PREP Athletics Basketball Podcast

In this mini-episode we start our series on PREP Athletics success stories. First is highlighting VMI forward Louis Tang. Louis came to the US from Taiwan and didn't speak any English. He sacrificed a year of team basketball to learn the language and the US culture.  His last two years of high school he played in the WCAC which is the best high school basketball conference in the US. From her...

On this week’s podcast we are joined by Andrew Petcash. Andrew played D1 at Boston University and at the end of 2021 shared his first post on what became The Petcash Post. In this informative conversation we talk about playing D1 versus being in the military, things no one tells you about D1, NIL deals, the NCAA transfer rule, picking an agent, becoming a billionaire and much more.  What You Will...

In this mini episode we talk about the option of international basketball players attending a US prep school. Prep schools love international players and the diversity they bring. Coaches do as well. Find out why prep schools like these players and learn about how financial aid works.  🔗 Connect with Cory:   Website | https://www.prepathletics.com Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics Inst...

On this week’s podcast we welcome David Maurice Smith.  David grew up in Vancouver British Columbia and played college basketball at Simon Frazier University.  After traveling the world he settled in Australia with his family where he is a professional photographer.  David has been featured in cover stories for The New York Times Magazine.  In this episode we talk about First Blood being filmed in...

Mike Byrnes is the head coach at The Tilton School which is located in New Hampshire. This is Mike’s first year at Tilton.  Mike grew up in Massachusettes before completing a post grad year at Fork Union.  He then played at St Francis (PA) before transferring to UMass.  Here he played under first year head coach John Calipari.  After this Mike had stints coaching in the prep school world to includ...

Kelly Wells is the former head basketball coach of the University of Pikeville. As a high schooler he was one of the top players in the state of Kentucky and led his team to three straight trips to the Sweet Sixteen. After graduation he played at Tulsa before transferring to Morehead State. He won a state title as head coach at Mason County High School where he coached Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball, e...

In this short episode we go over the 5 ways to get money off of your prep school tuition. Know that none of these ways are guaranteed, but I have seem them work over the years. 1) Have good grades 2) Be from a geographical area not represented in the school's student body 3) Be a good athlete 4) Qualify for need based financial aid 5) Be an interesting kid Connect with Cory: Website | https:/...

Seth Eilberg is the head coach at The Hill School which is located in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Seth has been at Hill since 2001 and in during that time has placed players at all levels of college basketball. In this podcast we discuss what guards need to make it to the college level, the MAPL league, the transfer portal, the founder of 5 Hour Energy, hosting LaMelo Ball and much more. Enjoy the po...

Players reach out every day of the year wanting to go to a prep school. A lot of families have asked me if they are too early or too late. There is not wrong answer but there are advantages to starting in the Fall and there are other advantages for exploring options in the Spring and Summer. This short episode gives you a breakdown of the pros and cons of each. If you have a specific question Conn...

Jim McCarthy is the head coach at Cheshire Academy.  After playing at Hamilton, Jim coached at Williams where he won a D3 national championship.  From there he coached D1 at Yale, Northeastern ,and Towson.  In this conversation we discuss the differences between playing D1 vs D3, what it takes to be a D1 player, the pros/cons of being a walk-on, the differences between NEPSAC AAA, AA, and A progra...

In this week’s episode we welcome author and former NBA player Paul Shirley to the podcast.  Paul has written four books to include one that covers his journey from college, to playing international to eventually making it to the NBA.  Paul discusses coming from a small town, what was inside him that gave him that drive to make it to the NBA, and the best and worst parts of playing at a high major...

In this week’s episode we have the honor of talking to Coach Dave Taylor.  Dave was Cory’s coach at Air Force and the two have traveled the world for the game of basketball.  Dave is one of the top coaches that Cory has ever been around and he wanted to ask Coach Taylor some of the main questions that players and their families ask on a continual basis.   -How do you find a good AAU team?  -Is it...

In this episode we welcome the founder of Evolution Basketball, Alex Harris.  Alex played his high school ball for national ranked Gonzaga College High School in Washington DC.  He played D1 at American University and made the all freshman team for the conference.  After a coaching change he transferred to D2 Le Moyne College.  He shares his thoughts in this conversation about the differences betw...

