Chop Talk

Coach Proph is a pillar in the New Jersey basketball community. He has been impacting lives since day one! In this episode we talk about taking over ARTS and being able to resurrect the program.  Proph is someone who kids gravitate towards and really love. I enjoyed learning from him and his journey! 

This episode is long overdue. Safet is family and one of the best young coaches in the business. In this episode we dive into how he has navigated his rise as a GM in the A10 at only 27 years old.  Safet is the definition of betting on yourself and it has paid off so far. This episode is packed with value. He started out as a student manger, coached high school, moved to VA, left an A10 job, and n...

Luke and I go way back to when he was playing in college. In this episode you will hear about how he navigated his journey. What I love about Luke's path was he was not afraid to JUMP! He made moves to D2 then came back up to D1 and back to D2.  It proves that everyone has a different path in this coaching life. Thanks for Luke coming on and taking the time! 

Darius Theus is one of the most humble people I've met during my time in basketball. As a player he helped lead VCU to a Final Four the played professionally afterwards. Since getting into coaching he has worked at Texas, VCU, and Siena.  Topics in this episode -Basketball journey  -Former players transition into coaching  -Taking uncomfortable risks  -Skill development  -What it means to coa...

Guest: Ivan Thomas is the Associate Head Coach for Georgetown Men's Basketball. Coach Thomas started as a High School / AAU Coach where he won multiple state titles before breaking into the business at Providence College. After spending 9 years there he made the move back home to Georgetown a few months ago. His journey is different which makes this episode a great listen. Enjoy! 

Guest: Sean Hoehn is a stand out basketball player who now plays  professionally  in Kosovo. He also graduated from Sacred Heart University where he earned first team all conference honors. Sean shares his journey on how he got to where he is now.  Here are some of his career highlights  College  Named to the All-NEC First Team Named to NABC All-District First Team 185 made career three-pointers p...

Guest: Danny O'Connor is the Director of Player Development for Delaware Men's Basketball. Before graduating from Indiana University, Danny worked numerous camps. One of those camps was Hoop Group where we met. After graduating he got on at UDEL and has been a part of their growth ever since.  Enjoy! 

Guest: Cole Dewey is the Head Coach of the Men's Basketball program at Garden City Community College in Kansas. Cole is a young star in college basketball and has worked his way to being one of the younger head coaches in the basketball world. I look forward to following his journey as he returns to Garden City. Coach Dewey's Resume:  -Head coach Garden City  -Head Coach Otero  -Assistan...

Guest: Justin Delaney. If you haven't check out NJ Hoop Recruit on Instagram, you need to know. Justin has grown the brand from a small 3,000 follower account to over 100k now. I remember when I was at St. Benedict's he was grinding and going to games everywhere. Five years later he has one of the strongest brands in basketball and THE strongest in NJ.  Breakdown:  Background  3:15 - Wha...

Guest: Luke St. Lifer is the Director of Basketball Operations for Bryant University Men's Basketball. Luke started his career out as a student manager before working his way to Bryant and then LeMoyne.  Breakdown:  Background  3:55 - Landing a job at Bryant   6:30 - Subject line  12:55 - What have you learned?  15:00 - Staff Dynamic  20:01 - Being on the road  22:17 - Working your way back t...

Guest: Connor Clark works for a company called The Gazelle Group where he helps put on different types of events. A lot of those events are college basketball tournaments including the most recent one, Bubbleville. In this episode we talk about what went into setting up a bubble at Mohegan Sun and the challenges for college teams to play.  Breakdown Background  3:30 - Securing a job in sports  7:2...

Guest: March Mitchell is the Head Women's Basketball Coach at St. Peter's University.  I met Coach Mitch at FDU Florham where we both worked together.  During his time at FDU Florham he had tremendous success including a D3 National Championship. He is the winningest coach I've ever been around and I appreciate him sharing his journey on Chop Talk. 

Guest: Adam Virgile is a sports scientist who is working on his PHD at The University of Vermont. He also worked with the New York Rangers for 4 years before making the move to UVM. This conversation was not only very informative but it opened my eyes to some things coaches don't think about.  Breakdown Background  3:45 - How you got into sports science  5:45 - What data do you look to track?...

