The Player's Podcast: Recent Episodes
Matt Espinoza
The Player's Podcast gives current and former players and coaches the chance to give advice to young basketball players on leadership, character development, and maximizing your potential as a basketball player.
Enrique Sandoval has decades of experience in the game as a player and coach. Most recently, he led the Gervais girl’s program the the 2023 2A State Title. We discuss his upbringing and how it helped shaped him as a player and person. We also get into the impact of the Oregon Latino Basketball Tournament as well to why he did not recruit me when he was coaching at Chemeketa.
2:38 Developing his love for the game
5:50 Memories from the Oregon Latino Basketball Tournament
11:03 His state runner-up team as a senior at Woodburn HS
16:50 Battling through failure in high school
19:30 Encouraging our kids through failure rather than keeping them away from failure
25:10 His path to college basketball
31:48 An all-time George Libbon story from Chemeketa practice
35:53 Being able to handle intensity from coaches
38:05 Playing for legendary coach Bart Valentine at Warner Pacific
43:10 Returning to Chemeketa CC to start his career as a basketball coach
46:23 Transitioning to coaching at Sprague HS
48:40 Returning home to coach at Woodburn HS
51:30 Leading the Gervais girl’s team to a state title
57:50 The changing of youth basketball through one generation
59:40 All-time Woodburn starting 5
1:06:06 All-time Salem starting 5
RJ Veliz talks about his career thus far, developing his love for the game with his family and leading the next generation in his community. After a successful prep career (19th most points in Oregon high school history), RJ has gone onto to play at Western Oregon University, Wheaton College, and will now finish his final year at Corban College here in Salem.
1:25 The Veliz family love for basketball
4:45 Developing the work ethic that was his foundation for his career
8:10 Competing with younger brothers growing up
10:35 Woodburn’s strong basketball community
13:20 Starting high school at Blanchet Catholic in Salem
18:19 Transitioning to play at Woodburn HS as his dad took the head coaching job
22:40 RJ’s future in coaching
23:30 Playing at Western Oregon and Wheaton College (IL)
33:44 The difference in coaching vs playing
37:14 Looking ahead to his senior year at Corban
41:25 What were the impactful moments in his development?
45:12 The need for delusion to compete with higher caliber players
46:00 What he wishes he would have known as a younger player
48:19 What does the young player need to do that wants to be great
50:10 The effects of social media on the younger generation
54:25 The all time Woodburn starting 5
57:38 Who he watches for specific skill sets
Dean Sanderson is the new hire for the West Salem Titans. We discuss his coaching career, the learning that has taken place throughout, as well as his hopes for the future of West Salem basketball.
0:48. Coaching in his the community he lives in
3:05 Coaching his son at the high school level
6:10 Playing days in high school at Dallas, OR
12:18 The beginning of his coaching career
14:40 getting to West Salem to learn under Coach Gahr
18:38 Making his way to McKay HS as an assistant
22:45 JV success does not equal coaching proficiency
25:50 The struggle of losing with a limited team
29:00 The cycle of building a competitive team at McKay
37:30 Beating Sprague on Senior night in 2018 and reflecting on almost leaving McKay in 2016
44:04 20 years from his last stop at West Salem
46:46 Kids and structured vs unstructured play
48:10 Are there any negatives to the amount of work kids are putting in the game?
52:44 The importance of parental support for kids
58:20 what he hopes to see develop in the West Salem Basketball Program
1:00:22 Coach Sanderson’s all-time Salem starting 5
Jason Unruh is a graduate of South Salem HS where he played for legendary coach Barry Adams. After spending a few years as an assistant, he went on to help found The Hoop as well as the Hoopla 3 on 3 basketball tournament.
0:55 Being able to turn ideas into tangible products
3:40 Future Stars Basketball Camp in the 90s
6:15 The change in youth basketball - - school based middle school hoops in the 80’s
9:13 His skill development experience
10:54 Developing life skills in kids through hard experiences
12:05 Playing for Barry Adams at South Salem HS
16:00 Learning as a Camp Cascade counselor
16:55 The future of the week-long camp
21:50 Straight from high school basketball player to high school basketball coach
23:53 His brother Josh winning state player of the year
29:51 The genesis of The Hoop
37:30 Starting the Hoopla 3-on-3 tournament
51:30 Other impactful organization with the Salem basketball community
53:54 Building the West Salem girl’s basketball program from scratch
1:00:47 The value of the 12th man on a team
1:03:34 The competitive of the old 10-team Valley League
1:08:14 Jason’s all-time Salem starting five
Alex Hartman had a successful college and overseas pro career as a basketball player and has used his experiences to springboard his next professional chapter. We discuss his journey as a player as well as the NIL scene for athletes. Be on the lookout for a second episode with Hartman in the future. Check out his work at heartlandcreative.net
1:36 Building skills and relationships at Shoot 360
9:18 Hart’s basketball journey - - overcoming obstacles through hard work
19:00 Environment leading to opportunity
23:51 The NIL landscape for today’s athlete
36:44 Hartman’s Cascade Conference starting 5
Greg Plater became a first-team all-state player at McKay HS while helping to take the program from the bottom of the league to state contenders. He credits his hours in the gym to building his game on the court, but also his confidence in himself to be great.
