Nail The Recruiting Process Podcast

Jared here. This week is the season finale of the NTRP Podcast, and I'm joined by Emily Garner, Head Coach of Cornell Women's Basketball, for a wide-ranging conversation on what it really takes to build a program in one of the most competitive and academically demanding conferences in the country. Coach Garner's journey has unfolded almost entirely at elite academic institutions—first as a player...

Constructing a Culture Beyond the Court — A Conversation with Sacred Heart University Head Coach Anthony Latina Jared here. This week I'm joined by Anthony Latina, Head Coach of Sacred Heart Men's Basketball, for a conversation that looks at culture in its fullest sense—not just within the team, but across an entire campus community. Coach Latina has spent 20 years with the Pioneers, and I can't w...

Jared here. This episode, I'm joined by David Hitz, founder of The Neuro Pro, for a conversation that pulls back the curtain on how mindfulness and breathwork are becoming a competitive edge for athletes. David has worked with athletes and professionals at all levels to unlock performance through the brain's ability to rewire itself—what science calls neuroplasticity. We talk about what that actua...

Jared here. This week I'm joined by one of my oldest basketball buddies Dan Nagle, Head Coach at Nichols College, for a cannonball dive into one of the most unique styles of basketball you'll see at the college level. Nichols runs "The System," a high-octane, relentless approach built on pace, pressure, and both shooting and subbing in volume. He's in the middle of a program re-build at Nichols, w...

Jared here. In this episode, I sit down with Andrew May, Head Coach of Snow College Men's Basketball—a team that spent much of last season ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA. Coach May takes us inside the culture and demands of high-level junior college basketball, breaking down what makes JUCO so different and why the JUCO path is the perfect fit for certain players. We talk about the balance between deve...

Jared here.  This week, I'm joined by Jacey Brooks, Head Coach of Northern Illinois Women's Basketball. We have a candid conversation about development, decision-making, and how to navigate the recruiting process with clarity—especially when you're struggling to make decisions. Coach Brooks has just about seen it all in her coaching journey. She's served as an assistant and associate head coach at...

Jared here. This episode, I'm joined by Luke McConnell - Head Coach at Saint Francis University - for a conversation that blends program-building, personal growth, and the mindset that manufactured one of the most improbable Conference Championship runs of the 2024-2025 season. He walks through how Saint Francis found its identity late in the season, bought into one another, and played their best...

Episode: Behind the App — How Athlete Narrative is Changing the Game with David Hitz In this bonus episode of The Nail the Recruiting Process Podcast, we're stepping off the court and into the digital side of recruiting. With the live evaluation season in full swing and coaches on the road, I wanted to give athletes and families a deeper look into a tool that aims to level the playing field: the A...

Jared here, and I'm going to put it simply: I've never heard a coach publicly share the types of stories you're about to hear in this episode of the podcast. We continue our deep dive with Tiffany Swoffard, Head Coach of Canisius Women's Basketball, as she reflects on the most pivotal stretch of her first season. If Part 1 was about laying the foundation, Part 2 is about testing it. This is where...

Jared here, and this one is not going to be your standard interview with a basketball coach. In the first of a two-part episode, I am joined by Canisius University Head Coach Tiffany Swoffard.  But to put it more accurately, I WAS joined by Coach Swoffard for the entirety of the 2024-2025 season, in order to provide listeners with a behind-the-scenes look at what it really means to build a Divisio...

Jared here, and this week I'm joined by Fairfield Assistant Coach Blake DuDonis. Blake is one of my favorite minds (and also one of the most outstanding communicators) in college basketball. During Blake's time as an assistant under coach Carly Thibault-Dudonis, Fairfield has become a force in mid-major D1 basketball, winning back-to-back MAAC championships and recently earning an invitation to US...

Jared here. In this episode of The Nail the Recruiting Process Podcast, I'm joined by Katherine Plouffe—one of the top women's 3x3 basketball players in the world and the leader of Team Canada 3X3. In the midst of her final competitive season, Katherine pulls back the curtain on what it truly takes to perform at the highest level. We talk about the mental shift that came with transitioning from 5-...