Guest: Justin Krompier is a New Jersey based adventure and lifestyle photographer.  Justin has traveled all around the country taking photos and has a great story. I've known Justin since high school where we played lacrosse together.  Check out his photos on Instagram or his website.  https://www.justinkrompier.com/ Instagram: @just_passinthrough Breakdown:  Background  3:00 - Figuring out w...

Guest: Nick Hopkins is a guard for the Siena College Men's Basketball team. He started his career at Belmont University before deciding to use his grad transfer year at Siena. While at Belmont Nick earned his degree and also played in the NCAA Tournament. Nick has some great habits that younger players can learn from.  Background  1:30 - NCAA Tournament  5:25 - Consistent work ethic  8:20 - B...

Guest: Matt Gambino is a former college athlete who has a career in sales but also has a serious side hustle that involves sports cards. Over the last year sports cards have exploded, Matt and I have invested in cards and discuss how there is still time to make money. For all my basketball people that listen to this please use the knowledge you already have to make some extra cash.  Breakdown:  3:...

Guest: Anthony Pelliccia is an admissions counselor at Siena College and also an alum. He is one of the most passionate people I have met and really dedicates himself to his craft. In this episode we dive into the similarities between coaching and admissions. We also look at some techniques he uses when recruiting on the road. Enjoy!  ·      Background  ·      Day to day in admissions – 1:45  ·   ...

Guest: Bob Gallager is a former college basketball manager for St. Bonaventure Men's Basketball. After earning his undergrad and masters degree there he jumped into the prep school basketball world. He spent two years at Massanutten Military Academy before getting his job now at IMG. Bob is one of the hardest workers I know and continues to climb.    ·      Background  ·      2:30 – Prep scho...

Guest: Matt Goldsmith is the head coach at TCNJ for the Men's Basketball team. Since taking over the program Coach Goldsmith has brought TCNJ to the NCAA tournament and also won the NJAC. The program's mantra is "Be Uncommon" which we talk about in this episode. Matt continues to rise in the basketball world and I'm really excited for everyone to listen.  Breakdown ·     ...

Guest: Athan Katsantonis is a Graduate Assistant for Nebraska Men's Basketball. He is also the former Head Manager of the Syracuse Men's Basketball team. I met Athan when he was a 17 year old kid at a workout and it's been fun to watch him rise.  Breakdown  ·      Background  ·      2:40 – Landing a manager job  ·      6:32 – Working up to head manager  ·      11:45 – Building relat...

Jake MacDonald is a lead instructor for a company called The Program. This company works with a variety of teams on building leadership, toughness, and more. Jake also served in the United States Marine Corps. In this episode we dive into his experiences in the Marines, how to become tougher, leadership, and more.  Check out his book called The Program!  ·      1:30 – The Program  ·      3:30 – Ho...

Guest: Ryan Pedon is an assistant  coach for THE Ohio State Men's Basketball team. In this podcast Coach Pedon discusses topics such as positivity, being invaluable, work ethic, and his journey to Ohio State.    ·      Background ·      Working in an administration role 2:40  ·      Networking – 8:30 ·      Be invaluable – 16:00  ·      Reputation – 22:50  ·      Blue collar work ethic – 30:4...

Guest: Rob Ferrara is a Senior Manager of VIP Development for DraftKings. Rob and I have known each other since college and he has had a great journey in the gaming world so far. Once graduating college he picked up his stuff and moved to Las Vegas to work in the gaming industry. In this episode Rob talks about the Vegas lifestyle, working with high end clients, his role now at Draft Kings, what h...

Guest: Dr. Atur Turakhia is an experienced leader, educator, and team builder. After graduating from UC Berkeley with a Bachelors in Molecular & Cell Biology, he obtained his medical degree at the University of California, Irvine. He currently serves his community as the Associate Medical Director for Children, Youth, & Prevention Behavioral Health Services within the County of Orange Heal...

Guest: Matt Elkin is the Director of Basketball Operations at Ivy league power Yale University. Coach Elkin started as a student manager and has climbed his way up in the basketball since graduating. In this episode he talks about coaching prep school, moving across the country to LA, his time in AAU basketball, and much more. Enjoy! Breakdown:  •1min - Background  •2min – Manager at Wisconsin  •5...