The Benas Podcast
My name is Benas and I'm passionate about traveling, sports and coffee. In this podcast I will aim to combine all three of them by 'zooming' around the world and talking to sports professionals and coffee savants around the world while having nuanced conversations about different topics within their profession. If you're interested in hearing the stories and lifestyles of high achievers, the biggest lessons throughout their life, their mindsets within their respective sports then please subscribe to this podcast, buckle up, get your cup of coffee and 'come fly with me'. Thank you :)
Epizodai
EP#93 | Nicolej Krickau (Füchse Berlin): Coaching & Scouting Team Handball vs Basketball
NEW EPISODE!(EP#93)If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):Support: https://www.patreon.com/c/bmatke Homepage: www.bmatke.comSponsor: www.proballers.com"Nico":Nicolej Krickau is a Danish handball coach whose playing career ended early due to injury, leading him into coaching at a young age. He rose to prominence with GOG, where he developed several world-class players and led the cl
EP#92 | Tautvydas Sabonis: Inside a Rookie Head Coach's Mind
NEW EPISODE!(EP#92)If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):Support: https://www.patreon.com/c/bmatke Homepage: www.bmatke.comSponsor: www.proballers.com"Tutis":Tuti grew up playing basketball in a basketball family and eventually transitioned to coaching. He accepted an assistant coach position within the Zalgiris junior program before eventually transitioning to the pro team and wo
EP#91 | Dražen Orešković: Basketball in Syria, Developing Jusuf Nurkic & Croatia Basketball
NEW EPISODE!(EP#91)If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):Support: https://www.patreon.com/c/bmatke Homepage: www.bmatke.comSponsor: www.proballers.com"Dražen":Dražen Orešković’s coaching career has mostly been built as a high-level assistant coach in Croatian and European basketball, with a focus on player development, tactics, and national-team work rather than long-term head-coaching role
EP#90 | Darius Songaila (LT): NBA etapas, pamokos iš Gregg Popovich & nauji vyr. trenerio iššūkiai
NAUJAS EPIZODAS!(EP#90)Jeigu norite palaikiti ši podkasta (Ačiū!!):Support: https://www.patreon.com/c/bmatke Svetaine: www.bmatke.comRemejas: www.proballers.com"Sonko":Darius Songaila – vienas ryškiausių savo kartos Lietuvos krepšininkų, daugiau nei dešimtmetį rungtyniavęs NBA ir Europos krepšinio elite. Su Lietuvos rinktine jis iškovojo 2003 metų Europos čempionato auksą bei Sidnėjaus olimpinių ž
EP#89 | Luka Bassin - Doncic Effect, Slovenia Basketball & Player Development
NEW EPISODE!(EP#89)If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):Support: https://www.patreon.com/c/bmatke Homepage: www.bmatke.comSponsor: www.proballers.com"Luka":Luka Bassin is a Slovenian basketball coach, player-development specialist, and scout known in regional European basketball circles. He has coached at youth and senior club levels, including currently as an Assistant coach of KK Ilirija
EP#88 | Vlado Micov: From Player to Galatasaray Sports Director
NEW EPISODE!(EP#88)If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):Support: https://www.patreon.com/c/bmatke Homepage: www.bmatke.comSponsor: www.proballers.com"Vlado":Vlado Micov is a former Euroleague player and current Sports Director for Galatasaray basketball. He has played in several high level clubs around Europe, most notably CSKA, Armani Milano as well as Galatasaray where he curre
EP#87 | Rajko Blaskovic: Vocal Health for Coaches
NEW EPISODE!(EP#87)If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):Support: https://www.patreon.com/c/bmatke Homepage: www.bmatke.comSponsor: www.proballers.com"Rajko":Rajko has Serbian roots but is born and raised in Vienna, Austria and is not your typical basketball guest. He's a speech-pathologist and works independently to help young people as well as actors and other professionals
EP#86 | Mindaugas Kuzminskas (LT): Atvirai apie Jono Kazlausko aurą, karjeros iššūkius ir ateities tikslus
NAUJAS EPIZODAS!(EP#86)Jeigu norite palaikiti ši podkasta (Ačiū!!):Support: https://www.patreon.com/c/bmatke Svetaine: www.bmatke.comRemejas: www.proballers.com"Kuze":Mindaugas Kuzminskas – vienas universaliausių savo kartos Lietuvos krepšininkų, galintis žaisti tiek lengvojo, tiek sunkiojo krašto puolėjo pozicijose. Profesionalo karjerą pradėjo Lietuvoje, vėliau ryškiai atsiskleidė atst
EP#85 | James Gist: Life After Pro Basketball, Mentorship & the Next Generation
