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Julian Allen is in his third year as a varsity boys basketball coach at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Allen previously spent six seasons as the head coach at Admiral Farragut Academy in St.

Petersburg, Florida.

Prior to Farragut, he served as an.

Assistant at Friends School of Baltimore and Oakland Mills High School before leaving his native Baltimore for Florida.

Julian also founded and ran his own AAU program while getting his start in coaching coaches.

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You'll want to jot down some notes as you listen to this episode with.

Julian Allen, boys varsity basketball coach at IMG Academy.

Hello and welcome to the Hoopets Podcast.

It's Mike Cleansing here without my co host Jason Sunkel tonight.

But I am pleased to be joined from IMG Academy, Julian Allen.

Julian, welcome to the Hoop Heads pod.

I'm thankful for the opportunity.

Looking forward to having a great conversation.

With you, excited to have you on, and definitely looking forward to diving into all of the interesting things that you've been able to do in your career.

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

Tell me a little bit about your first experiences with the game of basketball, how you fell in love with it.

Oh, man.

Well, I will say when I first started playing, I wasn't that good.

You know, I was like eight or nine.

In Baltimore City, we had a league called bnbl and that was Baltimore Neighborhood Basketball League.

And it was for the youth and it was at local rec centers.

And my first experience planned in that I was like, oh man, this is, this is real, you know.

And after that experience, I talked to my uncles because they were, you know, the, the men in my life at the time on a consistent basis.

And I told them, I want to play basketball, like I want to be good at basketball.

And from that day forth, it was nothing but hard work and I fell in love with it and never looked back.

So tell me about that relationship with your uncles as you moved on and progressed in the game, did they continue to have a big influence on you?

Oh, yeah, they, they've had a big influence on me my entire life, you know, from getting me into football, boxing as a, as a kid, and continuing to help me along my journey of playing basketball up through, throughout middle school, high school, when I got to college.

So I still call him to this day, God rest his soul.

One of my uncles passed away, but the other two, they, they play a huge part in my life.

When you think about that influence that they had on you as a kid, as a basketball player, as an athlete, and then you think about yourself today as a coach, can you pinpoint one or two things that they did?

They taught you just their general approach to working with you that maybe you still apply or you still feel like, hey, I got a part of those guys with me every Day in the way that I coach.

I mean, some of the things they did I can't do, you know, I understand we used to play outside and they were found on purpose and, you know, I would go to the park with them and play against guys 10 years older than me, because they were 10 years older than me, you know, so they're more like brothers.

But one thing, well, a couple of things that they instilled in me is just, you know, just hard work, no excuses.

You know, you can't make excuses for anything.

You just got to work as hard as you can possibly work to get what you want.

And I try to instill that into all of my guys.

You can't just expect things given to you.

Everything is earned, not given, you know, and walk by faith, not by sight, things of that nature, you know, so those are things that they instill in me from day one and that I still carry with me on a daily basis.

Good lessons to carry.

Right?

Those apply not just to basketball, but those apply off all, all aspects of your life.

I mean.

Yeah, exactly, exactly, exactly.

If we could impart that to every kid that we had an opportunity to work with, man, we don't.

We'd be doing something.

We'd be doing something.

Right.

It's bigger than basketball, you know.

It is, absolutely.

There's no question about that.

That's been a theme for sure, that's run through our conversations here on the podcast.

Julian is just again, that we're also fortunate to be able to what the, what the game of basketball has given to us and then to be able to give back and pour into other people and use the game of basketball as that vessel, something that's been so important to me in my life.

I'm sure you feel exactly the same way that to be able to use the game, to be able to impact kids, I mean, there's really nothing better as a career, as an opportunity to be able to impact people in that way and use the game that you love.

It's really, really, I think, a special thing that all of us feel who love the game.

Right.

It's.

It's not work.

It's not work.

You know, it's a passion, it's impact, it's purpose.

So you mentioned that you played football, you did some boxing, so you're obviously, as you're growing up, you're a multi sport athlete, which we don't see nearly as much today because kids feel like they have to specialize and in some cases it's really difficult if you're Playing multiple sports, even to find the time to be able to make the commitments that kids have to make to, to their various sports growing up.

So how do you think being a multi sport athlete, how did that impact you and your development not just as a basketball player, but as an athlete in total and as a person, you.

Know, being able to adjust to different environments, that's, that's huge.

Also, you know, building that, building toughness because football you, you can't be soft and play football, you can't be soft and take a hit in boxing, you know what I mean?

So just, just building that toughness, that resiliency and, and learning how to adjust to different people in different environments, I think that's, that's huge for all athletes.

Yeah, absolutely.

I always think that when you talk about two sport athletes or three sport athletes that play in different environments and obviously you mentioned the toughness and the resiliency.

I think that's a huge part of it.

And I also think that sometimes you play a different sport, right.

And you're in a different role.

Maybe you're the star basketball player, but on the football team you're just an average guy.

And so now you got to kind of fit in and try to figure out a different role.

And I always feel like that's something that maybe that mental side of it is kind of underrated when it comes to multi sport athletes because so many kids now, they get sort of typecast in here's who I am on the basketball court and then they can't really relate to a teammate who's in a different role than they are because they've never played that role on a team just because they only are playing one sport.

Right.

Like my first time playing football I was at tight end because I couldn't really play anything else at the time I was learning the sport, I was new.

And then I finally got a little better.

I started working on my craft.

They moved me to quarterback and I played a little bit of defense as well and uh, they moved me.

They wanted to move me to running back and first practice they moved me to running back.

I broke my foot and had to miss some of basketball and I was miserable.

So.

Yeah, that's bad.

Yeah, that's, that's always a risk you take when you take step on the football field.

Right.

There's no question you put your basketball season in a little bit of jeopardy whenever you do that.

So in high school, in high school you played basketball and football.

Did you play anything else or just basketball and football?

High school Just basketball.

Just basketball.

Okay.

And play football in high school.

Okay.

All right.

So as a high school basketball player, what's your favorite memory?

Oh, man, we.

I have a lot of them.

I don't really know if I have a favorite right now, but I went to Parkville High School from my freshman year to my junior year, and we had some really good players come through there.

I played.

I had to play JV two years because el varsity was just loaded.

So some of my biggest and, you know, most memorable memories were just playing with the guys in open gym and having all that talent in one gem and, you know, building connections and friendships that still last to this day.

So I would say some of those moments were, you know, some of my biggest memories.

Yeah, it's amazing how many guys that you ask that question to, and they cite the exact same thing that you just cited.

Right.

It's the relationship with my teammates.

It's the.

The things that we did off the floor.

It's the guys that I got to know.

And it's always interesting because when you think about your experience as a player, you always think about, you know, you do in the mo.