00:41 Developing a love for the game as a kid
2:30 How he watched the greats and applied to his game
6:30 The value of mid-range in the age of analytics
9:10 Playing on the Freshman team while having varsity talent
10:25 Developing into a first team all-state player at McKay HS
14:00 How Greg spent his time in the gym
16:05 structured vs unstructured training time
17:20 Learning from failure
19:09 Taking McKay from last to first and a state contender
23:00 Mentoring the younger group that replicated Greg’s success 3 years later
25:15 Transitioning from high school to college
27:10 Greg’s starting 5 from Salem
28:50 Replaying the final play his sophomore year against Sprague
Jack Martino has over 30 years of coaching experience. His experiences have enabled him to get the most out of his teams. In 3 years at McKay HS, he took them from last place in the Valley League into state contenders.
0:15. Future of the Warriors
2:20 HS basketball in the Bay Area
5:33. Starting his coaching career
7:00 Reflecting on teams with bad records after decades of experience
8:00 Coaching losing teams early in his career and how that shaped his philosophy
11:18. Transition from Woodburn to McKay
13:35. 25 years and the larger gap in competition among Salem schools
20:00 Learning from Coach Larry Gahr at West Salem HS
23:00 Taking over the McKay varsity
25:10 Taking McKay from the bottom to a state contender
30:09 Coaching Greg Plater to be a first team all state player
32:20 Putting in the “system” at McKay
32:29 Jordan Carter’s development into a first team all state player
42:05 Coaching Malik Leaks at North Salem HS
47:05 The changing of the game in the last 25 years
54:53 Players who did not max their potential
58:40 Most notable games in his time
Mike McShane is a basketball legend in Salem. He is coming off a successful 2-year run as the head girl's basketball coach at McNary High School. He breaks down how he developed his team and what he has learned through his life in the game.
0:18 The Oly Cup and the future of Unified Sports
4:30 The need for access to sports for all
6:05 The head coaching experience
8:05 Evaluating your team to identify a system that fits
9:15 The decline of the transition set offense
11:00 The early season practices with Coach Barry Adams
12:35 The importance of communicating on the court
14:05 Encouraging kids to start talking on the court
15:34 Building accountability in a program
17:38 Modern day work ethic vs what we did in the past
25:38 Pistol Pete VHS workout fueled his journey
28:10 Being an elite point guard within a system
33:05 Getting young players to practice layups
34:10 The easiest thing to get players to do
36:10 Having an authoritative voice and leading with respect
45:40 All-time Salem starting 5
53:11 Players who motivated him to work
57:28 Most memorable plays and games of his career
1:01:31 The 4A tourney in the Memorial Coliseum
1:04:21 Still a division 1 point guard even though he only started varsity for 2 years
Joined today by my high school coach, Jim Litchfield. Coach Litch has decades of experience in the game of basketball and was a huge part of my development. We discuss his history as well as what he sees in today's game.
0:37. Coach Litchfield’s challenge to a sophomore me
4:25 The importance of being brutally honest with players
5:19 Gaining strength as a basketball player will take you to a higher level
7:06 Implementing a culture of work into the program when it wasn’t the norm
10:38 How he developed a love for the game
15:50 Getting into the coaching world
20:18 Leaning from Coach Doherty at Corvallis
27:18 Scouting opponents with Coach Gahr at McNary
30:00 The sacrifice it takes to prepare a team well
36:30. Scouting opponents in-person vs in-video using today’s technology
40:40 Identifying what will work with the talent you have
49:09 The changing of the game in the last 20 years
54:35 One skill that indentifies great potential
1:04:40 Improving your game beyond the typical skills training
1:10:50 Listing off some of the top players in Salem during his coaching career
1:15:45 Notable games from his career
1:37. Reflecting on Success at Lake Oswego
5:05. Pivotal moments for the development of a player
10:00. Mental challenges for youth
16:39. Dangers of workout culture
20:34. Surrounding yourself with the right people
27:20. Coach Cho’s top 5 opponents in his 8 years at Lake Oswego
00:30 Earliest basketball memory
01:14. Developing a love for the game
01:50. The work Malik put in
03:00. Success at North Salem High School
03:55. Becoming the #1 option
06:08. North vs McKay - clutch moment
07:33. Developing basketball IQ
10:50. Transition to the college game
12:15. Biggest impacts to his development
14:44. Malik is the most underrated player from Salem
17:34. Transitioning to a coach
21:55. Importance of pick up basketball
25:05 Balance of weightlifting and on-court work
27:25 Who Malik watched as a kid
28:55. High School playoff experience
DJ Shaw from Portland Oregon joins us to discuss player development in the modern day.
