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Dribbling Marty Fosters is in his second season as a women's basketball graduate assistant coach at the University of akron.

During the 2024 WNBA season, Marty served as the head video coordinator for the LA Sparks under head coach Kurt Miller.

Marty began his coaching career at the University of Minnesota, where he worked under coach Lindsey Whalen as a student manager for the women's basketball team.

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Grab your notebook before you listen to this episode with Marty Vosters, women's basketball graduate Assistant Coach at the University of Akron.

Hello and welcome to the Hoop Heads Podcast.

It's Mike Flinsling here without my co host Jason Sunkel tonight, but I am pleased to be joined by the Women's basketball graduate assistant at the University of Akron, Marty Fosters.

Marty, welcome to the hoop heads pod.

Appreciate it, Mike.

Thanks for having me on Looking forward to it.

Absolutely excited to have you on looking forward to diving into all the things that you've been able to do in your career.

Let's start by going back in time to when you were a kid.

Tell me about your first experiences with the game of basketball.

What made you fall in love with it when you were younger?

Yeah, I appreciate the question.

And I think, you know, like a lot of the people on these podcasts, it starts out a lot of times playing for your dad or, you know, your dad was able to get you in the jam.

Maybe it was your mother.

I think no different with me.

You know, I remember in first grade I joked that I was.

I've been a male or a female practice player since first grade and my dad was coaching my older sister who was in third grade.

And I was like the only organized basketball I could get around at that point.

So in first grade already I was going to a bunch of, you know, my older sister's practices and, you know, I was playing live against them.

And, you know, since then, I think it's always been normal for me to be around, you know, women's basketball since that young age.

And then obviously when I was able to get to third grade, joined my own team and played with my friends and, you know, from a small town in Wisconsin, really, you know, not the biggest town, but I think we really competitive in the certain sports that the town bought into and basketball was one of them, you know, went on to have a, you know, fairly good career with, you know, really good teams.

And I wasn't a great player myself, but like some really successful teams at the high school level, you know, for a really good coach that I enjoyed and was able to play for my dad through seventh grade and then onto a hall of fame high school coach, you know, John Myron.

So it was awesome to play for him.

Learned a lot from him, a great mentor and, you know, playing with.

Playing with, you know, your best, best buddies that, you know, small town in Wisconsin.

So absolutely.

Tell me about the influence of your dad on you as a coach and maybe just share one or two things that you picked up from him, whether just by consciously looking at what he did or just kind of through osmosis of playing for him for all those years, things that are still with you kind of in your coaching style and your approach as a coach today.

Yeah, I think the big thing is, is he Always, like, he'll joke with you that, you know, he doesn't.

He's not super smart X's and O's.

And I think, you know, he's humble saying that, but it's like, I think it's true, like the things that he was really good at.

And what I appreciate it was like a youth coach.

I thought he was just a great, like players coach.

And he, like, I thought he found like an individual thing with each player that, hey, I'm going to motivate this player in this way.

And it's like, obviously at that level, like, you have kids going out for, you know, seventh grade basketball who maybe just are going out to be on a team and be around their friends.

So it's like, I thought my dad did a good job of like, hey, I know everyone's not here, you know, they don't want to play college basketball.

They might not even want to play high school basketball.

They just want to be here with their friends, know, get it, get a workout in like, whatever it is.

So I thought he did a good job of like blending a bunch of different people who are out there for different reasons, like, and I thought he did a good job of that and like, trying to, you know, please the players and like, coaching for the players and, you know, not worrying about his own.

Like, he wasn't trying to teach us a thousand plays like it was.

I'm just going to teach you the basics.

I'm going to let you guys have fun with it and I'm going to, you know, be there to motivate, be there to support, be there to try to build a, you know, a team culture and just get us to play together with some simple principles.

So I think some of those things, like you, you know, coaching is so much more than X's and O's.

And I think he showed me that from a young age of everything else that it can be and that it should be as a coach.

So I know that's a really good point and I think it's one that all you got to do is show up at an AAU tournament and realize that there's a lot of coaches out there that could probably use that advice in terms of, right, the humility and just the approach of the fact that, hey, it's about my players, it's about the kids, and it's not necessarily about me as the coach.

I think that's a great lesson to be able to take away from your dad without question.

What about you mentioned getting an opportunity to play For a hall of Fame high school coach, I'm going to kind of ask you the same question relative to him.

What are some things that you've taken away from your experience playing with him that are still influencing you today?

Yeah, I think it's a good question.

You know, someone who's I think helped me a lot in the coaching journey and just like a great, you know, a great basketball mind to learn from in high school.

I think some of the things like he was old school, like he played for Dick Bennett at Stevens Point, so he's, you know, kind of from that Bennett coaching tree and he brought that to the high school level and you know, small town Wisconsin and he was just like, it was defensive drill after defensive drill and yeah, we all got sick of it.

Yeah, we got mad at him days like, dude, why we.

We've been playing defense for an hour and a half, like I need to shoot.

And it was like, I think just buying into that.

And he did a good job of like always telling us.

You know, one of his quotes I remember was like, working hard isn't going to guarantee us success.

It's not going to guarantee us a win.

But working hard is going to increase those odds of winning.

And a lot of nights, like I said, that was just a ton of defense.

And I think some of his defensive fundamentals and drills I think are things that carry to any level and learned a ton of that and it was just like buy into defense, like we're going to play pac line, we're not going to give you paint touches.

You know, we're going to force contested threes.

And some of those things I think still stick with me.

Along with that quote I mentioned, like, you're going to do it through working hard, you're going to be disciplined.

And you know, some of those things I think he would always say, you know, discipline before freedom is another one of his like things that still sticks me, sticks with me to this day as well.

Yeah, I love that statement.

And again, it's one when you think about what a good program is all about.

Right.

Coaches often will talk about, I want my players to play free, I want them to play loose, but yet you have to have a structure in place to be able to allow that freedom to flourish.

If you don't, then it's just you're playing some glorified pickup basketball which obviously nobody wants.

You're not going to be very successful with that for very long.

Growing up in small town Wisconsin, were you a multi sport athlete?

Were you always basketball Right from that first opportunity, getting a chance to practice against your sister.

Yeah, for sure.

That's one of the things I loved about, you know, growing up in small town Wisconsin was the ability to play, you know, multiple sports.

And it was like as, you know, a kid who wasn't an exceptional athlete, it was like I wanted the opportunity to compete in as many things as I could while I was still, you know, young enough and physically able to do it.

So, yeah, I went on to play or actually run cross country in the fall, and then it was basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring.

So it was, you know, awesome that the town.

I think we needed, you know, multiple sport athletes because we only had, you know, a hundred kids in each grade.

So if you only had one sport, athletes, like, you simply couldn't have all the sport.

So it was awesome to, you know, coaches are.

Even the basketball coach, he's like, trying to convince you, hey, we need you to go play other sports because we need a.

We need a.

We need.

We need a cross country team.

We need a baseball team.

And it was like getting to be able to compete all year round.

You know, it's just a competitor.

It was awesome to be able to, you know, shift one sport to the next and stay competitive all.

All year round.

What did you learn from cross country and baseball that applied to your experience as a basketball player?

Because oftentimes and again in cross country, there's not necessarily a role that you play, but baseball.

Just what are some things that you learned from playing those other sports that you were able to translate when you became a basketball player, when it transitioned into basketball season?

Yeah.

Yeah, I think that's a really good question, Mike.

And I think we'll start with baseball.

And the big thing there is like, baseball coaches always tell you it's such a mental game.

And I think that's true.

And it's something I struggled with.

I think especially in, like, middle school and, you know, freshman year of high school, it was like, on the basketball court, you make a mistake and you compound it.

And, you know, basketball coaches hate that.

So as a pitcher in baseball, like, you learn real quick.

If you walk a guy, you can't sit there and think about it for the next three batters.

So I think that philosophy from baseball really carried over to basketball.

Well, it was like, you make a mistake, yeah, mistakes are going to happen, but you got to move on from it.

It's, you know, the next play, next pitch, next, you know, next batter mentality.

We got to move on to the Next thing.

So I think that was big carrying over to basketball.

And then in cross country, I think honestly the thing I learned most from that sport that carried over to basketball was just like you said, it's an individual sport.

You know, your role is just to run.

You know, it's a race.

It's all on you.

So I think that, you know the way cross country is, like, there's no one to blame if you have a bad race.

