Hoop Heads
The Hoop Heads Podcast is co-hosted by Head Start Basketball Founder Mike Klinzing and Coach Jason Sunkle. The Hoop Heads Podcast covers a wide range of basketball topics relevant to coaches, players, and parents. Listen in for interviews with personalities from across the basketball landscape. Our line-up of podcast guests includes some of the top minds in the game across all levels, from grassroots to the NBA. They’ll share insights to help you grow as a coach, improve as a player, or enhance your experience of the game as a parent. You’ll gain new perspectives on what the best...
Andrew Spalter - CEO of East Goes Global - Episode 1216
Andrew Spalter is the Founder and CEO of East Goes Global, an international operating partner that helps the world’s leading teams, talent, and brands expand, operate, and monetize across global markets.
East Goes Global serves as the international operating partner for over 20% of the NBA, supporting teams including the Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, and New Orleans Pelicans, as well as a roster of elite NBA talent spanning multiple eras of the league from legends like Dwyane Wade and Tracy McGrady to today’s international superstars, including Kevin Dura...
Wrapping Up NBA All-Star Weekend 2026 - Episode 1215
On this episode, Mike and Jason discuss the highs and lows of NBA All-Star weekend including the unexpected early start times, the lack of stars in the dunk contest, participants who haven't played this season (Dame this year/Mac McClung last year), Wemby bringing the intensity, Kawhi's 31, KAT's help defense, the USA vs World, the 4 "games" format, and the one tanking question that the NBA has to answer moving forward.
Visit our Sponsors!
Give With Hoops
Give With Hoops is a groundbreaking initiative that fuses basketball analytics with modern sponsorship. Built for teams...
Round Table 86 - How do you make sure your culture shows up when you’re not in the gym? - Episode 1214
Welcome to the 86th edition of the Coach’s Corner Round Table on the Hoop Heads Podcast. Each episode of the Coach’s Corner Round Table will feature our All-Star lineup of guests answering a single basketball question. A new Coach’s Corner Round Table will drop around the 15th of each month.
February’s Round Table question is: How do you make sure your culture shows up when you’re not in the gym?
Our Coaching Lineup this month:
Jerry Buckley – Bishop Kenny (FL) High SchoolStephen Halstead – Grace CollegeChris Hicks – Midwest Basketball Club & Bleacher Prospec...Jordan Stasyszyn & Alexa Barbush - Unleashed Potential - Episode 1213
Jordan Stasyszyn and Alexa Barbush run Unleashed Potential, a skill development program based in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Jordan is Carlisle High Schools fourth all-time leading scorer with over 1,600 points and a Big 15 Selection. He played Division 1 basketball at Fairleigh Dickinson before transferring to play at Shippensburg University, where he graduated from with a Bachelors in Communications and Public Relations. He furthered his education by completing his Masters from LaSalle University in Professional and Business Communication.
Alexa was an All-State and Big 15 Selection at Trinity High School. She played at Franklin & Marshall College where she compiled an...
"Theoretical" James Harden Starts Strong, The New Bad Boys, All-Star Predictions, & Fixing the Tank - Episode 1212
On this episode, Mike and Jason discuss James Harden's first two games a Cleveland Cavalier which included wins over the Kings and Nuggets. Next, they dive into the Pistons-Hornets Brawl in Charlotte and wonder how long Beef Stew will be suspended. After that, Mike and Jason make predictions for All-Star Saturday night and share their thoughts on this year's All-Star Game format. Finally, they talk tank-a-thon and what the NBA might be able to do stop teams from losing on purpose.
Visit our Sponsors!
Give With Hoops
Give With Hoops is a groundbreaking...
Chris Boucher - Author of the Book, Harry “Bucky” Lew: A Biography of Basketball’s First Black Professional - Episode 1211
Chris Boucher is the author of the new book, “Harry “Bucky” Lew: A Biography of Basketball’s First Black Professional” The book tells the story of how Harry “Bucky” Lew leapt over pro basketball’s color wall in 1902 and continued to integrate every single role in the game over the next 25 years. He was the first Black player, coach, manager, referee, and franchise owner in otherwise white leagues. His accomplishments were well documented in the newspapers of his day, but he has largely been forgotten, despite his assist to the Dodgers in finding a home for their first Black players in the U...