Former EuroLeague standout James Gist joins The Benas Podcast to talk honestly about life after pro basketball, chasing the NBA dream, and preparing for basketball retirement.Drafted by the San Antonio Spurs and stashed in Europe, James built a high-level career with elite clubs like Partizan and Panathinaikos, winning titles across Europe. He shares what it was like balancing NBA aspirations whil
EP#84 | Tomas Balčėtis (Žalgiris Kaunas): NBA Champion on Draft, Trades, AI Analytics & Culture
In this episode of The Benas Podcast, I sit down with Tomas Balčėtis — former Denver Nuggets front office member, 2023 NBA Champion, Harvard University graduate, and CEO of Confluence Valley (Tesonet Group).Tomas spent 20 years in the United States, worked inside the NBA, and now connects Žalgiris Kaunas and London Lions, leading AI, analytics, and technology integration in professional basketball
EP#83 | Tomas Balčėtis | NBA, „Draft“, kultūra & žmoniškumas
Šiame epizode – pokalbis su Tomu Balčėčiu, kuris praleido 20 metų JAV, studijavo Harvarde, dirbo Denver Nuggets organizacijoje ir tapo NBA čempionu (2023).Šiuo metu Tomas yra CEO of Confluence Valley („Tesonet“ grupė) ir dirba su „Žalgirio“ bei „London Lions“ klubais, vystydamas duomenų analitiką, AI sprendimus ir technologijų integraciją.Kalbame apie:NBA organizacijų vidų„Draft“ ir „trade“ proces
EP#82 | Regev Fanan (Maccabi Tel Aviv) - Connection between Performance staff & Coaching staff
NEW EPISODE!(EP#82)If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):Support: https://www.patreon.com/c/bmatke Homepage: www.bmatke.comSponsor: www.proballers.com"Reggie":Reggie is currently the strength&conditioning coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv. After his playing career came to an end he became the athletic trainer at Bnei Hertzliya in 2009 and has been with Maccabi since 2013. He became the Euroleag
EP#81 | Mario Fioretti (Derthona Tortona) - 22 year journey from Assistant to Head Coach
NEW EPISODE! (EP#81)If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):Support: https://www.patreon.com/c/bmatke Homepage: www.bmatke.comSponsor: www.proballers.com"Mario":Mario Fioretti is a first time Head Coach after spending 22years at Milano as an Assistant coach under various Head Coaches, most notably Ettore Messina the last 8years. He also spent one season as an Assistant Coach under Bobby Knigh
EP#80 | Dan Shamir (Hapoel Jerusalem) - Showing willingness to change roles and grow!
NEW EPISODE!(EP#80)If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):Support: https://www.patreon.com/c/bmatke Homepage: www.bmatke.comSponsor: www.proballers.com"Dan":Dan Shamir always grew up wanting to be a coach until he became one working his way up from being an Assistant Coach with the arguably the best Euroleague team of all time at Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2003-2006. He successfully became a Head C
EP#79 | Alan Ibrahimagic (DBB) - Winning Eurobasket 2025, Cultural Diversity & Youth System
NEW EPISODE!(EP#79)If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):Support: https://www.patreon.com/c/bmatke Homepage: www.bmatke.comSponsor: www.proballers.com"Alan":Alan Ibrahimagic, the interim Head Coach of Germany's basketball National Team who took over the team during Eurobasket 2025 while Coach Mumbru was battling unique health issues and lead the team to a gold medal. Alan is a household nam
B8 Summit 2025 Vilnius: ROUND-TABLE DISKUSIJA (LT) - J.Valanciunas, P.Motiejunas, T.Okmanas, R.Kaukenas
Support 👉 https://www.patreon.com/bmatkewww.b8summit.comŠis epizodas – paskutinis B8 Summit 2025 renginio pokalbis, suvedęs Lietuvos sporto lyderius! Per visą round-table diskusiją buvo paliesta daugybė temų, kurias aptarė Tomas Okmanas, Jonas Valančiūnas, Paulius Motiejūnas ir Rimantas Kaukėnas, taip pat pasidalijo savo įžvalgomis. Išgirdome daug įdomių minčių apie komunikaciją ir žinučių valdymą
B8 Summit 2025 Vilnius: Giannis Sfairopoulos (Red Star Belgrade)
B8 Summit Website:www.b8summit.com If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):https://www.patreon.com/bmatkeSponsors:www.creapure.com www.proballers.com"Giannis":Giannis is a highly accomplished Head Coach in the Euroleague who was at the helm of Olympiacos Piraeus & Maccabi Tel Aviv and currently is the head coach of Red Star Belgrade. He has won numerous domestic titles with each
B8 Summit 2025 Vilnius: Daniele Baiesi (Olimpia Milano)