Like, you're the only person you can blame.

I can't blame a coach, I can't blame my teammate.

I'm the one who wasn't ready to run the race.

So I think that was, that was really good to learn.

It was just like, especially in basketball, I think there were times too it's easy to point a finger at your teammate, it's easy to point a finger at the ref or your coach.

But it's like, how about you look in the mirror?

Like a lot of times, you know, maybe it was my fault, you know, maybe there was a messed up, you know, defensive coverage, whatever it was.

But like, I think bringing that attitude over to basketball was helpful as well.

Because like I said, there's plenty of nights in the basket court where it was my fault.

And like, hey, you learned that from cross country.

It's okay to just admit your mistakes.

And I think it makes the whole team better.

Yeah, those are two really good examples.

And I think clearly the transference from one sport to another.

There's always, I think, benefit to being a multi sport athlete, not only in the ways that you just described in terms of just lessons that you pick up from the sport, but also just in terms of the movements and the different things.

And today, obviously it's much, much more difficult than it's ever been to be able to play multiple sports in high school, which is one of those.

It's just in a lot of ways it's a shame that kids don't get that experience.

And so often as adults, the youth sports landscape kind of forces them into that one sport track because, hey, you got to be playing soccer year round or you got to be playing basketball year round, or you got to be playing j volleyball year round.

And it gets tough for kids to be able to meet the demands of multiple sports.

And then when you do have that many kids playing year round, the skill level of the game just continues to go up and up and up.

And I'm sure that you see that as a coach, just the skill level of players today is higher than it's ever been in the history of the game just because, again, kids are getting so much more, I think, better coaching at an earlier age.

And they also just are getting so many opportunities to play.

And so it's been interesting to look at how the youth sports landscape has changed.

It's a conversation that we've had on the podcast before, just about how kids used to have more free play and more pickup, and now they're usually playing in a gym with a coach and with a parent, in the stands and with a scoreboard and just kind of how that impacts players in different ways.

And for you on the women's side, I would have to guess that, you know, looking at it from your perspective, that the opportunities for young women to be able to play the game of basketball again compared to the time when I was growing up 30, 35 years ago, I mean, it's astronomical.

Just the amount of opportunity that my two daughters have had to be able to play the game compared to a girl who was growing up at the same era in the late 70s, early 80s to try to play basketball as a female, the opportunities just weren't there.

And I'm sure you see that coaching on the women's side, just how many opportunities there are for young women to be able to play.

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

It's crazy, like you mentioned and I think it's, you know, it's every sport.

It's not bad.

You know, it's not just basketball.

I think volleyball is another one where it's like there's so many, you know, young girls from, you know, third, fifth grade, like they're playing volleyball all year round.

And I think it's awesome.

I think it's awesome.

Like you mentioned, they are able to get those opportunities with a coat from a young age.

And I think like you said, it's every sport.

It's soccer, volleyball, softball is another big one for girls too.

Like, there's so many softball, you know, buildings and like, things that, hey, we can go play in the winter.

Even up in Wisconsin, I got an indoor, you know, batting cage or whatever it is.

And like you said, it's raised the skill level for all things, which is awesome.

But yeah, you know, there's always cons to everything, right?

And I think one downside of that is, you know, there is less multi sports, multi sport athletes, which, you know, stinks in some ways.

But yeah, I think it has been awesome for, you know, for each individual sport.

And as a, you know, someone on a college staff, it's like, yeah, you can see that.

You know, the AAU opportunities and the level of the high school play has gone up, which is.

It is.

Is exciting to see.

So.

Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, there's no question that the level of play in girls basketball, and I would argue in boys basketball, too, it's just that the skill level has never been higher.

When you look up and down a high school bench at the quality of players that high school teams have, it just dwarfs anything that was around 10, 15, 20 years ago in terms of the skill level of those players.

Thinking back to your time as a high school player, what do you remember as your favorite memory?

Do you have one that sticks out when you think about your time as a high school player?

Yeah, it's a good question.

I think the biggest thing that I sticks out is just the fans and, like, the community support behind it.

As I said, it wasn't a huge town, but, like, the one thing I think that the town really, really bought into was sports.

And it was like, you know, coach John Myron got the program rolling when I was in high school, and we had.

I think it was 3:20 or.

No, it was 2.

Yeah, 2:20 win seasons in a row.

And we went to, you know, game before we were one game away from going to the Kohl center.

And like, some of those crowds, I remember in those.

That playoff run, it's just, you know, it's awesome.

You walk into, you know, these big high school gyms and there's, you know, 2500 people there, and it was like, it's just sweet to see that support from, you know, this whole community.

And the town's only, you know, 5,000 people in the whole town, and you have this many people showing up to a game.

It was.

It was exciting.

So I think just that support behind it in the student section, going crazy.

You know, a lot of my best buddies that weren't on the team were in the front row of that section going crazy for us.

And some of those memories with all them and the, you know, family and friends was I think the thing I enjoyed the most about and look back.

On, yeah, there's nothing better than a great high school environment.

When you start talking about the community packing the stands, the student section, and just as a player and even as a coach, to be able to compete in that kind of environment at the high school level is extremely special.

Obviously, as you get into your various state tournaments, crowds get a little bit bigger, people get a little bit more excited.

And I just love when you get it to a high school gym like you described and it's packed and both sides have fans and the communities they're supporting.

There's really no better atmosphere in basketball than a.

Than a packed high school gym and two rivals that are going at each other.

So I can completely relate to that particular memory that you shared.

It's one of my fondest memories, both as a player and then coaching at the high school level.

When you get an opportunity to coach in an environment where the fans are right on top of you and both communities are there supporting and your kids are excited and managers from a high school basketball standpoint, you know, sometimes I think because of today, there's so many different things for people to do that, you know, in some places you don't always get the same level of crowds that maybe you got in the pre Internet, pre cell phone, where, yeah, maybe people didn't have as much.

People didn't have as much to do.

But at the same time you do, when you do get an environment like that, I mean, it's something.

It's something special for sure.

When did coaching get on your radar?

Obviously, your dad coached you when you were young.

Was it something that you were thinking about from a young age, or was it something that started to cross your mind as your high school career is coming to an end?

You're trying to figure out what you want to do for college.

Just tell me a little bit about when coaching crossed onto your path.

Yeah, I think it started kind of, I'd say, like eighth grade.

I thought about, like, hey, maybe I would, you know, want to do something like my dad.

And at that point I was like, oh, yeah, I'll just, you know, get a job in this small town and probably coach, you know, the JV team or whatever.

Like, that was.

That's what I was thinking at that point.

And then it's funny you ask, because I think as I went on to high school, some of the high school teachers, you know, junior, senior year, you know, they'd ask, like, the guidance counsel would say, hey, Marty, what do you think you want to do?

Like, what are you going to go to college for?

And I think a lot of times I didn't have a good answer to that question.

I was like, I don't know, like, get a business degree.

Because that's what every kid says, right?

And it was like, I actually have no idea what I want to do in college.

So a lot of times when those teachers would ask me what I want to do or my friends and family, I would just.

I tell them coaching, because that's the only thing I was like, yeah, I think I want to do that.

I didn't really want to be business.

I really, you know, there wasn't anything really calling my name, but I was like, something about coaching I do think I want to do, but at that point, I didn't fully understand, like, hey, do I want to do it at college?

Is it going to be, like I said, just taking, like, a JV middle school job and, you know, having a different job at, you know, in my hometown?

So, yeah, I think that was the.

Wasn't exactly sure.

The cool opportunity that I really enjoy looking back on it was actually.

So I graduated high school in 2020, and then that Covid year, right, shut us down really bad that spring as I was graduating high school.

So I was planning on going to Minnesota for college that fall, but because of COVID it got all shut down.

Everything was online.

So I decided to stay home.

That that whole entire, you know, freshman year of college, I was doing it online.

So I had a cool opportunity that winter as part of, like, the back core club in my town.

I was offered, like, to help or actually be the head coach for the seventh grade boys basketball team.

So it was like, you know, coaching kids, you know, only four or five years younger than me.

And it was like, I just got done playing.

I really didn't know a darn thing.

I was like, basically going to these practices, running the same exact drills I just ran at the high school level, which was, you know, good for these seventh graders.

But it was like, I didn't have my own coaching philosophy or anything.

I was just going in there running what I just ran in high school.

But I think that experience that year, like, really showed me this is what I want to do.

