Expanding the Zone: Recent Episodes
Shayne Combs
Discussing the real issues that affect high school sports and the role that coaches play in dealing with those challenges.
Shayne and Matt discuss perception vs reality in leadership. Being authentic is always important but when do appearances matter?
Shayne and Matt welcome a special guest to the podcast. Kevin Shoults, longtime golf coach and individual golf instructor, joins the guys to talk about the mental side of sports. With golf being a sport where the mental side is so important, Matt and Shayne wanted to get his take on mental toughness, confidence, and "next play" mentality.
Shayne and Matt discuss what causes the 2nd year performance for athletes tougher than the 1st. Expectations and role changes all play into the "sophomore slump."
Matt and Shayne wrap up season 6 with recapping a lot of what they've seen this basketball season. Some of the discussion comes full circle with talk of rule changes, physicality, positionless basketball, etc...
Shayne and Matt revisit episode 49 where they discussed what it takes to make a deep tournament run. In this episode they share clips from episode 49 and then comment on each clip, going a bit deeper into some of the characteristics that teams have to have to make deep runs.
Matt and Shayne discuss their opinions on the process of selecting All League players. They discuss how different leagues have different selection processes. They also debate what should be the main focusses of coaches when participating in the process of voting for all conference players.
Shayne and Matt tackle a few different topics that have been suggested or asked about by listeners. They talk about defense and offensive problems, in game adjustments, fan behavior, shot clock and more.
Shayne and Matt discuss what makes for a confident player. Is confidence natural or developed? What makes an entire team play with confident? The guys tackle these topics and more.
Shayne and Matt discuss the mental side of basketball and explore the question...Do today's players really study and understand the game?
Matt and Shayne discuss positionless basketball, specifically the evolution of the point guard and post positions.
Shayne and Matt discuss the role of assistant coaches. They talk about what goes into a head coaches process of selecting his/her assistant coaches and then the process of delegating responsiblity and assigning roles to those assistant coaches.
Shayne and Matt discuss the pros and cons of the running clock rule in high school basketball when a team is ahead by 35 or more in the second half. They also react to another podcasts discussion regarding the Maxpreps ranking system and the news that the OHSAA is considering adding more divisions in high school basketball.
Shayne and Matt discuss the things they've noticed in the first couple weeks of the season and what they think they may see moving forward. They recap some reaction to Episode 62 with the official shortage and then move into to what's jumped out at them in the season thus far. Some of the topics they discuss are style of play, managing fouls and foul trouble, and time and score just to name a few.
Matt and Shayne respond to a recent press release by the OHSAA citing that the number one reason there's a shortage of officials is fan behavior. They list several reasons outside of fan behavior that are contributing to the problem.
Shayne and Matt discuss the rule changes for the 2024 basketball season including the new free throw rules with 2 shots coming after the 5th foul in each quarter and the new tournament selection process. Also, they discuss potential rule changes on the horizon for the 25 season and beyond.
Matt and Shayne kickoff their basketball series by discussing the importance of the preseason. They discuss, from a coaches perspective, how it is to navigate all the challenges that the pre season brings.
In this season finale episode, Shayne and Matt discuss ways to continually improve, learn and grow as leaders.
Shayne and Matt discuss parents coaching their own kids in youth and high school sports.
Matt and Shayne take on the sensitive topic of hazing and bullying in light of the recent developments within the Northwestern Football Program. They discuss what a leader's role is in knowing what is happening within his/her organization and how to deal with issues when the arise.
Matt and Shayne talk about the challenges of the "off season" in terms of self improvement and staying connected with those you lead.
Shayne and Matt discuss the importance of being present in what you do as a leader, while also exploring the importance of planning for the future and learning from the past.
Shayne and Matt discuss how tournament runs affect the next sport and the importance of coaches cooperating when it comes to sharing athletes.
Matt and Shayne discuss what they think are the tale tale signs of a team capable of making a deep tourney run.
In show 2 of their basketball series, Shayne and Matt discuss a team finding their identity which leads into an in depth, detailed look at different defensive philosophy.
Shayne and Matt explore the challenges of navigating the pre season as a basketball coach. They look at lack of time, gym space and various other distractions that coaches have to work through and offer tips on how to do so.
Shayne and Matt breakdown the recent ESPN series, "The Captain," featuring Derek Jeter, former New York Yankee great. The guys take several quotes and segments from the show and relate it to leadership in high school sports.
In this episode, Matt and Shayne discuss the upcoming "dead" period or no contact period as the OHSAA calls it and what that means for high school athletes and coaches. They also discuss enforcement of those rules and consider if schools really follow them. The discussion also transitions into how coaches can effectively prepare their players to practice on their own when the coach can't be with them.
Matt and Shayne talk about the amount of time we practice in youth sports vs the amount of time we play games. The guys talk about the pros and cons and ways to balance between the two.
