The Rising Coaches Podcast

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Deividas Dulkys, Assistant Coach with the Brooklyn Nets. Dulkys played collegiately at Florida State before building a lengthy professional career across Lithuania, Poland, Turkey, Italy, and Spain, giving him a unique perspective on the game from both the American and European sides of basketball. After his playing career, he transitioned into coaching with stops at the Memphis Hustle, Sacramento Kings, and now the Brooklyn Nets. In this episode we discuss how his years playing professionally in Spain helped shape his coaching philosophy, the biggest differences he noticed between basketball cultures across Europe and the United States, and the adjustments he had to make when transitioning from professional player to NBA coach

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Preston Murphy, Assistant Coach at the University of Alabama. Coach Murphy’s journey began as a player at Rhode Island before playing professionally in Belgium and Holland, and then transitioning into coaching at the high school level as the head coach at Woonsocket High School. He has since built an extensive Division I résumé with stops at Boston College, Rhode Island, Creighton, Elite EYBL, and now Alabama, where he continues to make an impact at the highest level of college basketball. In this episode we discuss what he learned starting his coaching career in the high school ranks, how he evaluates whether a player truly fits a program during the recruiting process, and an overlooked recruiting mistake young coaches make early in their careers.

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Brandon Bailey, Assistant Coach at DePaul University. Coach Bailey has built an impressive career with coaching stops at DePaul, the Boston Celtics organization, Ohio State, and now back at DePaul, while also serving as the head coach of the Maine Red Claws in the NBA G League. His experience across both the professional and college levels gives him a unique perspective on leadership, player development, and staff dynamics. In this episode we discuss what it was like transitioning from a G League head coach back into an assistant role at the college level, what lessons he would take back if he had the chance to do his time as a head coach over again, and how assistants can effectively contribute their ideas and have their voice heard while still supporting the vision of the head coach.

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Lance Burbank, Owner of Universal Retirement and a valued partner of Rising Coaches. Lance has spent his career helping individuals and families build strong financial foundations, and he has become a trusted resource for families and coaches looking to navigate the unique financial challenges that come with the profession. In this episode we discuss the financial habits young coaches should begin developing early in their careers, how much emergency savings coaches should realistically have in place and the key financial safeguards every coach should establish to protect themselves and their families in the event of a job change.

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, Doug and Alan dive into a conversation around a question every coach eventually has to answer: What matters more, winning championships or changing lives? We answer questions submitted by our listeners and Rising Coaches members, making this one a thoughtful and interactive discussion. In this episode we discuss whether coaches would rather be remembered for the banners they hung or the people they impacted, how our views on winning have evolved throughout our careers, what a true player-first culture actually looks like, and whether we've ever made decisions that benefited a player even when it may have hurt our chances of winning. This is a conversation centered around leadership, perspective, and the lasting impact coaches can have long after the final buzzer.