In the moment.

Let me say this.

In the moment, right?

The game and your performance is of the utmost importance to you.

Like, you're concerned about how well am I going to play, how well did I play?

You're analyzing, how can I get better?

All those things.

And then when you get to be an old guy like me and you look back at it, you very rarely remember the exact performances.

What you remember is those things that you described.

Like, you remember the road trip here, or you remember in the locker room after this game here.

You remember after the game, me and my buddies went and got pizza or whatever it is.

Those are the things that stick with you as the most vivid memories.

Even though in the moment, those things feel secondary to your performance in a game.

And I always think about that when you start talking about coaches and developing the kind of environment in your program where it fosters those kind of relationships between teammates.

And so sounds like that was some of the experience that you had as a high school.

As a high school player.

Yeah.

I mean, some of my closest friends to this day, we met through basketball, you know, in high school.

I'll say one guy, Dane Dubrow, and he's a close friend of mine.

He was 6, 9.

As soon as he walked into class, he wasn't playing at the time.

He got to the school kind of late.

I'm like, what's up, man?

You.

You who he was like, yeah, yeah.

I'm like, you coming out for the team this year?

At first he was kind of like indecisive, and then I talked him into it, you know, so I got us some size that year.

But yeah, like a lot of my friends, man, it started with that basketball.

It started in the gym.

So it's like we said early, early in this podcast, it's deeper than basketball.

Did you know, while you were playing, did you have any inkling that you'd end up in coaching or were you just strictly focused on, I'm a player, I'm trying to be the best that I can be?

Or was coaching in the back of your mind at a younger age?

I was always a leader in a sense.

I always enjoyed giving back to the kids and helping out, you know, the younger players in the community.

Like, for example, in Baltimore City, they had a program called Youth Works, where when, soon as you're 14 years old, you can start working in the rec centers over the summer.

And it was to keep the teenagers out of trouble over the summer, things of that nature.

And I worked the summer camp at Liberty Rec center, and I was one of the, you know, camp directors or camp counselors, things of that nature.

We did basketball.

I coached some of the kids.

I used to work out myself at the ymca and other guys were asked to hop into workouts and I would let em, you know, cause they were young, aspiring players and they looked up to me in a sense.

And another guy would be in there like, hey, man, can you work my son out?

You know, So I always had a passion for giving back and coaching and helping out players.

So I didn't think about coaching at the time.

I didn't think that that was something I wanted to do as a career.

But I always had a passion for it, for helping others.

So tell me about your college decision.

It was simple.

I didn't have a lot of options.

You know what I mean?

I made my own highlight tape.

I reached out to schools on my own.

I had some interest from some schools, but when I went up to visit Wesley College, it just seemed like the right place.

And the coaches wanted me.

They.

They treated me like they wanted me.

And I don't regret that decision.

It was a small Division three up in Delaware that's now owned by Delaware State.

And we had a really good team when I was there.

And unfortunately, my college playing days was cut short because I had to get back surgery after my freshman year.

But I have no regrets on that decision.

Wesley College was a Great time for me.

What were you thinking about career wise or what did you study going into school?

Sports management.

What was the career.

What was the career path that you were seeing for yourself?

What did sports management mean to you at that time?

At that time, it seemed like the easiest thing to do.

There you go.

That's right.

But I know I wanted to be involved in sports, maybe teach PE and things of that nature, but I didn't know it would be coaching until.

Coaching.

Coaching kind of called me.

How hard was it after the injury to give up the game?

How long did it take you?

Are you still getting over it?

Man, I just.

So we had a workout today.

I got out on the court and played with the guys a little bit, but I'm still getting over.

I mean, I was 19 at the time.

I had to get back surgery.

So I was one of the youngest guys that my doctor had to do back surgery on.

And he told me, if you want to be mobile at 50, you need to pick up a different hobby.

You know, if you play, you have to play at a different rate than you're playing now.

If you play college basketball, you have to give 110%.

Every day is no excuse, you know, but if you go to the ymca, you can control that output a little bit more and things of that nature.

So that was one of the hardest moments of my life because I know how hard I work.

I know what I wanted to do with it.

I wanted to try to play professional basketball on some level and play as long as I could, but I had to pivot, you know, and that was a hard moment for me.

It was a moment in my life where I learned a lot about myself.

And when I put two feet into coaching.

What was it then about coaching?

As you started to get into it, Obviously you had some experience like you talked about before, giving back and working with kids in the past.

So once you start getting into coaching and you graduate, you're looking around for jobs.

What's the process like for you in terms of, hey, what do I want to do?

Where am I going to find?

I know you started your own thing and you were working a little bit with that.

So just tell me, tell me a little bit about kind of, okay, I'm graduating now.

Where, where am I going?

What am I going to do?

I wanted to start my own AAU program because in my area, in my community, it was never a travel basketball program.

It was just like direct team and they had house leagues and we played in bnbl, but we never traveled.

So I had to travel over to Cecil Kirk.

I'm not sure if you're familiar with them, but that was a big time AAU program in Baltimore.

I played AAU with them one summer just because I wanted to get the experience.

So I.

I talked to the guy, Coach Jerry, that was there at the time, Ms.

Wanda, that was there at the time.

And they had a lot of respect for me and they liked my work ethic and my character, and they allowed me to run the AAU program through the rec center.

And I was able to also get a job coaching the middle school team at Friends School of Baltimore under coach Albert Holly.

And I was an assistant for the varsity, and that was a great experience for me.

So it wasn't easy at the time, but it was something that I was passionate about and something that I knew I wanted to do.

And I was just fortunate enough to have people believe in me and give me the opportunity to get things started.

All right, let's start on the AAU side of it.

Tell me what were the challenges of starting your own AAU program?

Because now you're talking about that's 12, 13 years ago that you did that, but now it seems like you can turn around and bump into an AAU club on every single corner.

So what was it like for you getting that thing started?

What were some of the challenges that you faced?

I didn't do it myself, that's for sure.

Coach Jerry helped me.

Some, some parents in the area helped me that, you know, their kids were going to be a part of it.

So it definitely wasn't a one man band, but I had a lot of help and support from them.

But it took consistency.

It took holding the kids accountable like I was young at the time, and I still tried to treat it like it was a real program.

I just didn't roll a ball out.

We had, you know, real practices.

We had to go out and raise money to get enough money to travel and stay in hotels and give the kids a good experience.

So it was tough at the time, but I appreciate everyone that was willing to help and give support, because without them, I would have struggled.

Did you have one team or multiple teams that first year?

Started out with one team, started out with one team, and then it grew, it continued to grow.

Coach Jerry had the younger guys playing locally and I had the older guys taking them on the road.

And then the following year I brought in a couple new coaches and we expanded to about two or three different teams.