Chris Hicks - Operations Manager for Midwest Basketball Club & Event Director for Bleacher Prospects - Episode 1210
Chris Hicks is the operations manager for Midwest Basketball Club in the state of Ohio. He also serves as the Event Director for Bleacher Prospects, which specializes in covering all levels of High School and AAU basketball while providing exposure for young athletes across the Midwest.
On this episode Mike & Chris discuss the vital role of advocacy in the development of young players and the need for dedicated support systems that empower youth players to navigate their athletic journeys effectively. Throughout the discussion, we delve into the intricacies of player evaluation, recruitment strategies, and the collaborative efforts...
James Harden is a Cleveland Cavalier!*&%$! - Episode 1209
On this episode, Mike and Jason discuss the James Harden for Darius Garland trade between the Clippers and Cavaliers. They try to wrap their heads around why the Cavs would trade for Harden, their ceiling with Harden on the team, and if the Cavs can somehow pull off another trade for Giannis.
Visit our Sponsors!
Give With Hoops
Give With Hoops is a groundbreaking initiative that fuses basketball analytics with modern sponsorship. Built for teams who see data as opportunity, from AAU programs to college powerhouses. By tying on-court performance directly to community...
“The Triple Double” #23 with Rob Brost, Bolingbrook (IL) High School Boys’ Basketball Head Coach- Episode 1208
The 23rd edition of “The Triple Double” with Rob Brost, Bolingbrook (IL) High School Boys’ Basketball Head Coach. Rob, Mike, & Jason hit on three basketball topics in each episode of “The Triple Double”.
The best lesson Rob ever learned from a playerWhat's something Rob believed in strongly as a young coach that he's completely changed his mind on?If Rob's team could only be elite at just one thing to win games, what would it be?Website - https://il.8to18.com/bolingbrook/athletics/basketball/b/v
Email - raidershoops@comcast.net
Twitter...
Ethan Stewart-Smith - Washington & Jefferson College Men's Basketball Head Coach - Episode 1207
Ethan Stewart-Smith is in his 11th season as the Men’s Basketball Head Coach at Washington & Jefferson College. Faced with the task of rebuilding the program from the ground up when he took over in 2015, the Presidents have enjoyed great success with five winning seasons in the past six. W&J has twice finished the regular season atop of the PAC. The Presidents captured the 2021-22 PAC Tournament title and reached the finals again in 2024-25.
Stewart-Smith joined W&J after a successful season as an assistant at Carnegie Mellon University in 2014-15. Prior to that, he sp...
Revisiting the Eastern Conference Over/Unders - Episode 1206
On this episode, Mike and Jason look back at the Eastern Conference preseason over/unders and discuss each East team as the season heads toward the All-Star Game in two weeks.
Visit our Sponsors!
Give With Hoops
Give With Hoops is a groundbreaking initiative that fuses basketball analytics with modern sponsorship. Built for teams who see data as opportunity, from AAU programs to college powerhouses. By tying on-court performance directly to community and sponsor engagement, Give With Hoops help programs raise more while deepening support from those who believe in the game.
<...Jason Sacks - CEO of Positive Coaching Alliance - Episode 1205
Jason Sacks is the CEO of Positive Coaching Alliance. He joined the organization in April 2006 and has since served in a variety of capacities, including President, Chief Development Officer, EVP for Business Development & Philanthropy, Director of Partnership Development, and as Executive Director of PCA’s Chicago, IL chapter. Jason began his career at PCA as the Partner Development Associate for the New Jersey/Philadelphia region. Under his leadership, PCA has successfully expanded its reach and impact through partnerships and attracting leading philanthropic organizations to support PCA’s commitment to ensuring youth sports are done right in all communities across the...
Jay Paterno - Penn State Board of Trustees on the Evolving Landscape of College Sports - Episode 1204
Jay Paterno currently heads Blue Line 409 LLC which runs ventures in business, television, radio, public speaking and consults on philanthropy, social media and public relations/ marketing. Since 2020 he has consulted in college sports and notably was one of the nation's first consultants in the new area of Name, Image and Likeness for college student-athletes. In 2022 he co-founded Penn State's NIL Collective "Success With Honor" to coordinate NIL efforts for all of Penn State's 31 sports teams.
