Basketball and Life: with Coach Jon Cook

My guest today is Dino Gaudio.  Dino is currently an assistant coach under Chris Mack at the University of Louisville.  Coach Gaudio has nearly 40 years of coaching experience including time as a high school coach at Wheeling Central Catholic HS, first under the late Skip Prosser and then as the head coach himself, winning multiple state titles during his six years in Wheeling.  Coa...

I had the unbelievable fortune of serving as an assistant coach to Michele Durand for 3 seasons.  In that role I observed one of, if not, the most loyal, dedicated, hard working and humble leaders in this profession.  The numbers are undeniable.  With 30 years of head coaching experience at two universities, more than 400 wins, 6 conference championships and multiple NCAA Division I...

The University of Findlay basketball program has evolved over the last 30 plus years from a non-scholarship NAIA program to an NAIA program that offered scholarships, and since 1998 has competed as an NCAA Division II program.  More correctly, the Oilers have competed as a true national power at all of those levels, and Charlie Ernst has been there for every step over the past 29 years. &nbsp...

Taylor Roth spent four years playing Division III college basketball at Baldwin Wallace University and one year as a student assistant coach with the Yellow Jackets.  Upon his graduation in 2012, he began a coaching journey that would see him essentially bounce between Ohio and New York for the next eight years.  At 31 years of age he was hired to take over the program at Hiram College in early Ma...

I first met Sean Powell when he was a 6th grade camper at the Ohio Northern University summer basketball camp.  He was a tall, skinny, super energetic kid with an infectious personality.  He has had a non-traditional route to a career in coaching.  He is playing a less than traditional style in comparison to much of his league, the Shelby County Athletic League, while competing with...

Matt Tabler is a Lima, Ohio kid, born & raised.  Growing up and attending Lima Central Catholic High School where he played for the legendary Bob Seggerson, allowed Matt to experience great success as high school player, making 3 trips to the State Final Four.  After 8 years as an assistant at both Lima Senior High School and Waynesfield-Goshen High Schools, Matt was hired at Perry H...

After a stellar playing career at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, and then at John Carroll University, Artie Taylor has spent a career in coaching.  A passion that exploded during his final year of college led to a position as a Graduate Assistant Coach at Defiance College, a brief stint as the Junior Varsity basketball coach at Cardinal Ritter High School (Indianapolis), and then to W...

I just want to wish a Happy Father's Day to all dad's out there, but especially to my dad and to the coaches I know who are dads as well!  I have had so many "father figures" in the coaching profession, but all of us in coaching are playing some type of father-loke role in the lives of other people's children.  You guys are heroes!  Happy Father's Day!

Jon Vanderwal became the head basketball coach at Marietta College in 2007 at 28 years of age.  The Cadillac, Michigan native had a four-year playing career at Albion College (Mi.) then served as Graduate Assistant Coach at Defiance College before becoming the lead assistant at Ohio Wesleyan University in 2003.  When Coach VanderWal took over in Marietta, the Pioneer program had just con...

Bill Brown spent nearly 40 years coaching college basketball at both the Division I and Division III levels, with 29 of those years as a head coach.  He was the head coach at Wittenberg University for 23 seasons.  He retired in 2016 and remains the longest tenured and most successful head coach in the history of Wittenberg University, which just happens to be the winningest program in the history...

Babe Kwasniak currently holds the position of Civilian Aide to the US Secretary of the Army.  He graduated from Cleveland St. Joseph High School in 1994, after winning a State Championship while playing for his father, Tedd Kwasniak.  He then attended the United States Military Academy in West Point, and played four years of varsity basketball.  After a five year service commitment...

Dave Froelich spent 34 years in high school coaching in the state of Ohio.  after starting his career as an assistant to Larry Clark at Perrysburg High School, Dave went on to serve as head coach at Colonel Crawford High School (9 years), and then Van Wert High School (21 years).  Coach Froelich won 420 games as a head coach and was inducted into the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Hall of Fam...

I had the wonderful fortune to serve as an assistant coach at Bluffton University when Tom Heil was a junior and a senior.  He has since gone on to coach as an assistant at Defiance College (2 years), then Baldwin Wallace University (5 years).  His fateful journey in coaching saw him earn the opportunity to return to Defiance at the age of 29 as the school's head coach.  In his one...