I want to try to do it full time because I love it so much.

And, you know, once you decide, hey, I want to do this full time, you know, your options kind of become college or pro, you know, financially.

So, yeah, it was that winter where these kids, I really just bonded with them and I saw, like, what a role model can be for these kids.

And I think it was cool because they already kind of look up to me and knew me from playing.

You know, they just got done watching me the winter before play for this high school team.

And now to be able to stay in the same hometown and coach a bunch of kids who, you know, at least heard of me from this, you know, high school team was pretty cool.

And then I think as the year went on with this group, I just fell in love with it.

And it wasn't the most talented group, you know, we were probably below.500, I guess.

But I remember that last tournament, and we were done.

And I tried to wrap up the season, you know, with the final year, talk to them.

Like, a lot of kids started tearing up.

It was like I started tearing up talking to him because I was like, this is awesome.

Like, I, you know, I had so much enjoyment, so much, you know, pride and just excitement from that season.

I was like, I got to find a way to keep doing this.

And then ended up going on to Minnesota that next.

Next fall as schools reopened.

And, you know, hop, I was able to get on with, you know, just being a student manager with the women's team there.

And it was, you know, kind of took off from there and just fell in love with it.

But I think, like I said, I was kind of unsure throughout high school whether or not I really want to do it and if so, what level.

But I think that the year after I graduated high school, coaching that seventh grade team was like a huge.

Something I'll never forget with that, you know, that group of guys, and it's some of those, you know, kids and families I still talk to.

And it's just like, I think that experience was really, really big for me.

All right, so I want to.

Before we jump to the Minnesota piece of it, let's go to this first team, it sounds like, and tell me if I'm reading this wrong, but what I get out of it is that what you really loved about coaching that first year was the impact and the connection that you were able to make with those kids.

Would you say that was the number one thing that sold you on, hey, this is what I know why I want to coach.

Because of that, or was it something else?

Or maybe you just want to add on to sort of what I just said, But I get the sense that it's the impact in the relationships that what is what really sold you on coaching?

Yeah, for sure.

Yeah, that was the big thing.

And as I kind of mentioned before with my dad, like, that was the thing I thought he was good at.

Right.

It wasn't necessarily the basketball X's and O.

So I think seeing that from my dad and then it was like, yeah, in the first year there, like, that is what I loved.

I loved relating to the players.

I loved the, you know, connection with them.

And, you know, sometimes it was humor, you know, trying to bring some enjoyment, some laughter into practice at times while staying focused on what we were doing.

And, yeah, I Think even the families, like, some of those families are people I, you know, some, you know, like, people I still know from that town and, like, mentors and people who have helped me out throughout these last few years.

So, yeah, and even every time I go home, it seems I get back in the gym with some of those kids, you know, like, hey, you want to get a workout in?

So it's been cool to, you know, really build that relationship with those players.

And, yeah, as you said, it was definitely the impact in the relationship with the players.

But I think beyond that, what really sold me on the idea of doing it full time was like, I hated losing.

So it was like I was having fun building a relationship with these players, but at the same time, we were going like one and two every tournament.

And I was like, guys, we're below.500.

Like, this is awesome, but we need to win some games.

So I think it was the relationship.

But, yeah, at some point I was like, you know, I need to win some games.

I want to.

I'm so competitive.

I can't.

Like, I want to keep doing this at a high level.

I want to win some games while having the same impact on the players.

So, yeah, I think it was a mix of that.

Right?

Like, the losing some games motivated me, but it was also like, you know, I knew I could be better as a coach with the X's and all, obviously, as time went and then continue to build, just be a better relationship builder, be a better communicator with the players.

So.

All right, so talk about growing your knowledge as a coach, as you said.

And I can totally vouch for this, that when you come in after just finishing your playing career and you start running a practice, I was exactly the same way as you.

My first coaching job after I got done playing was coaching a JV basketball team.

And I remember I walked in the first day and I'm like, man, what am I going to do here?

And basically, I did what my high school coach did and I did what my college coach did.

And the drills that the two of them did, that's what I did.

I really didn't think there was any other way to do it.

I really didn't know there was any other way to do it.

And to be honest with you, I just kind of stayed with that.

I wish I would have had somebody in my ear back then saying, hey, you need to go and study the game and maybe do some more, just figuring out who you are and what are other ways of doing things.

And I just kind of Went about and did the things that I had experienced as a player.

So I can completely relate to that.

So what did you do as you started to look around and think, hey, I've got to expand my knowledge as a coach?

What were some of the first things that you tried to do to become a better coach as you sort of realized, like, hey, I got to.

I got to expand beyond just what my.

What my high school coach did.

Yeah, it's funny you said that.

Cause I, you know, like you said, you.

Like, I put zero thought into it that season.

Like, hey, how am I going to plan a practice?

Like, some of those things now you realize, like, it's so, so important, like, the preparation and planning to plan a good practice.

And it's like, then I was.

I don't know, like, we're going to do this drill, this drill and this drill, and if it.

Hopefully it goes well, and then we'll scrimmage at the end.

So, yeah, I think the big thing, as I mentioned, was just going to Minnesota to be a manager.

And I was planning on going there from the start, but once I got there, I was like, hey, I really, like, I need to get on a.

On one of these staffs.

And you heard about other stories of people going to be a manager.

And I was like, I really think this is the way to do it.

Like, I want to get some experience at a high levels, you know, going to a Big ten school.

It was like, there's, you know, two great coaches, two great programs right here.

And it was like, men's or women's, it doesn't really matter to me, but I want to be a manager on one of the two.

So, you know, I called up the men's program for a little bit.

They didn't have, you know, an opening managing spot that year.

They kind of sent me to the women's and said, hey, this is going to be a great opportunity.

Like, I think you'd enjoy this.

So, you know, a day later, I was in the woman's office, as, you know, quick interview with them, and I was able to hop on as a manager that season with them, and, yeah, never looked back.

And I think that staff is, you know, incredible looking.

Or from a head coach, Lindsey Whalen, like a Hall of Fame player, you know, she's.

Her basketball knowledge is insane.

You know, through the roof there from Lindsay.

And then under her that first year was, you know, Carly Thiebaudis, someone who just won 30 games last year as a Division 1 head coach.

You know, you had Shimmy Gray Miller, 25 year Power 5.

You know, mostly Power 5.

She's been all over, you know, the country coaching Division 1 basketball.

So then you got her.

And then the last one was Kelly Curry, like, another great mind, someone who was super loyal to Minnesota and, you know, spent years and years there.

So I think that program and that staff was like, just an exceptional place to start because they were all great people and they were all willing to show me, like, they were willing to give me some, you know, just sometimes it was just answering my questions, right?

Like, hey, why are we doing this?

Like, what's the thought behind this coverage?

Why are we going to try this against, you know, Penn State or, you know, Wisconsin, whoever it was, in some of these scouting reports and just really trying to be a sponge there and learning, you know, everything they said, everything they taught, everything they, you know, preached and practiced, it was like trying to take it all in.

And like I said, I don't think I could have had a better staff to learn from those first two years at Minnesota because they were, you know, really great people, really willing to show me, show me the ropes a little bit and just teach me what, all the knowledge that they had throughout the years.

How much.

I don't want to say access is maybe not the right word, but how much were you able to kind of get behind the scenes of practice?

Like, were you ever able to sit in on, like, a practice plan meeting or just a film session?

How much.

How much of that kind of stuff were you able to.

To sit and be a part of?

Yeah, it was tough with class, but I could, you know, did as much as I always could.

And I think this, the second year I was there, you know, garnered some trust with the first year, and they were giving me some more responsibilities.

So, yeah, I was able to sit on, you know, plenty of film sessions, the scouting reports, as the coaches would give them to the players, you know, and then as the year went on that.

My senior year in Minnesota, Shimmy was a big help, and she would just, like, she let me watch a bunch of Purdue games, I remember before we played them, and she was like, you're going to sit down with me and talk about how we're going to scout Purdue.

And it was again, like, she didn't have to do that.

And to be honest, like, that scouting report I gave her was probably terrible, but it was like, hey, Shimmy, here's some things I think, you know, I've watched two or three games of Purdue and, like, had some, you know, just some simple tendencies, some plays that they're going to run and stuff.

And it was again, like, you sit down with her and you realize how much you don't know.