B8 Summit Website:www.b8summit.com If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):https://www.patreon.com/bmatkeSponsors:www.proballers.com"Baio":Daniele is a long-time friend of mine and a highly successful basketball front office executive in Europe. Daniele started his career as a journalist and worked his way up to become widely known as the best expert in his field as the sports direc
B8 Summit 2025 Vilnius: Vincent Collet (Team France)
Vincent Collet is a house-hold name in the world of European Basketball...especially when it comes to FIBA competitions. Vincent's achievements with the French National Team are second to none! His teams won 4 Eurobasket medals, 2 world cup medals & 2 Olympic medals between 2011 - 2024. His success with the national team is as unique as it gets and rich of experiences of working with stars
B8 Summit 2025 Vilnius: Kostas Chatzichristos (Head of Performance - Olimpia Milano)
Kostas is a long time friend of mine and a 3x Euroleague champion in his own right and currently the Head of Performance at Olimpia Milano. He last worked at Fenerbahce since 2022 under Dimitris Itoudis and later Sarunas Jasikevicus and recently signed with Ettore Messina's team in Milano! He started his career in Europe at Olympiacos in 2006 and has been rolling through Europe ever since!Kost
B8 Summit 2025 Vilnius: Ibon Navarro (Unicaja Malaga)
Ibon Navarro:Ibon Navarro is a highly accomplished Head Coach in Europe and today he came to our summit in Vilnius to talk about the culture he created in Malaga, Spain! The two time King's Cup & back to back BCL championship coach has a lot of experience already and today we spoke about his practice habits as well as the habits he expects from his players. How the team culture is supposed to
EP#78 Sani Becirovic - From the hardest time of his life to Euroleague champion
If you want to support my podcast (Ačiū!!): https://www.patreon.com/bmatkeSponsor: www.proballers.com"Sani Boy":Sani is a well-known former player as well as highly respected personality because of his positive attitude and mindset. Sani was drafted by the Denver Nuggets and played an incredible 20years as a professional, winning his first Euroleague title in 2007 with Panathinaikos. A
EP#77 Guillaume Vizade - French system, 'effort oriented' culture, sincere coaching & the 'tag up' system
If you want to support my podcast (Ačiū!!): https://www.patreon.com/bmatkeSponsor: www.proballers.com"Guillaume":Guillaume is making a name for himself in France and this is just the beginning. After being the Head Coach at Vichy for numerous years he won the Leader's Cup of the ProB in 2024 and was appointed the head coach of LeMans the following season where he also managed to the Leader's Cup
#76 Linas Kleiza (LT) - apie pasitikėjimą savimi, NBA naujoko gyvenimą, traumas, vaikus ir naujus iššūkius jų tėvams
Bilietai į B8 Summit 2025 Vilnius renginį:www.b8summit.comMano podcasto palaikymas (Ačiū!!): https://www.patreon.com/bmatkeRėmėjas: www.proballers.comSvetainė:www.bmatke.com "Linse":Šio epizodo svečias yra Linas Kleiza - jo ilgai pristatinėti nereikia. Be šešių sezonų, praleistų NBA, Linas gali pasigirti medaliais, iškovotais su Lietuvos vyrų rinktine 2007ais, 2010ais ir 2013ais metais! Linui te
#75 Petteri Koponen - Draft & Stash mindset, Finland Basketball & Coaching in New Zealand
If you want to support my podcast (Ačiū!!): https://www.patreon.com/bmatkeSponsor: www.proballers.com"Petteri":Petteri is a well-known basketball player who was drafted in 2007 by Philadelphia but his rights ended up being traded several times during his career and he never made the final jump. On the contrary, Petteri had an illustrious career in Europe where he played for several hig
#74 Mikko Riipinen - Swedish NT, BG Göttingen Head Coach & Low-hanging fruit
If you want to support my podcast (Ačiū!!): https://www.patreon.com/bmatkeSponsor: www.proballers.com"Mikko":Mikko is the Head Coach of the Swedish Basketball NT and recently qualified with Sweden for the Eurobasket in 2025. He's also the Head Coach of BG Göttingen in the German BBL and is managing both positions at once. Before he joined Göttingen midway through this season, he wa
#73 Jamion Christian (Trieste) - Do you have the capacity to reach your full capacity?
If you want to support my podcast (Ačiū!!): https://www.patreon.com/bmatkeYou can Find "Jamion" here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamion_christian/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamion.christian LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamion-christian-683b54208/ X: https://x.com/JamionChristian Sponsor: www.proballers.com"Jamion":Jamion Christian is an experienced coach with 280+ game
#72 Dr. Cheri Mah - How to minimize jet-lag & sleep like a pro!
