Episodi
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Felix Okpara is currently the starting center for the University of Tennessee Men's Basketball team. Prior to Tennessee, Felix spent 2 years playing for The Ohio State Buckeyes, where he built a reputation as one of the nations premier shot blockers. Prior to Ohio State Felix attended Link Academy and Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, and was a consensus 4 star recruit in the 2022 class. A native of Lagos, Nigeria, Felix spent his early years playing soccer before moving to The United States to pursue basketball.
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Career Timeline:
1987-89 Mt. San Antonio CC (Player)
1989-91 UNLV (Player)
As a Coach:
1991-92 UNLV (GA)
1993-94 Chaffey CC (assistant)
1994-2004 UNLV (assistant)
2004-05 Utah State (assistant)
2005-11 BYU (associate HC)
2011-16 UNLV (Head Coach)
2016-17 Nevada (assistant)
2017-2021 Washington (assistant)
2023-24 Cal Baptist (assistant)
2024-Present Salt Lake City Community College (Head Coach)
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Career Timeline:
2019 High School:
Team Captain & 4.1 GPA
Recruited to NCAA D2 Regis University. Two year letter-winner, 2021 RMAC All-Academic, 4x Dean’s List
Transferred to Oregon as preferred walk-on in 2021:
Played in 12 games Senior season, season high 10 minutes vs National Champion UConn.
Oregon Student Athlete Advisory Committee, 3x Dean’s List, 2023 Dean’s Award for Service Recipient, 2023 PAC-12 Male Representative at Student Athlete Leadership Forum in Baltimore. Graduated Cum Laude in Business Administration concentrating in Sports Business with 3.8 GPA
June 2024: hired as UNLV Graduate Assistant
July 2024: On staff for USA Basketball Men’s Olympic team training camp
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In this episode, Chintoo recaps the NBA offseason with The Practice Players. Topics covered include NBA Draft winners, offseason trades, free agency moves, the Olympics, way too early 2024-25 predictions, and much more!
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Career Timeline:
2003-06: Arizona State (Player)
2006-07: UNLV (Player)
2007: NBA Draft (undrafted)
2007-2013: Playing career with 7+ teams across the globe
2014-16: Northern Arizona (Assistant Coach)
2016-19: Oklahoma (Assistant Coach)
2019-21: UNLV (Assistant Coach)
2021-Present: UNLV (Head Coach)
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Career Timeline:
Freshman Season (2023-24):
Averaged 13.6 points (led team), 5.1 assists (led team), and 2.7 rebounds per game.Shot 44.9% from the field and 36.2% from threeNamed Mountain West co-Freshman of the Year as well as Second Team All-Mountain West honorsHigh School:
Number 34 prospect in his class, number 8 point guard, and number 1 player in Nevada according to 247 SportsLed Liberty High School (Henderson, NV) to a class 5A state title in 2022, dethroning powerhouse Bishop GormanFather Dedan Thomas Sr. was a standout player at UNLV from 1991-94 -
2023-24 (Oregon):
Averaged 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, starting in 22 of 36 games played.
Helped lead Oregon to a Pac-12 Tournament Championship and the 2nd round of March Madness.
2022-23 (Florida SouthWestern):
Played in 29 of 31 games, averaging 14.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
Named an Honorable Mention NJCAA All-American
2021-22:
Played two games for St. Joseph's before transferring to Florida SouthWestern
2020-21 (St. Joseph's):
Played in 20 games, averaging 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game
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In this episode, Drew shares some of his favorite moments being a manager with The Minnesota Golden Gophers Men's Basketball team. Drew is a symbol of what positivity and hard work truly is, sharing his story of battling leukemia all while being a college student and working as a student manager. His powerful journey is a must hear lesson on perseverance for all.
Drew Evenson is the head student manager for the Minnesota Men’s Basketball team. Drew is currently in his second year with the Golden Gophers and is responsible for a variety of day-to-day duties. In 2020 Drew underwent treatment for leukemia and completed his treatment on February 2nd 2024.
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Ben Asher is in his third season as an assistant coach with the Youngstown State men's basketball program.
He helped lead the Penguins to a regular-season conference championship after guiding the Penguins to an overall record of 24-10 and a 15-5 league mark en route to the Horizon League Championship.
The 24 wins tied the program record for most wins in a season and the 15 Horizon League victories also set the record for most conference wins.
For the second straight season, Asher was named on the Most Impactful Mid-Major Assistant Coaches in Division I Basketball by Silver Waves Media.
He helped the Penguins to 19 wins in 2021-22, which were also the most since 2000-01 and set a school record for most wins as members of the Horizon League. The Penguins also set a school record for most conference wins with 12.
