Coaching U Podcast with Coach Brendan Suhr

In this week’s episode, Coach Brendan Suhr is joined by longtime ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas for our annual NBA Draft preview. Bilas shares his insights on what he believes is one of the deepest freshman classes in recent memory, breaking down the strengths and potential of the top prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft. The discussion covers the debates between Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa...

In this week’s episode, Brendan Suhr recaps the NBA Finals as he shares some of his thoughts and takeaways from the series. Throughout the episode, Suhr shares lessons for coaches at every level, including the importance of practicing special situations daily, teaching players to understand time and score, building offensive systems around your best players, and developing decision-makers. All tha...

In this week’s episode, Brendan Suhr is joined by Dustin Kerns, head coach of the Appalachian State Mountaineers. Kerns reflects on his coaching journey from graduate assistant to Division I head coach, sharing lessons learned from mentors such as Larry Shyatt and Mike Young. He discusses the importance of mastering the “invisible” parts of coaching, building relationships across an institution, a...

In this week’s episode, Brendan Suhr is joined by best-selling author and keynote speaker Jon Gordon to discuss his latest book, The Power of Positive Habits, and how simple daily habits can transform leadership, coaching, performance, and culture. Gordon shares why habits are truly the foundation of winning—whether in sports, business, or life—and explains how mindset, encouragement, gratitude, a...

In this week’s episode, Brendan Suhr is joined by Josh Pastner, head coach of UNLV Runnin' Rebels, for a wide-ranging conversation on coaching, roster building, and adapting to the modern college basketball landscape. Pastner reflects on his journey from Memphis to Georgia Tech to UNLV, sharing how the game has changed—not just on the court, but through NIL, the transfer portal, and the realit...

This week Coach Brendan Suhr is joined by DJ Bakker, head coach of the 2025-26 G-League Champion Greensboro Swarm. In this episode Bakker shares insights into managing constant roster turnover and creating alignment between the Swarm and the Charlotte Hornets to ensure consistent development, terminology, and expectations across both levels. The conversation dives deep into offensive philosophy, i...

In this week’s episode, Coach Brendan Suhr is joined by Noah Basketball CEO John Carter to break down the science of shooting and how data is transforming the way the perfect shot is taught and developed. Drawing on nearly a billion tracked shots, Carter explains the three critical variables that define great shooting—arc, depth, and left/right accuracy—and why most coaches have historically misun...

In this episode, Coach Brendan Suhr reflects on the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments, breaking down key takeaways from the Final Four —emphasizing how defensive pressure, execution, and style of play ultimately decide games in March. The focus then shifts to the offseason, where he challenges coaches to treat it as a “coaching laboratory”—installing systems, preparing for real-game situations, a...

In this episode, Coach Brendan Suhr is joined by longtime basketball coach and analyst Fran Fraschilla for a deep dive into the NCAA tournament and the upcoming Final Four. Fran brings his unique insight & perspective as he reflects on everything from the strength of the Big 12 to how injuries reshaped the national landscape late in the season, and how the modern game—impacted by NIL and the t...

In this episode, Coach Brendan Suhr is joined by the incomparable Debbie Antonelli to break down the first weekend of the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments. The two dive into the best games and biggest storylines from both brackets, from the dominance of the power programs on the women’s side to the depth, coaching, and competitiveness still alive in the men’s field. Along the way, Debbie shares...

This week we revisit a conversation with Furman head coach Bob Richey. Richey reflects on his journey from a low-paid young assistant at Charleston Southern to becoming one of the most respected coaches in college basketball, and shares why intentional growth—not just ambition—has shaped his path. He explains the importance of knowing who you are as a coach, finding mentors that align with your ph...

This week Coach Brendan Suhr sits down with Ryan Bernardi , head coach of Prolific Prep , to dig into what it really takes to coach elite talent—and build a program that develops players and people. Bernardi shares how relationships and accountability are the foundation for coaching great players, why humility and owning mistakes earns trust with today’s athletes, and how his staff designs practic...

This week Coach Brendan Suhr continues the conversation with David Thorpe—widely regarded as the “Godfather of Player Development”—and the two dive even deeper into what it actually takes to help players grow and succeed at every level. Thorpe breaks down the daily habits that separate real developers from drill collectors, why ball handling is non-negotiable for every position, and the simple tru...