And it's like, okay, like, I thought I put some effort into this and I'm sure it was fine, but it was like, then you look at what she has and what actually has to be given to the team at a Big Ten level, and it's like, yeah, like, I might know this, but there's still a thousand other things that you still, still are to learn.

So, yeah, learning a ton from those coaches, like I said, giving me some responsibility and just freedom to continue to learn from them in the film sessions.

And yeah, it was cool to get behind the scenes with some of that.

And the other thing I really enjoyed at Minnesota was the individual film sessions that they let me be a part of a lot.

So it's just, you know, sitting down with one coach and one player and you realize, like, how much, you know, I think you learn a ton of that too, as a player.

As a player is trying to learn from a coach and you're kind of sitting there right alongside them learning as well.

So that was a big thing, too.

What would you say when you started there and you started kind of getting this basketball education from the coaching staff?

What's an area that you feel like you knew the least about in terms of X's and O's?

That was really eye opening.

When you sat down, you're like, man, I didn't realize that this much went into it.

I'm sure there was a lot of different areas that, that probably could be true.

But when you think about the area that you grew the most in terms of just your knowledge of what it means to be a coach and the X's and O side of it, does one area stand out maybe more than the other?

Yeah, it's a good question.

I think it's.

It's a pretty simple answer for me was ball screen, offense.

Because like, like I said, playing for a small town, like, old school coach under the Bennett tree, like, he was running.

Like I said, it was a ton of defense.

And then offense, it was like, hey, we're just going to do a dribble, drive, motion.

And if we don't have anything, like, you know, we had one fortunate to have one really good player.

So at the end of the shot clock, or we didn't have a shot clock, my bad.

But I mean, like, end of the.

If, you know, after a few rotations, if we didn't have anything.

It was like, give the ball back to the best player.

We're all going to space the floor and we're going to hope he has something.

Like there wasn't a ton of ball screens, wasn't a ton of plays.

So going to Minnesota, it was like, yeah, I think the big thing was ball screen offense and all that goes into it.

Right?

Like just the simple things that every coach preaches, like being patient.

Can we set the screen with a good angle?

Like, what's our different solutions against each coverage?

Like, what are we going to do if, you know, versus a hedge ice switch?

So all those, you know, the terminology and then some of the solutions to the defensive coverages were definitely the biggest things I learned, I think at Minnesota, especially playing, you know, Lindsay Whalen like a.

She's a Hall of Fame point guard.

So like her.

Her ball screens was as good as anyone, you know, in the wnba.

So it was awesome to learned from her, you know, an exceptional player and then teaching that to some of the good guards at Minnesota as well.

This point you're completely sold that college basketball is kind of where you want to be as you're going through this process of being a manager at Minnesota.

Or was it more a case of, hey, when I graduate, I'm just going to look at the opportunities that are presented to me, which I know you've had some pro experience too, which we're going to talk about here in a minute.

But just what's your thought process as you're heading towards graduation in terms of looking for a job and the conversations maybe you had with the staff?

Yeah, yeah, I think the staff, like you mentioned there at the end was a huge part of it.

Right.

Is talking to them throughout the year, especially that last year with Shimmy and Kelly, like, were the two big assistants helping me along that whole journey.

And yeah, I think it was definitely staying college at that point.

Um, I think the next step gradually for a lot of managers is that GA position.

So yeah, it was a lot of it was talking to them and trying to, you know, get some experiences those last two semesters at Minnesota learning, you know, things that they knew and that they thought were going to be helpful for me to get a position.

So like I said that, you know, like simple discovering reporter did for Shim, like that was one of those things she told me, like, hey, if you can have just a little bit of experience, like watching a team and putting together some of this like personnel stuff and their simple, you know, some of the basic plays are going to Run like, that stuff's going to separate you from a few other managers around there looking for similar type of jobs.

So, yeah, it was awesome with Kelly as well, giving me some opportunities with, you know, individual player workouts and stuff like that.

So them two were big.

And.

Yeah, I think it was deciding at that point.

Yeah, I think I wanted to stay in college, and I thought GA was the next, you know, like, logical road at that point.

What's the best piece of advice you could give to somebody who is graduating from a school, has been a manager for several years at that school?

Something that you learned from your experience, that if you were going to share a piece of advice with somebody who was in.

Who's currently in your position that you were in a year or two ago, what advice would you give them?

Yeah, I think this might come across a little cliche, but I think it's like, you really have to work hard for the staff you're with.

I think there's people, especially managers.

It's your first time in, like, I get it.

It's.

You're always.

You're excited, you're young, you want to think about the next opportunity, you want to think about the future.

I think that's natural.

But I think for me, it was like, really trying to just, like, I'm so blessed to be at a Big Ten school learning from this staff.

Like, I gotta quit thinking about what the future might hold.

Like, I'm just gonna go in here every day, excited to be here, pumped up to learn, you know, from the staff and the players.

And I think that was a big thing, like, just bust your butt for the staff you're with, and everything else is going to work out in the end, you know, if that staff you're with enjoys you, they appreciate you, they respect, you know, who you are as a person, they respect your character.

You know, I think they're going to.

They should be able to put their nose out there for you and hopefully help you get a.

Get a GA position or whatever else you.

Whenever that first position might be for you.

But I think, yeah, it's just bust your butt for the staff you're with, and I think everything else will work itself out.

Do you function as a practice player at all at Minnesota?

I know you mentioned that off the top.

Was that something that you got an opportunity to do, something that you wanted, an opportunity to compete, or what was that like, if you had an opportunity to do that?

Yep.

Yeah, I was fortunate enough to do that.

That was a lot of fun.

You know, kept Practices interesting.

And, you know, they're really good.

Like, you learned real quick.

I remember that first scrimmage against.

I was like, holy shit.

You know, I guess, you know, they're legit, so.

Yeah, but I was able to do that for both my years as a manager there.

And I think you learn a lot, too, from that experience, like, playing and part of it, like I said, coming from Wisconsin without the shot clock, it was like, some of it, you realize the importance of that shot clock.

And to me, like, I remember one of the first things I thought playing against them was, like, at the end of the shot clock, I can go take a risk defensively, you know, in the state of Wisconsin, there's no time.

I can't, like, go for a steal and just get burnt.

But, like, if there's three seconds on the shot clock, yeah, I'm gonna go try to get a steal on an open layup on the other end, because if I get burnt, like, they might not even have enough time to, you know, some of those simple things.

I think you learn better when you're doing it yourself, not just watching it on tv.

So some of those things, yeah, it was really awesome to be a practice player and learn on the court as well.

It's interesting that you talk about the shot clock piece of it because I went down and most people who are listening to the podcast know that my son's a freshman this year at Ohio Wesleyan.

And so obviously here in the state of Ohio, no shot clock in high school basketball.

So that's what I've been used to watching, especially watching him play with no shot clock.

And then it went down and watched the scrimmage.

And I'm watching it and I'm not paying any attention to the shot clock.

And there's, okay, here's the possession.

It's going, the ball's getting reversed, things are happening, the offense is moving, whatever.

And then all of a sudden, somebody's chucking up like a 26 footer.

And I'm like, you know, then I gotta look at.

Oh, yeah, there's a shot clock you had to get to.

Like, he had to get the shot.

I'm like, why are we.

Why are we throwing away this possession?

And then you just realize, like, what a diff.

What a difference.

You know, what a difference that makes.

You know, it's kind of.

It's kind of crazy.

Just where do you fall.

Where do you fall in that debate?

Mike, you think there should be a shot clock in every state?

Absolutely.

I mean, I think there's no question that it makes the game better when you, we've all probably been around games and coaches where you just have somebody that's holding the ball and nobody wants, nobody wants to watch that, nobody wants to play and that.

And then I've had a lot of interesting conversations, Marty, on the pod with different guys that have talked about some of the ramifications of the shot clock.

And like, I talked to Rob Bros, too.

He's a coach at Bolingbroke High School in Illinois.

He has a really good team.

His team's, you know, one of the best teams in the state of Illinois.

And he always talks about the fact that people say, well, of course you want a shot clock.

You know, your team's super talented, you play really fast and, you know, the more possessions there are, the more, the easier it's going to be for you to score and it's just going to allow you to just kill even more teams.

And he's always like, yeah, but it just has this impact on, we can't do some of the things that we want to do defensively.

And there's just, there's a lot more, it's a lot more complex than just, hey, it's a 30 second clock that's up there and we got to get it done within that 30 seconds.