And, you know, it just took off from there.

It's Amazing.

When you think about.

Again, you talked about it a little bit earlier with yourself going and playing with your uncles and playing pickup basketball and playing outdoors, which I know for a fact that the guys that you're coaching, IMG probably most of them have played very, very little basketball outside.

And so many kids today, right, they spend so much time playing against kids their own age, playing in a gym, playing with a coach on the sideline, playing with an official on the court, playing with a scoreboard.

And it's such a different way that kids grow up in the game today versus the way that you or I grew up in it.

And you were kind of in that sort of in between, right, where it was, you know, maybe still a few of those kids still played outside back in the day.

Now it's like, man, anybody who's playing au, you're just, you're just never.

Kids are never outside, man.

It's crazy.

Like, you drive outside in some communities and there's basketball courts, but it's no bodies on them, you know, so it's, it's just weird.

It's weird these days.

Yeah, I, I could not.

I always say to my own kids that, man, I just, I'm so glad that I grew up in the era that I did where pickup basketball is such.

When I, like when somebody asked me the question of.

Just like I asked you, well, what's your favorite memory of high school basketball?

And obviously I have one.

I have one favorite memory of college basketball.

But when you ask me just like, what are my favorite basketball memories, I'm not so sure that 50% of them or more aren't from pickup basketball experiences or just hanging out around the corridor or gathering up a group of guys and getting in the car and driving and going, playing at Park X or whatever.

Like, those, those memories, to me, if I had missed out on that.

And again, like, kids get to make great memories now with AAU and travel with their friends, and I would have enjoyed all that, too.

But, man, pickup basketball was just.

Yeah, I mean, it was such a huge part of my life.

Yeah, you learn a lot.

And if, if you're struggling out there and you're not going to get picked up, you know, if you're not playing hard, if you're not helping the team win, then you're going to learn quickly that you got to change some things or you're not going to be playing like that, you know, especially when you're playing against older guys.

And, you know, I was, I was fortunate enough to be with my uncles and, you know, my dad, at times, he would take me to the rec center, make me guard the best guy in the gym.

I'm like, come on, man.

This guy 10 years older than me, and he's.

He just had 30 the other night, and you got me guarding him, but you.

You see what you made of, you know, so.

Yep.

Yeah, no question.

I will.

I would have no other way.

Exactly.

I couldn't.

I could not agree more.

All right, so tell me about that middle school job.

What's that like coaching.

Coaching a team for the first time like that in a.

In a formal school setting.

Exactly.

Yeah, that was.

That was different.

You know, I had to.

To learn on the fly.

But coach Albert, Holly, once again, he trusted me.

He was like, look, you do a great job.

Trust yourself, you know, and just pour into the kids.

So we were able to go undefeated.

So we was like the middle school champs that year.

I had 17 players.

I had to find a way to play every single one of them in every single game.

But it was a great experience.

I learned a lot about myself, learned a lot about the kids, and just coaching in general, but coming right off of, you know, playing and being part of a college program and jumping in with.

With the kids on that level, it was an adjustment.

But you.

What I learned quickly is that you have to meet them where they are and help them develop from there and help them play the best brand of team basketball that they're capable of playing while you have.

What was the area, when you look back at yourself as a coach that first year, what was the area that you would say, man, that was one thing that I didn't know a whole lot about when it came to coaching.

What was the area where you feel like you had to make the biggest amount of growth?

And maybe not even in the course of that year, but just when you think about where you were coming off your playing career, like you said, and now all of a sudden, I'm transitioning and I'm coaching a team.

Where did you have to grow?

That's a great question.

I think.

I don't know.

It's.

It's.

It's tough because I had to figure out rotations, right?

Who.

How do we stay competitive with this many guys and having to play everyone.

So finding out the best rotations, who works well with who, how to structure practice to where it's beneficial for everyone because you have some kids that are good, you have some kids that aren't as good.

Um, so just I felt like I had to grow in those Areas a little bit, but I.

I tried to figure it out on the fly, like, like I mentioned, um, but it was still room for growth in those areas.

Would you say that your strength.

I'm just guessing based off our conversation.

I'm guessing when I ask you what your strengths were, I'm gonna guess that you were gonna say the relationships with the kids and just being able to get down on their level and build that connection with them based on everything that you said.

Yeah, I mean, the strength was probably helping those kids build confidence.

You know, I remember one time in a timeout, we were playing against a team that was much bigger than us, and I was like, you know, they have size, they have athleticism.

They're older, stronger, faster.

None of that matters.

It's about how hard you come out and play.

It's about if you're willing to step up and box out every single time, no matter what.

Like, who's your favorite superhero?

And this kid was like, Superman.

Well, you're Superman this game.

Who's your favorite?

You know what I mean?

And I would just went around the circle and just finding different ways to pour confidence into those guys and help them believe in themselves a little bit.

So I think building those relationships and some of those kids still, like, follow me on social media, still hit me up every once in a while.

So that's.

That's a great point out from you that I was able to build those relationships because I was, and they still last to this day.

Yeah, that's what it's all about, right?

I mean, the coaching part of it.

And it kind of goes back to what we said a few minutes ago where, yeah, as a player, you remember those times off the court.

And as a coach, man, when you have guys that still 10, 15, 20, whatever number of years later are still reaching out to you, are still connected to you, that's when you realize the power that you have as a coach to be able to impact lives when you know in the moment that you're.

You're having an effect on their life.

But when you see that impact down the road 10 or 15 years, that's when you really know, man, that something.

Something special has been happening and that I've.

I've been able to make these kinds of connections.

To me, that's one of the most.

There's no better.

There's no better call that you get.

There's no better somebody stopping by your classroom or whatever.

I'll get a guy that'll pop.

Pop in my gym that, you know, that we coached 15 years ago.

And you know, and it's just, man, that there's, there's nothing better.

There's nothing better than that kind of visit for sure.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

All right, so tell me about the next stop.

After you get through the middle school, you got the AAU program up and running.

I know then you, you took a college position for a short period of time there in Baltimore.

So tell me a little bit about that.

Yeah, so, you know, I worked with, who was the head coach at the time, Coach Ashley.

And you know, she invited me to come over, do some player development stuff with the Harford Community College women's and did a little bit, you know, with the women, with the guys when they were in the gym every once in a while.

And that was, that was great at the time.

I learned a lot from her and her staff.

But it came down to pay position or, I mean, a non unpaid position or going to Oakland Mills High School to be the head JV coach and assistant varsity.

And I chose to take the paid position at Oakland Mills instead of staying at Harford Community.

But I learned a lot when I was around her.

She was very organized, very successful, did a great job recruiting.

Just her, her energy, her passion poured out into the kids and all the practices and workouts.