Matt and Shayne discuss current changing landscape of sports. They give their opinions on what changes have been good and not so good and explore possible future changes to high school athletics. The guys also discuss how leaders need to go about navigating and affecting change.
In this episode Shayne and Matt discuss how important it is for leaders to add great people to their organizations and do what they can to keep those people long term. They discuss leaders creating a great culture that attracts people and offers benefits that cause people to want to stay, rather than look elsewhere. Although some turnover within an organization is normal and even healthy, this discussion explores ways to avoid the unnecessary and damaging type of turnover caused by lack of morale and poor culture.
Spurred by the Jimbo Fisher-Nick Saban debate...Matt and Shayne discuss what is Ok and what is off limits for coaches as it pertains to coaching ethics. They discuss what should be said to the media and how to handle disagreements between opposing coaches.
Shayne and Matt are back with another season of Expanding The Zone. On this episode they discuss utilizing you "down" time, if there is such a thing, and getting the most out of your off season. They also discuss self evaluation as one season comes to an end and setting goals for improvement for the next year.
With the college football playoffs upon us, Shayne and Matt discuss regular season success vs post season success, along with other aspects of what makes post season competition fair in different sports.
Shayne and Matt discuss what goes into a great practice from organization and planning to execution. They discuss 4 major points that are critical to conducting productive practices.
Shayne and Matt look into what makes a great team. Is it talent only? Does team chemistry matter? The guys look into these topics along with player development and organizational expectations.
Shayne and Matt discuss the name, image and likeness situation at the college level and how it may eventually affect high school athletics. Also, they dive into the financial situations that high schools face and how they go about generating additional revenue.
Shayne and Matt welcome guest Julie Arthur to the show. Julie is a clinical counselor with nearly 20 years of experience in working with teens and adolescents. Julie lends her expertise to the show as the guys discuss the relevance of mental health in today's student- athletes. Julie explains just how prevalent mental health issues are in todays teens and she shares with coaches the right approach to recognizing mental health issues in their athletes and what they can do to help.
Shayne and Matt discuss several game management topics including security, crowd control, and player behavior. They also compare celebration vs taunting and discuss how the history and culture of different sports sometimes determine the level of what is acceptable.
Shayne and Matt discuss the importance of identity within an organization. Every team and organization needs certain constants or "staples" that they stand for and rally around. In this episode we look at forming identity, executing identity, and growing the identity over an extended period of time.
Matt and Shayne discuss sports records and milestones and how they affect the way we judge and compare players of different eras and how "numbers" affect the mindset of an athlete. Also, the guys have some fun with "break or take".....discussing which records are bound to be broken and which will stand forever.
Shayne and Matt are back with season 2 of Expanding the Zone. They look back and discuss leadership during the COVID pandemic. Who thrived and who struggled? What leadership qualities did those who thrived share? Shayne outlines his 5 C's....Compliance, Composure, Consistency, Creativity, and Chemistry.
Shayne and Matt end season 1 with an extended episode detailing the state of high school basketball today. They explore some problems in today's game and potential solutions to help improve basketball moving forward.
Shayne and Matt discuss what makes a great league. Some factors discussed are school size, location, leadership/organization, and competitive balance.
Shayne and Matt have a little fun discussing some of their favorite sports movies and some of the leadership lessons that can be learned from them.
Shayne and Matt discuss the effect of analytics as it pertains to their use in coaching and leadership.
In episode 25, Shayne and Matt expand on their thoughts from episode 23, "Why Coaches Quit" After much feedback, the guys get into greater detail about coaching responsibilities and approaches to organization. Matt also discusses how coaches are having to adjust and deal with added requirements due to COVID19.
Shayne and Matt discuss characteristics that championship programs share. Some topics include acquiring talent, culture, handling adversity and maturity.
Matt and Shayne talk about why high school coaches decide to get out of coaching. They discuss topics such of burnout, taking the wrong job, moving too fast without proper experience, and more.
The guys use this episode to "mop up" various topics. They discuss four topics in all.....Are sports essential? Will some permanent good come out of this pandemic in terms of high school sports? The law vs community law...the importance of knowing the community in which you operate. Playing time....loyalty to older player vs giving younger player a chance. We examine the question....Do coaches play too many players in an effort to keep everyone happy?
Matt and Shayne discuss the current state of high school football. They are joined by legendary Ohio HS football coach Shawn Buescher.
Coach Buescher became the head coach of the Roughriders in 2002. Since then......
9 League Championships (6 MSL and 3 OHC)
11 Playoff Appearances
Division V Central District Coach of the Year 2006, 2017, 2019
Columbus Dispatch Metro Team Coach of the Year 2017
Central District Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year 2006,07,09
District 14 Sportsmanship and Integrity Award 2009
Capitol West Football Officials Association for the Sportsmanship Award 2005,07,13,17
Mid-State League Coach of the Year 2006-07-08-09-10-13
2 Regional Championship
7 Regional Runner-Up
Shayne and Matt talk about the importance of clear concise leadership. They talk about how in the absence of good leadership, as we see at times during this pandemic, you have rumors, assumptions and false conclusions. The guys also discuss why there is a lack of honesty and transparency in leadership today.