Inside the Evaluation Process  with Wisconsin-River Falls Head Coach Shelby Lyman Jared here. In this week's episode, we're pulling the curtain all the way back. I'm joined by Coach Shelby Lyman, head coach at Wisconsin-River Falls. Together, we're going to walk you through literally every part of an evaluation of a prospective college athlete.  If you've ever wondered how college coaches decide w...

In this episode of The Nail the Recruiting Process Podcast, I'm joined by one of the most respected voices in Men's basketball: Boston University Head Coach Joe Jones. Coach Jones is a three-time Patriot League Coach of the Year and has built BU into a model of consistency, with top-three conference finishes in five of the last six seasons. But this conversation goes far beyond accolades. Coach Jo...

Jared here. This week, I'm joined by UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Matt Ducharme, along with Jane McCauley and Carly Whiteside—two of UMASS Darthmouth's transfer athletes who just helped the Corsairs capture the program's first-ever Little East Conference championship. You'll hear Jane and Carly describe their journey from Division I to Division III in their own words; a pathway to leadership, growth...

Jared here, and today I'm joined by Jon Soch — one of the most respected young scouts in men's basketball. Through his work with Suited Scouting, Jon has built deep connections with Division 1 college programs and NBA teams, specializing in evaluating the very best prospects across North America. We dive into what recruitment actually looks like behind the scenes — from realizing what "hard work"...

Jared here. In this episode of The Nail the Recruiting Process Podcast, I'm joined by Coach Kristin Tullo, the founder of Think Strong Play Strong. Kristin is a mental performance coach, and today we dive into the critical intersection of resilience development and athletic development. With a background in strength coaching and social work, Kristin shares her journey to becoming a specialist in t...

SEASON 2 PREVIEW Welcome back to The Nail the Recruiting Process podcast! Jared here, and I'm excited to kick off season two. In order to best set up the interviews ahead, we're going to use today's episode to dive deep into the single most significant challenge I see in recruiting today: the massive information gap between high school athletes and college coaches. The recruiting landscape is shif...

Jared here. In the final episode of Season 1, I'll walk you through the ten most important themes we uncovered over our interviews with college coaches and former college athletes—valuable insights that every recruit and family can use to approach the journey with a clear purpose. We'll discuss why showcasing talent is only the beginning of your recruiting journey and how attitudes, relationships,...

Jared here, and this week I'm on a mission to better educate the basketball consuming public about Ivy League Hoops. The person here to help me accomplish this mission is quite qualified. I'm joined by reigning Ivy League Coach of the Year Megan Griffith, Head Coach of Columbia Women's Basketball. Coach Griffith's dedication to building a powerhouse program in New York City has led to historic suc...

Jared here. In this episode, I sit down with Juli Fulks, Head Women's Basketball Coach at Marshall University. We dive into Juli's fascinating coaching journey (which includes one of the highest winning percentages over the last 20 years of college basketball) and also discuss the types of recruits that drive success in her programs. We discuss Coach Fulks' data-driven approach to basketball and h...

Jared here, and this week we close out our 3-part series on the "how." I'm joined by Cornell Thomas, a motivational speaker, author, and basketball coach. Cornell is here to talk about his incredible journey to a professional basketball contract after not picking up a basketball until age 16. You read that correctly. You're going to learn about how a kid who did not play basketball until he was a...

Jared here, and it's time for part two of our three part "how to get better' series. I'm joined by Tony Watson and Rod Middleton of Pro Training Basketball. Rod and Tony both played DI ball at UB and both went on to be professional players in Europe. They've also been training young hoopers for more than a decade and are here to dive deep into what it really takes to play at the next level.  This...

Jared here. And today, we focus on getting stronger. I'm joined by Chase Skinkis of Project Pure Athlete. We dive into his unique story of how he transformed his body and his game after college, leveraging a combination of his passion for basketball and an engineering-based approach to physical improvement. You'll learn the science behind improving athleticism from a world-reknowned dunker with 4-...

Jared here, and today, I'm joined by Coach Allison Roberts, an expert in the field of college volleyball recruiting and the founder of "How to Get Recruited."  Now, you may be wondering why I'm so excited to have a volleyball recruiting specialist on my basketball recruiting podcast.  Boy, am I happy you asked! Coach Allison and I have gotten to know one another over the past year, and we realized...