So that was a great experience.

And it was different working with the women at the time because they listen a little different, you know, they work a little different as well.

But that was a great experience for me.

What was it like getting that paid position as the JV coach?

Varsity assistant.

Obviously, as a JV coach, you're the head, you're the head guy.

You're making those decisions like we talked about earlier in terms of the rotations and building practice and that kind of stuff.

And then as a varsity assistant, you're supporting your head coach.

So just talk a little bit about those two years that you spent at Oakland Mills.

Yeah, so at Oakland Mills, that was, that was great, man.

Coach John Brown, he's, that's my guy.

You know, he, he told me from day one, like, you're going to be able to come in and help me with some things, you know, like workouts and a weight room on a court, study halls, things of that nature.

Like, he was just so instrumental in my development as a coach because he gave me a leash, you know what I mean?

Like, some head coaches just say, no, it's this way.

I don't want you guys, I don't want your input as much as it's more of a dictatorship instead of A partnership.

And there was times where, you know, he allowed me to run segments in practice, you know, as a young coach and for, for the varsity guys.

Um, so that was just a great experience for me.

And we were able to win a State Championship in 2015, I believe, over Patterson High School.

Um, that was just a, A, a, A great memory for me in my coaching journey.

Yeah, I'm sure winning it.

Not many guys get the opportunity to win a state title.

And so to be able to.

I know, I know it means nothing, but, you know, my, my JV team, my first year there, we had the best record in Howard County.

So, you know, I had, you know, success as a young coach with the middle school team, with the JV team, with starting my own AU program, and we were successful.

So I just felt like it was the right thing for me.

And like I told you, I felt like it was my calling.

So what's funny about you saying that with jv?

So when I started my, My first year coaching, I coached.

I coached JVs for two years.

And when you're coaching that JV team and then you're also a varsity assistant, and I did that in my first job, and then I also did it for a year at the job where I was like, I was the varsity assistant for, with the same staff for like 12 or 13 years.

And one year our JV coach went somewhere else and I ended up coaching the JVs in addition to being the varsity assistant.

And it's funny to hear you say that.

Like, I know it doesn't mean much, but.

But, man, when you're the JV coach, like, that, it means.

It means everything, right?

Absolutely.

It means everything.

Like, when you're the JV coach, and I don't know if guys who have never coached JV really understand this, but when your JV's played before the varsity and your JV team loses that game, like, you are so downtrodden on the inside, man, that you have to bring.

You have to bring that positivity to the varsity bench.

And in some cases, you got to really fake it because you're so down about your shaving game.

And I could tell, I could tell from your face that you feel.

You felt that.

But, man, I used to feel that when we would lose a JV game and I would just be like, all right, how am I going to get myself back up to be able to be positive for our varsity guys?

Because I was just so down.

You know how much when you're, when you're the head coach, I Don't care if it's JV.

I don't care if it's 3rd grade basketball.

I don't care if it's the NBA.

As the head coach, that stuff sticks with you absolutely.

Forever and ever.

Whereas an assistant coach, it sticks with you.

But as an assistant, at least for me, I could.

I could put a loss aside much quicker as an assistant, no matter what the level compared to when I was a head coach.

Like, I would coach my third grade, you know, my third grade daughter's team, and literally we'd be playing and you'd lose a game and, you know, you know, half of the.

Half of them can't even dribble.

And I'm up for two nights in a row until we play again, trying to figure out, like, what could I have done differently?

Absolutely.

It just hits differently when you're a head coach and it sounds like that's exactly what you're talking about.

Absolutely, absolutely.

But no, it was fun, you know, trying to find a way to pull the best out of those guys and, you know, challenge them every day and not allow them to get comfortable because, you know, as the younger guys, they're looking up to the older guys.

They're trying to be cool, they're trying to do with some of the things that they do, and you're trying to prepare them for that next level.

So that was a challenge for me every day that I took personally.

So when we did lose games, it did stick with me.

It did bite a little bit.

But, you know, you gotta get ready for the varsity game right afterwards, so.

Absolutely.

All right, so after your two years there, you get an opportunity to be a head coach at Admiral Farragut.

So tell me how that opportunity comes your way and what that adjustment was like going from being a JV coach, varsity assistant, to taking over your own program.

So I actually met an alumni of the school at an AAU event.

My AAU team was.

My AAU program was playing at an event.

We had three different teams playing.

And the guy watched my team play and was like, man, I'm really impressed with how you coach, you know, your demeanor on the sideline.

You do a great job with your guys.

Your guys do a great job responding to you.

And then, you know, we just exchanged contact information.

He was following us.

He's a huge basketball guy.

His name, Andy Aldi.

And, you know, we stayed in contact.

He liked some of the guys.

He has a lot of connections with, you know, college coaches, things of that nature, and just people in the basketball community and Then the job opened up at Farragut maybe two months after we met.

And he asked me, you know, hey, the head of school asked me, could I help him find a guy.

You're the first person I thought of.

Would you be interested in flying down to interview for the position?

I flew down interview for the position.

I crushed it, and the rest was history.

What do you remember about the interview?

Pretty much the questions as to what I'm going to bring to the school, how am I going to build a basketball program, what's my vision for the basketball program and things of that nature.

And I was just straightforward.

Um, I always believed in holding the guys accountable, you know what I mean?

And making sure that they're taking care of their business on and off the court, and building a program, not just having guys show up to practice and go play games, but being in the weight room, being on the track, going to do community service, things of that nature.

So things that, you know, like Beast mentioned before, that are bigger than basketball itself, you know, you got.

You have to do everything, you know what I mean, if you want to be successful at this.

And they.

They believed in me.

They gave me the opportunity, and, you know, I'm forever grateful for it.

What questions did you have for them?

What will my responsibilities be around campus, the living situation, and, you know, the reputation of the school?

So I think those were the biggest three.

And what was their expectations for the basketball program moving forward?

So outside of your coaching responsibilities, what was the job?

I wore several hats, man.

I had to help out with after school weight training programs.

I had to help out with admissions at times because, you know, when people came to visit the school, I, you know, just had to be around to help out in any capacity, substitute teach things of that nature.

So I wore several hats.

All right, so as the head coach, you've obviously had some experience going into that job and worked under a couple different head coaches and played for a couple different head coaches in the course of your playing career.

So where were you in terms of philosophically, how you wanted your teams to play offensively and defensively?

Did you feel like going into it, you had a pretty good idea of, hey, in an ideal world, and obviously personnel sometimes can dictate the way that you can or have to play, but when you think back to taking that job, did you feel like philosophically you had a pretty good idea of what you wanted your teams to look like out on the court?

I mean, I knew I wanted to play fast.