Shayne and Matt discuss expectations in sports including self expectations, expectations of fans, and expectations of school administration. The guys discuss accepting, managing, and meeting those expectations. Also, how does a leader go about setting goals and expectations for their organization.
Shayne and Matt discuss some of there pet peeves in sports and leadership. Listen in as the guys have, at times, a light hearted back and forth with their pet peeves, but also touch on pet peeves in leadership that can affect a leaders ability to reach his/her people.
Shayne and Matt discuss treatment of athletes. Should they be held to higher standard? Is it truly a privilege to play high school sports? Does the school do more for the athlete or does the athlete do more for the school? Should athletes be given special "breaks" due to their time commitment to their school? The guys also discuss what responsibilities athletes have as role models and as leaders.
Matt and Shayne take a break from the some of the usual leadership and coaching topics to have some fun and look at some of their favorite sporting events at the professional, collegiate, and high school levels. They discuss what makes those events great and what we can learn from them as high school coaches and leaders. What improvements can be made at the high school level to improve the overall product and fan experience?
Shayne and Matt discuss the current state of the Ohio High School Athletic Association in the wake of the recent firing of their Executive Director Jerry Snodgrass. They focus specifically on competitive balance within the state concentrating on 3 areas; transfers, public schools vs private schools, and divisional breakdowns based on school enrollment. The guys also discuss the latest info concerning school reopening in the fall and the chances of having sports in the midst of the current COVID pandemic.
Shayne and Matt discuss old school values and approaches vs today's values and approaches as it pertains to high school athletics and leadership. Topics include: Competitiveness, Toughness, Athleticism, Skill, Sports IQ, the 3 sport athlete, and more! Did we do it better back then or do we do it better now?
The guys discuss many rules in today's high school sports including great rule changes in the past that have helped some sports, and some that have failed and need to be changed. Many rules in many different sports are discussed as Shayne and Matt offer their opinion on rule changes that could help high school sports moving forward.
Shayne and Matt discuss the current return to play protocols surrounding the COVID 19 pandemic and what the future, specifically fall sports, may hold. We also share results of a recent survey we conducted with athletes, parents, and coaches to gain their opinions on returning to play.
Shayne and Matt discuss the issue of official shortages in various sports. Is it a major issue? If so what are the contributing factors causing the shortage? Why are some sports more affected than other. Why now do we have shortages which were never an issue in the past? What's changed? As always on Expanding the Zone, we finish the show by discussing solutions to better the situation.
Shayne and Matt discuss the parent/coach relationship in youth and high school sports. What does each side owe the other, and what can be done to help parents and coaches better coexist?
Shayne and Matt discuss youth sports centered around 4 major topics..... equal participation opportunities, game modification, practice time vs game time, emphasis on winning.
Shayne and Matt take on several coaching topics as they consider some of the events in "The Last Dance." Topics include Competitiveness vs Sportsmanship, Confidence vs Cockiness, Fair vs Equal, Running up the Score and more!
Shayne and Matt talk the "state" of high school spring sports, specifically baseball, on the heels of the entire spring sport season being cancelled. How healthy is baseball right now? What changes need to be made? How will the current crisis and the cancellation of the season affect the future of the game? We talk all of this and more.
Shayne and Matt discuss individuality in today's high school sports and how it affects relationships, loyalties, and choices by athletes, coaches, school administrations, and families.
Matt and Shayne talk about traditions/practices in sport. Which ones stand the test of time and which ones should we get rid of? Should we continue to have athletes shake hands at the end of games? Should the National Anthem still be played before every contest? They tackle these and several other topics including senior nights, pregame traditions, off season activities and more....
Shayne and Matt use the recently released documentary "The Last Dance" about the 90's Chicago Bulls as a guideline to discuss the different layers of leadership throughout the hierarchy of an organization. They use this example of a professional organization and, as always, compare it to what happens at the high school level. Different topics include morale, managing egos of highly driven people, developing effective followers, and the importance of building relationships.
Inspired by the Houston Astros scandal, Shayne and Matt discuss cheating in sports and how it affects high school athletics. Topics include cheating vs gamesmanship, high school coaching violations, and rule making/rule enforcement by coaches and athletic administrators.
Shayne Combs, host of the highly successful SVC Sports Talk podcast, along with his brother Matt begins a new podcast....EXPANDING the ZONE...to examine and discuss issues affecting high school athletics. On this introductory episode, Shayne and Matt discuss the challenges to high school sports caused by the COVID pandemic, and the leadership responsibilities and expectations of coaches and school administration. They also consider the questions "Should spring sports coaches get paid if season is cancelled?", and ultimately "How/When do we get back to normal?"