In 2021-22, Youngstown State also tied the Division I record for most home wins with 13 and secured the program’s second postseason berth in three years with an appearance in the inaugural The Basketball Classic. The Penguins also won its second postseason game with a 70-65 victory over Morgan State.
Asher was also named one of the Most Impactful Mid-Major Assistant Coaches in Division I Basketball by Silver Waves Media.
Asher spent the last five seasons at Rutgers, most recently serving as the Director of Basketball Operations and Recruiting for two years. He also served three seasons as Special Assistant to the Head Coach with the Scarlet Knights.
With Asher on staff, the Scarlet Knights program has achieved new heights and, in 2020-21, qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 30 years.
Among Asher’s many responsibilities were serving as liaison to the athletic department at large, including the areas of communications, RVision, marketing, creative, business operations and facilities management.
He played an integral role in the program’s social media outreach and recruiting initiatives. The Scarlet Knights welcomed a four-recruit signing class in 2018 that included multiple four-star players for the first time at Rutgers since 2008. RU has signed four-star recruits from New Jersey in three consecutive classes, with Ron Harper, Jr. (2018), Paul Mulcahy (2019) and Cliff Omoruyi (2020) all electing to stay home.
Asher was instrumental in supervising the program’s student managers, facilitating team travel, and the development and execution of team camps. During his tenure “On the Banks,” he has aided in the resurgence of the program by helping to cultivate an environment based upon relationships and results.
In 2020, Asher was named to the NABC 30-Under-30 Team.
As Special Assistant to the Head Coach, Asher provided executive level support to Steve Pikiell, while assisting in the overall management of administrative duties and daily functions of the men's basketball office.
Prior to Rutgers, Asher spent a season serving as Director of Operations at Siena under Jimmy Patsos. The Saints posted a 21-13 overall record and competed in the CBI postseason tournament. He was instrumental in the day-to-day activities of the team, including travel, practices, meals, facility use, team camps and recruiting.
An Oyster Bay, N.Y. native, Asher spent two seasons (2013-15) in the ACC as a graduate assistant at N.C. State under Mark Gottfried. The Wolfpack advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2015, after reaching the ACC quarterfinal and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2014.
Prior to arriving in Raleigh, Asher worked as the head student manager at West Virginia, where he earned a Regents Bachelor of Arts degree in 2013. Under head coach Bob Huggins, the Mountaineers won the Big East Tournament Championship and advanced to the Final Four in 2010, while also earning NCAA berths in 2011 and 2012.(Pulled from Youngstown State's Website)
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Wearing 3 different numbers in high school? Never taking a single campus visit to Ohio State? Announcing his commitment because of a dare with a friend? All-American candidate Bruce Thornton shares some wild stories from his recruitment process, and breaks down what has lead to an immensely successful start to his sophomore campaign.
Sophomore Season (2023-24):
•Averaging 16.9 points, 4.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 0.8 turnovers per game.
•Shooting 37.7% from 3 on over 5 attempts per game
•Led Ohio State to The Emerald Coast Classic Title while being named tournament MVP
(Stats and accolades as of 12/32/23)
Freshman Season (2022-23):
•Started all 35 games as a freshman at Ohio State, averaging 10.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.
•Named to the 2023 B1G All-Tournament Team
High School:
•Consensus four-star recruit and Gatorade Player of the Year out of the state of Georgia.
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Michael Visenberg covers over a wide array of topics including his role with Pro Insights, who is his GOAT, and the current role length + versatility plays in the modern basketball landscape. Him and The Practice Players breakdown the start to this NBA season, debating which teams will stay hot and which will fall off.
Michael Visenberg is the Basketball Database Manager of Prospective Insight, a company that specializes in providing grassroots scouting and media coverage. He has covered events including the Nike Hoop Summit, Adidas Global Nations, the Nike Global Challenge, the Les Schwab Invitational, Border League, and the Sports Academy National Cup among many others. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and a graduate of the University of Oregon, he has written and covered the NBA Draft extensively and has his eye on multiple levels of basketball.
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Prior to Ohio State
Played in 34 games as a true freshman at Penn State, averaging 2.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 56.9 percent from the field in an average of 9.4 minutes per contestScored a career-best 12 points on a perfect 4-for-4 effort from the field while adding three rebounds and an assist against Indiana on Jan. 11Appeared in both NCAA Tournament games for the Nittany Lions against Texas A&M and TexasWas a consensus three-star prospect coming out of Cincinnati’s Archbishop Moeller High SchoolAs a senior at Moeller, he was a finalist for 2022 Ohio Mr. Basketball, the GCL Conference Player of the Year, the Ohio Player of the Year by Cincinnati.com and a Division I first-team All-Ohio honoree(from OSU's website)
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Danny Cooper is a basketball trainer and content creator. He has clients including Mac McClung (76ers), Brendan Hausen (Villanova), and many more. He documents his journey, using basketball as a vehicle to travel the world and inspire.