I knew I put a heavy emphasis on defense.

I don't like to say I'm a defensive minded coach or offensive minded coach, I'm a basketball coach, you know what I mean?

But I put a heavy emphasis on defense, rotations, help side things of that nature, being able to guard your yard.

So I knew I wanted to play fast, I knew we were going to emphasize defense and I knew I wanted guys to have ball movement and player movement.

So whether that was four out, one in or five out, you know, but I wanted us to play a great brand of basketball and up pace when you first get.

Yeah, when you first take the job and obviously you're coming in and you got some players that are coming back and they got a new coach now all of a sudden.

So what were those conversations like with the guys that were coming back in terms of I guess selling yourself to them about, hey, here's my vision for the program.

What do you remember about those initial conversations with whether it was individual players or just meeting with the team as a whole.

I talked to some of the guys individually before I got, before I actually got there before school started.

But I remember talking to the team and just letting them know like, you know, you guys are going to work.

This is, this isn't last year.

I'm a different coach, I have a different style.

But I want you guys to continue to be who you are but also accept coaching and accept the challenge that you're going to be facing coming into this season.

You know, and they all like my energy.

They knew I was about my business and they all respected that and they wanted to work, you know, so I think what I brought to the table was what a lot of them was looking for and they were happy to listen and be coachable that first year.

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When you think about that first year and sometimes on the pod, we've talked to coaches that have said when they get their first head coaching job that what they really have to do is to be able to find their Voice and sort of accept the fact that all the decisions that maybe as an assistant or as a JV coach, those decisions could be not necessarily delegated, but the head coach is ultimately making the final decision.

And now suddenly you're in that position of, this is my program, right?

I'm making the decision.

So how did you feel about getting that opportunity to make all those decisions?

And then did you feel confident in your voice right away, or how long did it take you to sort of build into that position, if that question makes any sense at all?

No, I.

I felt confident in my voice and.

And, you know, my ability to make decisions.

It was a different environment, of course, because it's a private school, there's money involved and, you know, alumni involved, things of that nature.

But I was confident in my voice as a coach because once again, I was running my own program.

So I was a JV coach, I was a middle school coach.

But throughout that, I was still head coaching older teenagers over the summer.

So I didn't have any question as to whether I could do the job or not, or whether I had a voice or not, or whether they would respect it or not.

I feel like with coaching in general, whether it's your first year coaching or your tenth year coaching or your twentieth year coaching, you have to be confident in what you do and what you bring.

There has to be.

You shouldn't be stubborn, but it should be a sense of stubbornness and what you do and what you bring.

You know what I mean?

So for me, it was just believing in myself and understanding that I had their best interests at heart.

And when the guys knew that I cared about them, they cared and they trusted me even more.

You think that trust and caring is the key to developing a good culture?

Or what was the process for developing the kind of culture that you wanted to have there?

Trust is huge, for sure.

Character is another one.

Guys being coachable, hardworking, and leading by example, you know, and having the older guys buy into that, and then caring about the younger guys in the program, the middle school kids, the JV kids, and not just the varsity kids.

I think all of that helped cultivate a great culture within a program.

Because we had middle school through high school, we had a middle school team, we had a JV team, we had a varsity team.

And every single one of those kids saw me.

You know, they.

They got advice from me.

You know, I didn't overstep any of the coaches or step on toes or anything.

I wanted the coaches to be themselves and do their thing.

But hey, young fella, hold that foul through a little longer, all right?

You know, just things, things of that nature.

And in the preseason, everyone was invited to open gyms and, you know, when the assistant coaches went in or I was in, you know, we allowed all the kids to play and not just the varsity guys, you know, so just trying to build a brotherhood and a family oriented type of environment helped cultivate that culture that I was looking for.

How'd you put together your staff down there?

I had heard of one coach, Dustin Barnes.

We had a great relationship, but he was already there and that helped a lot.

And then we did a search to find a middle school coach, and then the following year, someone locally.

His name is Jonathan Xanders Nelson.

He's a great friend to this day.

He saw what we were doing there.

He was appreciative of, you know, my coaching style and things of that nature.

He used to come and record some games for us.

At the time, he was doing some videography for Uncle Drew Productions, and he asked that he'd be a part of the staff, and I gave him the opportunity.

First year he was a volunteer, and then he got on as a paid assistant and another guy named Rome, Coach Rome, he did very similar.

He was, you know, admiring how we coach, how we were running the program.

I used to have some open runs, you know, he would come and play in the open runs, and we built that connection that way.

And then he eventually joined the staff.

So it took some.

It took some time, but it was all built off of genuine relationships and connections.

And I think that helped me because I moved down to Florida by myself without any family and things of that nature.

So being able to make genuine connections and bring on people to the staff that I respect and earn my respect, and I earned their respect.

That.

That meant a lot for me instead of just.

Instead of just reading the paper and having an interview, you know, I like things done genuinely.

Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, to be able to have to make a connection with somebody before you go into the hiring process and get to know them and then you bring them on and there's obviously a level of trust there, which it kind of leads into.

My next question.

When you think about what makes for a good assistant coach, what are some of the characteristics or qualities that you, as a head coach would want to have in one of your assistants?

Or again, when you're an assistant, what did you try to do for your head coach?

Coach John Rhodes at img, he tells me this quote, I hope I don't get it wrong.

But he's.

He's one of my mentors.

I talk to him every day.

Think like a head coach, act like an assistant.

Right.

I think that's it.

Have you heard that before?

That sounds.

That sounds right.

If it's not right, it sounds right.

So we're going to go with it, Julian.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So.

But just being mature enough and understanding what your head coach wants and acting that out as an assistant, also not being too buddy buddy with the players, you know, having that.

That line, because me as.

As an assistant, it's easy for the.

For the players to try to get you to side with them at times.

And, you know, coach.

Coach Trippin, he.

What you think, coach, I should be doing this, right?

Or he.

He don't have to do that, or.

You know what I mean?

Like, just trying to get the assistant coaches side with them.

And you as a.

As an assistant coach.

At the time, for me, it was always, no, I'm with coach Holly.

You know, you're not going to hear something different from me that you hear from him.

And just everyone being on the same page and working together and.

And beating to the same drum.

I think that's.

That's huge.

As an assistant and like I said, keeping that line, you know, you can be not necessarily friends, but closer to the players because they're always going to be closer with assistants than the head coach.

Right.

Because some of the kids are going to be afraid to ask the head coach questions or things of that nature.

But you always have to keep that line, and I think that's huge.

But I also used to try to empower my assistant coaches as well, like, give them a voice and ask them what they think, and always ask them to bring energy and, you know, add something to practice.

You know, if.

If we.

If we have the practice plan done and I'm going over certain segments, what can you add to those segments instead of just standing on the side and just being there.

