Your filter into practice might be killing your gym before you even blow the whistle.

Most coaches walk in scanning for mistakes. That means your players feel like they're failing before they even start. In this episode, we break down the 6-to-1 encouragement ratio—why it matters, how to implement it, and what changes when you commit to looking for the good first.

This isn't about being soft. It's about being smart with how you coach.

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ABOUT THE HOURS:

The Hours is a podcast for basketball coaches at all levels. Each week, Mark Cascio and Tyler Coston sit down for real conversations about how to be a better coach, teacher, and leader.

If you're a youth coach just starting out or a pro coach looking to win at the margins, this is where we spend more time on what actually matters.

CONNECT WITH US:

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Instagram: @SAVI_coaching

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#basketballcoaching #coachingbasketball #basketballpractice #youthbasketball #coachingphilosophy

Coaches talk too much. Players learn too little. This episode fixes that.

In this episode of The Hours, Mark Cassio and Tyler Coston break down one of the most powerful (and misunderstood) teaching tools in coaching: The Plus One Principle.

If you’ve ever:

• Overloaded your players with feedback
• Watched practice look good but games fall apart
• Felt like you’re “teaching” but players aren’t improving

This conversation is for you.

The Plus One Principle is simple: 👉 Teach one thing 👉 Let players apply it 👉 Then — and only then — plus one

We unpack:

• Why most coaches try to build the entire house at once
• The three most common teaching mistakes coaches make
• How simplicity actually speeds up learning
• How to use Plus One in practice, player development, film, and shooting
• Why “intangibles” are not soft — they’re trainable skills

This isn’t about running better drills. It’s about becoming a better teacher of the game.

Our mission is clear: We’re here to push back against traditional, toxic coaching and help coaches create environments where players actually learn.

If you’re a youth coach, high school coach, college coach, or pro — this applies to you.

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• Subscribe for weekly conversations that make you a better coach. Stay curious. Stay simple. Stay SAVI.

Welcome to The Hours podcast by SAVI Basketball! In this episode, Tyler and Mark dive deep into the 10 Levels of Coaching, a framework designed to help you identify exactly where you are in your career and what you need to do to reach the next stage. Whether you are just starting out or leading a championship program, understanding these levels will help you decide where you can become the best coach possible.

If you’ve ever felt like you were just "reacting" to problems rather than building a program with intent, this episode is your roadmap to leveling up.

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Key Points & Timestamps

• [0:00] Intro & Backgrounds: Meet Tyler and Mark, the consultants behind Savvy Basketball.
• [1:13] The Assistant vs. Head Coach Debate: Why humbling yourself to be an assistant early in your career can lead to reaching higher peaks later.
• [7:10] Stage 0: The Grasping Coach: Characterized by lack of systems and reacting to problems as they break.
• [9:00] Stage 1: The Searching Coach: Knowing there is a better way and intentionally seeking out mentors and systems.
• [10:50] Stage 2: The Defining Coach: Identifying what truly matters and establishing a clear program identity.
• [12:00] Stage 3: The Stabilized Coach: Implementing systems that automate processes and make the program feel "easier" to run.
• [15:11] Stage 4: The Prioritized Coach: Learning the power of "No" and focusing on the 3 things that have the greatest impact.
• [17:24] Stage 5: The Systematized Coach: Creating through-lines where culture and X’s & O’s are perfectly aligned.
• [18:22] Stage 6: The Simple Coach: The ability to verbalize deep understanding in seconds rather than minutes.
• [21:12] Stage 7: The Adversity Coach: Intentionally producing challenges and training players to thrive in "messiness".
• [24:23] Stage 8: The Victory Coach: Systems are so dialed in they operate independently of the head coach.
• [27:00] Stage 9: The Identity (Transformational) Coach: Impact that outlives your presence and a purpose higher than winning.
• [28:47] Recap & The "Leap": Why the jump from Grasping to Searching is the hardest and most important step.

Action Items for Coaches

1. Self-Audit: Review the 10 stages and honestly identify which stage you are currently in. Remember, you can be at different levels for different areas of your program (e.g., Stage 5 in culture, but Stage 1 in X's & O's).
2. Practice the Power of "No": To move toward the "Simplify" stage, look at your current drills or plays. If they don't fall into your core principles, have the courage to remove them.
3. Train for Messiness: If your team freezes without complete instructions, start giving limited information and letting them "figure it out" to build adversity-tested "Jungle Tigers".
4. Seek a Mentor: If you are in the Searching stage, find a coach or a system (like Savvy Basketball) to help you define your path.

