Basketball is in Michael Plansky’s blood. Two of his brothers won state titles in high school, his dad coached his sister’s teams to another state championship, and his brother Mark played on Villanova’s 1985 NCAA championship team. After his own successful playing career in both basketball and baseball at Fairfield University ended, Michael decided to move into coaching. After serving as an assistant at Brandeis University for four years, Michael learned from the legendary Tom Davis at University of Iowa.

He then moved on to Saint Michael’s College, where the men’s team won their postseason conference title. As they went on to the NCAA Tournament, Michael’s twins were born prematurely at 26 weeks. Soon after, he accepted the head coaching job at Salve Regina University. On the way to practice for the team’s conference tournament, Michael found out that his son Max had cerebral palsy. After leading Salve Regina to a regular season championship and program wins record, he took Endicott College to two conference tournament titles and NCAA berths. Following roles as an athletic director and a leader of a veterans’ charity, Michael founded the non-profit You’re With Us, which began after Northeastern University’s basketball team welcomed Max into their team and their hearts.

In this episode, Michael shared:

·       How his father’s cancer battle inspired him to become his best on and off the court

·       What Tom Davis taught him about coaching philosophy

·       How he coped with parenting premature twins and a player getting meningitis during his first season as a head coach

·       Why Coach Bill Coen and the Northeastern University basketball team changed his son Max’s life

·       What You’re With Us is doing to empower teens and young adults with disabilities

Learn more about You’re With Us at www.yourewith.us and follow them on Instagram @youre_with_us and on Twitter @youre_with_us

Ken Hunter still remembers the night he pulled a kitchen knife to stop his dad hitting his mom. What came next was even more extreme, although for anyone growing up in southwestern Detroit, it was normal. The court provided Ken with some solace, and he quickly grew into a top prospect, attending the same school where Jalen Rose had won a state title. When his football coach kicked his butt for skipping school, Ken also became a standout student, even while living off friends’ couches and with his grandma.

A run-in with the law landed Ken in the courtroom, and seemingly heading for jail. But a mentor went all Good Will Hunting and convinced the judge to expunge his record if he served in the military. Once he got out, Ken picked up a ball for the first time in two years and played at LA Trade Tech. Feeling at ease for the first time in his, he helped turn a losing program into a winning one, including a statement win over East LA College. But wrestling with his roommate snapped something in Ken’s spine and he was instantly paralyzed.

Falling back in with his OGs back in Detroit, Ken was so depressed he called his wife and said he wanted to die. But his college coach brought him back to the West Coast as an assistant, and taught him the coaching trade over 13 years. Then, fittingly, his time as a lead recruiter started where his playing days had dramatically ended: ELAC. Since then, he has worked closely with Coach John Mosley to lead young men to D1 scholarships and faith on the court and leadership off it – as shown on camera in Last Chance U Basketball on Netflix. He is also involved in many charitable causes throughout LA and back in Detroit, and is a devoted father of five, husband, and now grandfather.

In this episode, Ken comes in hot about:

·       How his uncle shot his father in the head and what happened next

·       Why he turned to basketball for solace

·       How he turned paralysis into a blessing

·       Why he has such a heart for young men from inner cities

·       What drives he and Coach Mosley to deliver daily servant leadership

Keep up with Ken on his Instagram feed @coach_ken_last_chance_u and follow ELAC basketball’s progress at https://www.elacathletics.com/sports/mbkb/coaches/index

Most young assistant coaches dream of the day when they’ll finally get a crack at promotion. But few are ready for the realities of being a head coach. Jesse Wright realized he still had a lot to learn when he was tasked with running the weight room for the NFL Europe team in Barcelona while still in his early 20s. His work ethic and ability to problem solve got him through that trying season, and upon returning to his native Philadelphia, he soon found himself working for the 76ers as a consulting coach through a local performance center that had a contract to oversee the NBA team’s strength and conditioning. 

Overseeing the training of rookies, veterans like Andre Iguodala, Aaron McKie, and Elton Brand, and everyone in between, Jesse recognized the need to give players some degree of autonomy. After his company’s contract ended, he assumed the full-time role of the Sixers S&C coach, and later become the team’s Director of Performance Science. 

In this episode, Jesse reveals:

• Why younger players have so much to learn from the work habits of Aaron McKie, Andre Iguodal, and Elton Brand
• Which elements of coaching football players transferred to his time in the NBA
• How soft skills like communication, hustle, and vision can do more for anyone’s career than technical proficiency 
• How he continued his mother’s creative legacy by writing two books
• What tactics you can use to manage fast-growing teams in any walk of life

To learn more from Jesse, check out his book The Intent is to Grow, follow him on Instagram, and visit his website.