Culture, Clarity, and the Meep Mentality — with Fairfield WBB Assistant Coach Blake DuDonis
Nail The Recruiting Process Podcast
Release Date: 06/10/2025
Hiking a Mountain One Step at a Time — A Conversation with Cornell Head Coach Emily Garner
Nail The Recruiting Process Podcast
Jared here. This week is the season finale of the NTRP Podcast, and I’m joined by Emily Garner, Head Coach of Cornell Women’s Basketball, for a wide-ranging conversation on what it really takes to build a program in one of the most competitive and academically demanding conferences in the country. Coach Garner’s journey has unfolded almost entirely at elite academic institutions—first as a player at Lafayette, then as a recruiting coordinator at Army, later as the Head Coach at Trinity College (CT), and now leading Cornell. This path has given her a deep perspective on what it means to...
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Constructing a Culture Beyond the Court — A Conversation with Sacred Heart University Head Coach Anthony Latina
Nail The Recruiting Process Podcast
Constructing a Culture Beyond the Court — A Conversation with Sacred Heart University Head Coach Anthony Latina Jared here. This week I’m joined by Anthony Latina, Head Coach of Sacred Heart Men’s Basketball, for a conversation that looks at culture in its fullest sense—not just within the team, but across an entire campus community. Coach Latina has spent 20 years with the Pioneers, and I can’t wait for you to hear the way that his time there changed how he frames success. It isn’t only about wins or even player development—it’s about building a program where his athletes are...
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Training the Mind — A Conversation with David Hitz, Founder of The Neuro Pro
Nail The Recruiting Process Podcast
Jared here. This episode, I’m joined by David Hitz, founder of The Neuro Pro, for a conversation that pulls back the curtain on how mindfulness and breathwork are becoming a competitive edge for athletes. David has worked with athletes and professionals at all levels to unlock performance through the brain’s ability to rewire itself—what science calls neuroplasticity. We talk about what that actually looks like in training, why so many young athletes struggle with confidence and emotional control, and how something as simple as learning to breathe with intention can reset the body and...
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The Science Behind the System - A conversation with Nichols College Head Coach Dan Nagle
Nail The Recruiting Process Podcast
Jared here. This week I’m joined by one of my oldest basketball buddies Dan Nagle, Head Coach at Nichols College, for a cannonball dive into one of the most unique styles of basketball you’ll see at the college level. Nichols runs “The System,” a high-octane, relentless approach built on pace, pressure, and both shooting and subbing in volume. He’s in the middle of a program re-build at Nichols, who are fresh off their winningest season in more than 15 years. So to say the least, he’s on to something. So much of my advice to young recruits is centered around them developing further...
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The Snow Standard — A Conversation with Snow College Head Coach Andrew May
Nail The Recruiting Process Podcast
Jared here. In this episode, I sit down with Andrew May, Head Coach of Snow College Men’s Basketball—a team that spent much of last season ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA. Coach May takes us inside the culture and demands of high-level junior college basketball, breaking down what makes JUCO so different and why the JUCO path is the perfect fit for certain players. We talk about the balance between developing talent and competing for championships, the level of discipline required to succeed in such a compressed two-year window, and the habits he expects his players to embody from day one. He...
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Relationships, Development, and Trusting Your Journey — A Conversation with NIU Head Coach Jacey Brooks
Nail The Recruiting Process Podcast
Jared here. This week, I’m joined by Jacey Brooks, Head Coach of Northern Illinois Women’s Basketball. We have a candid conversation about development, decision-making, and how to navigate the recruiting process with clarity—especially when you're struggling to make decisions. Coach Brooks has just about seen it all in her coaching journey. She’s served as an assistant and associate head coach at the D1 level, she built a nationally ranked program at the D3 level, and she’s even mentored high-level AAU athletes. Her perspective from both sides of the table gives her a unique...
