Hoop Heads

Will Pope has been the Boys Basketball Head Coach at Papillion LaVista High School since 2022. Prior to that he spent 5 years as an Assistant Boys Basketball Coach at Skutt Catholic High School. Pope has over 13 years of experience coaching basketball at multiple levels. Prior to Skutt Catholic, he spent 1 year at Mount Michael HS and 2 years at Sidney HS. Before joining the high school ranks, he...

On this episode Mike & Jason discuss LeBron scoring 40,000 Points, the top of the Western Conference and who has the best player in series and finally they hit on which teams they think can actually win the East and get to the NBA Finals. Visit our Sponsors! Give With Hoops Give With Hoops is a groundbreaking initiative that fuses basketball analytics with modern sponsorship. Built for teams w...

Colin Tabb just completed his 9th season as the Men’s Basketball Head Coach at Western New England University. Tabb guided the Golden Bears to their first ever Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship game appearance in 2022-2023 and a second place regular season finish in 23-24. Tabb came to Western New England from the business world where he served as the president and owner of BasketBull, LL...

Julie Kliegman is the author of Mind Game: An Inside Look at the Mental Health Playbook of Elite Athletes . Her work has appeared in outlets including Sports Illustrated, The Washington Post, Bookforum, The Ringer, BuzzFeed News, Vulture, The Verge, and Washington Monthly. In Mind Game: An Inside Look at the Mental Health Playbook of Elite Athletes, Julie offers insight into how elite athletes nav...

The 7th episode of "The Triple Double" with Rob Brost, Bolingbrook (IL) High School Boys' Basketball Head Coach . Rob, Mike, & Jason hit on three basketball topics in each episode of "The Triple Double". How do you prepare your team for a game they are expected to win vs. when they are an underdog? How do you keep on top of the pulse of your team and address small issues before they grow? Do y...

Jim Harrick was the head men’s basketball coach at UCLA, Pepperdine University, the University of Rhode Island and the University of Georgia over a combined total of 23 seasons. During the 1994–1995 season, he led UCLA to the school's eleventh national championship, its first since the 1974–75 season. Harrick's coaching career began at Morningside High School in Inglewood, California where he serv...

On this episode Mike & Jason discuss the lackluster All-Star Game and what if anything can be done to make the game more competitive and compelling. Next, they go through the Saturday night events one by one to share their thoughts on what they saw and some potential ways to improve (or eliminate) each competition. Visit our Sponsors! Give With Hoops Give With Hoops is a groundbreaking initiat...

Dominic Parker is in his first year as the Assistant Head Coach at Christopher Newport University. He previously coached two seasons at CNU from 2017-2019, and for the last three seasons was an assistant coach at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. Parker spent one year as an assistant coach at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore after leaving Christopher Newport in 2019. He origi...

Welcome to the 62nd edition of the Coach’s Corner Round Table on the Hoop Heads Podcast. Each episode of the Coach’s Corner Round Table will feature our All-Star lineup of guests answering a single basketball question. A new Coach’s Corner Round Table will drop around the 15th of each month. February's Round Table question is: What are three keys to preparing your team for tournament play? Our Coa...

On this episode Mike & Jason discuss some of the trade deadlines deals they liked and didn't like including the Knicks, Mavs, Thunder, Sixers, and more. Next, they turn their attention to the 2nd through 5th seeds in the Eastern Conference and the case for against each team getting the two seed. Then Mike and Jason look out west to try and figure out whether it's the Nuggets or some new blood...

Nick Graham is regarded as one of the top player development specialists in the country. His new book “Underdog” will equip the reader with the mental and emotional toughness and endurance any committed competitor needs to run and complete their underdog race. Basketball teaching is in Nick’s DNA and he grew up as a member of a basketball family. Nick played college basketball at Washington State...

Anthony Medina is the Men’s Basketball Head Coach at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. He was hired in the summer of 2015 and is the second head coach in the history of the current program, having succeeded his former coach, Todd Smith. Medina previously served as a graduate assistant for Missouri Western State University’s men’s basketball team. Following his graduation from MWSU, M...

On this episode Mike & Jason discuss the Cavs rise to the two seed in the Eastern Conference and the potential vulnerabilities of the teams at the top of the East. Next they talk trade deadline and the reality that any deals will most likely involve role players rather than stars. Finally, they complain about the line-up for the Slam Dunk Contest (while offering a much better one) and wonder a...