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2022 AP All-American and current New Orleans Pelican EJ Liddell reflects on his time at Ohio State with The Practice Players. EJ offers some powerful advice from his own experiences for players dealing with social media threats as well as major injuries. With his NBA debut right around the corner, EJ shares what life in the league has been like and what he is looking forward to.
Career Accolades:
High School:
•2x Illinois Mr. Basketball Award Winner
•2019 4 Star Recruit
College (Ohio State):
•2x 1st Team All-Big Ten (2021 & 2022)
•Big Ten All-Defensive Team (2022)
•2022 3rd Team AP All-American
NBA (New Orleans Pelicans):
•41st pick in the 2022 NBA Draft
•Signed a 3 year deal in July 2023 after missing all of the 2022 season with an ACL injury
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2022-23 (Freshman):
•Three star recruit out of Princeton High School in Cincinnati, Ohio
•Appeared in seven games in a reserve role
•Scored first career points in a win over Maine (12/21/22)
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Career Highlights:
2003-07: Cincinnati Student Assistant
2004-07: Walsh Assistant
2007-12: West Virginia Assistant
2012-17: Fairmont State Head Coach
2017-Present: Youngstown State Head Coach
NCAA Division 2 Runner Up (2017)
Horizon League Coach of the Year (2023)
Horizon League Regular Season Champions (2023)
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Jalen Hill was a 4 star recruit in the 2019 class, who spent the last 4 seasons playing at the University of Oklahoma. In 2019-20, Hill started in just one game and played 10.9 minutes for the Sooners. He worked his way up the depth chart, and started every game he appeared in his Junior (2021-22) and Senior (2022-23) seasons. In 2022-23, Hill averaged career highs in minutes (32.7) and points per game (9.7). Hill scored a carrer high 26 points in an upset win versus #2 Alabama (1/28/23). During this game, Hill also held 2023 #2 overall pick Brandon Miller to 4/14 shooting and just 11 points as his primary defender. In the summer of 2023, Hill elected to use his 5th year of eligibility and transfer to UNLV for the 2023-24 season.
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Zach Collins is a Las Vegas Native who played at national powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School. After a stellar 2017 March Madness performance with Gonzaga, including a trip to the national title game, Zach Collins went one and done. He was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. In his 4 years with Portland, Collins was an integral part of multiple playoff teams. Prior to the 2021 NBA season, Collins signed with the San Antonio Spurs. In 2022-23 (with the Spurs), he averaged career highs in points (11.6 per game), rebounds (6.4 per game), assists (2.9 per game), and 3-point percentage (37.4%).
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Coaching Background:
2022-Present – Ohio State Associate Head Coach
2019-2022 – Ohio State Assistant Coach
2017-2019 – Vanderbilt Assistant Coach
2014-2016 – Ohio State Video Coordinator
2012-2013 – Valparaiso Assistant Coach
2011 – Valparaiso Director of Operations
2010 – Valparaiso Student AssistantPlayed collegiately at Valparaiso from 2005-09. Ranked among the Horizon League Top 10 in multiple categories as a senior, finishing fourth in minutes played (33.8/game), sixth in 3-pointers made (1.8/game) and eighth in steals (1.3/game). He finished his Valparaiso career 10th all-time with 130 career steals and 16th all-time with 229 career assists.
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Career Honors
• Julius Erving Top 20 Watch List (2023)
• All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (2022)
• All A-10 Third Team (2021)
• A-10 All-Rookie Team (2020)
• CSC Academic All-District (2023)
• Academic All-Big Ten (2023)
Prior to Ohio State:
Played two seasons at George Washington and two seasons at Minnesota. Started 45 of the 47 games he played at George Washington, averaging 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. As a freshman in 2020-21, set a George Washington single-season record for 3-pointers made (89) and led the A-10 in made 3-pointers (89), 3-point attempts (243) and 3-pointers per game (2.8). In 2020-21, was named All A-10 third team after averaging 17.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game
Transferred to Minnesota for the 2021-22 season and earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors after leading the team in scoring at 17.5 points per game. In 2022-23, missed the early part of the season with a foot injury but finished with an average of 12.4 points over 27 games.
(Bio from Ohio State's Website)
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