own itBuild habits, not band-aidsCrock-pot approach, not microwaveSimple, sound, and solidPick three core pillarsAim to be the icingSend us a Message. If you'd like us to reply, include your contact info. After analyzing over 100 million shots, basketball data scientists at Noah Basketball have uncovered the formula of the perfect shot, helping players on 28 of 30 NBA teams improve their accuracy faster than ever before. This same patented shot-tracking technology is now available to you in the Noah Backboard for a fraction of the cost. Learn more today at noahbasketball.com. Inquire while supplies last! Prepare Smarter, Adjust Faster, and Lead with Confidence When the Game Is on the Line Join us Sunday, October 25th at 8 pm EST (5 PM PST) In this free live training, TJ Rosene and Sam Allen will show you how to prepare before the game and make better decisions in the moments that have the biggest impact on winning. Register at PGCHustle.com/Webinar

  3. Oct 6

    Episode 674 - Emotional Intelligence for Coaches with Duane Jourdeans

    In Episode 674, Sam and TJ sit down with Duane Jourdeans, a 27-year coaching veteran and emotional intelligence speaker, to talk about how coaches show up for their players. Duane walks through six emotional intelligence skills, from self-awareness to inspiring performance, and explains why "okay" leaders move the needle so little. They tackle the tension between high-intensity coaching and authenticity, the difference between demanding and demeaning, and why EI is not soft. Duane also shares practical tools like charting your feelings, knowing your triggers, and building systems for micro moments with players. To learn more about Duane Jourdeans and his offering of workshops, keynotes, culture surveys, and assessments, go to https://www.duanejourdeans.com/. Show notes (no timestamps) Defining emotional intelligence for coachesThe six EI competenciesBest versus worst coach exerciseDiscretionary effort and why it mattersThe "okay" leader problemPositive states and faster learningHow self-aware are most coaches?Demanding versus demeaningPassion isn't anger; EI isn't softStaying authentic while coaching with intensityReading your team's heartbeatNeutral thinking versus positive psychologyHelping a struggling free throw shooterCharting feelings and knowing triggersSleep and self-managementPause, respond, don't reactMicro moments that move relationships forwardBuilding systems to stay intentionalSystems don't make you inauthenticDuane's "moment that matters" challengeMore on Duane: Duane Jourdeans is a speaker, trainer, and consultant who has spent nearly three decades blending emotional intelligence, positive psychology, and performance strategies to help teams and organizations maximize their potential. He is a Certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner through Genos International and a Positive Coaching Alliance trainer. With 30+ years in education as a teacher, coach, and counselor, he is a two-time state championship football coach and former head football and basketball coach. He is also a multi-sport college athlete and state champion high school athlete. Duane and his wife, Heather, founded Upward Spiral Consulting, which has worked with professional sports organizations (including the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx), schools, and businesses. Send us a Message. If you'd like us to reply, include your contact info. After analyzing over 100 million shots, basketball data scientists at Noah Basketball have uncovered the formula of the perfect shot, helping players on 28 of 30 NBA teams improve their accuracy faster than ever before. This same patented shot-tracking technology is now available to you in the Noah Backboard for a fraction of the cost. Learn more today at noahbasketball.com. Inquire while supplies last! Prepare Smarter, Adjust Faster, and Lead with Confidence When the Game Is on the Line Join us Sunday, October 25th at 8 pm EST (5 PM PST) In this free live training, TJ Rosene and Sam Allen will show you how to prepare before the game and make better decisions in the moments that have the biggest impact on winning. Register at PGCHustle.com/Webinar

