In partnership with
Follow the Hoop Heads Podcast on:
Turning basketball analytics into fundraising impact. Every stat tells a story — and now, every story drives sponsorship, engagement, and team growth.
This Week’s Hoop Heads Podcast Episodes
MARCUS KAHN – UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH, 2026 NCAA D3 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS – EPISODE 1241
Marcus Kahn is the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at the University of Mary Washington where he just led the Eagles to the 2026 NCAA Division Three Men’s Basketball Championship in Indianapolis. Kahn also took the Eagles to the NCAA Tournament second round in 2023 and the sweet 16 in 2025.
NBA ROUND ONE REACTIONS: SURPRISES EVERYWHERE! – EPISODE 1242
On this episode Mike and Jason discuss the Tuesday night Game 2 wins by the Sixers over the Celtics and the Blazers over the Spurs. Why does Boston keep firing threes? When will Wemby be able to return after his concussion? Next they look at the Cavs 2-0 lead over the Raptors, the Nuggets/Timberwolves battle, and the Knicks issues vs the Hawks. Finally, they talk about the resurgent Magic taking Game 1 from the Pistons, OKC routing the Suns, and why the Lakers might actually be able to beat the Rockets even without Luka and Reaves.
COLIN DOSS – MURRAY (KY) HIGH SCHOOL BOYS’ BASKETBALL HEAD COACH – EPISODE 1243
Colin Doss just completed his first season as the Head Boys’ Basketball Coach and Assistant Athletic Director at Murray High School where he led the Tigers to a 21-8 record and was named the 2026 KABC Region 1 Coach of the Year. Doss guided the program to a 2026 2A Sectional Championship, Murray High School’s first 2A title in school history and led the largest turnaround by a first-year head coach in the state of Kentucky as the team improved from 9 – 19 in 2024–2025.
Men, You've Been Misinformed
Men's skin is about 25% thicker than women's, but thicker skin doesn't mean better aging. It means delayed collapse. For years, your skin looks resilient. Then collagen declines, and when it does, it drops hard: deeper wrinkles, heavier under-eye bags, more dark spots showing up all at once.
Most men were never taught to get ahead of this. Women were. And by the time the signs show up, you're playing catch-up.
Particle Face Cream was built precisely for this. One 6-in-1 formula engineered for men's skin — reduces eye bags, dark spots, and wrinkles, restores firmness, hydrates deeply, and revives dull tone. No complicated routine. Over 1,000,000 men already use it. Try it risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
This Week’s Coaching Articles
This article emphasizes that players should immediately become an active scoring threat after passing by cutting with purpose instead of standing still. It highlights reading defensive reactions, using change of speed, and making timely, decisive cuts to create high-percentage scoring opportunities for themselves and teammates. Overall, consistent pass-and-cut habits lead to a more dynamic, connected offense that is harder for defenses to guard.
This article explains how a high school math teacher and basketball coach uses analytics to connect classroom concepts to on-court success, emphasizing curiosity and understanding the “why” behind the numbers. By applying key metrics like effective field goal percentage, turnover percentage, offensive rebounding percentage, and free throw rate, the coach builds a clear system focused on shot selection, defensive pressure, second-chance opportunities, and attacking the paint. Using the Four Factors creates a data-driven identity that boosts player confidence and leads to more efficient, winning basketball.
This article argues that winning is driven by controllable factors, not randomness, by linking rotation patterns, possession advantages, and shot quality to game outcomes. It highlights key insights such as the importance of shot differential over pace, offensive rebounding as a strategic lever, and shot profile, especially corner threes, as indicators of offensive identity and spacing. The report emphasizes using analytics to simplify coaching decisions by directly connecting metrics to actionable strategies.
This Week’s NBA Articles
This article explains how Rudy Gobert has dramatically improved his defense against Nikola Jokic, disrupting one of the league’s most dominant offensive players and forcing Denver to adjust its approach. By guarding Jokic one-on-one without help, Gobert limits passing lanes and offensive flow, creating a major strategic advantage for the Minnesota Timberwolves. This series may hinge on whether Jokic and the Denver Nuggets can counter Gobert’s impact or if his defense continues to shift the balance in Minnesota’s favor.
This article highlights how Jalen Duren has emerged as a central figure in the resurgence of the Detroit Pistons, combining improved scoring, defense, and leadership to help transform the team into a contender. It traces his development from a raw, athletic prospect into an All-Star-caliber player through consistent work, film study, and growth in skill and maturity. Detroit’s success hinges on Duren’s ability to sustain his impact and leadership as the team looks to carry its defense-first identity into the playoffs.
This article describes how the Portland Trail Blazers have become a surprising playoff team despite adversity, but attention has shifted to new owner Tom Dundon and his aggressive cost-cutting measures. These moves, ranging from limiting staff perks to not traveling certain personnel, are portrayed as creating distractions and potentially harming team chemistry during a critical postseason run. The biggest concern is Dundon’s reported effort to minimize spending on a head coach, raising questions about the franchise’s long-term competitiveness and priorities.
This Week’s College Basketball Articles
This article breaks down the winners and losers of the modern transfer portal era in college basketball, highlighting how programs like the Louisville Cardinals, Duke Blue Devils, and Indiana Hoosiers used aggressive recruiting and NIL resources to significantly upgrade their rosters. It also points to drawbacks of the system, including rising roster costs, lack of player loyalty, and the growing challenges faced by mid-major programs trying to retain talent. The transfer portal has transformed roster building into a high-stakes, money-driven process that rewards well-funded programs while creating instability across the sport.
This article highlights how Dusty May and Michigan Wolverines men's basketball won the national championship, yet are unable to fully enjoy it due to the immediate demands of the transfer portal and roster-building. Instead of celebrating, May and his staff were quickly consumed by recruiting calls, NIL negotiations, and planning for the next season, showing how nonstop the modern college basketball calendar has become. The article argues that the current system diminishes the joy of winning, as even the sport’s biggest achievement is overshadowed by the urgency to rebuild and compete again.
This article explains how Leroy Blyden left the Toledo Rockets for the Kansas Jayhawks after receiving a significantly larger NIL offer, highlighting the growing financial gap in college basketball. Despite Toledo offering a substantial deal, Kansas’s ability to triple it shows how power programs can easily outbid mid-majors for top talent. This trend threatens the viability of “Cinderella” teams, as smaller programs struggle to retain their best players.
This Week’s YouTube Coaching Videos
This video breaks down how the flow of the NBA game is impacted by its rules and talent, and some key concepts to look for that will help you understand the strategy that goes into it.
This video breaks down a 2024 randomized controlled study showing that scoring-based small-sided games helped trained high-school players jump higher, get stronger, and land more efficiently, while possession-only games and normal practice did not. We explore why attacking, finishing, and rebounding create a different stimulus, and why coaches should be careful about dosage and over-generalizing these results.
This video breaks down a simple yet effective coaching strategy to transform standard basketball drills into high-transfer, game-like situations.
Forwarded this email? Sign up here
