Contacts Coaching Podcast

On the Contacts coaching podcast, consultant and Coach Her Right founder Jerica Williams shares how basketball found her at age 10, her college path from a UCLA scholarship to San Diego State, and becoming a mom her senior year. She traces her move from assistant coaching (including Cal State Northridge) to head coaching at Detroit Country Day, where she rapidly rebuilt a struggling program and reached the Michigan State Final Four, emphasizing the head coach’s total responsibility, staffing to cover blind spots, and her superpowers of empathy and communication while outsourcing offense/X’s and O’s. Williams discusses working with Stephen Curry’s trainer Brandon Payne and later joining Mike Davis at Mississippi Valley State as one of the only active female coaches in men’s basketball, highlighting the value of feminine energy in men’s spaces. She explains starting Make Room For Her/Coach Her Right to amplify girls’ voices, improve coaching, and address safety issues in youth sports, and she describes recently changing her belief that love is possession, reframing it as freedom.00:00 Meet Jerica Williams00:20 Basketball Found Me01:53 From Player to Coach03:48 Head Coach Breakthroughs04:14 Breaking Barriers in Mens Hoops06:15 Nike Role and Talent Pathways08:24 Assistant to Head Coach Shift09:21 Owning the Whole Program12:18 Hiring to Cover Blind Spots14:01 Empathy as Superpower15:54 Outsourcing the Offense17:58 Ego Versus Will to Win24:34 Working with Steph Curry26:08 Underrated Tour Origin Story28:30 Make Room For Her Begins30:39 Her Story Giving Girls a Stage32:16 Why Girls Quit Sports33:09 Safety Behind Not Fun33:23 Building Coach Her Right35:04 Defining Legitimate Safety36:32 Whistleblowing Coach Misconduct42:11 Ask Her Believe Her44:20 Questions Not Commands46:48 Empathy And Seeing Players48:54 Committed To Learning51:00 Make Room For Her Mission54:04 Love Is Freedom Not Possession01:00:02 Closing Reflections

On the Context Coaching Podcast, athletic administrator Dustin Mones (Monte Vista Christian) shares his journey from a multi-sport athlete in Connecticut to boarding school coach and athletic director roles at Eaglebrook and Stony Brook, then returning to Monte Vista as AD. He discusses early coaching insecurity, the importance of mentors for new athletic directors, and how small paperwork mistakes can directly impact student opportunities. Mones reflects on coaching learned under Don Keithley—discipline, attention to detail, and integrating faith—and contrasts boarding school co-curricular expectations with Monte Vista’s day-school model, noting he misses deeper daily student connections. The conversation covers resisting youth sports specialization, training both physical and mental/spiritual aspects, simplifying practices, aligning consequences with behavior, and blending “old school” standards with empathy.00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro00:38 From Athlete to Educator02:40 Boarding School Coaching Life03:31 Returning as Athletic Director04:20 Year One Lessons and Why07:35 AD Transition Challenges10:00 Paperwork Mistakes and Details12:07 Mentors and Coaching Philosophy15:11 Junior Boarding School Insights18:05 All In vs Balance23:55 Day School Shift and Connection26:20 Multi Sport vs Specialization29:44 Co Curricular Requirements31:31 Required Co-Curriculars Model32:27 Arts and Athletics Crossover33:30 Boarding Program Considerations34:52 Culture Builders for Coaches36:27 Training Mind and Body38:37 Structuring Lifts and Practice43:49 Advice to Younger Coaches45:58 Mentoring and Keeping It Simple49:43 Entitlement and Life Lessons52:13 Old School vs New School Coaching57:05 Consequences That Align59:57 Final Wrap and Thanks

In this Contacts Coaching Podcast episode, the host welcomes back Brett Cauchi to discuss his growth over nearly three years at Rancho Solano as the head girls basketball coach and a teacher. Brett explains how the job has confirmed his mission fit through long-term impact on kids, relationship building, and developing trust across age groups from middle school to high school. They explore balancing warmth with accountability, building leadership and systems that can outlast a coach’s personality, and managing the reality of being paid to teach rather than coach. Brett reflects on program progress (14-4, 11-3, playoff run), emphasizing unseen culture gains like resilience and belief. Key coaching takeaways include embracing simplicity, focusing on rebounding and strength, recognizing patterns, setting boundaries by learning to say no, and being intentional about confidence-building competitiveness.00:00 Welcome Back Brett01:06 Mission Fit Confirmed04:02 Coaching Across Ages07:13 Structure Over Energy10:43 Warmth And Standards12:48 Progress Beyond Wins16:31 Simplicity And Identity21:23 Systems That Sustain22:53 Playing The Long Game24:46 Patience Over Results25:09 Setting Parent Expectations26:45 Raising Teens With Structure28:36 Three Sports And Wilderness31:10 Letting Kids Own Stories32:33 Coaching With Empathy36:26 Every Kid Needs An Adult38:04 Love As The Job39:39 Hard Schedules Build Grit40:45 Learning To Say No43:11 Changing Minds And Patterns44:58 When Competition Backfires46:43 Routine And Truth Tellers49:38 Closing Patterns And Truth