You know what I mean?

So just always adding value.

I think those things are huge as assistants.

Yeah.

That ability to add value, I think is a really good and important point, that sometimes you'll have assistant coaches that feel like, hey, I can't.

Right.

I can't step in to.

I can't step into this role.

Maybe we talked about it a little earlier that some coaches want that more as a.

As a head coach.

Some coaches want that more than others, whereas you have that coach that wants to control everything.

And then the assistant coach feels like, I don't know if I should.

I don't know if I should jump in here, but I think the best.

I think the best head coaches do exactly what you described, which is they give their assistance some leeway to be able to incorporate some of their thoughts, some of their personalities, some of what they do in.

Into those practices.

And.

And I also think you make a great point about the.

The relationship between the assistant coaches and the players versus the head coach and the players.

It's always a little bit different.

I think that the head coach, ultimately, the players know that's the guy who determines whether they play or not.

Yeah.

Which is the.

Which is the most important part to just about any player that you're going to talk to is they just want to be on the floor.

And so the guy who wields that stick, I think oftentimes there's just that little small degree of separation that the assistant coaches players know that that assistant coach doesn't have that same power, good or bad, depending on how you want to look at.

Depending on how you want to look at that.

So I think that, yeah, that you definitely see a little bit of a difference in that.

In that relationship.

So you spent six seasons there at Farragut, and then you move over to img.

How does that opportunity come your way?

What's the thought process for going over to IMG and then we'll get into some of the details of your experience there.

Well, I wasn't planning to leave Farragut at the time.

You know, I had some great moments there.

Built a really respect, respectable program.

The community started to respect us because I used to hear things about private school versus public school, and people used to come up to me and say, man, I've never seen Farragut play like that.

Keep doing what you're doing.

And, you know, so I felt like that was home, you know, But I.

I had three different heads of school my last three years there, and things changed a little bit, and there was just some uncertainty for me.

And I spoke to coach Brian Nash at the time.

That was the director.

He's now.

I think he's head of athletics at IMG now.

Um, but he had a conversation with me.

I found I didn't know he viewed me the way he viewed me, but he had a tremendous amount of respect for me as well.

And I've always respected IMG and what they do and everything that they.

They offer over.

Over there at img.

Well, over here at IMG now.

And he had.

He didn't know that I was even thinking about leaving.

And I wasn't at the time, but he told me about an opportunity, and I was kind of hesitant.

And then it was like, you know, why not?

So I accepted the position as assistant for Postgrad national.

And, you know, I'm here now in Year three, and I'm happy I made the decision.

So think back to the moment of making that decision.

What pushed it over the top for you that made you think, hey, this is going to be the right opportunity?

For me, it was.

It was just the uncertainty moving forward.

You know, that.

That's.

That's always tough.

Especially, like I said, being down here with no family and things of that nature.

So understanding the potential at img, the opportunity at img, and, you know, not.

Not being afraid to.

To jump out there and.

And accept the position, you know, so, like, it.

It was a tough decision at the time.

It was emotional when I had to tell all the parents and the kids because I felt like that program was my baby, you know what I mean?

And I didn't necessarily want to leave, but I felt like for my career, it was the best decision at the time.

All right, so I'm going to play this question off of the other guys that I've had an opportunity to talk to from IMG and just get your take on an answer that they've all shared with me.

And that's the think tank aspect of being a basketball coach at img and just the opportunity that you have to interact with all the other great basketball minds that are on staff that are part of the program at img, Talk about how valuable that's been to you on a daily basis in terms of your growth as a coach.

I mean, it's.

It's amazing, you know, I know.

I heard.

I listened to Coach Sadler's podcast with.

With you, and he talked about the office that we share together.

Like, it's six or seven different head coaches in there, and we're always talking about different things, whether it's the All Star Game or, you know, or, you know, coaching strategies or.

Hey, what.

What are you guys doing for Crisis?

What are we going to do about.

What are we going to do about the All Star Game?

Julian, what's your take on it, man?

What do we got to do?

What can.

What can we do?

I'm curious.

I mean, we was talking about it earlier today.

Guys either got to compete or they just need to scrap it, man.

Go, go.

One on one, three on three, something like that.

Just mix it up.

See, the NFL, they're doing flag football now.

You know, it's not Even how it used to be.

So either the guys are going to compete or find something else to do.

Yeah, I'm, I'm with you.

I think it's got to go.

The only format that I think makes sense is east west because otherwise you start getting into all the voting and, and whatever.

And then this format was, this format was ridiculous.

And yeah, if guys aren't going to play, then it almost feels like the game should just go away.

Yeah, yeah, just change it.

But make it one on one.

You know, everyone keep asking for that.

You can have like a 3 on 3 tournament or something with some of the better players.

Like just find something else to do.

Yeah, agreed.

But.

All right, keep going.

Sorry.

Keep going.

Sorry.

I just was curious what, what your take was on it.

No, that's just my thoughts.

But you know, as far as IMG being a think tank man, I, I love it because I'm a sponge.

You know, I'm, I'm very confident in myself and what I do and what I bring to the table as a coach, but I'm also a willing learner.

I always feel like I can learn from anyone.

And with having the coaches and the knowledge that we have at IMG is a blessing, you know, so anytime I get a chance to pick someone's brain, I'm asking them questions, I'm writing things down, I'm taking notes in my phone, I'm asking for feedback.

Hey, you got a chance to watch that transition segment in practice.

What's your thoughts on that?

You know, so I, I just, I love the fact that we have so many great minds there and that everyone's a willing sharer of knowledge, you know.

So, yeah, I think that, that to me, when you start talking about the ability to be self aware and the ability to critique yourself with the idea that I need to do that in order to improve my craft, it feels like they're.

It would almost be impossible from scratch to start a better environment for somebody who is a coach that wants to continue to push themselves and be pushed by the people around them.

It just seems like an ideal environment from a coaching perspective of maximizing who you can be as a coach simply because of all the support and all the people that you have around you that can give you that feedback.

And I know some people, sometimes we have a tendency to hide from feedback.

We don't want to hear like, hey, you could have done this better or hey, maybe I saw you do this and maybe next time think about that.

But I think the best people in whatever field and I think coaching goes right along with this, is they're looking for feedback, right?

It's like you just said, hey, here's this transition segment.

Tell me what you thought.

And now you can take somebody else's opinion, you can take that and you can use it to improve yourself.

And obviously that improved the experience for your team, for your kids, and again, hopefully win more games as you, as you continue to get even better at your craft.

And I just, everybody that I've talked to there, Julian at img, that, that's the, that's the overwhelming sense that I get.

It's just that people are so appreciative of that back and forth discussion that just helps everybody to grow and pushes everybody, right?