  4. Sep 29

    Episode 673 - Building a Winning Preseason

    In this episode, Sam interviews TJ and takes us behind the curtain of his college program's preseason, organized around the Key 5 framework. TJ explains how he reverse engineers the season from the first game, why leadership looks different every year, and how to spread its weight across players and staff. He makes the case for an 80/20 approach that puts habits like effort, competitiveness, and fundamentals ahead of X's and O's. They also cover developing basketball IQ by helping players live in their strengths, setting roles by pairing every "no" with a "yes," and being honest with players about playing time early. Whether you're in preseason now or planning ahead, you'll leave with practical ideas for your own team. Show Notes Preseason through the Key 5 lensMaximizing limited four-hour gym windowsReverse engineering from the first gameLeadership changes every single yearSpreading the weight of leadershipHanding off without skipping preparationThe 80/20 of systemsPracticing to beat the best opponentOnboarding freshmen: standards with supportBuilding IQ by living in strengthsAnticipation, angles, and off-ball answersRoles: pair every no with yesThe 200-minute playing time exerciseKey 5 rapid-fire takeawaysSend us a Message. If you'd like us to reply, include your contact info. After analyzing over 100 million shots, basketball data scientists at Noah Basketball have uncovered the formula of the perfect shot, helping players on 28 of 30 NBA teams improve their accuracy faster than ever before. This same patented shot-tracking technology is now available to you in the Noah Backboard for a fraction of the cost. Learn more today at noahbasketball.com. Inquire while supplies last! Prepare Smarter, Adjust Faster, and Lead with Confidence When the Game Is on the Line Join us Sunday, October 25th at 8 pm EST (5 PM PST) In this free live training, TJ Rosene and Sam Allen will show you how to prepare before the game and make better decisions in the moments that have the biggest impact on winning. Register at PGCHustle.com/Webinar

  5. Sep 22

    Episode 672 - Choosing Your Style of Play

    In this episode, TJ and Sam tackle pace and tempo. They define tempo as possessions per game and use real examples, from Virginia and Iowa's slow, disciplined success to Nova Southeastern's up-tempo pressure, to show there's no single "right" pace. They discuss how your style should fit your personality, your players, and what you can genuinely teach every day in practice, An aggressive system, must also be a mindset for your program. TJ then lays out a quantity, quality, and margin framework, using Gannon's D2 title and Michigan's D1 championship to show how winning the possession battle can outweigh a small shooting-percentage edge. It's a practical, numbers-backed look at how to choose the style that gives your team the best chance to win. Show notes Who plus why equals what + howPossessions per gameEnforcing your will on opponentsYou can't dabble in itStyle must fit your personalityMore talent wants more possessionsToughness beats athleticism for pacePlaying fast develops players fasterDownsides of constant blowoutsQuantity, quality, and marginGannon's title through possessionsMichigan's size and shootingReverse engineer possession goalsSend us a Message. If you'd like us to reply, include your contact info. After analyzing over 100 million shots, basketball data scientists at Noah Basketball have uncovered the formula of the perfect shot, helping players on 28 of 30 NBA teams improve their accuracy faster than ever before. This same patented shot-tracking technology is now available to you in the Noah Backboard for a fraction of the cost. Learn more today at noahbasketball.com. Inquire while supplies last! Prepare Smarter, Adjust Faster, and Lead with Confidence When the Game Is on the Line Join us Sunday, October 25th at 8 pm EST (5 PM PST) In this free live training, TJ Rosene and Sam Allen will show you how to prepare before the game and make better decisions in the moments that have the biggest impact on winning. Register at PGCHustle.com/Webinar

  6. Sep 15

    Episode 671 - Permission to Fail

    Are your players afraid to make mistakes? In Episode 671, Sam and TJ tackle "the permission problem" and the fine line between playing fearless and playing responsible. They work through real coaching moments — the freshman who over-helps and gives up a layup, the star who turns passive, the point guard afraid to look selfish — and how to respond to each without killing their confidence. Along the way they cover the difference between a bad decision and a bad outcome, why staying "not attached to outcome" matters, and how a coach's own reactions set the emotional tone for the team. At the end of the day, whatever you decide in the air-conditioned room, you have to actually live out in the heated gym. Show notes The permission problemBelieve strongly, hold looselyMistakes vs good decisionsCelebrate aggression, coach the adjustmentSaban's disciplined aggression lessonWhy stars turn passiveAttach to shot selectionDefine a great shotRoles ebb and flowSay it to everyoneKeep the message factualNATO: not attached to outcomeHubert Davis stays even-keelCourage requires real fearLetting players disagree respectfullyThe emotional regulation conversationAir-conditioned room, heated gym Send us a Message. If you'd like us to reply, include your contact info. After analyzing over 100 million shots, basketball data scientists at Noah Basketball have uncovered the formula of the perfect shot, helping players on 28 of 30 NBA teams improve their accuracy faster than ever before. This same patented shot-tracking technology is now available to you in the Noah Backboard for a fraction of the cost. Learn more today at noahbasketball.com. Inquire while supplies last! Prepare Smarter, Adjust Faster, and Lead with Confidence When the Game Is on the Line Join us Sunday, October 25th at 8 pm EST (5 PM PST) In this free live training, TJ Rosene and Sam Allen will show you how to prepare before the game and make better decisions in the moments that have the biggest impact on winning. Register at PGCHustle.com/Webinar