There's a lot of nuance to it at the end of games in terms of do you foul?

And then you're talking about high school, you're.

And obviously women's college basketball, you have the quarters.

So there's strategy at the end of quarters when it comes to the shot clock.

And there's just all these little complexities that I think makes the game more interesting.

And the bottom line is, look, when you're playing, you want to play more possessions, you want to play and get up and down the floor and nobody wants to play in a game.

Whether you're the team holding the ball or you're the team that's the ball is being held against.

That's just not fun basketball.

And I think it seems like it should be a lot easier than it is to just adopt nationwide, like the National Federation of High Schools to just say, hey, let's mandate the shot clock and every school can figure it out.

I mean, you always hear the argument of, oh, it's going to cost too much money and we don't have somebody to operate it and we have a hard enough time getting people to do the score book and operate the, the regular scoreboard and all this.

And it just feels like, come on.

We have so many things going on in so many different sports that you can't tell me that there's not a way to figure it out and make the rules uniform across the United States, especially when every other single level of basketball across the world has the shot clock.

To me, it just feels like it's a no brainer and it's amazing that we're in the year 2024.

We still, we still don't have it in, you know, we're, I think we're approaching, maybe half the states either have it or are going to adopt it at some point.

So to me it just feels like it should be a no brainer.

Yeah.

Yep.

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Learn more@gc.com whop heads that's gc.com pods all right, tell me about the job search after you graduate from Minnesota.

What's the process like?

Who are you talking to?

How are you getting the word out that you're looking for a job?

Just walk me through the steps that you took after graduation to try to find a position.

Yeah, yeah, it's a good question.

I think fortunately I was or fortunate enough I was able to get that position secured before graduation.

So I know that can be a stressful thing for a lot of people.

Graduating is like you graduate, you think, oh, I should have a job.

Like I, you know, a lot is on your mind.

So I think, yeah, big, really thankful to the Minnesota staff to help me get one before I graduated.

I think that relieved some stress, which was good.

So the big thing was like up to the final four, just talking to Shimmy and Kelly and Lindsay as well, you know, Melissa Mains Adobo, like a lot of those Minnesota connections people I've been working for the last two years, they were a huge help, you know, the whole whole way through.

And then Shimmy and Kelly both throughout the year helped me like, hey, Marty, I think you should introduce yourself to, you know, this Big Ten coach Marty.

Hey, you know, this is Someone I've recruited, you know, recruited with on the road before, like, maybe you want to introduce himself.

So I think that was a big help.

And one of those connections, actually one of the Illinois assistants my senior year was Ryan Gensler, who just so happened to get the Akron head job, you know, a few months later.

So I was able to meet him after.

Or he came.

Yeah, he came to the Barn to play at Minnesota.

So met him that night.

You know, nothing crazy, just, you know, I was able to talk to him for a few minutes after the game.

That's someone who Shimmy worked with at Florida, so, you know, went to the Final Four, and I was actually at the Final Four when I heard he got the job.

And that's, you know, when a lot of the networking's going on.

So I was fortunate, again, through Shimmy's help and the other Minnesota connections, you know, Lindsey was a big help, Kelly, all of them.

Carly as well.

So I was able to get on the phone with Gensler the next.

I think it was a day after the Final Four, and we had a conversation with him, and we were able to keep talking the next few weeks, and he offered me the job.

And then I wanted to, like, I think it's a good experience for kids to, like, talk to some different schools and try to, you know, like, just the whole experience of job searching, the interview, all that.

So as those weeks were going on, I talked to a few other schools, you know, a few other Big Ten programs that I, you know, had a few connections with through my time in the Big Ten, and, you know, some opportunities I was excited about.

But I think in the end, the way Gensler, he just kept calling and he was like, he's a great relationship builder, great communicator.

And I think from the start, he was able to sell, like, hey, Marty, I was.

I went down the same path you did 15 years ago.

You know, he was a practice player.

He went on to be a ga.

You know, he took an assistant low major job, and he kept climbing the ranks like he was a video coordinator, something that, you know, I thought would probably help me down the road.

So he just continued to sell, like, who he was, the culture he was going to build at Akron.

And again, I think, like, the journey, like, the, you know, like I said, I think I'm going to hopefully follow somewhat of a similar journey to him.

And I think the way he sold that and the way he communicated that with me on those phone that few weeks was like, no other head coach was spending the time to do that.

So it was really, you know, awesome to get to know him.

And just some of those first phone calls I remember of him really trying to sell himself the program.

I think he did a great job of it.

And I think it's, you know, a great reason why he's an exceptional recruiter is I think he's just great communicator, great at all those things I just mentioned.

So, yeah, I ended up settling with him a few weeks later, right before I graduated, so it worked out well.

All right, talk about the role that you have there as a graduate assistant.

What are your responsibilities day to day?

What are some of the things that you need to do in terms of your role on the staff?

Yep.

Yeah, I think last year when I first got here, a lot of it was the video stuff.

As I mentioned, he kind of said that in those first phone calls, like, hey, we need a video guy.

You know, we don't have a full time video coordinator, you know, at Akron.

So you're going to be that guy for me.

And that's another reason why I was excited to get here is because from the start he said, like, we're, you know, we don't have a huge staff, like a Power 5 program.

We're going to need you to do some of these things from the beginning, which I was really, really excited about.

So, yeah, I started with a lot of video, you know, breaking down all the practices and then trying to do some analytics with it.

You know, the, you know, stating everything from the preseason practices and trying to put together some reports of like, hey, here's some things we got to work on.

I remember last fall, a lot of it was like, we kept talking about paint touches, and I got curious like, okay, how much more efficient are we actually with a paint touch?

So started like, stating some of those things, like, hey, what's our points per possession when we get a paint touch versus not in every practice?

How much more effective are we when we get, you know, multiple reversals?

So I was stating, you know, every time we get a reversal across the midline, you know, and then it got to the point where we were like, hey, maybe some of our guards are over dribbling.

So it's like, start stating how many times are we dribbling every possession.

And like, I got really comfortable with sports Go.

And that's what I spent, you know, a ton of time on that last year on that program, trying to learn all those things, you know, on SportsCo to keep it simple.

So you're not doing old School, you know, statin on a notebook.

Right.

So I think learning that program was big the first year, and then as the year went on, he started to give me more responsibilities as he, you know, trusted me.

So it was, you know, running some of my own player development workouts, you know, doing a large part of the scout with the assistants, you know, whether it was the personnel section or helping with, you know, play calls, ball screen coverage, whatever it was.

So helping the assistants big time with the scout, and then a lot of it was just whatever else was needed.

Right.

You know, small staff.

I think some days it was breaking up recruiting film, you know, send to the coaches on a potential recruit or, you know, helping make a quick graphic for a, you know, recruit or, you know, simple things like that around the office, like a little operations thing.

But I think a lot of it was the film stuff and then some analytics along with that as the season went on.

I was really fortunate last year to get some experience with the player development as well, because I think that, you know, gets you on the court, gets you building that relationship with the players, which was awesome.

Something I really enjoyed, too.

So it's a good group of players, and I enjoyed working with them all.

So that was awesome.

All right, we'll jump to that player development piece in just a second.

What was the learning curve like in terms of the video?

How long did it take you before you felt comfortable and you're like, hey, I know what I'm doing, and you could just do what you needed to do as opposed to trying to learn the program?

How long did that take?

A good amount of time, I'd say.

I don't know.

I'd say three to four weeks, probably.

I remember last year, there was a lot of days where, like, I'd leave the office in September, and I was like, what did I get done today?

And you look back, it's like, oh, you spent eight hours trying to learn this program.

And it was like, some days it felt like long and tiring, whatever, But I think it, like, definitely worked out in the end because, you know, you spent some of those long days in September learning how to do it all.

But as the year went on, like, my, like, efficiency in sports code, you know, helped.

Helped help big time.

So, yeah, absolutely.

I would think once you get past the learning to sort of build the framework of the program and understanding what to do, and then you can actually go and do the work that you're supposed to be doing, and then you can share, as you said, being able to break some of that stuff down and share it with your coaching staff.

I'm sure was tremendously valuable to them, again, to have somebody who's in that film room and being able to do that.

How much did you learn by spending all that time with the film?

Because that's one of the things that's kind of been sort of a universal theme that we've been able to talk with lots of people on the podcast who have been video coordinators.

