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On today’s "best of" episode we have Coach Luke Sheidecker.

Coach Luke was recently named the head coach of the Missouri Western State University women's basketball team - CONGRATS coach! No matter if you've listened to this episode before or not, it's worth listening to again!

Luke has served as Assistant Director or Director of Basketball Operations at Southeast Missouri State University (on the men’s side) and at Southern Illinois University, where he transitioned to the women’s side. He’s also been an assistant coach at Indiana State University and head coach at Shawnee Community College, where he led one of the biggest turnaround seasons in NJCAA Women’s Basketball history—going from 0-27 to an incredible 30-3, winning both the Great Rivers Athletic Conference and Region 24 titles. Currently, Luke is the head coach at Wabash Valley College, where he’s coached over 50 players who have gone on to play at the four-year level, with more than 35 advancing to NCAA DI programs. In 2024, he was named the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s (WBCA) Coach of the Year for two-year colleges.

On this episode we discuss:

• Where the junior college recruiting process begins
• The number of student athletes he recruits each year
• The different levels of junior colleges
• Who junior college is appropriate for
• Questions you should ask junior college coaches when on visits
• How to find a junior college coach who will help you get to the next level
• Common misconceptions of junior colleges
• Importance of finding a coach that can coach you
• Getting the right people in your circle

And much more!

When you work with me you can expect a 360-degree player development plan designed specifically for young female basketball players.

If this sounds interesting, let's have a conversation - send me an email today - hoopsthroughlife@gmail.com

Check out Hoops Through Life on:
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If you have any questions for me or our future guests email hoopsthroughlife@gmail.com

The views and opinions shared by coaches and other professionals on this podcast are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Hoops Through Life. Hoops Through Life is an independent entity, not affiliated with any school or coach, and is not responsible for the opinions expressed by these individuals.

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On today’s episode we have Dr. Vanessa Shannon. Dr. Shannon is a certified mental performance consultant with over 15 years of experience.

• 2013-2015 - IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL where she served as a Mental Conditioning Coach, coordinated Psychological Test Preparation for the NFL Combine Training Program, and served as a Vision Training Coach for the Major League Baseball Off-Season Training Program.
• 2015-2022 - director of Mental Performance for the University of Louisville Athletic Department and Norton Sports Health where she supported the mental performance needs of over 600 student-athletes and 17 coaching staffs.
• 2022-2023 she was the Director of Mental Performance for the Cincinnati Reds
• Currently, Dr. Shannon is the founder of optimize consulting where she works with athletes, coaches, parents, and professionals in various business sectors to optimize their mental performance.

On this episode we discuss:

• Being “perfect with the process” vs “perfect with the outcome”
• Misconceptions of mental performance and who it’s for
• The role of acceptance during performance
• Practicing and building resilience during training

And much more!

NBA Mind-health Graphic

Optimize Consulting Website

Dr. Shannon Instagram

When you work with me you can expect a 360-degree player development plan designed specifically for young female basketball players.

If this sounds interesting, let's have a conversation - send me an email today - hoopsthroughlife@gmail.com

Check out Hoops Through Life on:
Hoops Through Life Website
X
Instagram
Facebook

If you have any questions for me or our future guests email hoopsthroughlife@gmail.com

The views and opinions shared by coaches and other professionals on this podcast are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Hoops Through Life. Hoops Through Life is an independent entity, not affiliated with any school or coach, and is not responsible for the opinions expressed by these individuals.

Send us a text

On today’s episode we have Coach Laurie Kelly. Coach Kelly started her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Minnesota State University-Mankato. She has experience as a head coach at Binghamton University and Northern Arizona University. She is currently approaching her 14th season as the head coach at Gustavus Adolphus College. Coach Kelly has broken records as a player and at pretty much every stop as a coach. She is the winningest coach in Gustavus women’s basketball history, and, most recently, led the Gustavus program to win their fourth consecutive MIAC playoff championship. In the last four years combined, the Gusties have lost just seven games against conference opponents and have collected four consecutive seasons of 22 wins or more.

On this episode we discuss:

• What Coach Kelly looks for when watching student-athletes in person and on film
• The best first steps student-athletes can take in the recruiting process
• The importance of relationships in the recruiting process
• The step by step nature of the recruiting process and why you don’t need to figure everything out all at once
• Figuring out the right fit for you
• The balance of accepting offers vs doing your due diligence at the scholarship level

And much more!

Gustavus WBB Recruiting Form

Gustavus WBB Instagram

Gustavus WBB X

When you work with me you can expect a 360-degree player development plan designed specifically for young female basketball players.

If this sounds interesting, let's have a conversation - send me an email today - hoopsthroughlife@gmail.com

Check out Hoops Through Life on:
Hoops Through Life Website
X
Instagram
Facebook

If you have any questions for me or our future guests email hoopsthroughlife@gmail.com

The views and opinions shared by coaches and other professionals on this podcast are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Hoops Through Life. Hoops Through Life is an independent entity, not affiliated with any school or coach, and is not responsible for the opinions expressed by these individuals.