In this episode we welcome Tom Bower and Ryan Maxwell of The Virtus Brand .  We take the time to discuss the basics of the Name Image and Likeness (NIL) and how it can benefit student athletes.  We take the time to talk about what NIL is, what the benefits are, as well as what student athletes need to watch out for.  We talk about specific examples to include Top 25 class of 2023 guard Reed Sheppa...

This is one of the most important topics to clarify in the prep school basketball world. Brick and mortar prep schools are NOT the same as basketball academies. In this episode I discuss the differences between the two options, share my personal experience and horror stories of working with some of these academies, and share what to questions to ask if looking at this option. Connect with Cory: We...

In this episode we welcome Westtown School Head Coach Seth Berger.  Seth has been the coach there for 12 years and built it into a national powerhouse.  He has coached NBA players such as Cam Reddish and Mo Bamba.  He currently has the number one player in the class of 2022 and Duke signee Dereck Lively.  In this episode we discuss why he got into coaching, how he turned Westtown into a national p...

On this episode we welcome Coach Danny Haney to the podcast. Danny is PREP Athletics Founder Cory Heitz’s high school coach. Danny coached at Lexington Catholic High School and during his time won a state title and got up to #3 in the USA Today National High School Rankings. He beat Oak Hill and Whitney Young that year and talks about how he built the program into a national powerhouse. Danny also...

On this PREP Athletics Podcast we welcome former Nike executive and prep school parent to the podcast. Archie McEachern completed a post grad year himself at Maine Central Institute before playing and becoming a 2 year captain at Ithaca College. He then worked his way up the corporate ladder at Nike to at one point being in charge of Global Basketball. Archie was in charge of footwear for Kobe Bry...

In this short podcast we go over the most popular article from the PREP Athletics website: The Top 5 Most Important Questions to Ask Prep School Basketball Coaches. Here they are: 1) How much is this going to cost? 2) What is your strategy on getting a player exposure to college coaches? 3) How can you meet a player's academic goals? 4) What is the culture of the school? 5) How will you devel...

On this week’s episode I had the pleasure to interview former NBA strength and conditioning coach, Blair O’Donovan.  Blair has worked in the NHL, NFL, NBA, as well as for the Jordan Brand Classic and the McDonalds All American Game.  Blair and I coached together at Gonzaga College High School in Washington DC under Gatorade National Coach of the Year, Steve Turner.  In this podcast Blair talks abo...

On this episode we welcome Karl Barkley of D3Direct.  Karl played at Swarthmore College and now helps educate athletes on everything D3.  In this episode we discuss the talent at the D3 level, going pro, the benefits, and talk all about financial aid.  This was a very informative episode which is a must listen to those who don’t know much about the D3 option.  What You Will Learn: [0:41] Overview...

On this episode we welcome Coach Alex Popp of IMG Academy to the podcast. Alex has played D1 and D2, coached at the D1, D3, G-League, Nike EYBL and prep school level and is now working at IMG Academy to make their basketball program one of the best in the world. In this episode we talk about Alex completing a post grad year at Northfield Mount Hermon, being a walk on at a Big Ten school, finding t...

In this mini episode, PREP Athletics Founder, Cory Heitz explains how the PREP Athletics process of finding a right fitting prep school works. This process includes: 1) Committing to help a player 2) Player has to make their own recruiting website 3) Reaching out to the right fitting prep school's coaches on the player's behalf 4) Have players/family ready to talk to interested coaches b...

Tom Espinoza is the head prep boys basketball coach at Putnam Science Academy.  Tom won National Prep School Championships in 2018 and 2020.  He has coached dozens of D1 players to include NBA player Hamadou Diallo.  In this conversation we talk about starting a prep school program from scratch, what its like to coach a Top 100 player, his second team, the importance of the open gym recruiting per...

On this episode we interview Lee Academy’s Head Prep Basketball Coach Dan Haynes.  Dan was a multisport athlete in high school and college before getting into coaching.  He has been at Lee since 2016 and shares his insights on such topics as the remoteness of Lee Academy, playing in the NEPSAC AAA, his largely international roster, and more.  Dan explains his pitch to players on why it’s a good th...