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This Week’s Hoop Heads Podcast Episodes
TERRY AWLS – GLASS CITY WRANGLERS GENERAL MANAGER & DIRECTOR OF BASKETBALL RECRUITING FOR HOPSON ELITE AAU BASKETBALL – EPISODE 1271
Terry Awls is the General Manager of the Glass City Wranglers, an affiliate professional basketball franchise of the Basketball Super League. Awls also serves as the Director of Basketball & Recruiting for Hopson Elite, an AAU Program based in Toledo, Ohio. TJ previously served on the Lourdes University men’s basketball staff and as the state director in Ohio for US Amateur Basketball, one of the largest travel/AAU associations in the country.
NBA FREE AGENCY & LEBRON’S NEXT MOVE – EPISODE 1272
On this episode Mike breaks down the LaMelo Ball, Kawhi Leonard, and Ja Morant trades before diving into LeBron’s decision to leave the Lakers. It appears this was in the making for a while given how quickly the Lakers pivoted to trading for Walker Kessler and signing Grimes, Mamu, and Sexton. Mike shares his thoughts on each of the possible LeBron destinations: Golden State, Cleveland, and Miami. Finally, Mike talks Jaylen Brown and the Celtics possibly parting ways even as the Celtics add Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley.
DENNY MCDONNELL – SIMPSON COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL ASSISTANT COACH & FOUNDER OF 4VLEGACY BASKETBALL TRAINING – EPISODE 1273
Denny McDonnell is entering his third season as a Men’s Basketball Assistant Coach at D3 Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. McDonnell's extensive coaching career includes serving as the boy's assistant coach at North High School in Des Moines, Iowa and the girls' basketball coach at Valley High School in West Des Moines. He is also the founder of the 4VLegacy development basketball program in Central Iowa, a program dedicated to offering private instructional basketball skill development for young athletes aged 8-18.
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This Week’s Coaching Articles
This article argues that path dependency causes many basketball coaches to keep using outdated drills and practice structures simply because that is how they were coached, even when those methods do not transfer well to games. Traditional unopposed drills can create the illusion of progress, but they often fail to develop the perception, decision-making, and adaptability players need against live defenders. To build smarter, more game-ready athletes, coaches should use evidence-based approaches like small-sided games, live defenders, representative practice design, and constraints that allow players to solve real basketball problems.
Stationary two-ball dribbling drills may be difficult for some players, but they are relatively simple tasks because they lack movement, defenders, decision-making, and changing game conditions. More complex drills, like continuous 1-vs-2/2-vs-1, better reflect basketball because they force players to dribble, read defenders, adapt, and make decisions in an unpredictable environment. The key question for coaches is whether a drill actually transfers to game performance: are players practicing to get better at dribbling two balls, or to solve real problems against live defenders?
Sprinting the floor with purpose is one of the most valuable “thankless jobs” in basketball because it creates layups, spacing, driving lanes, and mismatches even when the player does not touch the ball. The Warriors’ “WTF” sideline out-of-bounds action shows how great offense depends not just on running plays, but on reading how the defense reacts and attacking the counter. The larger lesson for coaches is that players become more dangerous when they learn principles, spacing, and decision-making rather than simply memorizing patterns.
This Week’s NBA Articles
Jaylen Brown’s unexpected trade to the 76ers is portrayed as a shocking, opportunistic move that Philadelphia landed more by circumstance than by long-term planning. Although fitting Brown alongside Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and V.J. Edgecombe will create major challenges with roles, usage, and offensive balance, the Sixers could not pass up the chance to add a prime, two-way star while moving off Paul George’s difficult contract. The trade dramatically reshapes the Eastern Conference, turning Philadelphia into a serious contender and adding even more uncertainty to an already wide-open playoff race.
LeBron James’ departure from the Lakers opens what may be the final major chapter of his career, with teams like Golden State, Miami, Cleveland, New York, and even Washington speculated as possible destinations. The article argues that LeBron’s legacy is defined not only by championships, records, and longevity, but by his unmatched ability to reshape the NBA around his own value, power, and decisions. Whether this next move becomes a farewell tour or one more title chase, LeBron has already built a career unlike any other by creating his own system rather than simply fitting into the league’s.
This offseason has dramatically reshaped the NBA, with major stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown, LaMelo Ball, and Ja Morant changing teams while LeBron James remains unsigned. The biggest winners include the Heat, Jazz, Hornets, Raptors, and Clippers, who either landed franchise-changing stars, added valuable draft assets, or reset their direction in a smart way. The biggest losers include the Celtics, Lakers, Blazers, Knicks, and Pistons, who either lost key pieces, made questionable roster decisions, or failed to keep pace in an increasingly competitive league.
This Week’s College Basketball Articles
The NCAA’s new age-based eligibility model would give athletes five years of eligibility within five years of high school graduation or their 19th birthday, but it currently does not apply retroactively to players who exhausted eligibility in 2025-26. Sports attorneys Darren Heitner and Ryan Downton are preparing legal challenges arguing that recently finished fourth-year players should not be excluded, which could allow seniors like Braden Smith, Otega Oweh, and others to return for another college season if temporary restraining orders are granted. If successful, the lawsuits could create major offseason chaos by reopening roster decisions, transfer options, NBA Draft choices, and NIL opportunities for players who thought their college careers were over.
Dusty May’s move from Michigan to the Dallas Mavericks highlights the growing challenge college basketball faces in keeping its best young coaches. While May’s NBA opportunity is an excellent one, his departure also reflects the exhausting reality of modern college coaching, where roster building, NIL negotiations, transfer portal recruiting, and high school recruiting leave almost no time to celebrate or reset. If college basketball cannot create more stability and preserve what makes the college game meaningful, it risks losing more rising coaching stars to the NBA.
The D3hoops.com Classic is being reworked after 15 seasons and will now become part of a new NABC Division III men’s basketball tournament series beginning in 2026-27. The series will include eight-team events in Las Vegas and San Antonio, featuring strong cross-region fields with several recent Final Four teams and national championship contenders. The goal is to create a first-class Division III basketball event experience while preserving the legacy of the D3hoops.com Classic in a new, larger format.
This Week’s YouTube Coaching Videos
This video breaks down the unique, high-percentage three-point defensive scheme used by South Alabama basketball. By examining defensive positioning, ball-handling tendencies, and historical data, the breakdown reveals how this specific zone structure influences opponent shot selection and overall defensive efficiency compared to traditional collegiate strategies.
This video breaks down how to weaponize the masked flare screen, an advanced tactical concept that exploits elite defensive habits like jumping to the ball and overloading the strong side.
This video breaks down 3 contested shooting drills to help players:
Get comfortable shooting with a hand in their face
Find space under pressure
Stay balanced and shot-ready in game-speed situations
Build real confidence that actually transfers to games
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