On the Contacts Coaching podcast, host Justin Clymo welcomes back Cal State East Bay men’s basketball coach Bryan Rooney to unpack the program’s dramatic turnaround from 11–17 to an undefeated run until a loss in the Elite Eight, finishing at 33-1. Rooney credits player commitment, continuity, the team mantra “just get better,” and this season’s theme “burn the boats,” emphasizing role definition, accountability, and dominating roles across both players and staff. He explains how relationships, habits, staying present, and not reinventing the wheel helped sustain success under pressure, shares moments showing player-led ownership and deep teammate care, and describes weekly one-on-one meetings as a nonnegotiable culture builder. Rooney also discusses empowering assistants, adapting tactically (including sending five to the boards), navigating recruiting and the transfer portal case-by-case, the importance of administrative alignment, and guarding culture by prioritizing character fit.00:00 Welcome Back Coach Rooney00:27 Quick Coaching Background01:16 From 11 Wins to Elite Eight02:33 Burn the Boats Mindset04:16 Pressure Proof Habits06:51 Team First Chemistry09:07 Family Moments and Loss11:30 Weekly Meetings and Trust13:53 Making Roles Matter17:24 Keeping the Fringe Ready20:27 Player Led Turning Points23:33 Empowering the Staff26:51 Trust and Effort Standards28:46 Staying Present in Success29:49 Next Game Focus30:20 Control The Controllables31:27 Transfer Portal Reality37:16 One Year Journeys40:20 Alignment And Innovation43:37 Turnaround Lessons47:24 Raising The Ceiling48:43 Protecting Culture50:16 Authentic Gratitude52:47 Closing Thoughts

On the Contacts Coaching podcast, host interviews Melissa Fortenberry, founder of Heat Sense, about proactively monitoring heat strain in athletes to prevent heat illness. Fortenberry, a former Texas athlete and tech professional, describes being sick during a 107-degree football game and researching why existing guidelines focus on symptoms, meaning athletes are already ill once dizziness or nausea appears. She explains limitations of heat index and wet bulb globe temperature for team decisions because athletes differ in hydration and acclimation, and argues core body temperature is the key metric, though gold-standard measurement is rectal thermometry. Heat Sense uses a Swiss wearable (bicep/chest) plus heart rate to estimate core temperature within about 1°C, flag rising heat strain trends via an app and team dashboard, and support cooling interventions. They discuss adoption models, rotating sensors to identify sensitive athletes, EAP planning, and “cool first, transport second” protocols.00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro00:32 Melissa’s Origin Story02:05 107 Degrees Spark03:44 Why Heat Guidelines Fail06:05 Core Temp Monitoring Tech08:31 Accuracy and Thresholds12:00 Cooling Protocols in Practice13:03 Practice Risks and Acclimation16:17 App Dashboard and Pricing17:33 Adoption for Schools and Clubs20:27 Parent Checklist and EAP21:42 Cooling First Transport Second22:18 Regional Risk and Humidity23:57 Where to Learn More24:10 Wrap Up and Takeawayshttps://heatsense.com/