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Standards, Accountability, and Decision making - A Conversation with Saint Francis Head Coach Luke McConnell
Nail The Recruiting Process Podcast
Jared here. This episode, I’m joined by Luke McConnell - Head Coach at Saint Francis University - for a conversation that blends program-building, personal growth, and the mindset that manufactured one of the most improbable Conference Championship runs of the 2024-2025 season. He walks through how Saint Francis found its identity late in the season, bought into one another, and played their best basketball when it mattered most, culminating in the first NCAA Tournament appearance for St. Francis in 34 years. Coach McConnell goes through the nuts and bolts of some of the most important...
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Bonus Pod: A tour of the NTRP/AN Recruiter App with Athlete Narrative VP David Hitz
Nail The Recruiting Process Podcast
Episode: Behind the App — How Athlete Narrative is Changing the Game with David Hitz In this bonus episode of The Nail the Recruiting Process Podcast, we’re stepping off the court and into the digital side of recruiting. With the live evaluation season in full swing and coaches on the road, I wanted to give athletes and families a deeper look into a tool that aims to level the playing field: the Athlete Narrative Recruiter app. I’m joined by David Hitz, VP of Operations at Athlete Narrative, for a walkthrough of how the platform works—and why it’s built differently. We talk about why...
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The Turning Point (PT: 2) — The Home Stretch of Year One with the Canisius Women’s Basketball Coaching Staff
Nail The Recruiting Process Podcast
Jared here, and I’m going to put it simply: I’ve never heard a coach publicly share the types of stories you’re about to hear in this episode of the podcast. We continue our deep dive with Tiffany Swoffard, Head Coach of Canisius Women’s Basketball, as she reflects on the most pivotal stretch of her first season. If Part 1 was about laying the foundation, Part 2 is about testing it. This is where the values she preached in preseason collided with real adversity—and the story of how what followed changed the trajectory of the entire year. Follow Coach Swoffard and her staff through a...
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Building the Foundation (PT: 1): A behind the scenes look at year one at Canisius University with Head Coach Tiffany Swoffard
Nail The Recruiting Process Podcast
Jared here, and this one is not going to be your standard interview with a basketball coach. In the first of a two-part episode, I am joined by Canisius University Head Coach Tiffany Swoffard. But to put it more accurately, I WAS joined by Coach Swoffard for the entirety of the 2024-2025 season, in order to provide listeners with a behind-the-scenes look at what it really means to build a Division I program from the ground up. We captured the challenges, breakthroughs, and foundational moments that come with leading an almost entirely new roster with no shared on-court history. In this...
info_outlineJared here, and this week I’m joined by Fairfield Assistant Coach Blake DuDonis. Blake is one of my favorite minds (and also one of the most outstanding communicators) in college basketball. During Blake’s time as an assistant under coach Carly Thibault-Dudonis, Fairfield has become a force in mid-major D1 basketball, winning back-to-back MAAC championships and recently earning an invitation to USA Basketball’s 3x3 Nationals.
We dive deep into how Fairfield has built a culture rooted in trust, role clarity, and honest coaching. This includes the staff’s use of real data to define roles and guide player development. On the subject of roles, prepare for a thorough look at their now-famous "Roadrunner" position group, and how their staff balances hard coaching, real relationships, and gold old fashioned meep.
Blake then walks me through Fairfield’s unexpected 3x3 USA Basketball experience— from the invite, to the prep work, to the discovery that Fairfield’s style translated beautifully to the 3x3 game, to the takeaways from the experience. This retrospective ends with a must-hear take from Coach Blake himself on why 3X3 is such an untapped tool for development at every level of the sport.
I close my chat with Blake with some “real talk amongst friends” about the recruiting process, and it’s worth listening to every second if you’re a PSA or parent who wants to stay competitive in a rapidly changing recruiting landscape.
If you’re trying to understand what fit looks and feels like, how elite college programs think, or what really makes a recruit stand out—this episode will answer your questions and then some.
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