In this episode of The Hours, host Mark Cascio sits down with longtime friend and high school coach Travis Uzee (St. Amant High School, Louisiana) to discuss the evolution of his program. Coach Uzee shares his "coaching superpower"—accountability—and how it serves as the bridge to success on both ends of the floor.

The conversation dives deep into Uzee’s transition from traditional set plays to SAVI’s conceptual offense and the Lock Left defensive system. Discover how shifting focus from "developing plays" to "developing players" has dramatically increased his team’s skill level and shooting confidence. Whether you are a veteran coach or just starting your conceptual journey, this episode is packed with "in-the-trenches" advice on practice planning, defensive rotations, and building a culture of toughness.

🕒 Key Points & Timestamps

• [0:00] Introduction: Coaching superpowers and the value of in-game feel.
• [9:15] Shifting to Conceptual Offense: Why Coach Uzee moved away from the Flex and Brad Underwood systems.
• [12:30] Developing Players vs. Plays: How conceptual basketball has "dramatically" improved team skill and shooting.
• [16:45] Practice Planning Secrets: Using a "game sandwich" and leaving 15 minutes of space for what the team needs most.
• [22:10] The Lock Left Journey: Successes and struggles in Year 1 of the Lock Left defense.
• [25:30] Matching Up in Transition: Advice for coaches implementing Lock Left for the first time.
• [29:45] Going "Full Psycho": Using disruptive inbound defense to create easy turnovers.

📝 Action Items for Coaches

1. Leave Space in Practice Plans: Intentionally leave 15–20 minutes of unplanned space in your schedule. Use this time to address immediate needs (e.g., rebounding or shooting) or end early to leave players with "juice" for the next day.
2. Focus on Accountability: Use campus and program accountability as a direct bridge to on-court discipline.
3. Teach "Matching Up" First: When installing Lock Left, ensure your back-end defenders (Nail and Goalie) understand they must match up with specific threats before finding their zone spots.
4. Implement "Psycho" Inbounds: Increase defensive disruption by having the defender on the inbounder prioritize deflections and physical pressure to force turnovers.

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Welcome back to The Hours Podcast, presented by SAVI Basketball! In this special mailbag episode, Mark and Clare dive into the SAVI member community to answer burning questions about team transformations, defensive troubleshooting, and building program culture on the road.

Whether you're struggling to move from a 4-out to a 5-out offense, or you're wondering how to apply "Lock Left" principles to your existing defensive scheme, this episode is packed with "information plus transformation." Mark also shares personal insights from his current season, including how he defines victory beyond the scoreboard and how he manages travel standards for his team.

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Welcome to an experimental episode of The Hours, where Mark and Tyler try out a "simulcast" live film session, breaking down a recent Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Golden State Warriors game. Join them as they watch the action, discussing high-level conceptual basketball offense, defense, and the nuances of decision-making on the court. Beyond the ball, the duo dives into tangential—and sometimes essential—topics like leadership, aliens, and crypto. Get ready for in-depth analysis of sets like "Horns," "Split Action," and "Blast Series," all while keeping track of a spontaneous $10 prop bet!

This episode is highly recommended for YouTube viewers to follow along with the visual breakdowns.

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Mark and Tyler from SAVI Basketball dive into the coaching trenches to tackle a common challenge: designing a practice plan that drives immediate, noticeable improvement. Using the fun, high-stakes game of "Start, Bench, Cut," they go back and forth proposing three practice solutions for critical team objectives like improving toughness, creating better spacing, developing ball handling, and increasing finishing/rebounding efficiency. Get rapid-fire ideas, deep-dive strategy, and the simple truth behind what will actually move the needle for your team this week.

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Join Mark and Tyler of SAVI Basketball as they review Tyler’s highly acclaimed 7-Principle guide for youth coaches, reframing it as The 7 Principles of a Master Coach applicable to coaches of all sports. Inspired by the development of their Art of Coaching course and their partnership with JP Nerbun and TOC Coach, this episode breaks down core philosophies designed to transform your coaching approach from dictated to developmental. Learn how to foster an anti-fragile environment, maximize player reps, and prioritize long-term growth over short-term wins. Use these principles to self-rate your coaching mastery!