If you want to support my podcast (Ačiū!!): https://www.patreon.com/bmatkeYou can Find "Dr. Mah" here:Website: https://www.drcherimah.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcherimah/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drcherimah LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcherimah/ X: https://x.com/drcherimahSponsor: www.proballers.com "Dr. Cheri Mah":Dr. Mah is a highly respected sleep physicia
#71 Luigi "Gigi" Datome - Mentality Of A Shooter & Love For Books
If you want to support my podcast (Ačiū!!):
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Sponsor:
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"Gigi":
Gigi Datome is a household name in Italian basketball and his journey is a phenomenal one. Coming from a small island (Sardinia) in Italy to playing in the NBA, winning the Euroleague (2017) and being the captain of the national team of Italy.
After winning countless domestic league
#70 Giedrius Žibėnas - Italija mane pakeite kaip žmogu ir treneri!
Jeigu norite paremti mano podkastą (Ačiū!!):
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"Giedrius":
Trenerio Žibėno kelias iki dvieju LKL čempiono titulu nera iprastas - del to šios dienos epizodas vertas demesio.
Mes kalbejom apie jo kelia ir kaip jo asmenybe keitesi keliaujant po skirtingas šalis. Mes aptarem koks jis buvo gyvenant ir dirbant Lietuvoje ir koks jis tapo po
#69 Aron Baynes - Career lessons, Injury, Negative Self-Talk & Garden(ing)
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):
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Sponsors:
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"Baynesie":
Aron Baynes is a household name not only in Australia but also in the NBA as well as in Europe. Has been around the globe playing in Europe, NBA, GLeague, NBL & Australia National Team. He's a 3 time Olympian and a NBA World Champion with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014.
Aron
#68 Kyle Hines - Process of Retirement
#68 Kyle Hines - Process of Retirement
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):
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Sponsors:
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"Kyle":
My first repeat guest, Kyle Hines, came back to my podcast after being my #2 episode to talk about his process of retirement, being in peace with it and entering the next stage of his life.
This conversation was very sincere and transparent,
#67 Gytis Vilius (LT) - Teisėjo Profesija
Jeigu norite paremti mano podkastą (Ačiū!!): https://www.patreon.com/bmatkeRėmėjas: www.proballers.com"Gytis":Gytis yra labai žinomas krepšinio teisėjas ne tik Lietuvoje, bet ir Eurolygoje. Jis buvo išrinktas geriausiu Lietuvos teisėju 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 metais! 2021, 2022, 2023 metais buvo išrinktas teisėjauti Eurolygos 'Final Four' ir visus 3 kartus teisėjavo Eurolygos finalą.Š
#66 Tim Fanning (BYU Basketball) - Coaching in New Zealand, Spain, Israel, OTE & NCAA while being a life-long learner!
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):
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Sponsors:
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"Tim":
Tim has been a long-time friend of mine, we go way back to 2014 and ended up celebrating our 10year anniversary of our friendship in Colombia together, where this podcast was recorded. Tim has had experiences as a coach early on in his life as a 22 year old in Spain in the lower divis
#65 Damjan Rudež - Psychology of Shooters, Frustrations after the NBA, Retirement & Business
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):
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Sponsors:
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"Damjan":
Damjan Rudež is a highly accomplished basketball player who played at all possible levels of basketball and has now ventured into the business side of things with the "Sunset Sports Festival". Damjan started his professional career in Belgium before returning to Croatia to play for
#64 Simon Cote - The Other Side Of Coaching & Career Transition
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):
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Sponsors:
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"Sye":
My good friend Simon Cote is not only a long time friend but also used to be a long time colleague in the world of coaching. After serving as an Assistant at SMU & University of Tennessee in the late 90s he decided to start his coaching career in Europe and worked with current Wo
#63 Sophia Young-Malcolm (Baylor WBB): Journey from Exchange-Student to NCAA Champion & WNBA Player
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):
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Sponsors:
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"So":
Sophia started her basketball journey together with me in Shreveport, Louisiana as an exchange student before she became a superstar at Baylor University. She took the Lady Bears to a National Championship and became the MVP of the Final Four before getting drafted by the Sa
#62 Micah Shrewsberry (Notre Dame MBB) - Coaching differences in NCAA vs NBA
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):
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Sponsors:
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"Micah":
Micah has a wealth of experience on the NCAA level as well as the NBA level with the Boston Celtics where he spent 6 years as an Assistant Coach to Brad Stevens. Prior to that Micah already served as an Assistant at Butler and Purdue before joining the Celtics in 2013. Af
#61 Paulius Jankunas (LT) - Ką daro komandos kapitonas?