In this Contacts Coaching podcast episode, former guest Bre Smedley, co-founder of Elite Competitor and a championship high school volleyball coach, shares how her mental performance framework has evolved into plug-and-play tools for coaches and resources for parents. She explains key skills—failure recovery (the “snapback routine”), self-talk, and visualization—and describes how the snapback routine (breath, reset word, reset signal) helped her team stay composed in a state championship comeback. Reflecting on a season that ended in third after four straight titles, she discusses how pressure can reveal cracks in culture and the need to systemize values, communication, and accountability. Bre also covers parent influence, including avoiding badmouthing coaches/teammates, improving car-ride conversations, and supporting athlete autonomy, plus guidance on aligning college-sport goals with habits and recruiting effort.00:00 Welcome Back And Reintro01:10 Bre’s Coaching Origin Story02:55 From Framework To Coach Program05:10 Snapback Routine Explained09:18 State Title Pressure Test13:02 After The Streak Lessons16:46 Culture Cracks And Systems19:49 Parents Coaches Athletes Triangle22:30 Parenting Mistakes To Avoid25:38 Postgame Parent Mindset26:07 LOVE Talk Framework27:05 Autonomy Over Pressure28:34 College Dream Reality Check31:17 Coach Truth Without Crushing34:40 Parents Driving The Dream37:45 Female Coach Double Standard43:39 Systems To Prevent Drama45:56 Delegation And Injury Lesson49:30 Resources And Wrap UpPrevious Episodes: Bre Smedley Pt. 1: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1zipbClx90G2u2vOkkYt3c?si=72dca5bf8abb4f3cBre Smedley Pt. 2: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ba0v7bdGmrI28ziyZ7xjc?si=445b608c271e40f2

On the Contacts Coaching Podcast, Josh Duke, Executive Director of Athletics and Operations at Grace Prep in the DFW Metroplex, shares his path from Grace Prep student to Abilene Christian student manager, then coaching at Fort Worth Christian (freshman, JV under Jeff Bell, and varsity head coach) before returning to Grace Prep in 2020 as athletic director and head boys basketball coach. He explains Grace Prep’s university-model schedule, how families make it work, and the broader Texas homeschool sports landscape. Duke outlines Grace Prep’s sports offerings, enrollment size, and the realities of sustaining football participation, while emphasizing the value and role-management of multi-sport athletes. He discusses balancing in-season/off-season demands, how roster makeup changes basketball strategy, the importance of mentors, AD lessons learned during COVID, culture-building through parent/community engagement and monthly team dinners, and how conversations with other coaches shifted his thinking on using pressure defense to control tempo.00:00 Welcome And Introductions00:42 Josh Duke Coaching Journey02:54 University Model School Explained06:44 Homeschool Sports Landscape08:10 Grace Prep Sports Offerings08:42 Building Multisport Culture10:45 Roles And Expectations12:09 Making Room For Leaders14:50 State Title Multisport Example15:28 Football Numbers Reality16:47 AD Coach Conflict Balance17:24 Offseason Basketball In Texas19:45 Adapting Style To Talent22:06 Simple Vs Complex Offense23:57 Playing Downhill And Pace24:48 Assistant to Head Coach Shock25:50 Finding Your Own Style26:57 Leveraging Veteran Assistants28:19 Mentors and Accountability30:29 Becoming Athletic Director33:42 Stealing Culture From Others37:41 Coaching Through Parenthood39:44 Team Dinners Build Culture43:58 Changing Minds and Tempo46:55 Pressing to Control Pace49:09 Final Thanks and Wrap

On the Contacts Coaching podcast, host Justin interviews Cody Bartlow, newly hired head men’s soccer coach at Kansas Wesleyan University, about his path from an unplanned start coaching a U6 co-ed team in high school to 25 years in coaching across club, high school, and NAIA college programs in Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Kansas. Bartlow explains why he now calls sessions “training” instead of “practice,” emphasizing scenario preparation and player autonomy in a sport with no timeouts. He discusses lessons from coaching co-ed and both genders, building belief in female athletes through relationships and individualized approaches, and borrowing concepts from football, track, basketball, hockey, rugby, and baseball to teach soccer. He also covers multi-sport development, workload management, referee relationships, why back-to-back soccer games raise injury risk, regional differences in soccer culture, and the administrative reality of small-college coaching.00:00 Podcast Welcome00:30 Coach Bartlow Journey03:54 New Kansas Role04:17 Training Not Practice06:10 Coed Team Lessons11:13 Building Confidence16:25 Cross Sport Coaching22:11 Specialization Club Tension26:34 Managing Multi Sport Load28:58 Coed Season Juggling29:41 Managing Back To Back Games29:57 Respecting Referees32:15 Building Ref Rapport34:30 Soccer Scheduling Safety36:19 Recovery And Injury Risk40:22 Texas Vs Midwest Sports42:46 Club Culture And Ego46:01 Small College Coaching Reality51:52 Growth Mindset And Mentors54:42 Process Driven Training58:19 Final Takeaways And Thanks