Paterno is the best-selling author of Paterno Legacy; Enduring Lessons from the Life and Death of My Father. He followed that up wi...
Travis McAvene - Global Basketball Grassroots Director for Big Baller Brand - Episode 1203
Travis McAvene is the Global Basketball Grassroots Director for Big Baller Brand (BBB) where he is responsible for developing basketball clinics, All-Star games and AAU tournaments across the United States and Internationally. McAvene has 27 years of high level basketball coaching experience at the prep school, college and overseas professional level.
Since 2012, McAvene has coached in the following countries at the professional level; Taiwan, Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, Lebanon, Tonga, Belize and Mexico. During this time, his teams have won Championships in Taiwan, Dominican Republic, Lebanon, Tonga and Mexico.
McAvene started his coaching career in 1998...
Round Table 85 - What’s the smallest detail in a game that most fans miss but drives you crazy (in a good or bad way)?- Episode 1202
Welcome to the 85th edition of the Coach’s Corner Round Table on the Hoop Heads Podcast. Each episode of the Coach’s Corner Round Table will feature our All-Star lineup of guests answering a single basketball question. A new Coach’s Corner Round Table will drop around the 15th of each month.
January’s Round Table question is: What’s the smallest detail in a game that most fans miss but drives you crazy (in a good or bad way)?
Our Coaching Lineup this month:
Jake Boyd – Luther CollegeStephen Halstead – Grace CollegeJoe Harris – Lake Chelan (WA...Revisiting the Western Conference Over/Unders - Episode 1201
On this episode, Mike and Jason look back at the Western Conference preseason over/unders and discuss each West team as the NBA season approaches the halfway point.
Visit our Sponsors!
Give With Hoops
Give With Hoops is a groundbreaking initiative that fuses basketball analytics with modern sponsorship. Built for teams who see data as opportunity, from AAU programs to college powerhouses. By tying on-court performance directly to community and sponsor engagement, Give With Hoops help programs raise more while deepening support from those who believe in the game.
D3 Direct...
Britt Moore - Elizabethtown College Men's Basketball Head Coach - Episode 1200
Britt Moore is in his 9th season as the Men’s Basketball Head Coach at Elizabethtown College where he has the Blue Jays off to a 10-1 start this year.
Before taking the head coaching position at Elizabethtown, Moore spent six seasons as the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford, taking his Panther teams to the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Tournament each season.
Previously, Moore was an assistant coach at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania, for five seasons, including the final two as associate head coach to Rick Ferry. Moore started his coaching ca...
Brad Stamps - Fayetteville (AR) High School Boys' Basketball Head Coach - Episode 1199
Brad Stamps is in his 7th season as the Head Boys’ Basketball Coach at his alma mater, Fayetteville High School in Arkansas. Brad’s first job was coaching 8th grade basketball at Woodland Junior High where he worked alongside his mentor and former Fayetteville High School Head Coach Kyle Adams. Stamps later became the head coach at Shiloh Christian where he took a program that had won only one game the year before he arrived and turned it into a 28 game winner and state semifinalist in his final season. Brad also served as the head coach at Springdale High Scho...
You Buying? NBA Question & Answer - Episode 1198
On this episode, Mike and Jason take turns asking each other, "You Buying?" when it comes to these NBA Questions.
Are you buying...
The Trae Young Trade?That a team other than the Thunder will win the West?That the Clippers will continue their ascent up the Western Conference?That the Warriors should make a win now trade?That Giannis will be a Buck after the trade deadline?That Cooper Flagg will be the Rookie of the Year?Visit our Sponsors!
Give With Hoops
Give With Hoops is a groundbreaking...
Donny Lind - Mount St. Mary's University Men's Basketball Head Coach - Episode 1197
Donny Lind is the Men’s Basketball Head Coach at Mount St. Mary’s University. In his first season, the 2024-25 team captured the university's first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship with a victory over Iona in the conference title game. They would notch a NCAA Tournament victory - the program's third - by defeating American in the First Four. The 23 wins by the team set a Division I record and were the most by any Mount St. Mary's squad since 1986-87.
