I recently took advantage of an opportunity to coach women's college basketball with Western Gulf Collegiate. I began my basketball coaching journey in 2022 shortly after Baby Bell decided to play basketball. It was my first foray back into sports coaching since I retired from adult baseball many years ago. It's been a great experience and although Baby Bell realized basketball wasn't her passion after giving it a go for a few years, I really enjoyed the sport at all levels from Jr. High girls to college women's to professional.

Growing up as a UNLV men's basketball fan, it was a bit surprising to find the women's side of the sport so enjoyable. While I still have my main job as President & CEO of BannerView.com, coaching is a hobby I have really come to enjoy. The past few seasons, it's become more than just a hobby since I get paid to do it professionally. However, getting paid to do it is simply a nice bonus since I don't do it for the money. Being able to work with young athletes is very similar to the experience mentoring young employees at BannerView.com. It's a great feeling to see young people grow through discipline, focus, and hustle. Being able to work with them and see the significant improvement in a short time is a very rewarding experience and it's something I'd like to do at continually higher levels.

Leading up to a collegiate coaching position, I had done extensive research on the high school to college recruiting process, specifically in women's basketball. In fact, this research lead to me releasing the guide, Help Wanted: Women to Play College Basketball - A Comprehensive Guide for High School Girls Basketball Players Seeking Collegiate Playing Opportunities. It's available for direct purchase as a digital download or through Amazon and Apple. Because of this research, making the transition to women's college basketball coaching has been a much smoother process. Recruiting, while always difficult whether trying to attract the best athletic talent to the court or employee talent in the workplace, a process driven approach makes it less challenging. The guide was written for the benefit of players, but definitely useful from the coaching side. 

We'll see where this goes or if it's just another experiment in life's process of finding the next challenge!