Kyle Jurgens has been the Head Boys Basketball Coach at Skutt Catholic High School in Omaha, Nebraska for 11 years. During his tenure the SkyHawks have won three state championships in 2014, 2020, and 2023. Kyle started his coaching career at Millard North High School where he was the Varsity Assistant for the Basketball, Football, and Soccer teams for 8 years. Jurgens graduated from Nebraska Wesl...

Scott Deans is the founder and CEO of BeOne Sports, a platform that uses AI and computer vision to help young athletes maximize their performance, gain exposure for their talents, and get advanced training on demand. Scott is a former collegiate kicker and punter, architect, designer, and data analytics manager. If you’re looking to improve your coaching please consider joining the Hoop Heads Ment...

On this episode Mike & Jason discuss Joel Embiid sitting out the Sixers game in Denver for the 4th consecutive year. Next, they look at the top of the Eastern Conference and how the Cavs may try to integrate Evan Mobley and Darius Garland back into the lineup. Next they bounce around the league standings for a few questions about the bottom of the East and the Entire Western Conference. Visit...

Tim Alpers is the author of the book “"My Sphere of Influence, A Life in Basketball" and a former basketball coach at the University of Tulsa. Alpers grew up on a ranch in the Eastern Sierra region of California. He played his high school basketball at Bishop High and collegiately at the University of Nevada-Reno. Alpers coached at The University of Tulsa under his mentor and friend, Jim King, the...

The 6th episode of “The Triple Double” with Rob Brost, Bolingbrook (IL) High School Boys’ Basketball Head Coach. Rob, Mike, & Jason hit on three basketball topics in each episode of “The Triple Double”. Coaching a team with a star vs. a more balanced team with depth? What core concept in your program is the most difficult to teach? How do you handle referees? If you’re looking to improve your...

On this episode Mike & Jason discuss Bucks firing of Adrian Griffin and the potential hiring of Doc Rivers, Next, they break down the Cavs' recent hot streak and what moves they may or may not make heading into the trade deadline before looking inside the numbers on Joel Embiid's 70 point game and potentially historic season. Finally, they take a quick look at the Heat acquiring Terry Rozier f...

Erik Olson is the Head Coach of the Ho Chi Minh City Wings in the Vietnam Basketball Association. He has traveled the globe coaching in Denmark, Sweden, Scotland, Iceland, and Australia. After finishing his collegiate playing career at D3 Linfield University Erik played professionally in the UK, Germany, and Australia. He began his coaching career as a player/coach in Australia before moving on to...

Welcome to the 61st edition of the Coach’s Corner Round Table on the Hoop Heads Podcast. Each episode of the Coach’s Corner Round Table will feature our All-Star lineup of guests answering a single basketball question. A new Coach’s Corner Round Table will drop around the 15th of each month. January's Round Table question is: Besides winning, what are your next three coaching priorities? Our Coach...

On this episode Mike & Jason discuss the Sixers win over the Nuggets, Embiid's 41-10-7 vs Jokic's 26-20-3, and whether any other players can realistically crack the MVP Race. Next they discuss the potential Paschal Siakam to the Pacers trade. Then they talk about Cavs chances of cracking the top three in the east. Finally, the end of the Warriors dynasty appears to be upon us... Hosted by Simp...

Chris McHugh is in his seventh season as the head coach of the Washington and Lee University men's basketball program. The Generals have posted a 99-49 overall record during his tenure. McHugh was previously an assistant coach at Emory University. During his four years with the Eagles, the program registered an 80-31 overall record and made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a ru...

John O’Connor is in his 9th season as the Girls’ Basketball Head Coach at Bennington High School in Nebraska. During his tenure at Bennington John was named the 2020 Metro Basketball Coaches Association (MBCA) Class B Coach of the Year and was selected a 2021 Nebraska Coaches Association. (NCA) All-Star Game Assistant Coach. John previously spent 3 years as a boys’ assistant at Bennington and 2 ye...

On this NBA episode Mike & Jason discuss the Ja Morant and Tyrese Haliburton injuries. Next they discuss the new look Knicks, the Cavs' roster issues, and Eric Spoelstra's record contract extension with the Heat. They also debate whether Paolo or Chet would go #1 in a 2022 NBA redraft before sharing their thoughts on the three veteran pretenders in the West: Phoenix, Golden State, & the La...