They just talk about just kind of the exponential growth of their basketball X and O knowledge.

Just because, again, you're not only watching film of your own team, but you're obviously breaking down film of opponents.

So it's kind of like taking a masterclass and you're just sitting there with the video and learning.

Just tell me a little bit about how you approach that and how much you felt you grew as a coach in terms of your X's and O's knowledge just by being in the film room and exposed to the variety of different coaching styles and teams and games and all the things that you're able to watch over the course of the last season.

Yeah, for sure.

I mean, a ton.

A ton.

And as you mentioned, some of it is watching other teams as well.

Like, you learn, hey, what's this coach teaching?

Why did he make this adjustment in the second half?

Like, why do I think he went to more hedge or whatever the, you know, coverage, you know, adjustments were, whether it was matchup.

So, yeah, you learn a ton from that point.

And I think the analytical thing last year was, like, a big opener, too, because you always hear coaches talk about, like, hey, we need paint touches.

But it's like, until you start tracking it, you don't realize, like, how much you actually need paint touches.

And it's like something as simple as that.

Like, you start looking at it, it's like, guys, our offense is two times better if we get a paint touch.

You know, there's games where it's really that crazy, and you start telling the players, you start telling the girls.

Like, it's, you know, Coach Gunther's not just saying this to say it.

Like, you know, some of these simple basketball things that every coach says, you know, the analytics, when it backs it up, it's like, okay, like, we really do need to reverse the ball to three sides.

We really do need to get a paint touch.

We really do need to quit over dribbling.

So I think some of those things, too, like, when you, you know, I think that helped the girls as well when they were able to See some numbers like, hey, so, yeah, definitely helped a ton basketball wise.

And as I said, I think sometimes the analytics last year were an eye opener for me to, like, really support some of those simple basketball things that every coach says.

Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, I think it's one thing I always go back to my experience as a player.

And so I'm playing college basketball from 1988 to 1992, so a long time ago.

And a lot of the stuff that coaches talk about and the paint touches and the analytics and all that stuff really didn't exist in my day.

And, like, obviously we didn't film practice the way that clearly every Division 1 school and a lot of schools at lower divisions film, practice and review that and go through it and stat it and all that kind of stuff.

And I never experienced any of that.

So it was like, coach would say something and you just would kind of nod your head and either you believe it or you don't.

And there wasn't necessarily any statistics to back it up.

So to your point, to be able to have somebody say something and then be like, yeah, well, it's not just empty talk.

There's actually statistics behind it.

And here's why this is important.

And to me, I think that's one of the things that when you think about players today, there's often that feeling that they want to know the why behind things a lot more than players.

Again, old guys like me that played kind of in the era where it was my way or the highway and just did what you were told and you didn't really question it.

Now I think players really want to understand the why, and I think coaches appreciate the ability to share the why because it gets everybody on the same page.

So it's just a different way of looking at it.

I can certainly see the value in being able to share with the players, hey, this is why this is important.

And then that goes to what you talked about next, which is from a player development standpoint.

Right.

You can even take some of those things that you learn that are relevant to the team, and now you can incorporate some of that into, hey, we need you to be able to work on this particular skill, because if we get this accomplished, that leads to even more team success.

So tell me a little bit about how you and the staff at Akron.

How do you guys put together your player development plan both for the off season and in season?

Then how did your role fit into that?

Yep.

Yeah, good question.

Coach Gensler, as I kind of mentioned, he was a video coordinator, big analytical guy for Florida back in 2012.

So he, you know, gets that whole scene and he loves the numbers behind it.

And thankfully, you know, all of our assistants buy into that stuff as well.

So as you mentioned, it kind of started in the, you know, season wraps up and we spent a lot of time like, hey, obviously we watched the film all year long.

We've, you know, recapped all the games.

So then it's each coach, you know, is assigned a group of players.

And then I think it was, you know, going back and watching, you know, maybe it's all their shots, all their turnovers that I think we did as a staff to break up.

Hey, like, what are some of their tendencies?

You know, just from the film and then you put the numbers with it and you know, we're going into just play, we're going into, you know, some of the reports I helped, you know, put together and it was like, hey, this person, you know, maybe they had a problem over dribbling.

And you know, they're a lot better on the right side of the floor with their shots are, you know, than the left.

And it was putting some of those numbers along with it.

And then, yeah, the coaches, along with my help, you know, on some of those reports put together, it's usually like a four to five page sheet.

And you know, some of it's as simple as, hey, what are your goals for next season?

So getting some of the player input is, you know, on the first page.

Where do you see yourself in a year?

You know, what do you want?

Like, how do you think you can expand your role going into next year?

So some really good thought provoking questions, I think, to challenge the players about how they want to grow going into the next year.

And then the next three or four pages kind of break down like, hey, here are some of your numbers in transition.

And then we'll have film clips to back it up.

So maybe it says, hey, in transition, you were super, super efficient.

You know, you wanted the best woman in the Mac for, you know, getting to the rim and transition.

And then, you know, show them a few clips of that.

And then, you know, now we're going to break down your three point shot.

You know, hey, maybe you were below average from three, you know, off the dribble, but you were way above average catch and shoot, you know, something we looked at as well.

Like, what's the difference analytically on catch and shoot versus off the dribble threes, Some stuff like that.

And I think again, as you mentioned, these women are really smart.

Like they're asking the right questions.

They're saying, hey, why, like, why are you telling me this?

Why do I have to work on this?

So some of the, when you can give them numbers and film, I think that's when you can get the full buy in.

Like, hey, they're right.

I was really bad off the dribble threes, but I was 40% catch and shoot.

So like, either I gotta stop, stop taking the off the dribble ones or I gotta just find a way in their offense to create more catch and shoot.

And some of that comes down to like in the player development.

Again, it's like going back to the film.

Like, maybe we can create you two more catch and shoot threes a game if you move off the ball better.

So some of that stuff I think is really big when you can give them numbers and film.

And again, we break down.

It's like every, every part of offense and then there's a defensive section, so it's like transition, three point at the rim, mid range, like in the ball screen.

And then it goes to defense and it's like, you know, how are you guarding the ball screen whether you're a post or a guard?

And then, you know, how are you one on one in space?

And then, you know, if you're a post, like, how'd you guard post ups?

So kind of break it down each, you know, segment of the game, I guess you would say.

And then trying to put film and numbers together to get some full buy in from the, from the team.

Yeah, to be able to have both of those pieces of quote unquote evidence, to be able to share with players when you're having that conversation, when you're out on the floor with them trying to work and get them better and get them to see, like, hey, this is where what you do fits in.

This is how it's going to help you to be a better player and how it's ultimately going to impact what we do as a team.

How much are you guys, how much are you on the floor with your group in the summertime?

Like in an average week, how much are you, how much time are you individually spending with your group during that, those player development sessions?

Obviously there's.

The NCAA has limits on what you can and can't do.

But just for you yourself, how much time are you on the court with your, with your group of players?

Yep.

So.

Good question.

This summer I was actually gone with the sparks, which I'm sure we'll get to.

But the assistants, as I Said we broke them down.

Each.

Each, you know, each.

So each coach has four or five players in their group and the individual plans we put together, like is super, super individualized.

So the assistants would spend, I want to say it was three.

Yeah, it was three 45 minute sessions they had with each player each week.

So it was.

What is that, 2, 2, 15.

Is that the right math?

I think so.

2 hours 15 minutes a week.

Good, good.

Double check there.

So, yeah, it would be two hours 15 minutes a week, you know, with the individual player.

And again, it's super individualized.

Here's your plan, here's your film, here's some of your analytics.

And it's just one on one with a player, a coach and a manager.

You know, manager rebounding.

And then yeah, the coaches are, you know, they know their group as good as anyone.

So just spending a ton of time, you know, Gensler and the assistants have all really bought into that.

Like, not only do we have to recruit good players, but we got to continue to develop them.

Like, I think that's going to get you to the higher level and you know, at each conference.

So, yeah, really buying into the individual stuff.

And like I said, it was, yeah, two, two hours, 15 minutes a week they'd go with each player.

So.

Got it.

Tell me about balancing your time as a GA between your responsibilities as a graduate student and your responsibilities to the staff.

And just give me a rundown of sort of your daily schedule and how you kind of kept yourself afloat going through those two things.

Yeah, fortunately I was able to find a mba, which I think was a good fit for me that was all online.

