The Basketball Strong Podcast

Many players struggle to bounce back after one ACL tear, while two would be the end for most. So imagine suffering three ACL injuries, and being forced to sit out from the time you were a high school senior until you were a fifth-year senior in college. That’s the 1,788-day odyssey that Jelani Williams has lived through.  Shining on his high school team as they made a perennial push to the state t...

Many players struggle to bounce back after one ACL tear, while two would be the end for most. So imagine suffering three ACL injuries, and being forced to sit out from the time you were a high school senior until you were a fifth-year senior in college. That’s the 1,788-day odyssey that Jelani Williams has lived through.  Shining on his high school team as they made a perennial push to the state t...

Pro baller. Entrepreneur. Wife. Mother. Everything Briana Butler touches turns to gold. She played for three years in the WNBA, which required her to also ball out for teams in Europe and Australia due to female pros being underpaid. Once her pro career was over, Briana decided to build on the BS in human performance she earned from USC with a master’s in clinical nutrition from the University of...

Pro baller. Entrepreneur. Wife. Mother. Everything Briana Butler touches turns to gold. She played for three years in the WNBA, which required her to also ball out for teams in Europe and Australia due to female pros being underpaid. Once her pro career was over, Briana decided to build on the BS in human performance she earned from USC with a master’s in clinical nutrition from the University of...

Henry Barrera joined the Liberty men’s basketball program as its Director of Performance in June 2015 and was promoted to his current position as Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports in July 2018. Barrera came to Liberty from the state of Oregon, where he was a Performance Training Specialist at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton. While at Nike he was instrumental in designin...

Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Phil Jackson got all the media attention during the Chicago Bulls’ second three-peat, but role players were crucial to their success. While Jordan was still on his baseball hiatus, the Bulls signed small forward Jud Buechler, who’d previously shown what we now call “3 and D” skills with the Warriors, Spurs and Nets.  The following March, Jordan se...

Imagine suiting up to do battle with the likes of Shaq, Alonzo Mourning, and Dikembe Mutombo on a nightly basis. That’s what awaited Chris Kaman when he debuted in the League after the LA Clippers selected him with the 6th pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, which also featured LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Carmelo Anthony. Chris went on to become one of the best post players in the NBA, earning an All-S...

There are plenty of sports podcasts out there. What makes Basketball Strong different? That’s exactly what this episode is about. Our goal is to put unlimited tools in the hands of basketball players, coaches, parents, performance staff, and other listeners who love the game as much as we do. We’ll always ask the extra question that makes guests say, ‘Nobody’s ever asked me that’ - whether that gu...