Lind previously served on coaching staffs at both Radford and UNCG under head coach Mike...
B.J. Dunne - MIT Men's Basketball Head Coach - Episode 1196
B. J. Dunne is in his first year as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at MIT. He spent the past seven years at Gettysburg College, where he put together an 89-68 overall record (.567) and saw his teams advance to four straight Centennial Conference semifinals over the past four seasons. In 2024-25, he helped guide Gettysburg to the program's first 20-win season since 2007-08 and its highest national ranking in program history at No. 8, as the Bullets earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, advancing to the second round before falling to top-seeded Wesleyan (Conn.) in the second ro...
A Jokic Injury, Thunder Kryptonite, Diagnosing the Cavs & Lakers - Episode 1195
On this episode, Mike and Jason discuss the ramifications of Jokic's injury in Monday's loss to the Heat. Next, they dive into the Cavs lackluster season and the Laker's defensive issues. After that, Mike & Jason hit on the Spurs three wins over OKC in recent weeks and how those losses may have exposed some vulnerability in the Thunder. Finally, they try to figure out the Hawk's Trae Young issues.
Visit our Sponsors!
Give With Hoops
Give With Hoops is a groundbreaking initiative that fuses basketball analytics with modern sponsorship. Built for teams who...
Joe Stasyszyn - Founder of Unleashed Potential & USA Basketball Clinician - Episode 1194
Joe Stasyszyn is the director of Unleashed Potential, a basketball skill development company, based in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He is also a USA Basketball Player Development Coach, Speaker and Clinician at Coach Academies, Gold Camps, and Clinics around the United States and around the world. Joe was also formerly the National Director of Basketball and Youth Fitness at 24 Hour Fitness, where he managed programs in over 450 facilities nationwide. This position gave him the opportunity to work with countless elite NBA and WNBA coaches and players. Joe is a 20+ year veteran coach at the Duke University Basketball Camp.
Joe...
Tyler Whitcomb - Give With Hoops: Turning Basketball Analytics Into Fundraising Impact - Episode 1193
Tyler Whitcomb jumps on the Hoop Heads Podcast to discuss Give with Hoops, a groundbreaking initiative that fuses basketball analytics with modern sponsorship. Built for teams who see data as opportunity from AAU programs and high school programs to college powerhouses.
By tying on-court performance directly to community and sponsor engagement, Give With Hoops helps programs raise more while deepening support from those who believe in the game.
During his career Tyler has been a professional basketball team owner, athletic director, college coach, and now a KuyperWorks Specialist and Adjunct Professor of Sports Management at...
Ron King - Putnam Valley (NY) High School Boys' Basketball Head Coach & Founder of Kings Basketball - Episode 1192
Ron King is the Head Boys’ Basketball Coach at Putnam Valley High School in New York. He is also the Founder of Kings Basketball, an AAU and player development program which he started in 2008.
King previously coached at the collegiate level at Plattsburgh State and at Kennedy High School in New York. He is known for teaching the Triangle Offense originated by Tex Winter and used by Phil Jackson to win 11 NBA Titles with the Bulls and Lakers.
King played his college basketball at Plattsburgh State and has helped many of his players move on to...
Round Table 84 - How do you balance pushing players to improve while also keeping the game fun for them? - Episode 1191
Welcome to the 84th edition of the Coach’s Corner Round Table on the Hoop Heads Podcast. Each episode of the Coach’s Corner Round Table will feature our All-Star lineup of guests answering a single basketball question. A new Coach’s Corner Round Table will drop around the 15th of each month.
December’s Round Table question is: How do you balance pushing players to improve while also keeping the game fun for them?
Our Coaching Lineup this month:
Dominic Amorosa – Strake Jesuit (TX) College PrepJake Boyd – Luther CollegeErik Buehler – Arapahoe (CO) High SchoolChris De...Kevin Driscoll - Founder of Real Hoops - Episode 1190
Kevin Driscoll is currently the Director of Real Hoops and has spent the last 25 years coaching or playing basketball at the high school & college level including 10 years as a Division 1 assistant coach. In his role at Real Hoops Driscoll is a recruiting advisor, exposure camp operator & film study coach.
