Why Making Stuff Saves Your Soul...

It's the end of an era. 🎓The day before graduation, Max and I sat down for what might be our last episode together for a long time and we wanted to make it count. 4 years of college basketball, a podcast we built from nothing, and a lot of lessons learned the hard way. We figured there's no better way to close it out than passing on everything we know.In this finale, we break down 6 lessons for any young player trying to make it to college basketball drawn from real experience, real failures, and real moments that shaped who we became. One of us came from a small town with nothing but a dream, the other grew up in the city with a different set of obstacles. Either way, we both lived itLessons we cover:- It's a marathon, not a sprint- Don't put college players on a pedestal- Use every resource around you- Be uncomfortable, seek out better competition- Advocate for yourself relentlessly- Ask for feedback unapologeticallyPlus our "Welcome to College" horror stories, how the game changed us as people, and a sendoff to everyone who's been rocking with us since day one. It's been a hell of a run. Thank you for listening. 🙏-All The Socials: https://linktr.ee/SATB_Pod-Time Stamps: 0:00 – Intro & Welcome Max opens the final episode; graduation is tomorrow (May 15th), the end of an era after 4 years.0:33 – Lesson 1 (Max): "It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint" Consistency over intensity — stick with it long enough and opportunities will come.6:52 – Lesson 2 (Chris): "Don't Put College Players on a Pedestal" They're regular people who just worked hard. Comparison is the thief of joy.9:52 – Lesson 3 (Chris): "Use the Resources Around You" Coaches, film, the internet — stop doing it alone. It makes things infinitely harder than it needs to be.14:48 – Lesson 4 (Max): "Be Uncomfortable" If you're the best player in the gym, you're in the wrong gym. Seek out higher-level environments.15:03 – Lesson 5 (Max): "Advocate for Yourself" Send 30–50 emails a day. Film every game. Cast the widest net possible — coaches won't always find you.21:27 – Lesson 6 (Chris): "Ask for Feedback Unapologetically" One hour with the right coach beats 20 solo sessions. Use your network, and even ChatGPT if needed.26:35 – Storytime: "Welcome to College" Moments Max's jersey mix-up drill disaster & Chris's nightmare first-practice pass that almost touched the ceiling.1:00:46 – Reflection: How College Changed Us Patience, going with the flow, and learning to succeed under adversity.1:11:48 – Shoutouts & Sign-Off Thanking coaches (Coach Southall, Coach Pisch, Coach Brad), teammates, and loyal listeners. Final farewell.

This week we sat down with Medaille College legend and Empire 8 champion, Dante Gesamondo. From going unrecruited in high school to receiving 42+ transfer offers after Medaille closed, Dante turned one of the worst situations in college athletics into an incredible story. We talk his journey to Hartwick, his grad assistant role at Hood College, playing semi-pro with FC Buffalo, and where he sees himself in the next five years. Plus NBA playoffs takes, golf confessions, and board game talk-All the Socials:-Time Stamps: 0:00 — Intro & welcome2:00 — Who is Dante G? Boston roots & life at Medaille6:00 — Medaille closes: going from 0 offers to 42+ transfer offers12:00 — Why Hartwick? Choosing the right fit over Division 118:00 — Goalkeeper of the Year & Male Athlete of the Year at Hartwick23:00 — Hood College: life as a Grad Assistant & goalkeeper coach28:00 — Building a winning culture from scratch at Hood33:00 — FC Buffalo & the semi-pro grind (USL 2)38:00 — The path to USL 1 — how do you climb the ladder?43:00 — Life outside soccer: basketball, golf, 2K & board games48:00 — Where does Dante see himself in 5 years?52:00 — Outro

