Deep 3 with Vlad Moldoveanu

Episode 27 and the end of season 1 of the " Deep 3" podcast brings us a special guest, Gheorghe Muresan. Romania's 2nd NBA player after Ernie Grunfeld and NBA's Most Improved Player for the 1995-1996 season. In the NBA he played for the Washington Wizards and New Jersey News, now he is the President of Giant Basketball Academy. In this episode, you will her from Ghita about: How he started playing basketball His move to Pau Orthez( France) from Cluj-Napoca, Romania.  What it means to be a foreign player and the language barrier His first NBA training camp Why practices for him were never hard! What was his mindset the year when he earned the "Most Improved Player" in the NBA award What did he like most about the NBA and what he misses or does not miss about the NBA His thoughts on the Romanian National Team and the future of it You can find George Muresan on social media:  Twitter: @GeorgeMuresan77 Make sure you follow on IG/Twitter: Twitter: @deep3vm Instagram: @deep3vm

Nima Omidvar- NCAA Assistant Coach  Worked at NC State, University of Maryland, South Alabama  Nima is arguably one of the best and most active recruiters in NCAA basketball. He has been a part of the top recruiting classes in NCAA Division 1, at NC State, University of Maryland, South Alabama.  Currently has his own podcast called "Thru_the_tunnel" , a part of the rising coaches podcast network.   -  How and why did he get into coaching?  Talked about his experience at Jewish Day School, St John's College HS( He coached me there during the 06-07 season) and Paul VI.  Talked about how the WCAC is one of the toughest High School conferences in the nation -  We touched on his time at North Carolina State and University of Maryland. How he helped them recruit players and how he learned how to recruit with the best Difference between recruiting in the ACC vs at a smaller school or smaller conference.  His new podcast, all inside info on thru the tunnel- a podcast about college recruiting.  You can find Nima on TWITTER and Instagram His podcast can be found here - Thru_The_Tunnel

This entry in the Deep3 Podcast series is very special to me as I'm hosting my fellow AU Alum, Angre Ingram. Andre is currently playing for the South Bay Lakers and has been recently selected as President of the NBA G League Players Union. He's also played with the Los Angeles Lakers.  Here's what we'll be discussing in episode 25!   ▶️ Time spent at American University and transitioning to the Pro game.  ▶️ What made Andre stay in the G League  ▶️ Giving meaning to Andre's decision to stay in the G League, income and having to work other side jobs to support his family.  ▶️ The feeling of getting the call up to finish a season with the Los Angeles Lakers.  ▶️ Differences between the G League and the NBA as far as court basketball.  ▶️ What's on the top of Andre's agenda regarding the G League Players Union.  ▶️ Goals and future plans for the G League? Is there interest in competing with European leagues?  ▶️ Mentorship and how Andre got started on his way to becoming a mentor.

Episode 24 brings me face to face with Toddrick Gotcher. A Texas legend, ranked #2 in the State of Texas coming out of High School, playing at Texas Tech under 3 different head coaches and currently in ABA League with MZT SKopje. A deadly assasin from the 3 point line and a terrific defender, TG is creating his own story in Professional hoops. Has played with success in some of the top leagues in Europe.  His mindset is performance ready and we talk about his time in each team but also about goal setting, mindset of a role player and getting out of your comfort zone.  Toddrick has also played for Besiktas Istanbul, Ifaistos Limnou, Cholet, Koroivos.  1:25 - Relationship with current Texas Tech- Head Coach Chris Beard 2:50- Sticking through 3 head coaches at Texas Tech- Adapting each year- Transfer culture 5:45 - Becoming a vocal leader, getting out of the comfort zone 7:25- Transition from college to professional basketball 9:05- Adjusting to France coming from Greece 11:15- Moving back to Greece for this 3rd year to play for Ifaistos Limnou and his time on the island 13:15 -Growth Mindset off the court and improving areas of his life with the time off the court 16:10- How he copes without his family overseas 18:00- Time in Besiktas 19:20- Playing for Coach Dusko Ivanovic 22:25- Advice to younger players 27:35- Preparing for life after his professional career 29:20- 3 Must have’s for a college head coach 37:45- Book recommendation