Driscoll previously spent 4 years as a men’s basketball assistant coach at Marist College from 2018-2022 and also served as assistant coach at Loyola University Maryland of the Patriot League in 2017-18 season. He was an assistant coach at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in 2016-17, and wa...
Marshall Cho - Founder of Meadow Park Basketball - Episode 1189
Marshall Cho is the Founder of Meadow Park Basketball offering training, camps, and clinics in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
Marshall began his career as an educator through the Teach For America program, teaching mathematics in the South Bronx and Harlem and serving as the boys basketball coach at Future Leaders Institute, where he led them to a New York City Charter School Championship.
Fate then led him to Mozambique, where Marshall worked as a volunteer coach and instructor with the Mozambican National Basketball Federation as well as the varsity boys basketball coach at the American International...
An NBA Game of Yes, No, or Maybe... - Episode 1188
On this episode, Mike and Jason answer 6 NBA questions with yes, no or maybe.
What player who retired in the last 5 years would you want on your team? (hard to answer that with a yes, no, or maybe Jason!)The Knicks or Cavs will make the NBA Finals.Giannis will be a Buck in February.The Thunder will win 74 games.Shai will be the regular season MVP.The Clippers will give a top 5 pick to the Clippers in the 2026 NBA Draft.Visit our Sponsors!
Give With Hoops
Give With Hoops is a...
Jason Pruitt - Indiana State University Women's Basketball Associate Head Coach - Episode 1187
Jason Pruitt is the Women’s Basketball Associate Head Coach at Indiana State University joining Head Coach Marc Mitchell’s staff in June of 2024.
Pruitt previously served as the Women’s Basketball Head Coach at Elmhurst, where he helped the Bluejays to a nine-win improvement from the previous season while securing a spot in the CCIW Tournament for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
Pruitt’s experience also includes head coaching stops at La Verne, the University of Antelope Valley, and Bethesda University. He also spent time as the associate men’s basketball coach at Caltech...
Mike Grosodonia - St. John Fisher University Men's Basketball Head Coach - Episode 1186
Mike Grosodonia is the Men’s Basketball Head Coach at St. John Fisher University. Now in his 9th season, the Cardinals have won the Empire 8 championship and appeared in the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Tournament twice under his direction. Fisher has won at least 15 games and posted a winning record in all but one of Grosodonia’s eight seasons. He served as Fisher’s top assistant under Rob Kornaker during the 2016-17 season before becoming the program’s head coach.
Before entering the collegiate coaching ranks, Grosodonia transformed the Aquinas High School basketball program into a high sch...
Giannis Trades, CP3 & The Clips Part Ways, Plus Zion Disappointment & LeBron Jokes Around - Episode 1185
On this episode, Mike and Jason discuss the Giannis social media deletion and potential trade destinations if he leaves the Bucks. Next they talk about the dysfunctional Clippers franchise and the awkward split with Chris Paul. They end the episode by lamenting the arc of Zion's career and reacting to LeBron joking around with Suns bench in a game the Lakers were losing by 20.
Visit our Sponsors!
Give With Hoops
Give With Hoops is a groundbreaking initiative that fuses basketball analytics with modern sponsorship. Built for teams who see data as opportunity, from...
Raphael Esparza - Global Oddsmaker & Professional Sports Handicapper at Doc’s Sports - Episode 1184
Raphael Esparza is a Global Oddsmaker and Professional Sports Handicapper at Doc’s Sports. He has over 14 years of experience as a sportsbook manager at four of the biggest, most well-known sportsbooks on the Vegas Strip. Esparza has more than 18 years of sports handicapping experience and has spent the last seven years with Doc's Sports as The Vegas Sports Informer. Raphael's success stems from his power ratings and thousands of trends personally tracked over many years. He is generally considered to be the best NBA handicapper in the country thanks to a remarkable seven consecutive winning seasons.
On...
