The Rising Coaches Podcast

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.

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Brett MacConnell, Head Coach at Dartmouth College. Coach MacConnell has built an impressive career through assistant coaching stops at Rutgers, Delaware Valley, Holy Family, St. Peter’s, Princeton, and Stanford before earning the opportunity to lead the Dartmouth program. His experience at both the mid-major and high-major levels have given him a unique perspective on leadership, recruiting, and building successful programs. In this episode we discuss the biggest lessons he learned as an assistant that now shape his approach as a head coach, the challenge of identifying players who truly fit both the program’s culture and academic standards, and the key priorities he focused on during his first 60 days leading an Ivy League program.

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Tevon Saddler, Capitol City Go-Go head coach. Coach Saddler’s journey in the game started as a player at UNC Greensboro and South Alabama before moving into coaching roles at South Alabama, Nicholls State, McNeese State, Maryland, and now leading the Nicholls State program. Along the way, he’s gained experience in nearly every role on staff, shaping his approach to leadership and team building. In this episode we discuss the defining humbling moment of his head coaching career, what he learned from stepping into a DOBO role and how it shaped his coaching perspective as a head coach, and the key qualities that separate good assistants from great ones including what he looks for when hiring an assistant coach.

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Brent Owen, Head Coach at Lenoir-Rhyne University. Coach Owen began his career at the University of Southern Indiana before taking a unique path into head coaching with stops at Tell City High School, Eastern New Mexico, and now Lenoir-Rhyne. His journey through different levels of basketball has helped shape his approach to leadership, recruiting, and program building. In this episode we discuss why he chose to leave the college ranks early in his career to become a high school head coach, how he identifies the right personalities and dynamics when building a roster, and creative ways head coaches can grow attendance and build long-term fan support within a program.

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Dwight Thorne, Assistant Coach at Texas State University. Before getting into coaching, Thorne built an impressive professional playing career with stops in the D-League, Germany, Greece, Croatia, and Reno, Nevada, experiences that helped shape his perspective on leadership, relationships, and player development. He later transitioned into coaching with stops at Georgia Tech, Denver, UT Arlington, and now Texas State. In this episode we discuss the mental adjustment of moving from a professional player to coach, how he learned to build authentic relationships and connections in the industry despite it not coming naturally early on, and the first priorities he focuses on when joining a new program as an assistant coach.