#61 Paulius Jankunas (LT) - Ką daro komandos kapitonas?
Jeigu norite paremti šį podcastą, tai galite padaryti per nuorodą žemiau. Būsiu labai dėkingas!
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Rėmėjas #1: www.Proballers.com
Rėmėjas #2: www.forestdomes.lt
10% Nuolaidos kodas: BENAS10
"Jankis":
Šiandienos svečio ilgai pristatinėti nereikia - Pauliaus Jankūno vardas daug kartų nuskambėjo ir vis da
#60 Martin Kuchalik - Corporate Communication vs Sports Communication
Martin Kuchalik - Business Communication vs Sports Communication (EP59)
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):
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Sponsors:
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"Martin":
Not many people in the sports business know who Martin Kuchalik is but the people who work with him truly appreciate his knowledge and view on things. Martin is a communication expert and is hired
#59 Anthony Goods - Balancing Scouting&Social life, Creating "Swishcultures" & Crazy Experiences in Venezuela
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):
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Sponsors:
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"AntGoods":
Anthony is a former professional basketball player who played in a lot of different places around the world. He played four years at Stanford before transitioning to the DLeague at the time, making his way to Italy later on before coming back to the DLeague again. Lat
Coffee Savant #3 Eskedar - Ethiopian Coffee Culture, How to create a community & Raising Awareness of Exploitation in Ethiopia's Coffee Plantations
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):
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"Eskedar":
Eskedar is a good friend of mine and has been living in Vilnius first as a refugee before finally becoming a Lithuanian citizen. Today she shared her crazy and unique story of how she escaped an oppressive government in Ethiopia 19 years ago, got tangled up in an even more restrictive government in
#58 Francesco Cuzzolin talks about NBA & European Basketball, Coaching Health, Data Analysis & Learning
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):
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Sponsors:
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"Cuzzo":
Francesco Cuzzolin is currently the Head of Performance at EA7 Armani Milano and has a wealth of experience in the field of Strength & Conditioning. He became the first Strength & Conditioning coach in the NBA when he started to work for the Toronto Raptors. Besi
#57 Sergio Scariolo on Inventing the Spanish Pick & Roll, Communication, "Michelangelo Effect" & More
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):
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Sponsors:
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"Sergio":
Sergio Scariolo doesn't need a long introduction, his successes speak for itself especially with Spain's National Team and the countless titles internationally that they have won. 5 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals across Eurobasket, World Cup and Olympic tour
#56 Boris Diaw on playing in 11th division with friends, Traded while on a Safari, Wine, Photography, Traveling around the world & more
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):
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Sponsors:
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"Boris":
Boris Diaw is a well known name in the basketball community, not much introduction needed at this point, even after his retirement. He's a winner and a patriot in the most truest sense. Every summer he played for the National Team of France and in 2013 he won the FIB
#55 Tadas Bulotas on the business of a basketball agent & how to sign young prospects
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):
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Sponsors:
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Website:
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"Tadas":
Tadas Bulotas took on the profession of a basketball agent after his father but started his own company together with Arturas Javtokas in 2008 while he was still only 19years old. He eventually sold his business and joined Wassermann agency as
#54 Lassi Tuovi - The importance of mentorship for young basketball coaches & Finland Basketball
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):https://www.patreon.com/bmatke
Sponsors:
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Topics:
0:00 Intro
2:52 How are you?
5:00 Basketball Beginnings
8:40 Art of Basketball & Standards
12:45 National Team Beginnings
17:00 Mentorship & Big Responsibilities
27:40 Focus & Preparation Process
32:30 New Assistant Coach Responsibilities
37:00 Communication with players
44
#53 Jonas Mačiulis - Transition From Basketball Player To Basketball Executive
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):https://www.patreon.com/bmatke
Sponsors:
www.proballers.com
Topics:
(0:00) Intro
(3:30) Memories as a Player
(6:15) Knee Rehabilitation & Support System
(17:45) Being Hard to Coach
(21:35) Overthinking & Analyzing
(26:40) Pablo Laso & Real Madrid Culture
(37:20) ProBallers.com Search Tool
(42:40) Transition to New Career
(47:00) Helping Pla
#52 Marko Pesic - FC Bayern Basketball GM, Organizational Alignment & Communication
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):https://www.patreon.com/bmatke
Sponsors:
www.proballers.com
Topics:
Coach's Son Exprience
Communication (Management & Head Coach)
Conflicts & Conversations
Building A Culture & Identity
Qualities of a Head Coach / Process
Youth Integration
ProBallers.com
Information Diet
Daily Habits
Family Life Balance
ATOs
NEW S
#51 Danny Mills - Perth Wildcats GM & "The Process"
"Danny":
Danny is a long time friend of mine and currently the GM of the Perth Wildcats, representing the NBL proudly.
