The Bare's Den w/ Matt Bare

For this episode Matt gets together with a very well respected figure in the Minnesota High School Basketball scene and that is the founder and president of Breakdown Sports USA - Justin Hegna.  The Breakdown works with many high school sports but their beginning and what their most known for is basketball.   Justin shares where the idea for his business came from and and how it ultimately started...

This episode is a neat dive into the golf world and a Masters recap with two good friends - Brad Cole (from Nike Golf & host of the 10,000 Swings podcast from SKOR North) and Mike Welch (3M tournament director).  Matt and the guests review the just completed Masters event and discuss the dominant victory of Dustin Johnson.  Mike Welch then shares some insight from this years 3M Open and the ch...

For this episode Matt is joined by Cory Cove, one of the hosts of the super popular morning show on KFAN radio "Power Trip Morning Show".  Cory is also a former college classmate of Matt's from the University of Minnesota. They share stories of having class together and when they both secured unpaid internships that would lead to where they are today.  Find out what Cory wanted to b...

For this episode Matt is joined by one of the "Danette's" from the highly successful Dan Patrick Show - Todd Fritz, aka "Fritzy".  He started in radio at WFAN in New York, worked with Roy Firestone for "Up Close",  and ended up working at ESPN for a number of years where he connected with Dan.  Fritzy is the executive producer for the show and has been a part of...

The worlds of entertainment and sports are brought together in this episode as Matt is joined by actor and Portland Trail Blazers super fan - Kelly AuCoin.  Kelly has appeared in theater, television and film in a variety of roles.  He is know most recently for his roles in "The Americans" as Pastor Tim and for his current role as "Dollar" Bill Stern on the popular Showtime seri...

For this episode, Matt is joined by former Vikings linebacker and girl dad - Chad Greenway.  Chad went from playing 9-man football in a Mount Vernon, South Dakota, to an All-American at the University of Iowa to becoming a Pro-Bowl linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings.  Chad shares how his small town upbringing laid the groundwork for his success on the football field.  They discuss his days with...

This episode is a deep dive into the basketball skills training world with the founder and operator of Catalyst Training - Reid Ouse.  Reid started as a college assistant coach and is now a very popular skills trainer who works with youth basketball players all the way up to NBA players.  Reid started training on the east coast and is now based in the Minneapolis metro area.  We discuss how his bu...

For this episode Matt chats with Lakeville South boys head basketball coach and friend - Joe Janquart.  They both have a fascination for basketball and BBQ and they discuss both in this episode.  Joe is a passionate basketball coach and teacher who has had success on the court at North St. Paul and Lakeville South.  He also loves to grill and smoke his favorite meats just like Matt.  The guys shar...

He may not be in Minnesota anymore but for this conversation it felt like it as Matt is joined by former DeLaSalle boys head coach and current Colorado St. men's basketball assistant coach - Dave Thorson.  Also, joining for this episode is Jeff Munneke.  Coach Thorson will always have ties to Minnesota as he led DeLaSalle High School to an amazing 9 state championships, including six straight...

Are you trying to achieve a growth mindset?  Are you looking to enhance your teams culture?  Scott Savor joined me to share his thoughts on these very things.  Scott is a professional coach and speaker for individuals, teams and companies.  His strengths are leadership, motivation and mental training.  Scott has worked with players and teams from the NBA, WNBA, G-League, NCAA and high school level...

For this episode Matt is joined by one of the most successful girls basketball coaches in Minnesota state history.  Brian Cosgriff was at the helm of the Hopkins girls program for 21 seasons compiling an overall record of 569 - 67 and won 7 state championships at the Class 4A level.  He retired from Hopkins in July riding a current 62-game winning streak.  He has coached some tremendous players su...

For this episode Matt is joined by Rochester, MN (Rohester John Marshall HS) native Dane Fischer.  Dane is the head men's basketball coach at Division 1 - William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.  Dane left his first job after college as a financial advisor to pursue his love for basketball and coaching.  He had multiple stops along the way as a D-I assistant at Rider, Bucknell and Georg...

This week Matt is joined by Brett Cloutier who is the head boys basketball coach at Princeton high school in Minnesota and is also the host of The Minnesota Basketball Coaching Podcast.  Brett grew up in Brainerd and developed his love for sports and coaching growing up there.  Matt and Brett share their thoughts on some of the best basketball players they watched growing up in that area.  Brett w...

For this episode Matt is joined by two of his co-workers that were standout high school basketball players here in Minnesota.  They are Ashley Ellis-Milan (St. Paul Central H.S.) and Breanna Salley (St. Francis H.S.) who are two strong female role models in the basketball world.  They became friends as teammates while at the University of Minnesota, however they were only together there for one se...

For this special Father's Day edition of the Bare's Den, Matt is joined by two coaches who have a very unique path.  They both played for and won a state title in Chisholm for their dad as their head coach.  Their dad however, is no ordinary head coach as he is the all-time wins leader for Minnesota boys high school head coaches with over 1,000 victories - Bob McDonald.  Both Mike and Jo...

For this episode Matt is joined by Minneapolis North head boys coach - Larry McKenzie, Richfield boys head coach - Omar McMillan and Timberwolves & Lynx Basketball Academy Director - George Ellis.  These three guests are respected not only in the basketball community but the African American community as well.  The three of them share their feelings on how the death of George Floyd has affecte...

For this episode Matt is joined by Tony Dorado - the National Manager of high school basketball for Nike.  Tony has been with Nike for 25 years now and before that was a high school basketball coach himself.  Tony's job is to establish relationships in the high school market and ultimately partnerships with the between the top boys and girls programs and Nike.  Tony works with 200+ schools ac...

For this episode I am joined by South Dakota St. basketball legend Mike Daum.  Mike was a star for the Jackrabbits in Brookings but it didn’t start out that way.  Coming from a town of 2,500 people in western Nebraska, Mike learned the game from his mom (Michele), who was a standout player herself at the University of Wyoming.  Mike redshirted his freshman year at SDSU.  For his redshirt freshman...

For this episode we are joined by Willie Vang who is the president of the Minnesota Heat basketball organization, which is the largest spring/summer program in the state and the second largest in the country.  Willie and I talk some spring and summer hoops and what he sees as potential timelines for how things play out down the road.  He also touches on the summer recruiting period and what kids c...

In today’s episode we connect with two guests from the world of men’s college basketball at the Division 3 level – University of St. Thomas men’s basketball coach John Tauer and St. John’s University men’s coach Pat McKenzie.  Their two schools have a long history of battles and this basketball season took it to another level.  Both schools were ranked in the top 5 nationally this season.  They me...

Our very first guest is Dave Flom, who is the head boys varsity basketball coach at Eden Prairie High School here in Minnesota which is one of the largest high schools in the state.  This season coach Flom and his team were having a dream season.  They had 4 senior starters on the team that eclipsed the 1,000 point mark in their careers and were sitting at an overall record of 28-0, ranked #1 in c...