So it was a big thing is I never had to miss any basketball thing for classes because I could do it whenever I wanted.

And you know, I think the Minnesota degree did prepare me well for this mba.

You know, I took a finance degree at Minnesota, so fortunately I haven't found the classes like, overly challenging.

Which I'm glad because like I said, I've been all in on the basketball side of it.

But yeah, I mean, it's tough.

There's some days where you get home at, you know, 8, 9 o'clock or whatever it is from a, you know, late practice or getting an individual player workout in late night.

And it's like you get home and yeah, you got two assignments to fill out and it's not what you want to do every night, but yeah, I mean, you got to get through it and you know, it's all for the, you know, greater plan.

So yeah, absolutely.

You got to figure out the balance.

I'm sure being able to do it online, like you said, provides you with that flexibility, and then you can kind of pick and choose your times.

I'm sure that tremendously makes it much, much easier than if you're going to a traditional classroom every day at a certain time where you just couldn't be with the staff or couldn't be with the team at those times.

So to be able to have that flexibility, I'm sure was tremendously valuable.

You mentioned the Sparks opportunity.

Tell me how that happens.

Who do you connect with there to get that opportunity that you had to work as with the video, coordinating, you know, in LA with the Sparks?

Yeah.

So it actually started kind of the connection built initially from my time at Minnesota.

So Carly Thibaut Dudonis, my first year at Minnesota, was the associate head coach there.

And obviously her family, both her dad and her brother were on the mystic staff, you know, head coach and assistant at that time.

And then Mike transitioned to a GM role and Eric took over as head coach.

So that after my.

Yeah, it was my first year as a manager at Minnesota.

Carly helped me connect with Mike and Eric.

So I got to meet him at the Final Four that year.

It was in Minneapolis.

And then I was able to go out to D.C.

so I spent five weeks with the Mystics.

That was what, the summer of 2022, spent about five weeks with them, just learning from that staff.

And, you know, it was just incredible to just be a sponge there and see what basketball was like at a professional level.

So then actually the head video coordinator that summer for the Mystics, you know, got to know him really well.

I had an idea I was going to try to get into some of the film stuff, so learned from him.

And then he's still on staff with the Mystics and he was able to actually connect me with the Sparks guy.

And it kind of, you know, I was blessed, you know, I was super blessed with that connection, you know, through Carly to the Mystics and then the Mystics guy to la and, you know, Kurt, a Hall of Fame coach.

So, yeah, it was one of his.

One of his long time.

Started out as a video coordinator, was promoted to assistant.

So that's the guy who I initially got connected with and yeah, just super blessed to be able to work for such a, you know, highly respected, you know, high level, incredible mind, incredible person with Kurt Miller.

So what's the difference between a college video room and a pro video room in your mind?

Good question.

I think.

I mean, the Biggest transition I think overall from college of the pros is just the practice time.

And I think that relates to the video room because it's like, especially preseason, like you got.

I think we had a 10 day training camp before the season started.

Right.

So it's just crazy.

And it then as the season starts, you're playing a game every other day.

So it was like the film stuff, it was even more important, I think, because you couldn't teach on practice like in college.

The next day after a tough loss, you can get right back on the court and have a full practice.

Right.

And at the wnba it's just really hard because you're playing another game in 24 hours.

So it's like you don't always.

You can't practice for two hours, let alone an hour and a half.

Like, your practice has got to be short.

You got to keep the legs fresh.

It's onto the next game, it's onto the next scouting report as soon as you, whether you, you know, you get a great win or a tough loss.

So for the video room, I think that affects you a lot because it's like, it's quick transitions, it's getting clips together quick, you know, late at night.

And then it's.

You got to spend a lot of time, you know, just showing clips to the players, whether that's individual or as a team.

But you know, at the W level, you just watch way more film than you do.

Is it at the college level?

Because college level you can teach on the court at the pros that, you know, a ton of it has to be taught on film so they can save their legs.

So I think, you know, obviously that changes the whole kind of the whole video room a little bit because it's just got to be more film, it's got to be organized.

Like, those W players are smart.

They know, like if you just give them a random group of film, like they're going to be what's this?

And like, what's the point of it?

So I think you got to make sure it's organized.

There's got to be a message behind it.

I think it's got to be individualized for the player.

And so some of those things, I think, yeah, it's just a huge difference.

When you can't teach a ton on the court.

It's finding great ways and great clips and content.

Sometimes it's analytics as well, trying to pair those to try to, you know, teach and motivate and, you know, get confidence to the players on the film.

Absolutely.

Tell me a little bit about the.

Your experience with the players in terms of their work ethic, their professionalism, their intangibles, the things that make them pro players.

This is one of the questions that I always think is interesting to hear what somebody who's been exposed to players at the pro level, whether it's WNBA or NBA, just in terms of what separates the players that get to that level.

And obviously, again, the basketball skill and there's athleticism and all the things that we think about.

But just what are some of the intangible things that you noticed about players playing at that level?

For the Spartans, I honestly think the biggest thing is like, mental.

And it's a mentality that, hey, I need to work hard.

But not only that, I think it's like they're confident.

They're really, really confident, and they're really, really great at getting over, like a mistake.

You know, at that level, you're still going to make mistakes.

You know, just because they're in the WNBA doesn't mean they're perfect.

Right.

Mistakes are going to happen.

But I think those players in the W were exceptional, like, really, really exceptional at moving on to the next play.

And it's like you don't see too many players in the W, like, turning it over and then freaking out.

And I think sometimes at college you see that and it's like, you know, we gotta move on.

You can't turn one mistake into three.

And I think just the in that goes to shooting as well.

Like, I think the W players are just exceptional confident at all times.

Like, if they're a shooter and they miss four, it doesn't matter.

The fifth one's going up without hesitation and it's probably going to go in.

So I think that mental thing of just being ultra confident at all times and being able to recover from a mistake was the biggest intangible.

It's like just incredible.

And as I said, the turnarounds, you know, you're playing every 48 hours, a lot of weeks, and it's like, you know, some players can go one for 10, you know, one night, and 48 hours later they're having 30.

And it's like that.

I think that confidence and ability to turn over the next play, next game was really, really, you know, cool to see.

How do the players at that level, when you're sitting down with them and sharing film as a staff with the players, what's their process like?

Maybe not necessarily for analyzing things from a team aspect, but more when they're looking at their own performance.

What are some of the things that they do in terms of self analysis?

Because I feel like one of the things that separates a pro athlete from an amateur athlete is just that ability to be able to self diagnose of, hey, here's something that, a mistake that I made or maybe I noticed something that, you know, I had, I had that bad night shooting and maybe there's something that I can quickly assess in my form or I can be out on the floor and I could be going through a shirting shooting workout.

Maybe it's not going well and you have a college player, a high school player and it goes from bad to worse.

But like you said with a WNBA player or an NBA player, they're able to kind of self diagnose and figure that out.

So I don't know if you had any experience with players like that who were able to kind of quickly figure things out that maybe weren't going well and all of a sudden they were able to self analyze and get themselves back on track.

If that question makes any sense.

Yeah, I think it does.

It's a good question.

It's a tough one.

But I get what you mean.

And I think the one thing I would say on that is their ability to.

You show a player a clip of the W level.

Very, very few, from what I experienced, they're never going to give you an excuse.

If they do, it's very rare.

And I think sometimes in college, certain players who maybe lack some confidence, like you show them a clip of them, you know, maybe not doing exactly what you want as a staff.

And I think sometimes players at the college level have a tendency to be like, well yeah, I kind of messed that up, but my teammate also did this which made me do this and that's really why it got messed up or whatever where at the W level those women are, they know and like they're smart enough.

They're so smart that like if you show them a clip they're going to be like, yeah, that's on me and they're going to snap out of it quick.

Some of it I think is just recognizing that hey, like I'm not going to sit and dwell on it.

I'm not going to try to make an excuse.

I'm not, you know, it's, it's on me.

I get it, my mistake.

And it's immediately snap of the finger, like onto the next one.

And you know, I think a lot of that comes from preparation.

Like they've been playing at the highest level for years and years.

And I think when you continue to do that, you become smart enough to know, hey, that was my mistake.

But I'm confident that I've overcome worse struggles in the past, and there's going to be no different in 48 hours.

I'm going to go get buckets on whoever the next team is.

So I think that was a big thing.

Is just rarely you're going to hear them make a mistake.

It's.

Yep, I get it.

I'm.

