Masters In Coaching Podcast

Tim Cates sits down with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's inaugural Women's Flag Football coaches, Rod Sherman and Kristen Sherman, to discuss the exciting challenge of building California's first NCAA Division I women's flag football program from the ground up. The Shermans share what it means to create a program with no previous blueprint—establishing the culture, developing the identity, and la...

Tim Cates welcomes new Concordia University Irvine men's basketball head coach Scott Clark for an in-depth conversation about the next chapter of Eagles basketball. Coach Clark shares what drew him to Concordia, his vision for building a championship culture, and the values that will define his program on and off the court. They discuss recruiting in Southern California, developing student-athlete...

Tim Cates sits down with USD Beach Volleyball head coach Derek Olson for an in-depth conversation about a life built around the sport. Olson reflects on his journey from player to coach, including formative stops at Cal and the University of Washington, where he helped shape competitive programs and sharpen his coaching identity. Now, Olson faces his biggest challenge yet: building USD’s Div...

Join host Tim Cates on this powerful episode of the Masters in Coaching Podcast as he sits down with Andrew Parker, head golf coach at Woodbridge High School. Coach Parker shares his inspiring coaching journey — from his early days as an educator to his time as a hockey referee, to then taking over as a high school golf coach despite limited experience playing golf himself. In a heartfelt conversa...

Tim Cates sits down with JT Ayers, the highly respected head coach of the track and field program at Trabuco Hills High School. Known for building one of the top high school programs in Orange County, JT shares insights into his coaching philosophy, the success behind his speed and performance training, and his passion for developing young athletes both physically and mentally. A key highlight of...

A special LIVE podcast from the California Coaches Conference. Tim Cates hosts a panel discussion with CIF Southern Section Commissioner Mike West, former Harvard Westlake HS girls basketball coach Melissa Hearlihy, longtime San Clemente HS AD Jon Hamro and United Christian Academy AD Juan Denny. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim Cates sits down with longtime high school basketball coach and current Mater Dei HS Athletic Director Kevin Kiernan. Over his coaching career he has won 900 games, 12 CIF-SS titles, 6 CIF-State championshps and 2 National Championships in girls basketball. Kevin helped build the girls basketball program at Troy HS and has spent the last 17 years at Mater Dei where in 2024 he was named the WBCA...

Tim Cates sits down with Fullerton College basketball coach Perry Webster to talk about his journey from player to coach. After being named the head coach at Fullerton College at the age of 26, he has won multiple Conference Championships and State Championships over the last decade while leading the Hornets. Perry is the only person in California Community College history to win state championshi...

Tim Cates sits down with NFL referee Carl Cheffers for an insightful conversation about Cheffers' remarkable career as an official, how referees prepare for each game, and his deep-rooted connection to the sport—shaped by his father’s influence both as a coach and referee. When discussing the preparation that goes into each game, Cheffers revealed the extensive training that NFL referees undergo....

Tim Cates sits down with one of the greatest professional beach volleyball players in history, April Ross. A 3-time Olympic medalist and the winner of a Gold medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, April’s career spans over three decades, and her journey has been nothing short of legendary. From her days as an indoor volleyball star at USC, where she helped lead her team to two National Champi...

Tim Cates talks with Concordia University Irvine Associate Vice President of Athletics Crystal Rosenthal about the growth and success of the Eagles athletic department. She is also the Women's Softball Coach and just picked up her 700th career win! Crystal talks about sustaining a winning program for over two decades and the importance of a strong culture as one of the pillars in athletics. She is...

Tim Cates talks with Murrieta Valley HS water polo coach Bryan Lynton about his 30 years in education and coaching. He has won 9 CIF Southern Section Championshps and been named the Regional Coach of the Year 3 times by USAWP. Bryan is the head coach of both the boys and girls water polo teams at Murrieta Valley HS, while also working with USA Water Polo as a coach and technical director. Bryan is...

Tim Cates talks with former Penn State standout and current Mater Dei HS girls volleyball coach Dan O'Dell about his playing career and the success he's had bulding a championship program in Southern California. Coach O'Dell talks about the growth of volleyball in the US, the competitive play in Southern California and whether your child needs to play club sports to better their game. Coach O'Dell...