  7. Sep 8

    Episode 670 - Coach Chris Kreider, Georgia Tech

    Chris Kreider returns to Georgia Tech 19 years after his first stint there, now an assistant coach under Scott Cross, and joins the show to talk about the craft of being a great assistant coach. Drawing on 20-plus years working for eight head coaches, Chris explains how staffs create alignment through clear roles and organization, how ambitious assistants can grow , and the specific leadership traits he's absorbed from mentors like Scott Cross, Ben Lanier, Dan Earl, Charlton Young, and Paul Hewitt. He lays out the three things every high school coach should develop in players — how to work, how to play, and how to win — and shares how players can win the margins by controlling the controllables. The guys also run a rapid-fire "tier ranking" on culture, continuity, best-player-as-best-leader, and conceptual basketball in today's game. Chris closes with hard-won wisdom on staying a lifelong learner, keeping perspective, and lifting up the next generation of coaches. Show Notes: Entering a new staff rightFaith and family drive decisionsClear lanes and responsibility matrixAdvice for ambitious assistantsAvoiding staff role jockeyingLeadership lessons from eight coachesWork, play, win: player developmentWinning the margins: control controllablesTeaching competitiveness through daily detailsTier-ranking culture and continuitySimplifying amid heavy roster turnoverClosing wisdom for coachesSend us a Message. If you'd like us to reply, include your contact info. After analyzing over 100 million shots, basketball data scientists at Noah Basketball have uncovered the formula of the perfect shot, helping players on 28 of 30 NBA teams improve their accuracy faster than ever before. This same patented shot-tracking technology is now available to you in the Noah Backboard for a fraction of the cost. Learn more today at noahbasketball.com. Inquire while supplies last! Prepare Smarter, Adjust Faster, and Lead with Confidence When the Game Is on the Line Join us Sunday, October 25th at 8 pm EST (5 PM PST) In this free live training, TJ Rosene and Sam Allen will show you how to prepare before the game and make better decisions in the moments that have the biggest impact on winning. Register at PGCHustle.com/Webinar

  8. Sep 1

    Episode 669 - The Culture Captain with J.P. Nerbun - Part 2

    Every culture has problems — what separates the good ones is how they work through discomfort and adversity together. In part 2 with J.P. Nerbun, author of The Culture Captain, we explore how to lead yourself first, how to give and receive feedback, and why responsibility and self-awareness are the foundation of any healthy team. J.P. shares why authenticity is harder than it sounds, how to fill your own leadership gaps, and what it really looks like to pour into a leadership group day by day. Along the way TJ and Sam share their insights both the the value of a mirror-holding mentor, and the balance between coaching standards and team-created standards. Shift your coaching from transactional to transformational with culture and leadership tips from this episode. Show notes Task conflict vs. relational conflictBeliefs drive behaviors, not vice versaThree types of team standardsCulture is cultivation, not constructionFeedback loops that start with selfNot getting rocked by feedbackNo followers means no leadersRadical responsibility and player awarenessTraining leaders to see the floorShifting focus from self to othersStart with self-awareness and mirrorsYou can't just copy WoodenFilling gaps: the Joey Votto story"Coach me" vs. "me me"Daily huddles over weekly meetingsWorking with your leadership groupWhere to find J.P.'s booksSend us a Message. If you'd like us to reply, include your contact info. After analyzing over 100 million shots, basketball data scientists at Noah Basketball have uncovered the formula of the perfect shot, helping players on 28 of 30 NBA teams improve their accuracy faster than ever before. This same patented shot-tracking technology is now available to you in the Noah Backboard for a fraction of the cost. Learn more today at noahbasketball.com. Inquire while supplies last! Prepare Smarter, Adjust Faster, and Lead with Confidence When the Game Is on the Line Join us Sunday, October 25th at 8 pm EST (5 PM PST) In this free live training, TJ Rosene and Sam Allen will show you how to prepare before the game and make better decisions in the moments that have the biggest impact on winning. Register at PGCHustle.com/Webinar

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About

The Hardwood Hustle is a basketball podcast brought to you by PGC Basketball seeks to educate, empower and encourage coaches around the world. Your hosts, TJ Rosene, Sam Allen, and Lisa O'Meara share their experiences and perspectives centered around the game of basketball. Guest interviews from the biggest names in basketball and beyond, provide keen insights into how coaches can achieve a high level of success and be transformational in the lives of their players.

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