Danny has a very colorful background across the world, from playing in Australia to Oregon Tech in the US as well as the Irish National Team to being the video coordinator for the Bakersfield Jam and working in Europe as the International Scout of the Philadelphia 76er
#50 Paulius Motiejunas - Euroleague CEO
"Paulius":
Paulius first joined Žalgiris Kaunas in 2007 as their director of communications but quickly climbed the latter and became the GM in 2013. Paulius lead the organization through two crises, celebrated multiple championships within the Lithuanian League and elevated the status of Žalgiris Kaunas back to where it belongs in Europe, being a playoff contender each season. The orga
Coffee Savant #2 - Taste Coffee & More (Treviso, Italy)
"Taste Coffee & More":
This Specialty Cafe was founded in 2017, downtown Treviso and is one of the most beautiful locations that I've been to. Overlooking a beautiful river with outside and inside seating as well as wifi for those who like to get some work done.
I'm a fan!
Fabio and me had a brief conversation about his Cafe, how he started it, what inspired him to do so as
#49 Pablo Laso - Preparation for Final Fours & Communication with Stars
"Pablito":
After spending eleven years with the Real Madrid franchise, coach Pablo Laso is a two time Euroleague champion with the club, 2015 & 2018. He also won six Spanish League championships & six Spanish Cups as well as six Spanish Supercup trophies. In 2015 he also added the prestigious FIBA Intercontinental Cup championship and is the winner of countless "Coach of th
#48 Himar Ojeda - ALBA Berlin Sports Director & How To Build A Culture
"Himar":
Himar Ojeda started his professional career as an Assistant Coach at Gran Canaria in the ACB from 1999-2007 before transitioning to the front office of the same club. He also worked as a Sports Director at CB Estudiantes before working as an NBA scout for one season with the Atlanta Hawks. Nevertheless, he chose to take on a new challenge and signed with ALBA Berlin in 2016 an
#47 Sergej Maslobojev (LT) - Kovotojo Mentalitetas
Sergėjaus Maslobojevo daug pristatinėti nereikia, tai žmogus, kurio vardą tautiečiai jau asocijuoja su čempiono vardu. Praeitais metais sportininkas iškovojo kikbokso "Glory Light Heavyweight" pasaulio čempiono diržą, 2017m. tapo "WAKO Pro World K-1 Light Heavyweight" čempionu bei nugalėtoju taip pat tapo 2015m. "KOK Light Heavyweight" turnyre.
Su Sergėjumi diskutavom
#46 Sir John Kirwan - Mental Health in Sports & Coaching in Japan
"Sir John Kirwan":
Sir John Kirwan is a former Rugby legend in New Zealand, played for the All Blacks for ten years (1984-1994) before becoming a coach himself. He had the honors of coaching Italy & Japan national teams and learned a lot throughout that period. John struggled with depression as a player but didn't talk about it much before almost deciding to jump out of a window in Argentina. Tha
#45 Hanno Möttölä - HBA Finland Basketball System, Lessons as a Player & Retirement Advice
"Hanno":
Hanno Möttöla is a Finnish basketball legend with experiences on all levels of the game as a player. After playing for the Utah Utes in the NCAA and getting drafted in the 2nd Round (40th by the Hawks) to play in the NBA, he continued his career in the Euroleague for TAU Ceramica (now Baskonia) before getting injured. He later played in Italy, Lithuania & other countries bef
#44 Donatas Urbonas - Sports Journalism at "BasketNews", Trusting Media & Avoiding "Click-Bait"
"Donatas":
Donatas is a well-known journalist and Senior Staff Writer at BasketNews.com and has been around the game of basketball for a long time. He has been reporting on Lithuanian media outlets since 2011 and has experience of reporting from FIBA European Championships in 2011, 2015, 2017 as well as World Cup in 2014 and Rio Olympics in 2016. He also won Lithuanian Sports Journalist
#43 Mantas Kalnietis (LT) - Įžaidėjo Pamokos
"Mantas":
Mantas Kalnietis - visiems labai gerai žinomas krepšininkas, kaip buvęs Lietuvos krepšinio rinktinės įžaidėjas ir kapitonas. Susumavus Mantas net devynerius metus praleido Kauno Žalgirio komandoje, bet pergalės, individualūs ir komandiniai pasiekimai žaidėjo karjeroje buvo švęsti ne tik namuose, bet ir užsienyje. Visgi ryškiausi pasiekimai Manto karjeroje įvyko žaidžiant Lietuv
#42 Gianmarco Pozzecco - Coaching Himself, Lessons as Assistant & Connecting with Players
"Il Poz":
Today's guest Coach Gianmarco Pozzecco is currently the Head Coach of Italy's senior men's national team. "Il Poz" started his professional player career in 1991 and went on to have a successful career on multiple levels playing for teams like Varese, Fortitudo Bologna, Zaragoza and others, winning 2 Italian Leagues and 2 Italian Supercups while also earni
#41 Oļegs Latiševs - Euroleague Officiating, Communication, Manipulation & Disagreements
"Olegs":
Olegs Latisevs is a professional basketball referee who is officiating in the EuroLeague, the top-tier European professional basketball league.
