Jamy Bechler

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

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Aug 11 2021

Episode 175: Sports Stories with Denny Lennon

Denny Lennon is the host of Sports Stories with Denny Lennon, a video and audio podcast that focuses on uplifting stories told through long form interviews with a wide range of sports figures. He was born and raised in Venice, California as part of a family known for music but also highly passionate about sports. His true love for sports started in his own backyard. It was games in that yard that led to 40 years of jobs in coaching, announcing, promoting, and administrating sports at different levels throughout Los Angeles and the country. Coaching children, especially his own, cemented in his mind what a great gift sports can be. Joining the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) in 1994 to develop programs has provided him an opportunity to meet many interesting people in the world of sports including NBA Legend Jerry West

Click here for Denny’s complete bio

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • The greatest L.A. Laker ever
  • What made John Wooden such a good leader
  • Pioneering beach volleyball tournaments and TV coverage
  • … and much more!!!

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Leadership, Podcast Episodes, Sports · Tagged: AAU, Alan Stein, Athletic Director, Beach Volleyball, Clark Kellogg, Denny Lennon, Jake Kelfer, Jerry West, John Wooden, Karch Kiraly, kareem abdul-jabbar, LA Lakers, magic johnson, Podcast, TOPGUN, Volleyball

Jun 15 2021

Episode 170: Jake Kelfer, Professional Basketball Combine

Jake Kelfer is the 2x bestselling author of Elevate Beyond and Elevate Your Network, as well as a motivational speaker and the founder of Professional Basketball Combine. His first book Elevate Beyond, released in 2016, originally began as a series of blog posts for his friends and is a real-world guide to standing out in the job market and discovering your passion. Elevate Your Network, his follow-up book which was released in 2018, is all about how to build extraordinary relationships in life and business. His company, Professional Basketball Combine, provides NBA draft prospects an opportunity to raise their draft stock and achieve their dream of playing pro basketball through private workouts, combine testing and team interviews.

Click here to read more about Jake Kelfer.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • The greatest Laker of all-time
  • Who was the player he pretended to be for last-second shots
  • Being more important than Jerry West for 14 seconds.
  • Retiring on the same day as Kobe Bryant
  • What it takes to be an NBA player
  • … and much more!!!

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Personal Growth, Podcast Episodes, Sports · Tagged: Alan Stein, Basketball, draft, draft combine, G-League, Jake Kelfer, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers, magic johnson, Melissa Agnes, Motivational Speaker, NBA, Networking, Pro basketball, professional basketball, professional speaker

Oct 18 2018

Episode 092: Jerod Ward, Former Pro Basketball Player

Jerod Ward was the #1 high school basketball player in the country in 1994. As the top recruit, he could choose to play college ball anywhere and he chose The University of Michigan. Multiple knee surgeries kept him from achieving his NBA dream but he still had a solid four year career for the Wolverines helping them beat Duke three straight years, win the National Invitational Tournament and the Big Ten Tournament. Jerod then went on to have a long career playing professional basketball worldwide. Jerod now travels across the country as a professional speaker. He has even been on stage for a Tedx Talk presenting on the topic of EATing Adversity. Even though he is retired from playing basketball, Jerod still stays close to the game he loves as he works as a college basketball analyst with networks including ESPN, FOX Sports. Jerod lives in Sarasota, Florida with his wife Tricia and daughter Violet.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • His decision to attend college and not turn pro out of high school
  • What it was like being the best high school player in the nation
  • The Lebron James vs. Michael Jordan debate
  • Playing professional basketball for 14 years
  • How we can overcome adversity we face in life

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Podcast Episodes, Sports · Tagged: Adversity, chris webber, Dr. J, ESPN, fab five, Habits, Jerod Ward, JJ Birden, juwan howard, Lebron James, life coach, magic johnson, Michael Jordan, Michigan Wolverines, NCAA Tournament, obstacles, Overcoming Adversity, pivoting, Shemy Schembechler, Steve Fisher, Ted Talk, Ted Talks, TedX Talk, tim grover, University of Michigan, vince carter

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