If you like basketball, careers and storytelling, here are three recent podcasts of our to enjoy. As always you can catch all of our pods here.
Hoops history: We caught up with Andrew Maraniss, best-selling author and Special Projects Coordinator at Vanderbilt University to talk about Vandy’s recent football success, how he chooses and builds the storylines for his books from adults to youth fiction, and a bit about the history of race relations tied to sports in the south. Andrew speaks about how he became an author, the lessons he learned from his dad, Pulitzer Prize winner David Marniss and what it was like to grow up around some of the most legendary authors of the 20th Century. He also speaks about the power of storytelling, the challenges of shorter attention spans and how his books can help remedy this issue. Listen especially to the story of Perry Wallace, the first African American basketball player in the SEC, and all the lessons learned from a lifetime of healing. Andrew also speaks about his work in collegiate athletics, navigating the challenges of a constantly changing industry of college sports, and the power of showing up. Lastly, Andrew speaks about Nashville’s impact on sports and how it has evolved just in the past few years. Give a listen here.
Success on the sidelines. We had the honor of catching up with Megan Griffith, the women’s basketball coach at Columbia as she and her team come off their historic first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. It was her second visit with us, the first was before The Pandemic, and she reflects on her nine seasons at Columbia and preparing for this upcoming season with all of these changes in college basketball, from NIL to the transfer portal, and how she has how to use adaptive learning to stay fresh and build a culture able to withstand the body blows of change. Megan also speaks about the positive attention on women’s basketball, how we got there and how the future of the game. We even delve into the changes being made in wearable tech and equipment for elite women’s athletes, and how all of that is impacting the game for the better. Lastly, with not one but two WNBA draftees last season, Abbey Hsu and Kaitlin Davis, Griffith explains her why for the business, one that is ever evolving. Take a listen here.
Lessons From A Lifer. Lastly, we caught up with one of the rare individuals in sport these days, someone who has spent his entire career in one place and has thrived, Allen Lhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/allen-lumpkin-a46a67100/umpkin, Executive Director of Team Logistics for the Philadelphia 76ers. Allen, who started as a ballboy, talks about his unique path to get to his current role, and the evolution of his job over time. He also speaks about his passion for basketball, being in Philly and building authentic relationships while never burning the bridges that have been built. The names that come up during the podcast are worthy of someone who has spent over 30 years in the organization, from Charles Barkley to Allen Iverson to Joel Embiid. More importantly, this podcast gives job seekers an opportunity to learn about perseverance and character from someone who has been the North Star of a franchise, albeit behind the scenes in such a vital role we don’t always acknowledge. Listen here.
Enjoy!!!