"The Triple Double" #22 with Rob Brost, Bolingbrook (IL) High School Boys' Basketball Head Coach - Episode 1183
The 22nd edition of “The Triple Double” with Rob Brost, Bolingbrook (IL) High School Boys’ Basketball Head Coach. Rob, Mike, & Jason hit on three basketball topics in each episode of “The Triple Double”.
Rob's favorite part of game day other than the gameSomething new Rob has added to his program this seasonGuarding ball screensVisit our Sponsors!
Give With Hoops
Give With Hoops is a groundbreaking initiative that fuses basketball analytics with modern sponsorship. Built for teams who see data as opportunity, from AAU programs to college powerhouses. By tying on-court performance directly to...
6 NBA Things We're Thankful For - Episode 1181
On this episode, Mike and Jason each share 3 things they're thankful for when it comes to the NBA in 2025.
Visit our Sponsors!
Give With Hoops
Give With Hoops is a groundbreaking initiative that fuses basketball analytics with modern sponsorship. Built for teams who see data as opportunity, from AAU programs to college powerhouses. By tying on-court performance directly to community and sponsor engagement, Give With Hoops help programs raise more while deepening support from those who believe in the game.
D3 Direct Recruiting Playbook
Your step-by-step guide to getting...
Paul Knepper, Author of the Book "Moses Malone: The Life of a Basketball Prophet" - Episode 1181
Paul Knepper is the author of the new book, Moses Malone: The Life of a Basketball Prophet which tells the story of Moses Malone, the first modern-day player to jump from high school basketball to the pros, paving a path for future star players like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James to follow.
Paul’s first book was The Knicks of the Nineties: Ewing, Oakley, Starks, and the Brawlers That Almost Won It All. He covered the New York Knicks as a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. Prior to that, he wrote for the defunct website Lo...
Byron Burt - What Makes a Great NBA Coach? - Episode 1180
Byron Burt is an aspiring G-League/NBA Coach who has worked for the Windy City Bulls in Game Day Operations since September of 2024. He previously served as the Head Boys’ Basketball Coach at St. Laurence High School in Chicago, Illinois. Byron also spent two seasons as the Head Coach at his alma mater, Stephen T. Mather High School before landing the job at St. Laurence. Before taking over the Mather program Burt worked at Beacon Academy in Chicago as the Head Boys’ Basketball Coach and Assistant Athletic Director from 2017 to 2018.
Burt has worked as a coach at the...
Pistons Rising, Clips & Pacers Falling, Plus Insane MVP Stat Lines - Episode 1179
On this episode, Mike and Jason look back at their picks in the wins/losses draft to see which picks they still believe in and which ones are looking a little shaky. For Mike, Pistons, Hawks, and Spurs wins are looking solid while Clippers wins look shaky. Jason is feeling good about the Pelicans losses, but very shaky on Pacers wins. They wrap up the episode by discussing the outrageous stat lines being put up by potential MVP candidates Jokic, Shai, Giannis, and Luka.
Visit our Sponsors!
Give With Hoops
Give With Hoops...
Rob Summers - Cleveland State University Men's Basketball Head Coach - Episode 1178
Rob Summers is in his first season as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Cleveland State University. An Ohio native, Summers spent 2019-2022 with Cleveland State as an assistant coach, where he helped CSU win the Horizon League and make its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009. CSU advanced to the postseason twice during his first stint with the Vikings.
Most recently, Summers joined former Cleveland State head coach Dennis Gates' staff at the University of Missouri for the 2024-25 season, where he served as the team's offensive coordinator. Prior to joining the Tigers, Summers spent two se...
Round Table 83 - How do you introduce new players to your program’s expectations and culture? - Episode 1177
Welcome to the 83rd edition of the Coach’s Corner Round Table on the Hoop Heads Podcast. Each episode of the Coach’s Corner Round Table will feature our All-Star lineup of guests answering a single basketball question. A new Coach’s Corner Round Table will drop around the 15th of each month.
November’s Round Table question is: How do you introduce new players to your program’s expectations and culture?
Our Coaching Lineup this month:
Jake Boyd – Luther CollegeJerry Buckley – Bishop Kenny (FL) High SchoolStephen Halstead – Grace CollegeJason Harris – UMass BostonJoe Harris – Lake Chelan (WA) Hig...