The Rising Coaches Podcast

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Debbie Antonelli, a longtime sports analyst with decades of experience around elite programs and championship-level coaches. A former player at NC State, Debbie moved into coaching and administrative roles with stops at Elon, Ohio University, Kentucky, and Ohio State before building an outstanding career in broadcasting. She brings amazing insight into what truly separates the best in the business. In this episode we discuss what differentiates elite coaches from good ones after years of observing them up close, how meaningful the beginning of a shootaround or practice really is and how to make it more effective, and advice she would give young coaches on communicating clearly and confidently in film sessions and practices.

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Amanda Butler, former High Major head coach and current assistant at the University of Louisville. Coach Butler is a former standout player at Florida and has built an accomplished coaching career with stops at Florida, Austin Peay, Charlotte, and Louisville, along with head coaching tenures at Charlotte, Florida, and Clemson. She’s led major program turnarounds, including taking over a last-place team and guiding it to a 20-win season and NCAA Tournament appearance. In this episode we discuss how she rebuilt a struggling program into a winner, how she learned to coach and develop her assistants during her time as a head coach, and how those experiences now allow her to add value in new ways as an assistant.

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Matt Santoro, Director of Video and Strategy at the University of Kentucky. Coach Santoro has built his career through a variety of roles at Pittsburgh, Gwynedd Mercy, BYU, and now Kentucky, gaining experience in film, scouting, and game preparation along the way. His path reflects steady growth behind the scenes in high-level programs. In this episode we discuss what’s first on his checklist when breaking down a new opponent, how he tailors film differently for assistants versus players, and advice he would give to managers—or those hoping to become one—who want to use that role to launch their careers.

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re doing something a little different as my cohost and I dive into a conversation on culture building and what it really takes to build a program as a head and assistant coach. We also answer questions submitted by our listeners and Rising Coaches members, making this one a practical and interactive discussion. In this episode we discuss how to build culture in an era where rosters are constantly changing, how much of a program’s culture should be modeled by the head and assistant coaches versus enforced within the locker room, and how to set clear expectations for freshmen and first-year players to create role clarity and improve retention. This is a real conversation built around today’s challenges in coaching and leadership, we hope you enjoy.

On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Chris Richardson, the Head Coach at Wheeling University. Chris has worked his way through the profession with stops including an internship with the Memphis Grizzlies to coaching roles at Arkansas Tech, the University of Charleston, Fairmont State, Delta State, and the University of Central Missouri before taking over at Wheeling. In this episode we discuss how young coaches can find their voice and purpose while working on experienced staffs, what the very first responsibilities were once he accepted the head coaching role at Wheeling, and some key habits every young coach should build early to set themselves up for long-term success.