On the Contacts Coaching podcast, Duarte High School athletic director and PE teacher Coach Perry Skaggs shares his path from LA Unified student and Fairfax High alumnus to coaching and athletic administration across private and public schools, including Pilgrim, Viewpoint, Flintridge Prep, Westmark, and LAUSD sites before landing at Duarte eight years ago. He explains why he moved between sectors—job security, parent access, and career stability—and why Duarte feels like a “small town” community where relationships drive athletics. Skaggs discusses lessons from eight-man football, emphasizing coaching adaptability and culture, and outlines Duarte’s multi-sport philosophy and sport offerings, including additions like girls flag football, stunt, and boys volleyball based on student interest. He also describes evolving from dogmatic coaching to more collaborative communication and focusing programs on positive student-athlete experiences over championships.00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro00:55 Coaching Roots and Early Stops02:37 Flintridge Prep to Westmark Shift03:44 Westmark Lessons and Eight Man Success04:40 Back to Public and Finding Duarte07:05 Private vs Public Realities13:02 Why Duarte Feels Like Family17:36 Stepping Into the AD Role21:51 Eight Man vs Eleven Man Football25:42 Eight Man Culture and Community28:04 Eight Man Football Shift28:44 Selling Multi Sport Culture30:32 Cutting And Adding Sports34:27 New Programs And Tradeoffs36:23 Do New Sports Hurt Others37:50 Culture Over Championships41:57 Post COVID Team Mindset46:30 Changing Coaching Style50:15 Staying Old School Tools53:02 Final Wrap And Thanks

Justin interviews Fonzo Martinez, boys basketball head coach at McKinney Christian Academy in the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex, about his path from high school and college basketball—derailed by severe knee injuries—to working as a train engineer and in corporate sales before feeling called to coach. He details getting his start at Coram Deo Academy, rebuilding a losing program into a playoff and state tournament team, then moving to McKinney Christian, where he became head coach four years ago and has led a dominant run including TAPPS state titles in 2022 and 2026 (39–1 this year; 77–3 over two years). Martinez explains Texas scheduling and associations (UIL, TAPPS, SPC), emphasizes adjusting style to personnel, and shares culture-building practices like weekly leadership days, player speeches, peer feedback sessions, bench standards, and boundaries that prioritize family and healthy time commitments.00:00 Meet Coach Fonzo00:44 Playing Days and Knee Injury01:56 Railroad to Coaching Leap05:58 First Head Job at Coram Deo06:52 COVID and Move to McKinney09:04 State Title Run and Scheduling11:29 Texas Leagues Explained13:25 What New Coaches Miss17:32 Adapting Style to Personnel26:11 Offseason Rules and Multi Sport34:10 Culture Staples and Leadership Day35:44 Culture Over Winning36:33 Inside Leadership Day38:36 Weekly Player Speeches39:51 Practice Time Breakdown41:41 Attitude And 95 Percent Rule45:25 Role Clarity Exercises46:38 Peer Feedback Meeting49:21 Bench Energy Standards51:03 Stealing From Other Sports52:17 Player Led Timeouts58:47 Pregame Warmup Upgrades01:02:08 Changing Mind On Time01:05:55 Closing Thoughts

Welcome back to the Contacts Coaching Podcast! In this episode, we sit down with Coach Ryan Diew, head basketball coach at Head Royce Boys basketball and proud alum of the school. Coach Diew shares his journey from being an athlete at Head Royce to playing basketball at Colgate University, and eventually returning to his alma mater to coach. He discusses his experiences as a walk-on, the valuable lessons he learned from his mentors, and his unexpected path into coaching. Coach Diew also delves into his entrepreneurial background, his coaching philosophy, and how he integrates data analytics into his coaching strategies. Tune in to hear insightful stories about resilience, leadership, and the impact of youth mentorship.00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome00:24 Coach Ryan Diew's Athletic Journey01:22 Transition to Coaching02:09 Early Coaching Challenges and Successes03:29 Return to Head Royce and Pandemic Impact04:52 Coaching Philosophy and Adaptation06:20 Balancing Coaching and Personal Development09:25 Building a Basketball Program14:33 Analytics in Coaching19:27 Kids' Engagement and Tracking Performance19:53 Grading System for Player Evaluation20:23 Democratic Process in Team Selection21:04 Analyzing Player Combinations and Effectiveness22:49 Balancing Scoring and Team Dynamics27:37 Evolving Coaching Philosophy30:22 Impact of Venture Capital Experience on Coaching35:59 Redefining Success and Personal Growth38:07 Shark Tank Experience and Lessons Learned39:57 Final Thoughts and Gratitude