The Basketball Podcast

In this week's basketball coaching conversation, Frank Bennett joins The Basketball Podcast to share insights on inbound philosophy and high school coaching.Frank Bennett has established himself as one of Missouri’s premier high school basketball coaches, leading Chaminade College Preparatory to sustained excellence in the state’s top class. Since taking over the program in 2013, Bennett has guided the Red Devils to a Missouri State Championship, two state runner‑up finishes, eight Final Four appearances, multiple Metro Catholic Conference titles, and several district championships.His leadership has produced a remarkable career record of 248 wins against just 72 losses, cementing Chaminade’s reputation as one of the most consistent programs in the regionBennett has coached and developed some of the most significant basketball talents to come out of Missouri, including:• Jayson Tatum — NBA All‑Star and 2024 NBA champion with the Boston Celtics• Bradley Beal — Three‑time NBA All‑Star and Olympic gold medalist• Tyler Cook — Former NBA forward and standout at Iowa• David Lee — NBA All‑Star and two‑time NBA championBennett’s impact extends beyond Chaminade. He has served as a head coach for USA Basketball at the 2025 Nike Hoop Summit, leading the USA Men’s team against the World Team of top international players. He has also been an assistant coach at previous Nike Hoop Summits (2023, 2024) and contributed to USA Basketball Junior National Team camps. His involvement underscores his reputation as one of the nation’s most respected high school coaches.

In this week's basketball coaching conversation, NBA film analyst Adam Pike of Grizzlies Film joins the Basketball Podcast to share insights on the Noah LaRoche offense used by the Memphis Grizzlies and Miami Heat.Adam Pike independently covers the Memphis Grizzlies and Memphis Hustle basketball teams from a coaching and X's and O's perspective.

In this week's basketball coaching conversation, Gerard Hillier joins The Basketball Podcast to share insights on modern player-centered coaching.Gerard Hillier is a significant voice in sharing progressive coaching ideas around modern player development. He's currently the coach education manager at Knox Basketball Incorporated in Melbourne, Australia.In addition to his role at Knox, he's also a Basketball Immersion content contributor and Director of Asia and Oceana region, and a consultant to the Fiji 3X3 national teams. Prior to Knox, Hillier has contributed significantly to Australian basketball at the regional and national levels, holding various coaching and development roles.

In this week's basketball coaching conversation, Basketball Immersion founder Chris Oliver joins the Basketball Podcast to reflect on 400 episodes of the podcast. The Basketball Podcast, hosted by Chris Oliver, has reached an incredible milestone: 400 episodes since its launch on May 28, 2018. Listened to by coaches at every level — from NBA head coaches to youth coaches — and in more than 85 countries worldwide, the show has become a trusted source of evidence‑based insights, practical strategies, and thought‑provoking conversations that shape the way the game is taught and played.In this special episode, Chris reflects on the journey by sharing memorable quotes and key takeaways from many of the guests who have helped define the podcast’s legacy. The very first guest, Dave Paulsen (now head coach at Holy Cross), set the tone with a line that continues to resonate: “The game has to look like our practice, and not their practice.” That philosophy — making practice representative of the game — has guided countless coaches and remains a cornerstone of the show’s mission.Whether you’ve tuned in for one episode or all 400, this celebration is a thank‑you to the global coaching community for learning, growing, and sharing the game together.

In this week's basketball coaching conversation, Daemen University head coach Mike McDonald joins the Basketball Podcast to share insights on coaching backwards with success.A fixture in the college basketball coaching fraternity, Mike MacDonald is entering his 29th season as a collegiate head coach. He was named the ECC, NABC District and BCANY Division II Coach of the Year last season after leading Daemen to a 28-1 record. He was also the recipient of the Clarence "Big House" Gaines Award given to the top coach in all of Division II basketball by collegeinsiders.com. MacDonald has led Daemen to a 232-84 record over his first 11 seasons, including eight 20-win seasons and five NCAA tournament berths. He enters the regular season just 11 wins shy of 500 for his career.Mike MacDonald has led Daemen University through one of the most successful stretches in program history. Under his leadership, Daemen has emerged as a power in the NCAA Division II. The Wildcats are coming off the most successful season in program history when they posted a 28-1 overall record, won the ECC regular season and tournament championships and qualified for the NCAA tournament for the fifth time. Daemen rattled off 28 straight victories to start the season, earning the distinction of being the last remaining unbeaten team across all three levels of NCAA basketball. Along the way, they ascended to the No. 1 ranking in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll for the first time in program history.With previous stops at Canisius University and Medaille University, MacDonald has worked across all three NCAA divisions. Before arriving at Daemen University, Mike MacDonald spent eight transformative years as head coach at Medaille College (2006–2014), where he turned a struggling NCAA Division III program into a regional powerhouse. Inheriting a team that had gone just 4–46 over the previous two seasons, MacDonald led the Mavericks to an average of 18 wins per year and six postseason appearances. His final five seasons were especially dominant—Medaille recorded 101 wins, the most of any Division III program in New York State during that span, and ranked 17th nationally in total victories. He was named Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year four times and left as the school’s all-time leader in wins (149) and winning percentage (.671).Prior to Medaille, MacDonald spent 18 years at Canisius College, including nine seasons as head coach (1997–2006), where he guided the Golden Griffins to 108 wins and earned BCANY Division I Co-Coach of the Year honors in 2000–01. He also served as a longtime assistant at Canisius, helping the program reach the NCAA Tournament and two NIT appearances under head coach John Beilein.