Jamy Bechler

Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.

Episode 129: Pure Sweat Basketball’s Jon Beck

Jon Beck is a must-follow on twitter for coaches and athletes. After his stellar playing career at Division I Arkansas State University, he went on to have a successful career as both a boys and girls basketball coach in Tennessee. He has been trained at Nike Skills and Pure Sweat clinics and coaches academies and has worked Nike Elite camps and completed a summer internship in Los Angeles, CA for Drew Hanlen of Pure Sweat Basketball, where he has worked with several NBA players.

He now offers skills academies and team clinics, as well as individual and team training to players as a Skills Coach for Pure Sweat Basketball. Throughout his career, his focus has been on player development and skills coaching. His passion is to help players reach their full potential on and off the court. He is continually working to improve his craft as a coach, while developing great relationships with coaches and players.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • How to coach today’s athletes
  • What the best players do when they work out
  • Building a strong culture
  • Pure Sweat Basketball
  • … and so much more!!!

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Episode 128: Swen Nater, Only player to lead ABA & NBA in Rebounding

Swen Nater won two NCAA Championships as a basketball player for the legendary John Wooden at UCLA. He would become the first player to ever be a NBA first round draft choice despite never starting a college game. During the 1973-74 season, Swen would earn ABA Rookie of the Year status. He would go on to play professional basketball for 12 years for the Lakers, Clippers, Bucks, Spurs, and Nets. He is the only player in basketball history to lead the ABA and the NBA in rebounding. At the 2004 NBA All-Star game, he was officially named “Mr. Clipper”. After retiring as a player, he would go on to help start the Christian Heritage athletic department and lead the men’s basketball team to a National Championship. Today, he is a highly sought-after motivational speaker and executive of a Fortune 500 company. 

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • His unbelievable story of going from an orphanage to finding his parents on an American TV show.
  • Playing for the legendary coach John Wooden
  • What made him such a great rebounder
  • The journey of not playing basketball in high school to being a bench player in college to being selected as a first-round draft pick in the NBA
  • … and so much more!!!

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Episode 127: Patti Phillips, C.E.O. of Women Leaders in College Sports

Patti Phillips is the CEO of women leaders in college sports. This is the nation’s premier organization that develops, connects and advances women working in collegiate athletics.  Patti Phillips is the former president of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2015, she was a recipient of the NCAA’s Champion of Diversity Award. Phillips has served as the CEO of the Women Leaders in College Sports (formerly known as NACWAA) since 2010. In her time as CEO, the association has seen triple-digit growth in membership, has been rejuvenated with a renewed focus on advancing and empowering women, has undergone a name change and organizational transformation, and has established itself as the premier leadership association for women in athletics. Under Phillips’ direction, the association provides a road map, resources, and coaching for women wanting to advance into leadership positions. It also launched the Women Leaders podcast in 2017 which highlights the successes and career paths of women leaders both in and outside the industry.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • The current state of college athletics
  • Developing the next generation of leaders
  • Women leaders in college sports
  • Leadership qualities that the best leaders possess
  • … and so much more!!!

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5 Things I Wish I Knew As A Young Coach

As a college basketball coach for nearly 20 years, I had many experiences that I was proud of. But, I also made my share of mistakes, especially early in my career. Now that I have left coaching to work with teams as a leadership trainer and consultant, I look back on my career and offer up five things that I wish I knew when I first started out in coaching.

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Episode 030: True North Sports Founder Celia Slater

Celia Slater is the founder of True North Sports, an organization whose purpose is to challenge coaches to find their True North and coach from “that” place—the most authentic place—that lies within. As part of this endeavor, Celia also runs Camp Elevate, which is a professional development conference for coaches unlike any other. Through True North Sports, Celia also launched the Assistant Coach Immersion Program (ACIP). The ACIP is a unique educational experience that will bring men and women coaches from all sports together. The vision of this program is to develop the next generation of head coaches who will coach from a strong sense of purpose or their authentic True North.

Prior to starting True North, Celia was a head women’s college basketball coach. As a player, she earned MVP honors during her senior year at Florida State University. True North isn’t the first organization that she has founded. She served as the co-founder and Executive Director of both the NCAA Women Coaches Academy (WCA) and The Alliance of Women Coaches (The Alliance). The WCA started as a professional development program and, due largely to Celia’s efforts, soon exploded into a network of women coaches with an ever-growing grant to aid in expansion.

Celia is on the current board of Girls Place Inc., a non-profit that serves girls ages 5-18 through after-school programs, athletics, and summer day camp. She is also a graduate of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) Institute for Administrative Advancement, a certified Change Cycle Trainer and a certified facilitator for the Pursuing Victory with Honor Sports Ethics Program. In addition, she is a graduate of the Good Life Project Immersion Program. A Toastmasters International fanatic, Celia has also been involved with the organization for several years and earned her Competent Toastmaster Credential (CTM).

In today’s episode, we discuss:

  • Why Camp Elevate is a MUST-ATTEND event if you are a coach
  • How coaches can improve their effectiveness (as well as their results)
  • Ways that administrators can help their coaches improve
  • What administrators can do to help make their student-athletes better

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National Motivational Speaker Visits George Fox University

Motivational speaker Jamy Bechler traveled in late February from his Atlanta headquarters to spend the day with student-athletes and coaches at George Fox University in Oregon.

He is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.  John Maxwell, who has written more than 100 books, is generally considered the top leadership expert in the world.

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