Coach Hack is back on the pod for the first time in years. We catch up on everything since Medaille closed, the grind of rebuilding FDU Florham from the ground up, 7 players quitting before practice even started, becoming a dad, and the 48-hour stretch that changed his entire life. Plus golf coaching, the Murph, and some stories we probably shouldn't tell. -All The Socials: https://linktr.ee/SATB_Pod-Time Stamps: 0:00 Intro & Zoom StrugglesWe welcome back our former coach despite the janky Zoom setup holding us hostage.1:25 Life at FDU FlorhamCoach breaks down his rocky first year and the slow rebuild we've been watching from afar.9:18 First Move as CoachHow do you fix a program that hasn't won in 20 years? We get into it.15:03 Redefining SuccessWins aside, we talk about what a successful season actually looks like now.16:51 Fatherhood Changes EverythingCameron cheering "Daddy's team" in a silent gym, we talk about how perspective shifts when you become a parent.19:26 Medai Closes: What's Next?Coach walks us through the 48-hour whirlwind, job offer, move, and pregnancy announcement all at once.30:12 Golf Coach EraWe find out Coach is now running the FDU golf program and playing elite country clubs for free.38:31 Fix the SliceWe diagnose why Chris is sending balls through virtual windows and what he needs to fix.47:14 The Murph ChallengeChris tells us he's doing the Murph on Memorial Day and Coach gives his strategy breakdown.54:47 When Do Kids Get Phones?Cameron's already skipping YouTube ads at 2, we debate tech and kids.1:04:32 Coach McDonald to St. BonaventureWe react to the big coaching news and what it means to make the D1 jump.1:10:02 Wild Stories & Real TalkWe close out with the funniest Medai memories and Coach sends us off with some real talk.

Rayquan Anderson is a college basketball player who sews his own clothes in his dorm room, travels to New York alone for the day, draws cartoon characters nobody knows about, and is quietly building a fashion brand from the ground up all while playing Division III ball.This conversation is about what it actually looks like to be a creative person who doesn't fit into one box. Ray breaks down how music shapes what he makes, why expression through physical art hits different than any other medium, and what separates someone grinding with thrift store fabric from someone running a full-time clothing brand at 22.We also get into Nietzsche's idea that suffering is the raw material of great art, the psychology of standing out, and why the best athletes and the best artists are doing the exact same thing.-All the Socials: https://linktr.ee/SATB_Pod-Time Stamps: 0:00 – Intro & Welcome1:24 – High School Career: From 2 PPG to 18 & 122:39 – Freshman Season at Elms5:07 – FDU Camp & Coach Hack Stories7:29 – Fashion, Style & Making Clothes11:57 – How It All Started: Grandma's Sewing Machine13:52 – Nietzsche, Art & Fashion as Self-Expression19:20 – Fashion Mentor & The Road to Going Full-Time27:45 – Picknelly Park Intramural Ball33:03 – StratSim & The Car Company Chaos

Aden Goffe is back on Shipped Across the Border and a lot has changed since the last time he sat down with us.He started the season as one of the top scorers in all of D3 basketball, then tore his MCL and watched the rest of the year from the sideline. In this episode, Aden breaks down how he got to that level, what he picked up watching games from the bench, and where his head is at heading into next year.We also get into his run in the Beyond All Odds 1v1 tournament, his plans to open a sports complex, picking up DJing during his recovery, and the real reason he plays the game even when it gets hard.-All the Socials: https://linktr.ee/SATB_Pod-Timestamps; 0:00 — Intro & Welcome Back to Aden Goffe1:42 — MCL Tear & Leading D3 in Scoring3:03 — Off-Season Work: What Aden Actually Focused On4:53 — Going Pro? Overseas Ball & The Sports Complex Dream7:32 — Breaking Down the Sports Complex Business (Hoop Dome, Spooky Nook)9:47 — Small Town Canada & The Legendary After Prom Party11:46 — Beyond All Odds 1v1 Tournament Breakdown15:16 — How the 1v1 Rules Work (4 Dribbles, Up to 30, 8-Second Clock)19:39 — Picking Up DJing During Injury Recovery22:47 — Life Without Basketball: Managing Free Time & Boredom26:45 — Calisthenics, Muscle-Ups & Trying Something New30:04 — The Specialization Theory: You Can Only Be Great at 1–3 Things38:19 — Strength Training Goals, Body Composition & Diet Deep Dive48:24 — Picknelly Park 3v3 League: How It Started53:37 — Coach Parks' First-Half Explosion & SATB's Comeback Win1:00:34 — Aden's Full College Career Reflection (Year by Year)1:07:39 — Mental Blocks: Being Too Analytical & Boxing Yourself In1:13:39 — Spotlight Syndrome: Why He Needs a Crowd to Play His Best1:16:07 — Playing for the Legacy: What His Kids Will See One Day