Latisevs has been a EuroLeague referee since the 2007-2008 season and has officiated numerous high-profile games in the competition, overall having been a professional referee for over 20 years.
He has also officiated in other European basketball
#40 David Thorpe - The Art Of Player Development & Importance of Human Decency
"Coach Thorpe":
David Thorpe is a highly respected basketball coach, known for his ability to develop and improve the skills of players at all levels. He has over 30 years of coaching experience, and has worked with some of the top players and teams in the game.
As a coach, David has a proven track record of success. He has helped numerous NBA players reach their full potential and achieve their
#39 Liam Canny - Euroleague Commentator
"Liam":
Liam is a full time teacher in the UK and a part time commentator in Euroleague as well as past FIBA events. He's also a full time fan of the game and you can hear it in his voice, the love and passion for the game is definitely to be felt.
In today's episode we talked all things commentating the game of basketball. Liam had lots of good stories to tell of how he first got into it and wher
#38 Andrew Trimble - Rugby Ethos, Leadership & Kairos Communication Platform
"Trimby":
Andrew is a retired Irish Rugby Union player who spent 13 of his pro years playing for the same team at "Ulster" as well twelve years for the Irish National Team. He was part of the "Celtic League" championship team in 2006 as well as winning the "Triple Crown" in 2006 & 2007 and "Six Nations" tournament in 2014 with the Irish National Team next to countless individual awards. Andrew
Highlights of 2022: "Šaras", Blatt, Gherardini, Lemanis, Zuretti
"Highlights":
This is a special episode that highlights 5 different episodes with examples of the variety of topics that we go through on this podcast!
It starts with problem-solving within an executive group in the NBA Player's Association team and how they approach problems that players have to deal with throughout the season. This was episode #23 with Matteo Zuretti that was recorded in New Yor
#37 Erdem Can - Transition from Assistant to Head Coach and Lessons from Zeljko Obradovic & Quin Snyder
"Erdem":
Erdem has a unique journey that started as an Assistant Coach in Ankara and later becoming Head Coach in Olin Edirne as a 30year old. After losing his job he transitioned to becoming a long time Assistant at Fenerbahce Ulker, first under Simone Pianigiani before he earned the trust of Zeljko Obradovic and stayed with him the rest of Zeljko's tenure. Amongst many domestic championships the
#36 Maurizio Gherardini - Career Longevity, Challenges & Communication
"Maurizio":
My guest for this episode was non other than the long time Fenerbahce Istanbul GM, Maurizio Gherardini. Maurizio has a long and very successful career as a basketball executive from which he has countless titles to show for. The most recent international title he celebrated was the Euroleague title with Fenerbahce Istanbul in 2017. His front office career began in the early 1980s in hi
#35 David Blatt - Basketball Is Life & Life Is Basketball
"David":
Today's guest does not need much introduction, David Blatt is one of the most accomplished coaches to ever coach in Europe. One of few coaches to win at every possible level, most notably a Euroleague championship in 2014, Eurocup in 2018, Eurochallenge in 2005, Adriatic League in 2012, European champion at the National Team level in 2007 as well as Bronze in 2011 & Bronze in the Lond
#34 Theodoros Papaloukas - The Importance Of Making Mistakes
"Theo":
Theo had an illustrious 18year long career in Europe and is well-regarded as one of the best guards of all time in Euroleague. Theo won two Euroleague titles with CSKA ('06 & '08) and has plenty of individual awards to show for, most notably Euroleague MVP in 2007, Final Four MVP in 2006 and many more.