Tim Cates talks with former Major League pitcher Daniel Stange about his journey in professional baseball and then coaching career after his playing days ended. The former big leaguer went back to school and then got his MCAA from Concorida University Irvine which led to a AD job and opportunites to coach college baseball. Tim and Daniel also get into some serious baseball chatter about the art of...

It's a return visit for Ben Benavides, who talks with Tim Cates about his new role as Athletic Director at the Edgewood ISD in San Antonio. He was a standout athlete, who returned to coach high school football for neary 25 years before elevating to his new postion within the school district. Ben is a graduate of the MCAA program at Concordia University Irvine and talks about his experience in the...

Tim Cates talks with Palomar College Athletic Director Dan Lynds about his career as football player, football coach and coming back to oversee the Comets athletic department. He has helped with the building of a new football stadium and and softball stadium on campus at Palomar College. Dan also talks about his experience coaching football in Japan. Dan is a graduate of the MCAA program at Concor...

Tim Cates talks with new Long Beach State Basketball Coach Chris Acker about getting his dream job in college hoops. After serving as an assistant coach at San Diego State the last five seasons, Coach Acker is excited about building the Beach program and taking it to new levels in the Big West Conference. He talks about the importance of mental health with coaches and players. Coach Acker is a gra...

Tim Cates talks with Brooke Nicholson about career coaching volleyball to now the new Athletic Director at Mission Viejo High School. Brooke was a standout volleyball player, an All-American in college and has a been a successful coach the last decade before taking on a new role at her alma mater. Brooke is a graduate of the MCAA program at Concordia University Irvine and talks about how her exper...

Tim Cates talks with Dr. Jennifer Rizzo about her new role at Orange Lutheran High School here in Southern California. She's a former volleyball player, coach and longtime athletic trainer that has taken on the job of starting a Health and Human Performance Program at Orange Lutheran. Dr. Rizzo talks about how more and more high schools have athletic training programs for student to learn and poss...

Tim Cates talks with Brent Dohling about his job as District Coordinator of Athletics, PE, & Health with the Saddleback Valley Unified School District. Prior to that, Brent spent over a decade as a teacher, coach, athletic director and assistant principal in Orange County. Brent is a graduate of the MCAA program from Concordia University Irvine and has returned as a adjunct professor. He also...

Tim Cates talks with Cal State Dominguez Hills Associate Vice President and Athletics Director Eric McCurdy about his first year on the job and his plans for developing and expanding the athletics department. Eric is former D1 soccer player and hs worked in the private and public sector of high school and college athletics for over 30 years. Before taking the job at CSDH, Eric operated his own spo...

Tim Cates catches up with Gardy O'Flynn about his days in pro baseball and now 24 years teaching and coaching. Gardy is a nationally recognized throwing specialist with National Pitching East and Tom House Sports. He is also a graduated of the MCAA program from Concordia University Irvine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim Cates catches up with Oregon State women's volleyball coach Lindsey Behonick about taking over the Beavers program and her goals as a 1st time head coach. Lindsey was one of the top assistant coaches in the country while at Pittsburgh and before that at Concordia University Irvine. Lindsey was an All-American volleyball player at CUI before she got her MCAA from CUI and pursued a career in coa...

Tim Cates catches up with 4x Olympic medalist and Hall of Famer Brenda Villa about her journey from LA to Palo Alto to representing the United States in four different Summer Olympics. Brenda is the most decorated player in the history of women's water polo. She is now the head girls water polo coach at Orange Lutheran HS and a student in the MCAA program at Concordia University Irvine. See omnyst...

Tim Cates catches up with Rod Sherman at the 2023 MCAA Coaches Conference at Concordia University Irvine. Rod is the head football coach at Orange Lutheran HS in Southern California. Rod is entering his 3rd season at the helm, returning to coach the Lancers after his first stint as coach and athletic director from 1997-2007. Coach Sherman then served as the athletic director and head football coac...