This week Coach Brendan Suhr is joined by the godfather of player development, David Thorpe for part 1 of a special 2 part conversation. So sit back and enjoy episode 321 of the Coaching U Podcast presented by Noah Basketball. Noah Basketball  is trusted by 28 NBA teams, over 200 NCAA programs, and over 1,000 high school programs to capture and analyze key shooting metrics to help your players per...

In this week’s episode Coach Brendan Suhr emphasizes the importance of focusing on a single guiding principle for the year, inspired by John Gordon's concept of 'One Word.' He also provides practical coaching tips for managing teams during league play, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a neutral mindset after wins and losses, the significance of body language, the importance of...

In this episode we're taking a look back at one of our top episodes from 2025 to tip off 2026. Hear an excerpt from Coach Brendan Suhr's conversation with NBA skills coach & bestselling author Drew Hanlen. We hope you enjoy episode 319 of the Coaching U Podcast presented by Noah Basketball. Noah Basketball  is trusted by 28 NBA teams, over 200 NCAA programs, and over 1,000 high school...

In this episode, Coach Brendan Suhr is joined by Scott Whitaker of Impact for Living. Scott has lived a very impactful life himself as he has served as an attorney, professor, performance coach, and a pastor while inspiring people in all walks of life. In this conversation he shares a special message for coaches and leaders on how to maximize your purpose, potential, passion, and platform. All tha...

In this episode, Coach Brendan Suhr is joined by Dr. Dayna Charbonneau, Director of Wellness for the Toronto Raptors for a timely conversation on the “people part” of coaching—mental performance, mental health, and the daily habits that help athletes perform with consistency. Charbonneau shares her path from clinical psychology to becoming a full-time performance professional, and explains how she...

In this episode, Coach Brendan Suhr is joined by NBA player development coach Phil Beckner—longtime performance coach to Damian Lillard and co-creator of the Formula Zero camp—for a conversation on how great players are actually developed. Beckner took no shortcuts along his path from Buckeye High School as a PE teacher/JV coach, to an unpaid role at Weber State, to now being one of the top player...

In this week’s episode Coach Brendan Suhr remembers some of basketball's legendary figures that we have sadly lost in recent weeks, current NBA storylines, surprise teams in the league, and observations from the first few weeks of the college basketball season. All that and more on episode 315 of the Coaching U Podcast presented by Noah Basketball. Noah Basketball is trusted by 28 NBA teams, o...

In this week’s episode Coach Brendan Suhr is joined by Juli Fulks, head coach of the Marshall women’s basketball team. A Ph. D. in leadership and 2023 NCAA Division III National Champion at Transylvania University, Fulks led her teams to a 91–2 record and a 64-game winning streak before taking over at Marshall—one of the most impressive coaching runs in college basketball. The two discuss her tran...

In this episode, Coach Brendan Suhr sits down with Alan Stein Jr. to talk coaching, performance, and his new book, Next Play . The two trace the origins of the “next play” mindset and discuss how Alan turned it into a practical approach for moving on from mistakes, simplifying success, and leading with authenticity—on the court and beyond. Alan also previews what’s inside the book: 34 strategies a...

In this episode, Coach Brendan Suhr welcomes Los Angeles Sparks assistant coach Mike Neighbors for a wide-ranging conversation on all things coaching. The two discuss Neighbors’ coaching journey, from his early days in high school and college basketball to his transition into the WNBA after a successful run as a head coach at Arkansas and Washington. Neighbors reflects on the lessons learned along...

In this week’s episode we're giving you an inside look at one of our partner's clinics and listening to a clip from a presentation at the recent OHSBCA Fall Coaching Clinic from Ryan Pedon, head coach of Illinois State. Speaking to a room full of high school coaches, Pedon lays out the keys to a great season—and a blueprint for the culture and core beliefs he is implementing with his Illin...

In this week’s episode Coach Brendan Suhr is joined by Ryan Pannone, head coach of Arkansas State. Pannone traces his “bet-on-yourself” rise from an unpaid high school assistant to NBA assistant coach, G-League head coach, Alabama assistant, and now Division I head coach—through relentless learning, networking, and the humility and willingness to do any job that moved him forward. He shares how me...