In this episode, we crack open Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy and ask why the hell making stuff (music, memes, paintings, podcasts) actually makes life feel worth living. We get into chaos, suffering, and that weird rush of creating something out of the mess, and argue that art might be the most human way to redeem all the nonsense we go through. If you've ever wondered why you feel better after making anything, this one's for you

In this episode of Shipped Across The Border, we sit down with Jamie Lawson Jr. to break down what our first college basketball season at Elms really felt like, from adjusting to the competition and expectations to getting through a year defined by constant lineup changes and injuries. We recap the 10 win season as a big program milestone while also being real about the frustration of missing the playoffs when we were right on the edge.From there, we get into what it actually takes to level up. We talk about how winning programs build continuity, why basketball IQ separates top teams, and how Jamie wants to train this offseason by tracking workouts and shooting so the improvement is measurable and not just a feeling. In the back half, we pivot into a surprisingly deep debate on when kids should get phones, how social media and child fame can mess with development, and why parents have to build structure so talent does not get swallowed by hype. We close with next year plans, our schedule philosophy, record goals, and what it would mean for Elms to start earning real postseason recognition and performance based awards.Topics we cover:Freshman season reality check, team growth, and the playoff missInjuries, depth, and constantly changing lineupsProgram building and continuityOffseason development plan, tracking, shooting work, getting quicker and strongerKids and phones, TikTok and child star fame, and why hype can ruin talentNext year goals, scheduling, conference expectations, postseason recognition-All the Socials: https://linktr.ee/SATB_Pod-Time Stamps: 00:26 – Full intro, Jamie’s first college season and expectations07:02 – Building a program, St. Joe’s Maine continuity and winning over years13:40 – Offseason plan: IQ, quickness, physicality, and tracking shots20:56 – Life after hoops: structure, screen time, needing a new video game23:43 – Phone debate: what age should kids get phones29:04 – Kids, content, and money: early phones, TikTok, and viral child creators32:34 – Child stars vs TikTok fame: Bieber, Baby Gronk, Disney kids35:54 – Psychological cost of fame, parents’ responsibility, “getting treated different”38:15 – Julian Newman example and what happens when validation disappears39:41 – Transition point toward getting back on hoops / future focus41:05 – Pivot back to basketball, offseason routine (open gym, lifting)42:06 – Spring break plans and LA talk (In-N-Out, Venice Beach, Roscoe’s)44:40 – Screen time limiters, “fiending,” and why Facebook becomes rock bottom48:42 – Childhood screen time restrictions, going outside, and how parenting flipped52:21 – Back to hoops: Northeast vs North Carolina style of play differences55:03 – Individual + team goals for next year (awards, shooting, playoffs, Final Four talk)59:17 – Non-conference scheduling debate: tougher teams vs easier wins59:46 – Balance take: need confidence-building wins and “learn from losses” games01:00:16 – Next year schedule philosophy: tougher teams vs easier wins (continued)01:01:43 – Ideal record talk: 16–9 overall, 10–6 in conference01:02:43 – Shout out Mary Turco, all-conference awards, program profile01:03:36 – Final words, closing prompt

