"We Want Utah Kids." Coach Casey Stanley's Vision for Westminster Griffins Basketball

Coach Casey Stanley sits down for an in-depth interview about his journey to becoming the new head men's basketball coach at Westminster University in Salt Lake City. With 18 years of collegiate coaching experience — including 15 seasons at the NCAA Division I level — Stanley has worked alongside some of the biggest names in basketball, including Rick Pitino at Louisville and Richard Pitino at Minnesota. Along the way, he helped develop seven NBA players and 31 international professionals.Now leading the Westminster Griffins in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) at the Division II level, Coach Stanley shares his defensive philosophy, his commitment to recruiting local Utah talent, and what it means to take on his first collegiate head coaching role. Before arriving at Westminster, Stanley built Layton Christian Academy into a nationally ranked Top 50 prep program, compiling a 66-20 record and winning a state title.In this interview, we cover:🏀 His coaching journey from Iona College to D1 staffs across the country🏀 What he learned working under Rick Pitino and other elite coaches🏀 Why he's prioritizing Utah recruits and local talent🏀 His defensive identity and how he plans to build the Griffins program🏀 The transition from prep coaching to his first college head coaching job🔔 Subscribe for more Utah basketball interviews and high school hoops coverage!📱 FOLLOW UShttps://www.instagram.com/making_the_team/https://www.tiktok.com/@making.the.team📌 TIMESTAMPS0:00 New Program 0:27 Difference between High School & College2:08 Why Focus on Utah Recruiting?3:10 Coaching Tree4:19 Non Negotiables to a Winning Culture5:30 Recruiting High School Players10:20 What it Takes to Win13:00 Building a Culture14:58 Where to Start16:48 Scouting18:17 Shot Selection19:45 Use of Analytics23:37 Rules of D2 vs D124:57 Picking a Staff26:21 Biggest Surprises for High Schoolers27:44 What Players Need to Play Immediately29:44 National Attention30:50 Turning Around the Program33:50 Life Outside Basketball36:03 Still Learning37:44 Useful Equipment38:28 Separating Self Worth From Record39:40 Advice to Coaches40:38 Advice to Younger Self#WestminsterGriffins #CaseyStanley #UtahBasketball #WestminsterUniversity #RMAC #CollegeBasketball #CoachInterview #HighSchoolBasketball #Utah