I'll be better.

I'll be better next game.

What do you take back from that experience with the Sparks as you head back to Akron this fall and into this season?

What's something that you learned that you picked up that is going to make you better at your job at Akron this year?

I think, you know, I could sit here and talk about for way too long about the basketball stuff you learn, right.

The X's and O's is incredible.

Learning from Kurt Miller and that staff, you know, it's insane.

So just some of the adjustments, the, you know, the plays, the counters, like, all that stuff for sure.

Learned a ton.

That'll be helpful for years to come in my career.

But I think the big thing, not necessarily X's and O's, is like, the player relationship of it and how I think that can really be.

I think college coaches can continue to use that approach at the college level.

I think at the W.

W level, it was like, the players and coaches are truly seen on, like, on the same level.

Right.

Because we're both, you know, everyone on the staff, every player, they're adults.

So I think it's like a true adult to adult relationship.

Like, it's peer to peer.

And I think in some of those film sessions I talked about, like, the players sometimes are teaching the coaches or they're teaching each other.

Like, there were times we'd pull up a clip and one of the veterans would be like, yeah, let me explain this.

Or like, yeah, I like, here's what happened.

Like this, you know, I'm going to teach it to this rookie or maybe the rookie.

You know, I think there's a lot of healthy debate on, like, how they can get better as a.

As a team.

And I think that goes as well to individual stuff.

Like, the players, they're super smart.

And as a coach, you have to, like, you have to respect that.

And you can't come in there like, oh, I know more than you.

It's like, no, you probably don't.

They've been playing at the highest level for 15 years or whatever.

Like they know as much, if not more than, you know, they're incredibly smart.

So I think using that approach to college, especially these days is like in the nil in the portal world, it's going towards that, you know, almost like semi pro athletics.

So I think that's something I'm, you know, I still got things to learn and still trying to figure it all out.

But like giving a voice to the players because these players at Akron are smart too.

And it's like hearing what they.

One of the assistants at the Sparks would always tell me, like, we're not out there feeling what they feel.

As much as we watch film, we don't know what the players are going through on the court.

And she would always, she'd be really smart.

Like she just asked the players what's going on, like, how are we struggling with this ball screen coverage.

And sometimes you get a better answer from a player than you might a coach because a coach wasn't out there doing it.

So I think that like that, you know, view on things from her, Nola Henry, like that, that view was really beneficial for me to hear.

And it was like, sometimes, yeah, just ask the player, like, what's going on in this?

Like, I can show you four clips of it, but you're going to know better than me how it actually felt in the game.

So explain it.

And I think some of that thing, the player relationship and you know, the teaching, trying to do a peer to peer and like really on the same level as them, I think, I think players feel more motivated by that in this world too.

Like, not necessarily just getting yelled at.

It's like, hey, I'm right along with you in this ride.

I'm going to do whatever I can to make you better, but I'm not going to sit here and yell at you until you got to do this because you're the one out there doing it.

So.

So it comes down to two, right?

I think that there's definitely something to be said for.

And again, I think the good teams, good coaching staffs, good programs, whether you're talking about at the pro level or at the college level, I've always had this.

But it's a, it's a we, right?

It's.

We're all working together.

And as a coaching staff and players, there has to be a mutual trust back and forth that the player has to know that if the coach is getting on me as a player, like the reason why that's happening is because the coach wants me to be better, they want me to see a certain thing or they want me to able to do something better or whatever it might be for my benefit and for the benefit of the team.

And there has to be trust that's built up in order for that to happen.

And then again, it also has to be the other way around where the coach has to be able to trust the player that we're having those honest conversations and the players saying, hey, this is what I'm seeing out there.

The coach has to know that the player again, has the best interest of the team, the program at heart.

And so if you build that trust, then you get that peer to peer interaction like you're talking about, where it's not a coach up on high saying, hey, you're doing this wrong and you got to do this because instead it's, hey, we have to collectively figure this out both for our individual.

For your individual benefit as a player, but also, again, more importantly for the team concept.

I think that's what I hear you saying.

Yeah, that's a really good point.

And something I should have mentioned, like you said, is the trust of it.

And it's like, you know, certain people, like, maybe.

Yeah, I just think as you know, even in the professionals, you got to earn that trust.

Like you mentioned.

Right.

Like right away as a rookie maybe that, you know, I'm not saying the head coach is.

Yeah, I'm going to sit you down.

What do you think?

Like, obviously the coach is still the coach, but yeah, as you said, like, those players are able to garner the trust over years and years of doing it.

Like, yeah, there's a time and place for, hey, like we got to listen to this.

And like you said, those players who are able to earn that trust, it is, it does become really, really beneficial to like open up some of those conversations and being like, hey, how are we going to guard this goal screen?

Like, it's tough to guard.

And as a coach, we may not have the answer from watching film, but you guys are out there doing it.

So some of those conversations were good to hear and you know, really, I think can be taken to the college level.

And like you said, coach is still the coach.

There's still, you know, you still need a head coach.

I get all that.

But it's just like the, like you said, earning trust and then looking to players who do earn the trust and do prove that they have a good, you know, IQ and sense of what's going on out there.

Yeah, there's no doubt that there's obviously some players those conversations are going to be easier with and more productive and some players that they're not.

And as you said, again, hopefully, the more time a player spends in your program, the more productive those conversations are going to be between a player and a member of the coaching staff.

And then you're going to get to the ultimate result that you want, which is helping the player to improve and ultimately helping the team to get better.

All right, Marty, before we wrap up, I want to ask you a two part final question here.

So part one, when you look ahead over this next year, what do you see as being your biggest challenge?

And then secondly, when you think about what you get to do every day, what brings you the most joy?

So your biggest challenge and then your biggest joy.

Sweet.

Wrapping up with a tough one, Mike.

I'm trying, man.

I'm trying.

I think the challenge question is, so this year, going back to Akron, the coach has been able to give me some more responsibilities.

Like, I got my own scouts, I got my own, like, some players to work out with and watch film.

So I think the challenge will be, can I have the same relationship as I did with the players last year in a little bit bigger role.

So it's like last year, I think it's easy to be well liked when you're just in the back.

Like, I was never explaining the film.

I was never running in it.

You know, I was never running a drill in practice.

But this year, when I've been given some more of those responsibilities, hey, Marty, you're going to explain this drill and you're going to run it in practice.

Hey, Marty, you got, you know, five scouts this year.

Hey, Marty, you got, you know, you got a player you got to work out with three times a week and watch film with them.

So I think it's building that relationship, building that trust, and then trying to keep the players, like, bought into what I'm trying to say.

And I think that'll be a challenge of, With a bigger role as being of more in an assistant type of position.

Can I still, you know, get the same respect and same, you know, same well liked.

I think that I was able to accomplish last year as a.

In a bigger role.

And then the second part, you said, well, joy.

Biggest joy.

Okay.

I think the biggest joy is the.

It's the player relationship.

I think it's on the court.

It's working with them.

It's, you know, the individual stuff that I love doing with players one on one, whether it's film or workout.

And then just in practice, right.

Like, I'm still playing a lot of times on the practice team, which I love and I think it can help, you know, coach the practice team too because we have a few of like our walk ons and freshmen are on that team with me.

So it's a lot of times like motivating them, keeping them confident, keeping them energized to like sometimes it probably is tough.

As a freshman, your first year you're sitting on the scout team with me and you know, another, another ga.

It's like yeah, it's probably disappointing some days, I get that.

But like trying to continue to teach those players on the scout team with me and then also just seeing things on the court, it's yeah I the biggest joy definitely just being on the court with the players.

That's good stuff.

And I think you made a great point about trying to keep the players who are maybe not having the season go the way that they would have hoped if they could have drawn it up.

But to be able to keep them in a positive spirit, there's tremendous, tremendous value in that.

Without question.

Before we get out, Marty, I want to give you a chance to share how people can connect with you.

Whether you want to share email, social media, whatever you feel comfortable with.

And then after you do that, I will jump back in and wrap things up.

Sweet.

I think that email will probably be the easiest.

So it's just my full name.

M A R T Y V O S T e r s gmail.com does.

Not get any easier than that and we'll have all that in the show notes so people will be able to find it.

If you want to reach out to Marty, cannot thank you enough for taking the time out of your schedule to join us tonight.

Really appreciate it and to everyone out there, thanks for listening and we will catch you on our next episode.

Thanks.

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