00:30 Recapping the Coach Shaw Holiday Hoop Camp
03:33 Clarifying training expectations for parents
05:55 Reaching your next level as a player
08:58 Identifying the starting point for player development
13:00. Improving at what's necessary for the player vs what's desired by the player
16:48. Coach Shaw lists some great free resources to check out
19:18. Learning from Phil Beckner
22:30. Filtering out distracting voices
26:00 We need to de-emphasize scoring in our player development
29:17. Pre-game needs for players
29:41. Post-game needs for players
30:30. Book recommendation
32:18. Film study recommendation: Rip Hamilton
Order "Learning the Game of Basketball: Volume 1" https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Game-Basketball-Foundational-Principles/dp/B0CKLMQ8KY/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Visit us at salemhoopsproject.org
While we all want to be the go to guy (or girl) on our team, most of us will not be Jordan in this story. When we watch the role players from the Chicago teams, we can see lessons about the importance of staying on the floor and helping our team succeed.
While he still had an outstanding individual resume in his career, Michael Jordan learned how to sacrifice individual desires for increased team success.
Cliff White discusses the habits that helped him have a successful and collegiate and pro career. Now as a parent, Cliff speaks on the similarities and differences between his journey and that of his kids.
Jeremiah Dominguez talks to The Player's Podcast about how he became so effective and efficient as a player. This led him to starring at Portland State University and playing professionally in the LNBP (Mexico).
Ashley Corral is a coach and trainer in Vancouver, WA. Throughout the "Shelter in place" order, she has found creative ways to give her athletes structure. She shares that advice with us.
AJ Lapray spent much of his college career battling injuries, but it didn't stop him from playing. And he is still playing through his YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/lapraybasketball).
Sam Johnson of Strengthfarm PDX discusses how to maximize your time and best prepare your body for the demands of a long basketball season.
Avry Holmes discusses the steps he took and the work ethic he developed that helped him earn a spot in the G-League and now in the LNBP of Mexico.
Clackamas High School boy's basketball coach Cameron Mitchell reflects on his playing career through his new perspective of the game as a coach.
Xavier Cannefax gives detail to what it took for him to reach his dream of playing professionally.
Rob Smaller helps us break down ways to watch the game and suggests a few players to study from.
Coach Memory provided an in-depth view of what it means to develop as a basketball player.
When is transferring the right decision? Is it always the wrong decision? Coach Shaw sits down to discuss what the thought process should be if you are thinking about transferring.
There is an abundance of equipment that a basketball player could invest in. But how many of them will bring you an equal benefit for your investment? Today we look at five products and whether or not they are worth the cost.
Dr. Blake talks about why developing a mindset focused on improvement rather than achievement is important for athletic performance.
Henry Barrera is the Director of Sport Performance at Liberty University where he works directly with the Men's Basketball program.
Marshall Cho, head coach of the Lake Oswego High School boy’s basketball program, talks about becoming a coachable player and contributing the the culture of your program.
Mike McShane shares his journey through the game of basketball. If you think you are working hard, try and compare what you are doing to what Mike did.
Best known as The Professor, Grayson shares his journey of reaching the heights of athletic success, to devoting his life to Jesus.
Coach Ioane talks about his recruiting process at Willamette University, an NCAA D3 program in Salem, OR.
Jordan Carter was a standout player in high school. He was twice voted League MVP, 1st team all-state in Oregon as a senior, and broke scoring record previously held by Kevin Love at the high school state tournament. Despite his performance on the court, he was not recruited by Division 1 schools. Jordan talks about his expectations of being recruited versus the reality he experienced.
Junior Guard from Oregon State University Katie McWilliams discusses her transition from high school to college.
DJ Shaw, skills trainer based out of Portland, Oregon, discusses the ideal way to train for the game of basketball.
Coach/Skills trainer Ashley Corral discusses how to become an elite player. She goes in-depth about planning your year, what separates elite players from average, and letting your love for the game drive you.
The Player's Podcast launches with a brief introduction and a run down of the first season's guests. The Player's Podcast is brought to you by the Salem Hoops Project. Visit salemhoopsproject.org for more information.