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This Week’s Hoop Heads Podcast Episodes
CHRIS CAPKO - SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY MEN’S BASKETBALL ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH

Chris Capko is the Men’s Basketball Associate Head Coach at Southern Methodist University where the Mustangs went 24-11 and earned a No.1 seed in the NIT in their first season under Head Coach Andy Enfield. Capko has 18 years of college coaching experience and has helped lead two different programs to post season play while also developing 11 NBA players.
ONE QUESTION FOR EVERY NBA TEAM PLUS NBA CITY EDITION JERSEY REVIEWS – EPISODE 1176

On this episode, Mike and Jason take turns asking and answering one question for each of the 30 NBA teams. They also review each teams 2025-26 City Edition Jerseys with a Yeah, No, or Meh rating.
ROUND TABLE 83 - HOW DO YOU INTRODUCE NEW PLAYERS TO YOUR PROGRAM'S EXPECTATIONS AND CULTURE? - EPISODE 1177

November’s Round Table question is: How do you introduce new players to your program’s expectations and culture?
This Week’s Coaching Articles
Cognitive Motor Dual Tasking as a Game-Changer in Basketball Training Programs: a New Approach to Developing Elite Basketball Players
This opinion-piece argues that modern basketball training programs must elevate the role of cognitive demands (decision-making, reaction to unpredictable stimuli, open-skill environments) rather than focusing almost exclusively on physical/physiological drills. The authors propose a training model called CMDT (Cognitive Motor Dual Tasking) that integrates movement, decision-making, and reactive stimulus training, which they claim can more closely mimic real game conditions and thus enhance performance. It suggests that coaches at all levels—youth, high school, collegiate—should re-imagine practice structure to include these dual tasks and that doing so may narrow the gap between practice and game, especially under pressure.USA Basketball “Roundtable: Contributors Weigh in on the USA Basketball Coaching Guidebook”
This article presents commentary from contributing coaches and educators on the newly-released USA Basketball Coaching Guidebook, discussing how the curriculum aims to support coaches across all levels with teaching models, practice frameworks, and athlete development pathways. The round-table emphasizes that the guidebook does not just cover Xs & Os but also keys in on program culture, progression of learning, and coaching pedagogy — aiming to help coaches who are “teacher-coaches” rather than purely tacticians. The consensus among contributors is that adopting a consistent, developmental model (as outlined in the guide) can streamline coaching education, improve coach efficacy, and ultimately raise team-and-player outcomes.Three Best Friends All Got Jobs Coaching New York College Basketball Teams: ‘We’re pinching ourselves’
This piece profiles three lifelong friends who all landed head-coaching jobs at New York-area college basketball programs nearly simultaneously, exploring their unconventional paths, shared history, and mutual support system. While it is more of a human-interest story than a “how-to-coach” article, it underscores themes relevant for a coach: networking, shared learning among peers, openness to non-traditional routes, and embracing collaboration rather than isolation. For coaches looking to grow their career and capabilities, it offers an example of leveraging relationships, resourcefulness, and shared accountability in the coaching world.
This Week’s NBA Articles
Real or Not Real? Why We’re Monitoring Six Early NBA trends - This article drills into six early-season patterns across the NBA (for example, the surprising start by the Chicago Bulls, the free-throw surge, and rebounding trends) and assesses which ones are likely to endure versus those that may fade. It uses underlying metrics (like shot-quality and opponent shooting) to decide whether a team’s success or failure is structurally valid rather than just streak-based. For coaches and analysts, the take-away is that early results can be misleading and you should look past surface wins or losses to the sustainable processes behind them.
Amnesia to Success’: Inside the Thunder’s Pursuit of a Dynasty
This article explores how the Oklahoma City Thunder are quietly building toward a long-term competitive window, focusing on their young core, culture of improvement, and strategic patience rather than flash trades. It points out that the Thunder’s “obsession with improvement” mindset and clear vision for player development are the hallmarks of a budding dynasty rather than mere one-year surprise. For coaches, this emphasizes the importance of organizational alignment, consistent culture, and long-horizon player-development rather than chasing immediate results.JJ Redick is Encouraging the Los Angeles Lakers to be a Player-Led Team Head coach JJ Redick has made culture a priority, stating explicitly that the best teams are player-led and emphasizing accountability, communication, and ownership across the roster. Despite significant injuries to varsity stars, the Lakers started strong (8-4) by leaning into the buy-in and intensity of role players such as Austin Reaves and Nick Smith Jr., which Redick says proves the identity shift is real. For coaches, the key takeaway is how culture and leadership dynamics can trump individual talent in building sustainable competitive habits.
This Week’s College Basketball Articles
College Basketball Opens a New Season with an Influx of International Talent
This article explains how the 2025-26 college basketball season has a larger wave of international players entering U.S. programs—many of whom previously played professionally—and how this is reshaping roster construction, especially under the newer revenue-sharing/NIL landscape. It quotes coaches acknowledging that they are now “playing against professional players this year,” which signals a shift in the competitive baseline for college teams. For coaches, the implication is clear: preparation, scouting, player development models and recruiting must adapt to elevated talent levels and global sourcing.Five Tantalizing Takeaways from the First Days of the Women’s College Basketball Season
Focusing on the women’s game, this article highlights how freshmen are already making major impacts, established programs are showing early dominance, and several under-the-radar teams are positioning themselves as dark-horses—suggesting increased parity and opportunity in women’s college basketball. It points out that the “kids can play” mantra is being backed up statistically right from the opening games, changing how coaches might approach rotations and development. The organizing theme for coaches: stay ahead of influxes of ready-to-play talent and be open to rapid guard/forward changes rather than traditional multi-year rebuilds.Katz’s Corner: Opening Week Shows Why Players Getting Paid Has Helped College Hoops
This article argues that the infusion of eligible freshmen and improved incentives via NCAA Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) deals has made the early part of the 2025-26 season markedly stronger and more competitive. It suggests coaches now must treat freshmen not as developmental projects but as immediate contributors, given the shifting economic and competitive landscape of college hoops.
This Week’s YouTube Coaching Videos
Does The Triangle Basketball Offense Work In 2025?
This video examines the classic triangle offense, discusses adaptations for today’s game, and analyzes how it might still be effective in modern systems. It’s ideal for coaches interested in how older schemes can be modified for pace-and-space, 3-point era basketball. Key insight: rather than discarding historic systems, explore their core principles (spacing, post reads, weak-side action) and update the execution.
A Basketball Defense That The Offense Won't Solve: The Chase Defense
This video presents a defensive system designed to disrupt typical offensive reads and looks at how to force decision-errors. It’s useful for coaches who want to mix up defensive coverages and challenge players’ reaction/recognition skills. Takeaway: effective defense often comes from design + detail (e.g., delaying actions, disguise, forcing weak-hand ball-handlers) rather than purely athleticism.
The Miami Heat Run The Most Unique Offense In The NBA
This video digs into how the Miami Heat are deploying unconventional spacing and role-definitions, leveraging guard/forward versatility and motion sets that blur traditional position designations. Important for coaches thinking about positionless basketball, player versatility, and how to structure practice for it.
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