For this episode I had the great pleasure to talk with sharpshooter Trevor John and his unique story. A Cal Poly and Drexel University alum, Trevor grew up in a basketball family( His father was a collegiate coach). He also had some bad luck coming out of college as he faced an injury and broken promise( contract) from a European Pro team. Then he missed out on his first year as COVID came and leagues got cancelled. We talk about his story, mental toughness and how he got through a rookie year where he did not have a chance to play. How important his mental approach was to the game, to stay sharp, get better and stay ready for his first Professional contract.  00:30- Talking about coming over and transition as a rookie during COVID times  01:50- Expectations- coming over for the first time over from the US  02:50- Coming from a basketball family- How has that helped and shaped him as a basketball player  05:10- How does having a coach in the family, help a player understand coaches  08:30- Transition from HS to College basketball  13:40- Understanding your role and preparing for your role and also expand your game.  19:30- Talking about Drexel and his grad transfer from Cal Poly. Why Drexel? What was the adjustment to being a main player on the team.  26:45- About his rookie year deal that fell through, then approach after not signing the very first summer out of college. G League tryouts and challenges  33:45- Expecations from this year for himself and the team Min 38- Few things he had time to do in Constanta

Aaaaand I'm back from the podcast hyatus with a treat for you guys. A great talk with Mike Morrison, currently playing for Yalovaspor in Turkey.  Here's the rundown. ▶️ 1:00 - The College experience and the adjustments needed from High School to College ▶️ 4:05 - Leaving George Mason University and signing with Antwerp Giants even before graduating. How does that transition look like?  ▶️ 8:30 - First off-season. What were the expectations from his first year overseas?  ▶️ 13:00 - Going into what his 4 years in Frankfurt were like, and about winning the FIBA Europe Cup.  ▶️ 18:00 - The move from Greece to Thailand. The why and the how. Basketball and lifestyle-wise.  ▶️ 22:30 - Thailand work ethic and the pros of one long practice per day.  ▶️ 27:30 - What Mike learned from COVID and so much time off. "Might be fat when I retire" :) ▶️ 34:50 - Moving into a bigger role and what it means to shift your mindset from being a role player to being a star.  ▶️ 41:15 - Self-talk, or as Mike puts it "Controlling the converstasion in your head".

Today's podcast has me talking with another person who I have great respect, Mr. Thanasis Molyvdas, Assistant Coach for Ifestos Limons 2019-2020 season and also Assistant Coach for the Greek National Team for the 2019 World Cup.   Here's some of what we'll be discussing.  ▶️ Coaching the Greek National Team at the World Cup. The pressure, and integrating Giannis Antetokounmpo.  ▶️ The differences between Giannis' style of play in a FIBA game and his regular scene.  ▶️ The Greek League vs the Lithuanian, Lebanon Leagues or the Euroleague.  ▶️ Playing in Greece, experiences and coaching approach, scouting and tactics.  ▶️ Plans for the upcoming season.

This week I'm hosting my good friend Brandon Goble of Juco Advocate and Verbal Commits.  ▶️ We'll first find out about Juco Advocate and how it started.  ▶️ What is Verbal Commits?  ▶️ Talking projects in Africa and the first organized camp in Tanzania.  ▶️ Finding diamonds in the rough and helping kids get to college in the United States.  ▶️ European Academies vs High School basketball. Which one is better?  ▶️ Future plans for camps, including the possibility of partnering up for one in Romania.

With episode 19, I have a special treat for you guys. An interview with the legendary sports journalist and reporter, David Aldridge.  Currently a writer for The Athletic, David has enjoyed an impressive career, working at The Washington Post, as a beat writer covering Georgetown University basketball, the Washington Bullets, the Washington Redskins and covering elite level events such as the Superbowl, the U.S. Open tennis championship, the Indy 500, Stanley Cup playoffs, the World Series and even the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Inquirer, ESPN and TNT where he was involved in several projects and long-running segments such as "Inside the NBA" and as a co-host for "The Beat" on NBA TV as well as being a sideline reporter for both the NBA and the MLB.   As avid fans and alums American University, together, we go over a series of events that have left a mark on David's career, his progression as a professional, an inside look on how US sports are viewed by the rest of the world and interesting (and sometimes hilarious) insight on some of the best to ever play or coach the game as well as some of his personal feelings on who the best basketball player of all time is.

n episode 18, I play host to Jerai Grant, a Clemson University alum, currently playing professionally overseas.  Today, we're talking about:  ▶️ What playing in the Israeli League "bubble" is like.  ▶️ DeMatha Catholic vs St. John's High School battles.  ▶️ Why Clemson?  ▶️ What Jerai learned from his father (Harvey Grant) and uncle (Horace Grant) playing in the NBA.  ▶️ Favorite overseas experience.  ▶️ How long running careers get shaped in Europe by players being put into "boxes".  ▶️ How Jerai developed himself and his game, taking to heart some lessons that Horace had for him during summer workouts.