Because absolutely.

It's like, man, you can't be sitting, you can't be kicked back in your chair just looking around going, hey, man, I got this thing all figured out.

When you got dudes around you that, that want to grow and improve that.

Are grinding and, you know, for, for, for me.

And this can be advice, you know, for younger, for some younger coaches as well.

But don't be afraid to ask questions.

You know, just because you ask what you know for feedback or you ask questions doesn't mean that you don't believe in yourself.

You know what I mean?

I feel like, because I know I struggle with it, I didn't want to ask certain questions because I didn't want people to think that I didn't, I didn't know I wasn't capable, you know?

But just because I'm asking questions doesn't mean that I'm asking questions because I want to continue to grow.

It doesn't have anything to do with my confidence and my ability.

It's just, okay, I want to continue to get better.

What can I learn from this guy?

What can I learn from this guy?

Or just things of that nature, like never skip out on opportunities to learn, never skip out on opportunities to ask questions.

Just continue to find ways to grow and don't look at anyone like you can't learn from them.

That's terrific advice.

And it's advice that when I think about my own life, it's one of the things that when I was younger, I feel like my ego in a lot of situations, not just related to coaching, but anywhere that ego kind of gets in the way of, I don't want to be that guy that's seen as this guy doesn't know what he's talking about, why is he asking this question?

Or you just don't want you don't want to put yourself out there.

And the older I've become and the less self conscious I become about worrying about what anybody else thinks about me, that now I'm just much more willing to sit down with a notebook and ask somebody a question or be when somebody's speaking at a clinic or somebody's talking at a wherever.

And, you know, it used to be when I was 25 or 30, I'd sit there and I might have a question, but there's no way I was ever asking that question.

I just was sitting quietly at my table and now it's like, I'm going to ask those questions because I'm sure, just like the teachers always used to tell you, right, if you want to ask a question, there's some other kid that's probably got the same question.

But it's true.

But it's true, right?

I mean, but it's true.

If you're sitting there and you're thinking something, there's probably somebody else sitting in that same room that is a little bit hesitant to ask it.

And if you can be the person that asks it, I mean, I've read so many things from so many people, again, across all fields, that talk about your ability to ask the right questions is going to get you so much further because you're able to just tap into so many people's knowledge.

And it sounds like that's what you've been able to do there at img.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

And I, you know, we skipped over this and I can't let the podcast come to an end without mentioning a good friend of mine, a great skill developer, you know, great coach, Coach Mookie Dobbins.

He's the director of Team Thriller.

And I happened to be a part of Team Thrill for a couple years.

I merged my program with them for a couple years and was a part of the Under Armour circuit with him.

And I learned a lot from him.

His style with player development.

And he's still a close friend that I talked to and a mentor that helps me out to this day.

So that's.

I can't talk about my journey without mentioning Coach Mookey because he plays a.

He played a big part.

A lot of respect to that man.

Yeah.

I think as you look back across your career, there's always people, right, that have that influence on you, and you take things from bits and pieces from everybody that you had an opportunity to work with or work under, and that's what makes you into the coach that, that you are today.

Tell me a Little bit about your day to day role right now at img.

What exactly does your day to day look like?

Get in in the morning, do some administrative work.

Whether it's, you know, sending out emails, sending out film to college coaches, doing expense reports, things of that nature.

Sometimes I'll get up in the morning, work hours out before school.

Then we typically, if we have meetings, then the meetings will be anywhere from 11 to 1.

We have a staff meeting every Wednesday at 12:15.

That's where all the coaches get in and Coach Gillian leads that meeting.

Then we start practice at 1:30.

Most of the last year it used to be you either have practice first or lifting first.

This year has kind of been the same schedule the entire year with us having practice first 1:30 to 3:30 and then lifting 3:30 to 4 4:30.

On Wednesdays we'll have APD sessions.

That's with our mental coach, our leadership coaches, our dietitian, and we're normally done around five.

If there's games, I'll stick around, watch a game or two and then head out.

If not, if it's just open gym, I may work a couple guys out before I get out of there.

But it's a full day of basketball, you know, and that's what I love about it.

You know, you don't have to go sit in the classroom or things of that nature before gearing up for practice.

Like everything you're doing.

It's like having a college job, but just on a high school prep school level.

So tell me a little bit about the mental and leadership side of it.

I know that's been a big part of some of the resources that you have there at img?

What have you learned from sitting in and talking to the coaches in those areas that you feel like you've then been able to take?

Some of those things that they've talked to kids about and that they've talked to your team about and maybe apply some of those concepts to what you're doing with the kids on a daily basis with your team.

Right.

So before I came to img, I had to be the mental coach and the strength coach.

Right?

Exactly.

You know.

Exactly.

Doing it all.

Doing it all.

So it's a luxury to be able to have those coaches that specify and, you know, that's their specialty.

And what I've been able to take from them is they do a great job relating to the kids, setting up activities for them to do, to have them learn in different ways, whether it's working in small group settings or just Giving them a presentation or asking them questions throughout the lesson to pick their brains a little bit and make it more conversational than just them sitting in a classroom listening or sitting in a suite listening.

But one, the guy name is Jay Davis.

He did a great job with my team this year.

Just reminding them of focusing on what you can control, being where your feet are, positive self talk versus negative self talk and what is neutral self talk, you know, so.

And we remind those guys of those things on a daily basis when they're on the court, when they're in practice.

I'll tell the guys all the time, hey, what did Coach J just talk about the other day?

You know, and now it can register like, okay, I remember what we talked about.

Let me lock in a little bit, you know, having a next play mentality, not letting them miss, what one missed shot of impact, the next 10 plays and things of that nature.

So they do a great job of not only just being great with their presentations, but coming to practice, being visible so they see what we see at times and they're able to then create a lesson or a presentation off of what they've seen on a daily basis or what they saw in the game or how they saw the kids react to certain situations or moments of adversity.

That way they can hit on those things in their, their next lesson.

So they do a great job.

They do a great job.

That synergy is really cool.

I mean, when you think about, even if you're coaching at the high school, right, you talked about, hey, I'm kind of the mental coach, I'm the strength coach, I'm doing all those things, right?

But sometimes, right, you're out of high school and you'll have an outside group that'll come in and, and give a presentation to a team, which again can be valuable, right?

But at the same time, when you're talking about somebody who's in and out of practices and in and out of games and is right there, that those kids know and they see them in practice and now all of a sudden that coach is talking about some of the things that you just described.

The message one, it could be more on point because it could be tailored, right, Specifically to what those guys are seeing, but also from the kids perspective, they know that like this isn't just a guy that's flying in from California to talk to me about this.

This is somebody that I'm seeing every day.