The whistle blew. The season ended. Now What? This week on Shipped Across the Border, Chris and Max get raw about life after college basketball, what it means to walk away from something you poured 15+ years into, how your body and mind shift when the grind is finally over, and why the hardest part wasn't the ending itself, but realizing how much mental weight you were carrying the whole time.Max opens up about spotlight syndrome the belief that your performance defined how everyone around you saw you and why it took the end of his career to finally take those glasses off. They also get into calisthenics as a new pursuit, the one-to-one input/output ratio that basketball never gave, and a wild philosophical tangent courtesy of Nietzsche's Birth of Tragedy.We close it out with another debate: is it consistency or intensity that separates the ones who make it from the ones who don't?-All The Socials: https://linktr.ee/SATB_Pod-Time Stamps: 00:00 – Intro / Season's OverSetting up the episode — end of the season, life after college basketball.01:13 – No Regrets15+ years of basketball, zero regrets, and what the journey gave him as a person.04:28 – The Physical TollAnkle injuries, back issues, sickness — and how it all mentally prepared him for the end.06:23 – Sudden vs. Gradual EndingsChris and Max compare their two very different ways of walking away from the game.12:03 – What Would've Made Him Want More?His NBA 2K starting attributes, his ceiling, and why he's at peace with the level he reached.17:42 – Calisthenics: Bandaid or New Purpose?Why bodybuilding was just filling a hole, and why calisthenics hits differently.31:01 – Spotlight SyndromeThe biggest lesson from basketball being over — he was projecting his intensity onto everyone else's perception of him.38:29 – Bright Lights & Getting Out of Your HeadPerformance anxiety, "big moment" psychology, and the Mike Tyson effect.48:33 – Nietzsche & the 10-Page InquiryA deep philosophical rabbit hole inspired by Nietzsche's Birth of Tragedy — teased for a future episode.51:22 – Consistency vs. IntensityWhich archetype actually wins in basketball and in life?

In this episode, we sit down with maxes dad, Mark Rolnick, to talk about feeling lost in your 20s, what fatherhood actually does to you, and the life lessons you only learn by making mistakesWe talk about:Feeling lost in your 20s (and 50s)How basketball helped shape my discipline and balanceThe anger issues I had growing up and how I channeled themWhat it's really like to become a fatherParenting through chaos: going from "man-to-man to zone defense"Marriage advice after 25+ years togetherCareer mistakes, missed opportunities, and what he'd do differentlyWhat makes life meaningful at 52This episode gets real about fatherhood, finding your path, and the messy process of growing up. Whether you're navigating your 20s or thinking about what comes next, there's something here for you.-All The Socials: https://linktr.ee/SATB_Pod-Time Stamps: 00:00 - Intro & Senior Day Celebration02:03 - Mark at Max's Age: College Basketball Dreams05:03 - Feeling Lost in Your 20s07:31 - First Real Failures and Missed Opportunities09:34 - Wishing He Played College Sports12:34 - Basketball Helps Maintain Balance16:26 - Senior Day Reflections and Growth19:38 - Worrying About Max: Therapy and Development22:26 - Anger Issues and Growth Through Basketball26:32 - The Left Hand Layup Fight30:24 - "Were You Ready to Be a Father?"35:25 - Man-to-Man Defense to Zone Defense38:37 - Surrounding Yourself with the Right People44:01 - Hardest Age to Parent48:27 - The Secret to a Long Marriage52:25 - Mistakes from Your 20s56:58 - Advice That Gets Ignored01:00:21 - What to Keep: Competitiveness and Caring01:06:07 - The Medai Signing: A Proud Father Moment01:10:05 - What Makes Life Meaningful?01:15:10 - Staying in Shape at 5201:20:14 - What Still Scares You?01:22:39 - "When Did You Feel Like a Man?"01:25:29 - Final Wisdom: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

In this episode, Chris and Max dive into the chaos of winter break and post-college life. Chris recounts casino trips gone wrong, a shattered rear windshield from extreme temperature swings, and spamming 175 job applications in a week-and-a-half sprint, landing a creative social media role with a small Massachusetts company where he'll film crews, edit content, and build their brand from the ground up. We swap stories of dodging campus scams like fake giveaway emails for iPhones and MacBooks that nearly tricked teammates into wiring "shipping" fees and a wild remote job hustle that sounded too good to be true. Off the court, we reflect on balancing burnout, family time, calisthenics goals like muscle-ups, dreams of Japan trips, and building skills now to chase bigger adventures later without getting stuck.-Check The Links: https://linktr.ee/SATB_Pod00:00 – Intro, winter break, setting the tone07:00 – Injuries, sickness, being shorthanded16:00 – Comeback game, big three, playoff implications21:00 – Job search, interviews, post-grad plans31:00 – Content creation job opportunity & future vision34:00 – Campus scam emails & AI fraud talk42:30 – Mental grind of winter break as an athlete59:00 – Life balance, burnout, relying on one pillar1:10:00 – Business ideas, money math, closing thoughts