Coaching U Podcast with Coach Brendan Suhr

In this week's episode, Coach Brendan Suhr is joined by Sam Purcell, head coach of Mississippi State women's basketball.
Purcell takes us through his journey that began in Dalton, Georgia, ran through junior college in Wadley, Alabama, and turned on a chance decision to cold-call Cliff Ellis at Auburn — leading to a video-room scholarship, nine years alongside Jeff Walz at Louisville, and now his fifth season leading the Bulldogs. Along the way he shares what his parents taught him about opportunity and relationships, and how a round of golf changed his life.
From there the two get into the craft: how recruiting became a lifestyle rather than an event, building culture when you mayonly have a player for nine months, why Walz ran a season on five practice plans, and what Purcell learned watching Cori Close at UCLA. He also breaks down his style of play, coaching a roster with players from five countries, and why he'd rather find the right system for his players than force his players into a system.
All that and more on Episode 338 of the Coaching U Podcast presented by Noah Basketball.
Noah Basketball is trusted by 28 NBA teams, over 200 NCAA programs, and over 1,000 high school programs to capture and analyze key shooting metrics to help your players perfect their shot and reach their max potential.
Learn more at noahbasketball.com
The full video set from Coaching U Live 2026 in Las Vegas is now live on Coaching U+ — every speaker, every session, every strategy from all three days.
Access our entire library of coaching clinic videos anytime, anywhere, on any device — including the full archive from every previous Coaching U Live event.
Watch NOW: https://coachinguplus.com
Not a member? Save 20% off your membership to Coaching U+ by using promo code PODCAST20 at checkout

In this week's episode, Coach Brendan Suhr is joined by Donnie Jones, head coach at Stetson University, for a conversation about leadership, connection, and coaching people rather than coaching basketball.
Jones and Suhr open by discussing trust — how you build it quickly in a transactional era, why vulnerability creates vulnerability and how listening creates connection. Jones shares what he learned about serving players from his time alongside Billy Donovan at Florida, and reflects on friend and mentor John Maxwell's reminder that plenty of people can communicate but very few canconnect.
From there the two get into the craft of coaching and the current landscape within the profession. Jones talks about maximizing the talent you have rather than the talent you wish you had, changing defenses to steal possessions and shift momentum, and the retention-first mindset that now decides seasons.
All that and more on Episode 337 of the Coaching U Podcast presented by Noah Basketball.
Noah Basketball is trusted by 28 NBA teams, over 200 NCAA programs, and over 1,000 high school programs to capture and analyze key shooting metrics to help your players perfect their shot and reach their max potential.
Learn more at noahbasketball.com
The full video set from Coaching U Live 2026 in Las Vegas is now live on Coaching U+ — every speaker, every session, every strategy from all three days.
CLICK HERE to start watching: https://coachinguplus.com
Not a member? Save 20% off your membership to Coaching U+ by using promo code PODCAST20 at checkout

In this week's episode, Coach Brendan Suhr is joined by Frank Martin, head coach at the University of Massachusetts, for aconversation about the beauty in each coach's journey and what it actually means to teach the game.
Martin traces his path from Little Havana and the impact a neighborhood coach named Shakey Rodriguez had on himself and so many others. From there the two discuss how he has continued to develop through sixteen years at Miami Senior High, to Northeastern, Cincinnati, Kansas State, a Final Four at South Carolina, and now UMass.
From there the conversation turns to the craft: why coaching is teaching before it is anything else, why growth has to beuncomfortable before it can ever feel good, why confrontation inside a team is a sign of health, and what the modern game has lost in physicality and real competition. Suhr and Martin close with him giving his thoughts on trust, internal leadership, and why real love inside a program is only earned by surviving the storms together.
All that and more on Episode 336 of the Coaching U Podcast presented by Noah Basketball.
Noah Basketball is trusted by 28 NBA teams, over 200 NCAA programs, and over 1,000 high school programs to capture and analyze key shooting metrics to help your players perfect their shot and reach their max potential.
Learn more at noahbasketball.com
The full video set from Coaching U Live 2026 in Las Vegas is now live on Coaching U+ — access our entire library of coaching clinic videos anytime, anywhere, on any device — including the full archive from every previous Coaching U Live event.
Watch NOW: https://coachinguplus.com
Not a member? Save 20% off your membership to Coaching U+ by using promo code PODCAST20 at checkout

In this week's episode, Coach Brendan Suhr and Zach Kendrick sit down to recap the 18th Coaching U Live clinic in Las Vegas — three days, a packed gym, and one of the strongest group of speakers the event has ever welcomed.
Suhr and Kendrick open by breaking down the biggest change to the event this year: the move from a two-day event to a three-day model built around five hours of learning each morning, freeing up afternoons for Summer League games and networking. They also discuss the addition of the Overtime sessions, which gave attendees two days of front-office and CBA education from Matt Lloyd, Tony Ronzone, Gabe Harris, and longtime NBPA negotiator Ron Klempner.
From there, the conversation runs day by day through the entire clinic — Steve Scalzi, Sean Sweeney, Jefferson Mason, Cody Toppert, Brian Gates, Phil Beckner, Jenny Boucek, Jeff Van Gundy, Darko Rajaković, Mike Miller, and JP Clark — with Suhr and Kendrick sharing what stood out from each session and the theme that tied the whole weekend together.
All that and more on Episode 335 of the Coaching U Podcast presented by Noah Basketball.
Noah Basketball is trusted by 28 NBA teams, over 200 NCAA programs, and over 1,000 high school programs to capture andanalyze key shooting metrics to help your players perfect their shot and reach their max potential.
Learn more at noahbasketball.com
The clinic videos from Coaching U Live in Las Vegas are LIVE today on Coaching U+ — every speaker, every session,every strategy from all three days.
CLICK HERE to start watching: https://coachinguplus.comNot a member? Save 20% off your membership to Coaching U+ by using promo code PODCAST20 at checkout

In this week’s episode, Coach Brendan Suhr is joined by longtime ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas for our annual NBA Draft preview.
Bilas shares his insights on what he believes is one of the deepest freshman classes in recent memory, breaking down the strengths and potential of the top prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft. The discussion covers the debates between Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson while also exploring how front offices balance talent, fit, upside, development, and risk when making franchise-changing decisions.
The conversation also dives into some of the draft’s most intriguing sleepers, under-the-radar prospects, and potential value picks throughout the first and second rounds. Bilas and Suhr discuss the impact of coaching and player development on prospect evaluation, and why factors like competitiveness, winning habits, basketball IQ, and program culture often separate successful pros from those who never reach their potential.
All that and more on Episode 334 of the Coaching U Podcast presented by Noah Basketball.

Noah Basketball is trusted by 28 NBA teams, over 200 NCAA programs, and over 1,000 high school programs to capture and analyze key shooting metrics to help your players perfect their shot and reach their max potential.
Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noahbasketball.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Not a member? Save 20% off your membership to Coaching U+ by using promo code PODCAST20 at checkout