Today's episode is a visit with Tom Souder the head boys basketball coach at Worthington Kilbourne High School just outside Columbus, Ohio.  Coach Souder comes from a coaching family.  His father was a longtime, successful coach at Ft. Recovery and Paulding high schools, and Coach Souder just completed his 42nd year in the coaching profession.  His career includes serving as the head coach at two...

My guests today are Andy and Matt Winters.  They are brothers, and they just finished their first season leading the basketball program at Otterbein University.  Both played high school basketball at Bishop Watterson High School in Columbus, Ohio.  Both went on the play college basketball, Matt at Ohio Dominican University (NAIA Division II) and Andy at Ohio Wesleyan University (NCAA Division III)...

My guest for this episode of Talkin' Hoops: With Coach Jon Cook is Ryan Stechschulte, the head boys basketball coach at Kalida High School in Kalida, Ohio.  Ryan is a Putnam County native and has spent his entire coaching career at schools that compete in the always tough Putnam County League.  After four years leading the program at Columbus Grove High School Ryan was hired in May of 2016 to repl...

Anthony Gholson is my guest for this episode.  Anthony has been a college coach, as an assistant and a head coach at both the junior college level and in NCAA Division III for nearly 30 years.  He is also deeply involved in the Nike EYBL summer AAU circuit and coaches with the All Ohio program based in Columbus, Ohio.  T, as he is known to many of us, has experienced a national championship as an...

Kurt Stubbs is a true basketball junkie who has managed to overcome the coaching bug.  He has fed his basketball habit as a blogger, turned influencer, turned podcaster.  He is also a junior high math teacher, a husband and an oh so proud father of a 14-month old son.  He is a man of true integrity and sincere faith, with a fascinating journey into and around this game that we both love.  I hope y...

Basketball is my first love, my only hobby and my true passion.  Basketball has created so many opportunities in my life and is the genesis of innumerable cherished relationships in my life.  Basketball has almost always been the bridge over the gap between me and so many who are different from me due to background, gender or race, and has resulted in so many blessings in my life.  ...

My guest today is Mark Bagley, the former head coach at Van Wert High School in Van Wert, Ohio.  Mark spent 20 years  at Van Wert as the JV Coach and/or Varsity Assistant Coach under Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame member Dave Froelich, before becoming the head coach.  Mark stepped down after the 2018-2019 season and is now the Superintendent of the Van Wert City Schools.  Mark's passion and positivi...

Chad Shutler has spent nearly 25, of his more than 30 years in coaching, in Bluffton, Ohio.  From two years as a graduate assistant with the then Bluffton College, men's program under legendary head coach Guy Neal; to one year as an assistant at Bluffton High School and then five years as the Pirates head coach; to spending the last 15 years as the head coach of the Bluffton University Women'...

Today I visit with Mark Huelsman, the Head Women's Basketball Coach at Ohio Northern University.  Coach Huelsman played Division III basketball at Wittenberg University before starting his coaching career.  He spent 6 seasons as the Assistant Women's Basketball Coach at Wilmington College (OH)before joining the staff at ONU in 2013.  The ONU women won 20 or more games in each of Mark's first 5 sea...

Our guest for this episode is TK Griffith the head boys basketball coach at Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron, Ohio.  TK was a senior at Hoban, when the Knights won a state championship in 1989.  He came back to his alma mater four short years later to be and English teacher and at the age of 21 years old, to  be the school's head basketball coach.  He has now completed 27...

Today's episode is a visit with Eric Gabriel, Assistant Coach at High Point University in North Carolina.  Eric is a graduate of Alexander High School in Athens, Ohio and West Liberty State University in West Virginia, where he played Division II basketball before starting a career as a teacher and a coach.  Eric's journey through coaching, from high school to Division III college basket...

In today's episode I visit with Albion College Head Men's Basketball Coach Jody May. Coach May was a Division III player at Ohio Northern University and s captain on a national championship squad in 1993. He has spent a career of more than 25 years coaching D3 hoops, the last 12 as the head coach of Albion College in Michigan. This season started with an exhibition game against Michigan St at the...