Hey Coach,

Most of us open the calendar, circle Game 1, and start scheming. But winning your season isn’t about the first tip. It’s about the tools you use every day.

In Sunday’s joint SAVI Basketball × TOC Coach webinar, JP Nerbun, Mark Cascio, and I walked through three tools every coach needs—one for leadership, one for culture, and one for the art of teaching.

If you missed it, the replay’s below. But this email gives you the meat so you can use it right now.

What we covered (and how to use it today)

#1 - Leadership: Build a daily practice (Tyler)

What matters more than Game 1 prep? The daily practice that makes you a leader worth following.

The model: Leadership is a cycle, not a finish line—lead yourself → lead others → repeat.

The test: Can you pass the “marshmallow test” in your own life—delay short-term comfort for long-term gains?

A simple morning routine that compounds:

• Wake up early enough to win the first hour (no phone).

• Do something physical (walk, push-ups, lift).

• Read or learn for 20 minutes.

• Journal or pray/meditate for clarity.

• Use drive time for podcasts instead of noise.

Why it matters: Players listen to the leader you are, not just the words you say. If we don’t lead ourselves, our culture days and “buy-in” speeches won’t land.

Try it this week:

• Block a 20–30 minute non-negotiable morning routine.

• Share one part of your routine with the team and why it matters.

• Ask your captains to design their own routine and report back.

#2 - Conversations: Your culture is built one talk at a time (JP)

If we put a camera on your program, “culture building” isn’t bricks and mortar—it’s conversations.

Five ingredients of high-quality conversations:

• Presence: Phones down, eyes up. Choose times/places where you can truly be there.

• Awareness: Notice your judgments before you speak. Curiosity dies when we pre-judge.

• Curiosity (open questions): “What are you noticing?” beats “Did you try hard?”

• Reflection: Play back what you heard in one or two clear sentences so they feel seen.

• Silence: Ask—and wait. Space invites honesty.

Structure helps:

• Use a short pre-form for 1:1s (what’s going well / not / one change you want).

• In the meeting: athlete goes first, coach second.

• Assistants: stagger on the bench; connect after a short cool-down, not immediately when the player sits.

Go-to questions you can steal:

• “What are you noticing out there?”

• “On a scale of 1–10, where’s your effort right now? What moves it +2?”

• “It seemed off today—what was going on for you?”

• “If we ran that rep again, what would you do differently?”

#3 - Teaching: Stop telling. Start asking. (Mark)

Most teams are over-coached and under-taught. Telling gets compliance; questions build transfer.

Why questions work:

• Players process, choose, and own the action.

• Understanding > memorizing your instructions.

• You’ll learn whether it’s a “can’t” or a “won’t.”

On-court question categories to use all practice:

• Why: “What do we want on offense?” “What must we take away on defense?”

• Organization: “How should we rotate here?” “How many reps do we need?”

• Standards: “Are we above or below the line right now? What changes it?”

Assistant coach superpower:

• Pull a player aside during natural pauses.

• Ask one open question, listen, reflect, send them back locked in.

One mini-script to try tomorrow:

• Stop the rep. “If you could do that again, what would you do differently?”

• Let them answer. “Good—run it back and show me.”

Quick wins checklist (use this week)

• Leadership: Lock a morning routine for five straight days.

• Conversations: Schedule one 15-minute 1:1 with a key athlete using the five ingredients.

• Teaching: In your next drill, replace two “tells” with open questions from the list above.

• Assistants: Assign bench roles (connector, scout, calm voice) and where each sits.

Resources mentioned

• TOC Coach Leadership Journal (habit tracker + reflection pages). Reply if you want details.

• TOC Coach × SAVI partnership for coach development (individual and department options).

Final Word: Don’t chase a perfect opener. Build a season you’re proud of—through daily practice, better conversations, and teaching that sticks.

If you’ve got questions or want help applying this inside your program, hit reply and we’ll point you to the right training.

Stay SAVI,
Tyler

P.S. If you’re a SAVI annual member and want access to TOC Coach, reply and we’ll get you set up.

P.P.S. You can subscribe to TOC Coach on YouTube to watch and listen to The Coaching Culture Podcast. Click here to check that out and subscribe.