One of the most engaging aspects of the TeachHoops.com community is the ability to connect with coaches throughout the nation and all over the world. In this basketball coaching interview, Coach Collins connects with Coach Gene Durden to discuss his basketball journey and his approach to the game.
Basketball Coaching Interview
Coach Durden enters his 34th year coaching at the high school level this coming season. Currently, Durden coaches the Buford Lady Wolves. He’s headed that program for 15 years. During his time, Duden-led teams sport eight state championships in three different classifications. His teams have played in 10 of the last 12 state championship games. Furthermore, Durden’s Buford Lady Wolves have four straight state championships in class 5A.
Prior to his time at Buford, Durden coached at Dade County High School in Trenton, GA for 14 years. His Lady Wolverines team won seven Region Championships and competed in 13 AA State Tournaments. His teams competed in three Final Fours, and in three AA State Championship games.
In this interview, Durden discusses the three parts to becoming a complete player. He lists preparation of the body, skill development, and play of the game as those three parts. He says individual players are made in the offseason, whereas teams are made during the season.
One of the most engaging aspects of the TeachHoops.com community is the ability to connect with coaches throughout the nation and all over the world. In this basketball coach interview, Coach Collins talks with basketball coaching with Liam Flynn in this wide ranging interview.
Basketball Coaching Interview: Liam Flynn
A brief version of Liam’s resume is below:
His International Experience includes NBA Consultant, Coach in the German Bunderliga and New Zealand NZNBL.
He sports six years of Australian NBL Coaching experience. He was an assistant coach with the Townsville Crocodiles from 2010-2012. In addition, he assisted with the Adelaide 36ers from 2008-2010.
Flynn has 15 years of State League/ABA Coaching Experience. With the Sturt Sabres, Townsville Heat, Southern Districts Spartans.
He has 12 years of experience with State Teams. Such as: QLD U/18 Boys, SA Metro U/16 Boys & U/18 Boys; South Australia U/20 Men
Flynn also has 20 years experience at Junior Representative Level, with Sturt (SA), Southern Districts (QLD) – U/12s through to U/20s
He holds a Masters in Sports Coaching from University of Queensland, as well as a NCAS Level 2 Coaching Accreditation.
One of the most engaging aspects of the TeachHoops.com community is the ability to connect with coaches from all over. In this basketball coach interview, Coach Collins talks with basketball coaching with Jim Boone.
Basketball Coaching Interview
In this basketball coaching interview, Collins discusses a variety of topics with University of Arkansas Fort Smith head coach Jim Boone. Known for his backline defense, Boone takes a no-nonsense approach to his team.
Boone enters his third season as the UAFS head in 2021-22. However, this is his 36th year overall as a head coach at the NCAA Division I and II levels. The veteran leader ranks eighth nationally in wins among active coaches, as well as 32nd all-time. In addition, Boone stands only 24 wins away from reaching a career milestone of 600 wins.
Coach Boone’s career record subsequently speaks to his success on the hardwood. But his real niche has been creating championship cultures. Coaching at NCAA Division II programs, Boone posted a 483-278 (.635) mark. He guided each of his previous four Division II stops to the NCAA Tournament, an unprecedented accomplishment. In addition, Boone’s teams have won eight conference championships. He also has five tournament titles. This is in addition to 12 postseason appearances.
One of the most engaging aspects of the TeachHoops.com community is the ability to connect with coaches throughout the nation and all over the world. In this basketball coach interview, Coach Collins connects with Coach Eric Bridgeland to discuss his basketball journey and his approach to the game.
Basketball Coach Interview
Eric Bridgeland is the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Redlands in Redlands, California.
Bridgeland arrived at Redlands as an esteemed NCAA Division III coach from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. There he led the Blues to three Northwest Conference (NWC) titles and six runner-up finishes. During the last five years, Whitman has qualified for the NCAA tournament each season and advanced to the Sweet-16, Elite-8, and Final Four. His 2019 seniors graduated as the winningest class in NCAA Division III history. And they contributed to three undefeated titles in NWC action and a 67-conference game win streak.
In 12 seasons at Whitman, Bridgeland posted an impressive record of 245-87 (.738) and an NWC mark of 132-44 (.750%). In addition, he owns multiple national, regional, and conference coach of the year awards. His teams consistently land among the national rankings, as highlighted by the No. 1 spot on the D3hoops.com poll late in the 2017 season.
Prior to coaching at Whitman, he served as the head coach at the University of Puget Sound (WA) for five seasons. After taking over a program that had one winning season in the previous nine, Bridgeland and the Loggers put together a stretch of three consecutive NWC titles, three NCAA appearances, and a No. 8 ranking.
Overall, Bridgeland has coached one national player of the year, 12 All-Americans, six conference MVPs, and 40 all-conference selections. He also sent another student-athlete to the NBA combine as one of only five Division III players to be invited in the history of the league.
Check out the Teach Hoops exclusive interview with Coach Bridgeland below. This discussion came in 2019, prior to Bridgeland’s joining the Bulldogs in Redlands.
One of the most engaging aspects of the TeachHoops.com community is the ability to connect with coaches throughout the nation and all over the world. In this basketball coach interview, Coach Collins connects with Aseem Rastogi to discuss his basketball journey and his approach to the game.
Basketball Coach Interview
Aseem Rastogi joined the Brandeis women’s basketball staff prior to the 2019-20 season as an assistant coach.
Rastogi coached girls and basketball at the scholastic level in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., for seven years prior to joining the Judges. As the head varsity coach at South County High School in Lorton, Virginia, he coached his team to a record-breaking season in 2018-29. The team achieved its first-ever ranking in The Washington Post (#18). In addition, the team set school records for points in a game (81), 3-pointers made in a season (124), assists in a season (308), and points in a season (1257).
Before that, at W.T. Woodson High, Rastogi helped the program host its first district playoff game. Also, the team appeared in its first regional playoff game in 5 years. During this time, Rastogi developed nine different all-district players. He also coordinated the first-ever girls elite camp in the history of Northern Virginia girls basketball.
Prior to that, Rastogi spent 2012-13 at Division I Virginia Commonwealth University as Director of Player Personnel and Interim Director of Basketball Operations.
