Beyond The Whistle with Odell McCants Odell McCants

On this episode, we go Beyond The Whistle with Matt Johnson, Director of Men’s Basketball Strength and Conditioning at Butler University.
Matt and I discuss:
The role of the strength and conditioning coach during the COVID-19 pandemic Using Instagram to connect with athletes during this time The focus on coaching player’s lifestyle - sleep and nutrition Coach LaVall Jordan’s leadership during crisis Breakdowns create breakthroughs Tough times reveal the mindset of elite athletes - resilience in body and mind His career journey - be ready when you get the call “The big time is not a place. It’s the state of your heart.” The importance of the interviews AFTER you get the job How his position, being dedicated to one sport, allows him to play a role to skill development, game planning, practice planning and recruiting Causing adaptation and absorbing adaptation Why coaches need their strength and conditioning coach on speed dial The leadership of Ralph Reiff at Butler Progression - The key to a successful return to normal Connect With Matt Johnson Website: Butler University Men’s Basketball Website: StrengthCoachConcepts.com Twitter: @StrengthCoachMJ Instagram: @StrengthCoachMJ Connect with Odell McCants Website - McCantsSports.com Twitter - @odellmccants LinkedIn - Odell McCants Email: odell@mccantssports.com

We're going Beyond The Whistle with the first Coaches Roundtable. Our roundtablers are Kevin Sutton, Assistant Coach at Rhode Island and Randolph Childress, Associate Head Coach at Wake Forest.
This was the most fun I have had as a podcaster. It's a conversation amongst friends about our high school coach, mentorship, fatherhood, leadership, COVID-19 (of course) and more.
Kevin, Randolph and I discuss:
How Randolph ended the season in a sling and how he's doing now Lessons from our high school coach, Stu Vetter Kevin coaching Randolph in high school How Randolph was Steph Curry before Steph Curry The lost art of players understanding how to play without the ball Coach Vetter's coaching tree Randolph's experience recruiting and coaching his son, Brandon Childress The importance of keeping relationships simple and consistent How Kevin and Randolph's teams responded to the cancellation of basketball due to COVID-19 How they are spending this time with family, their teams and time working on themselves If you would like to be on a future Coaches Roundtable episode, drop me an email at odell@mccantssports.com. I welcome coaches from men's and women's basketball and from programs at all levels to share experiences and dicsuss topics impacting the coaching profession.
Connect with Randolph Childress
Twitter: @r22childress Website: Wake Forest Basketball Connect with Kevin Sutton
Twitter: @coachsutton Website: Kevin Sutton Basketball Website: Sutton's Living Trophies Website: Rhode Island Basketball Connect with Odell McCants
Website: McCantsSports.com Twitter: @odellmccants LinkedIn: Odell McCants Email: odell@mccantssports.com 

On this episode, we go Beyond The Whistle with George Lynch. I go back with George all the way to high school, where we both played for legendary coach Stu Vetter and nationally ranked teams at Flint Hill School in Virginia. George was a member of the 1993 University of North Carolina NCAA national championship team. George played 12 years in the NBA, and his coaching career includes serving as an assistant at UC Irvine, Southern Methodist University and the G-League's Grand Rapids Drive. Most recently, George served as head coach at Clark Atlanta University.
Along George's basketball journey, he has played for and coached with some of the greatest minds in the game. From his high school coaches - coach Vetter at Flint Hill and Woody Deans at Patrick Henry in Roanoke, Virginia, to Dean Smith at UNC and Larry Brown with the Philadelphia 76ers and at SMU. He's also committed to improving the educational experiences of student-athletes at HBCU schools through his newest venture, HBCU Heroes.
George and I discuss:
How he developed into a great defensive stopper (second all-time in steals at UNC) The experience of leaving home to finish high school How putting team first actually made him a better player How his approach to the game as a player has become the foundation of his coaching philosophy What he has taken from each coach he has played for and coached with, and how he has woven those experiences into his coaching style What he has learned about himself since becoming a head coach How the COVID-19 pandemic and required distance learning has magnified the educational technology needs of many HBCU student-athletes Founding HBCU Heroes and the goal of procuring 6,000 computers for HBCU student-athletes Connect with George Lynch
Website: HBCU Heroes Instagram: @georgelynchcoach Twitter: @Glynchcoach Twitter: @HBCUHeroes Connect with Odell McCants
Website: McCantsSports.com Twitter: @odellmccants LinkedIn: Odell McCants Email: odell@mccantssports.com

On this episode, we go Beyond The Whistle with Dan Tudor of Tudor Collegiate Strategies. Dan and his firm develop research-based recruiting strategies for programs in all sports, at all levels of collegiate athletics.
Dan joins me for a third appearance on the podcast to discuss:
Challenges coaches first faced recruiting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fundraising and budget concerns athletic directors have during this time. The mindset of recruits now without campus visits and evaluation events. How recruiting has been like "buying toilet paper". Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on an already growing transfer portal. How to stand out in recruiting by crafting your recruiting story. Taking advantage of this time to get better in your recruiting. You can also hear more from Dan on Episode 009: Take Control of Your Recruiting Process and Episode 013: The Campus Visit.
Connect with Dan Tudor
Website: Tudor Collegiate Strategies Podcast: The College Recruiting Weekly Podcast Twitter: @dantudor Connect with Odell
Website: McCantsSports.com Twitter: @odellmccants LinkedIn: Odell McCants Email: odell@mccantssports.com

On this episode, we go Beyond The Whistle with Kyle Adams, Associate Head Women's Basketball Coach at the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff. Kyle also has his own consulting firm, It's Bigger Than The Ball, where Kyle works with coaches, educators and organizations to provide transformative learning experiences for the next generation of leaders.
During our conversation, Kyle and I discuss:
My high school days playing in Pine Bluff's King Cotton Holiday Classic high school basketball tournament, which has come back after being dormant for many years. Kyle and his team's experience learning about the cancellation of remaining conference tournaments and the NCAA tournament due to COVID-19. How their program is working as a staff, communicating with their players and recruiting during the pandemic. How his transition from coaching men to coaching women helped him grow as a man. The difference between a "transactional" coach and a "transformational" coach. Building a team culture that creates champion individuals and leads to championship teams. The job of a leader is not to create followers, but to create more leaders. Connect with Kyle Adams
Website: It's Bigger Than The Ball Podcast: It's Bigger Than The Ball Podcast Twitter: @coachka20 LinkedIn: Kyle Adams Connect with Odell
Website: McCantsSports.com Twitter: @odellmccants LinkedIn: Odell McCants Email: odell@mccantssports.com

I'm back!
It's been over a year since I last recorded an episode. I was already planning to record today (January 26th, 2020) when the world was struck by the news of the tragic death of Kobe Bryant. My plan was to explain how life had gotten in the way the past year and reasons why I had not published an episode. But in thinking about Kobe, I couldn't do that. There was no better example than Kobe of work ethic, winning habits, passion and preparation. So I'm not going to share excuses.
So this episode is not about the past. Not about reasons why I haven't done something. On this day, this episode is about my commitment to you, my listener, and what to expect going forward.