And so I can imagine that the value of a hearing directly from those coaches, but then also hearing it from you as you said, backed up by, hey, remember what we just talked about a week ago during our leadership session?

That to me seems like it would be invaluable when you start talking about having an impact on players.

Absolutely.

And as head coaches, we have to sit in on those sessions.

And it helps, you know, it helps.

Cause I take notes when I'm in there.

You know what I mean?

Like, like I told you before, like, I feel like I can learn from everyone.

So when they're, when they're showing a PowerPoint, I may take a, pull my phone out and take a picture of the slide if I find it useful, you know, for, for what we have coming up.

Like, we were preparing for the playoffs last week and I saw something, I was like, I like that.

And then I end up using it and I'll pregame talk, you know, so, yep, it's for sure.

It's all relatable.

And like you said, the synergy is awesome to have.

Tell me about putting together a team and the challenges of the individual goals and aspirations of your players versus trying to build a cohesive team.

Because obviously a kid who's made the decision along with their family to come to img, those kids have goals individually of what they're hoping to accomplish both at img, but then moving on to a college career, presumably.

And then you have to take those individual aspirations and mold that into a cohesive team.

Plus you have kids coming from all over the country and probably in some cases all over the world.

How do you meld all that together to give the kids what they need individually and yet still build a cohesive team that can go out on the floor and compete together and win and play together in, in the mold that I'm sure you want them to, Right?

Well, that's a great question for one, but two, I like to remind the guys that college coaches, because most of them, if not all of them want to play college basketball somewhere.

So college coaches like guys that can impact winning.

Right.

If you know how to play winning basketball, winning brand of basketball, then you're going to be recruitable in the eyes of someone on the next level.

You know, it may not be the level that you want, but someone will look at you as you could come in and make a positive impact on their team.

If not year one, definitely in practice, maybe year two, you could develop into something.

Right.

So understanding what guys strengths are, what their weaknesses are, helping them understand what their strengths and weaknesses are, and helping them understand how they can positively impact the team in order to push us towards success throughout the season, whatever that looks like, you know, but also helping them understand that ball movement, player movement, understanding how to rotate defensively, those are winning characteristics, you know, those are.

Having the ability to make winning plays is transferable to the next level, you know, so no matter what level you want to play at, if you can do that, you're putting yourself in the best light possible for where you're trying to go.

So I try to just preach that to the guys over and over again and also get to know them on a personal level, let them get to know me on a personal level, and spend extra time with them working on their craft so they know that I care about their individual development as well.

What impact has the Portal had on your role at IMG in terms of helping your guys to get an opportunity to go to the next level?

I know you've only been there for two and a half years, but have you seen any change since you first got there?

Or what do you guys talk about in the office in terms of getting your players opportunities at the college level and how the Portal relates to that?

I mean, we're going to work extremely hard to place guys no matter what.

But the Portal has made it harder, definitely much harder than it's been, what, even five to seven years ago, you know what I mean?

For sure, Absolutely.

Things has changed a lot, but we just continue to find ways to explain that to the families and the kids and help them understand because, you know, some kids can start to panic around this time, but we do a great job of letting them know, like, it's going to be a little later nowadays, you know, because of the Portal.

And if you have opportunities now, like, be grateful for those opportunities and take them serious and view them out of a serious lens, because those opportunities may not be there and.

And a month or two when the Portal opens up and closes.

You know what I mean?

So it's.

It's much harder now, but I think we do a great job and we have a great team, staff members that, that work hard for the guy.

You have a dedicated, I don't know what the word is, recruiting specialist.

Do you guys do seminars for all the players or is that something that you do as.

As a.

As a head coach?

I mean, I know you do it as a head coach, but do you have a dedicated team group person that sort of leads that recruiting piece of it and making sure the players are educated?

Yeah, we have a director of college placement, and that's coach Bob Simmons.

He coached on a college level for 30 plus years.

He's a great guy.

He's very knowledgeable of the landscape of college basketball and recruiting and he does a great job talking to the guys and explaining to the parents the dynamic of recruitment nowadays, the seminars with our college counselors on the academic side of campus, just so everyone's on the same page with everything and have the knowledge that they need to make educated decisions moving forward.

When it comes to college, that makes.

A ton of sense.

I mean, I just think again, in every interview that I've done with anybody, Julian there at img, I just always come away from the conversation, just blown away by the resources that are available to obviously put in place for the players.

But just for you as a coach, right, to be able to have those resources, to be able to go to and then to be able to learn from and then to share with your players, it just always seems like it's about as idyllic of a basketball world as, as you could possibly be.

So before we wrap up, I want to ask you a two part question.

And part one is when you look ahead over the next year or two, what do you see as being your biggest challenge?

So that's the first part of the question, your biggest challenge.

Second part, 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.

My biggest challenge.

And I'm a relate to Coach Sadler with this one because, you know, he mentioned it and that's like getting out of my comfort zone.

You, you know, I always feel like I have a lot to offer, but sometimes I'm hesitant to make certain decisions.

I'm hesitant to, you know, share things and share knowledge and things of that nature.

So I want to do more when it comes to like helping other younger coaches, giving back, doing more things like podcasts and consulting with, you know, maybe local AAU teams or AAU coaches and, you know, just helping out in more ways possible and putting myself out there a little bit more with opportunities like this one.

So that's big for me because I feel like my story is kind of unique in a sense because I started coaching so young, I had some success and me being consistent throughout this journey has gotten me to where I am now and, you know, I wouldn't change anything.

So being able to put myself out there and help out the younger coaches that's coming up behind me, I think that's, that's the biggest challenge moving forward.

And what was the, what was the second part?

Biggest, biggest joy?

Just what brings you the most joy about what you get to do every day.

Just being able to do what I love and help the youth.

You know, not many people can wake up in the morning and say the job that they're going to, they love and they enjoy it every single day.

You know, it's like I said earlier, it doesn't feel like work.

You know what I mean?

So being able to go when the game was taken away from me by an injury, I'm still able to live in it every single day and display my passion and help other kids that was on the same journey I was on trying to chase their dreams, help them continue to get better and move towards their dreams and then have success later in life both on and off the court.

So that's my biggest joy.

That's good stuff, Julian.

Love it, man.

Before we wrap up, I want to give you a chance to share how people can get in touch with you.

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

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

Okay.

Yeah.

So my social media, I'll start with Instagram, although a lot of people on there is at Coach J just the letter j_3 on Instagram and then my email is Julian J u l I A N Allen A L L e n the number3mail.com that's my personal email and on Twitter, formerly known as X or X formerly known as Twitter.

There you go Coach Allen and the number three.

So that's that's how you can find me on all those three Julian cannot.

Thank you enough for taking the time out of your schedule tonight to join us.

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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