Theo also enjoyed a very successful National Team career with the Greek Nation
#33 Roberto Iezzi - Strength & Conditioning, Dynamics with Staff & Players, Game-Day Lifts & Sleep
"Roberto":
Roberto Iezzi currently is a strength & conditioning coach at Brescia Basket that plays in the Italian league as well as the Eurocup. He also spent three years of his career in Jerusalem working for Hapoel where he trained Amare Stoudamire amongst others. This past summer Roberto also worked with the Italian u20 National Team. He also has two podcasts that he hosts, one is a solely
#32 Trent Hotton - "The Team Mechanic" On Leadership & Building A Team Culture
"The Team Mechanic":
Trent Hotton is a former AFL player who founded his own company "Team Effect" after he spent two years in the UK where he also opened a business in 'training and leadership' to help him advance in that field. Overall, he spent 4 years in the AFL and after two rather disappointing seasons with Collingwood he managed to return 4 years later and played two more season with Carlto
#31 Ryan Pannone - How To Build A Coaching Career Through Persistency
"Ryan":
Ryan Pannone is currently the Head Coach of the GLeague team Birmingham Squadron and already has almost 20 years of coaching experience when he started as a young coach in High School. Shortly after he started to work as an Assistant for David Thorpe as a Player Development coach and quickly realized his passion. Throughout his career he had plenty of responsibilities as a young and aspiri
#30 Avi Even - Maccabi Front Office & Coaching Roles, Team-Building, Scouting & Motivation
"Avi":
Avi's career at Maccabi started in 2006 when he became Junior Head Coach and Sports Director while coaching the u16 Israeli National Team. In the 2007 he finally was promoted to the Assistant Coach position at Maccabi Tel Aviv! After working as an Assistant for 5 years, the ownership of Maccabi appointed him to lead the front office and scouting department in order to enhance the organizati
#29 Anton Gavel - The Road To Becoming A Rookie Head Coach at Ratiopharm Ulm
"Anton":
Anton Gavel is a former Slovakian basketball player who became a German National Team player as well as Bundesliga legend. Besides having short stints in the ACB with Murcia as well as in the Greek League with Aris, he spent most of his time winning titles with Brose Bamberg as well as FC Bayern Munich, where he finished his career winning 'The Double' (Cup & League) while being the T
#28 Andrej Lemanis - Authentic Coaching & Building A Team-Culture
“Dre”:
Andrej Lemanis, one of the top coaches from Australia joined my podcast today. The Australian coach with Latvian heritage has a rich history of coaching after he stopped playing at a young age. His most notable stop was with the New Zealand Breakers from 2005-2013 where he turned the program around and won 3 NBL championships in a row and took the helm of the Boomers. “Dre” also coached the
#27 Will Weaver - A Coaching Journey Through All Levels (NCAA, GLeague, NBA, Australia & National Team)
"Will":
Will Weaver is a long-time Basketball coach who's journey has taken him from the Texas Longhorns program through Sam Houston State all the way to the NBA. Along the road he has coached as a Head Coach in the GLeague and as well as in the Australian NBL leading the the Sydney Kings.
Our common path has crossed several times during our "summer jobs", him being with Australia's National Team
#26 Boštjan Nachbar - ELPA, Rookie in the NBA, Communication with Coaches, Podcasting & More
DONATE TO UKRAINE:
Lithuania:
https://www.panrs.lt/krasto-apsaugos-ministerijos-rekomendacijos-del-paramos-ukrainai/
Germany:
https://helferschwein.de
International:
https://www.blue-yellow.lt/en/
"Boki":
Boštjan is an accomplished player on various levels, from Europe to NBA, he has seen it all. After starting off as a prospect in Italy and being drafted #15 by the Houston Rockets he spent 6 year
#25 Martyna Motum - The Life Of A "Player Wife", Having Own Identity & Career Goals
DONATE TO UKRAINE:
Lithuania:
https://www.panrs.lt/krasto-apsaugos-ministerijos-rekomendacijos-del-paramos-ukrainai/
Germany:
https://helferschwein.de/
International:
https://www.blue-yellow.lt/en/
#25 Martyna:
Martyna Motum is the wife of Brock Motum but certainly she has her own identity and is building her own career in the background. Martyna has finished her High School studies in Denmark, U
#24 Simon Iden - Osteopathy, Winning The Australian Open, Foot Strength & Fascia
DONATE TO UKRAINE:
Lithuania: https://www.panrs.lt/krasto-apsaugos-ministerijos-rekomendacijos-del-paramos-ukrainai/
Germany: https://helferschwein.de/
International: https://www.blue-yellow.lt/en/
#24 Simon:
Simon Iden is of German heritage but currently resides in the US and has experience of working with a variety of athletes, from Tennis stars like Angelique Kerber whom Simon won the Australia
#23 Matteo Zuretti - From Agent to the NBPA, Culture & Identity of International Players
Matteo and me first met during his time as an agent while working for the “ProTalent” Agency under the helm of Maurizio Balducci, who served as a mentor for Matteo. Before he was an agent, he took his first steps at the Stellazzurra Basketball Academy in Rome. Meanwhile, Matteo is serving as the Chief of International Relations and Marketing at the NBPA office in New York, working to provide a bet
