The Rising Coaches Podcast

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Luke Toth, Director of Luke Toth Basketball. Luke is the former Head of the Cleveland Cavaliers Academy program and the founder of LTB, which he built from the ground up into a youth and AAU program serving over 600 athletes. His work has focused on player development, teaching the game the right way, and building trust with families. In this episode we discuss how he grew a basketball program from zero to hundreds of athletes, the drills and games he’s found most engaging for kids during summer camps, and the feedback systems he uses to help athletes and parents clearly see progress over a camp session.

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Blake Cochran, head coach at Clarendon College. Coach Cochran worked his way up through assistant roles at McMurry University, Southwestern Assemblies of God, Fort Scott Community College, and Northwestern State before earning head coaching opportunities at Fort Scott and now Clarendon. His path reflects steady growth, added responsibility, and preparation at every stop. In this episode we discuss how he earned more responsibility as a young assistant, what he did to prepare for his first head coaching role, and a defensive takeaway built around three different levels of paint touches. Please welcome to the podcast, Blake Cochran.

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Patrick Gallagher, the Video Coordinator at the University of San Diego. Patrick’s journey is a great example of steady growth within one program, working his way up from student manager to staff assistant, graduate assistant, and now into his current role as the VC. He’s gained a strong understanding of the day-to-day details that keep a Division I program running smoothly. In this episode we discuss how he initially landed the student manager role at San Diego and advice for breaking in at your own school, what separated the student managers who earned more responsibility from those who stayed in the background, and how he tailors film breakdown differently for players versus coaches.

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Eric Fawcett, a respected Team Strategy Consultant known for his deep work in offensive analysis and game planning. Eric currently serves as an assistant with the Edmonton Stingers while also contributing to the basketball community through Slapping Glass and his consulting work with numerous programs at the Division 1 level. His background in film study and offensive concepts has made him a trusted resource for coaches looking to better understand modern basketball strategy. In this episode we discuss how he approaches breaking down a team’s offensive identity on film, where he starts, and which patterns matter most, the play styles that are trending in today’s game, and the biggest differences between European basketball and American basketball.

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Chris Kielsmeier, the current head coach of the Cleveland State women’s basketball program. Coach Kielsmeier’s path into the profession started as a student intern at Iowa State before earning his first assistant coaching role at Howard Payne. After one season as an assistant, he was promoted to head coach at Howard Payne, where he built the foundation of his coaching philosophy. He then made the jump to the Division II level at Wayne State College, continuing his growth as a head coach before taking over at Cleveland State. In this episode we discuss what he felt prepared for—and what he didn’t—when moving from DIII to DII, the first priorities he focuses on when taking over a new program, and a common mistake he sees young coaches make that he wishes they would avoid.