Owen:
What’s up? Welcome back to another podcast of “Rapid Fire.” I’m your host, Owen Maddock, and today we have a very special guest, Joseph. Go introduce yourself.
Joe:
Sure, I’m happy to be here. I’ve been a coach since 1988–89, so I’ve coached at all kinds of different levels—from high school varsity down to 1st graders. Before that, I played high school and a little bit of college basketball. I’ve been an educator, a business owner, worked in the private and public sectors, and I’m excited to be here.
Owen:
That’s amazing. That’s amazing. You know, with being a basketball player, what was your mindset of winning or losing—especially if you’re in a tough spot? How did you get out of those moments?
Joe:
Boy, that’s a great question. I think as a player, routine and preparation are really important. I’ll give you an example—I always liked to take big free throws. So at the end of the game, if we were ahead and knew they were going to foul, I might hold the ball for an extra second to make sure I got fouled.
But a lot of that came from my free throw routine—it didn’t change from the time I was 10 years old. I’d look at the basket, take a deep breath, take one dribble, look again, take another deep breath, shoot the ball, and stay with it. That summer when I was 10, I probably shot 50 free throws a day and wrote down every single one.
So I think routine and preparation help a lot. And also, there are a lot of stories about famous athletes—everybody gets nervous. To play in pressure situations, you’ve got to own the nerves and say, “I’m going to do it anyway.”
As a coach, Owen, I try to tell kids: if you’re nervous, do it nervous. If you’re scared, do it scared. If you’re unsure, do it unsure. You get through those things and naturally build confidence.
Owen:
Alright. And talking about confidence and all that, how would you help basketball players—like team members—get through that and make sure they can play their best?
Joe:
In terms of confidence, one of my best friends, Coach John Merritt, put me onto a book called “10 Minute Toughness.” There are three principles I’ve tried to use.
The first is learning how to take good, deep, deliberate breaths. Sometimes in a 30-second timeout, we’ll spend the first 15 seconds just breathing together to settle down.
The second is a statement of affirmation—something you tell yourself. Mine is, “I know what to do.” I’ve been coaching for 37 years, so nothing in a game is going to surprise me. Players need something they can tell themselves—not what their parents or coaches say, but their own voice.
The third is a “highlight reel”—running through moments in your head where you’ve been successful. Like if you’re taking a big free throw, you remind yourself: “I’ve made this shot before. I know what it feels like.”
If you practice those things deliberately, you’ll be ready for big moments.
Owen:
And I heard you were talking about your son. I know he was a really good basketball player at Vianney. Where did he end up going?
Joe:
Yeah, he had a great experience there. After high school, he signed with Columbia College, an NAIA school in Columbia, Missouri. He just finished his redshirt junior season and is graduating, so he has one year of eligibility left.
Ideally, he’d like to go back and play his grad year there. What I’ve learned watching him is that he got a lot of recognition in high school, but didn’t get much playing time for three years in college. He redshirted, then only played about 140 minutes total over two seasons.
But this year, he played over 900 minutes, started every game, and his team went to the national tournament and won their conference. I’m really proud of his perseverance.
He learned that you are not your results. When he finally got his opportunity, he was ready.
Owen:
Yeah, and I also saw a photo of him as a freshman at Vianney and then a recent one—the change is crazy.
Joe:
Yeah, as a freshman, he was about 6’2″, maybe 125 pounds—very thin. But basketball is a contact sport, so he needed to get stronger.
There was a senior named Kyren Williams—he now plays for the Los Angeles Rams. My son went up to him and asked if he could follow him in the weight room. Kyren talked to him about workouts and nutrition.
That was seven years ago, and since then, he’s lifted at least twice a week consistently. Over time, that consistency—and improving his nutrition—made a huge difference.
Joe:
I mentioned John Merritt—the football coach—and he talked to Adam a lot about supplements and nutrition. Now Adam’s a big, strong, physical kid, and that took a lot of work. I think the weightlifting, strength training, and nutrition will stay with him a lot longer than basketball. He’ll always be a fit guy who eats well and takes care of himself. But it’s definitely helped him as a player.
Owen:
Yeah, and a problem with a lot of athletes is that the idea of being strong and big is awesome, but a lot of them just don’t want to take the time. They don’t want to wait 7 years to become strong and everything.
Joe:
Yeah, that’s a great observation. That makes me think of something. During the last three and a half years of high school, Adam had a friend named Brandon Hebrink. Brandon was about 5’9″, went on to play baseball at Rockhurst University, and was also a really good high school basketball player. He was Adam’s main weightlifting partner.
There was also another guy, Glenn Powers, who went on to run track and play basketball. And then in college, Adam’s had a teammate, Jaden Carisquillo, who he’s worked out with for four years.
I think you make a really good point—making it social and having a friend helps a lot. First, for safety and routine, you’ve got someone to spot you. But also, there were probably weeks where Adam lifted because of Jaden. They held each other accountable.
That discipline matters. There’s a concept called delayed gratification—doing something now because it’ll pay off later. Not everybody has the discipline to stick with that.
Owen:
Yeah. Another thing—kind of staying on basketball—what does basketball mean to you overall?
Joe:
I’m 59 years old, and I’ve been in love with this sport for about 50 years.
What it means to me… whew. First, there’s the magic of shooting a basketball—when it leaves your hands and you just know it’s going in.
Then there’s the community—the friendships. Things have changed, but I played a ton of pickup basketball outside growing up. There were older kids in my neighborhood, and the kid across the street was really good. I had the only flat driveway, so they wanted to play there—but I wouldn’t let them unless they let me play too.
Guys like Milburgh Baysmore, Carl Rice, David Scribner, David Sellers—I idolized those guys.
It’s the friendships, the shared experiences. Honestly, I think I love the time in the gym even more than games—the work, the repetition. There’s just a sense of community.
And basketball gives you those moments—like in life—where everything just feels right. You kind of live for those high moments, and basketball gives you that over and over again.
Owen:
Yeah, I feel like as a basketball player, one of the best things is the atmosphere—like having a student section, everyone cheering, the crowd loud. That’s amazing.
Joe:
Yeah, it’s almost like theater. Like a mix of a Broadway play, a wrestling match—it’s loud, intense. Baseball doesn’t really have that same energy most of the time.
I remember when I was a senior in high school, right before I turned 18—I hit a shot in overtime against St. Louis University High to win the game. When I released it, I knew it was good. I held my follow-through, turned to their crowd—they were yelling at me. The whole theater of it—it’s just a lot of fun.
Owen:
If you could build an all-time roster of St. Louis basketball players—starting five—who would you pick?
Joe:
Oh wow… that’s a great question—and I’m nervous I’ll forget someone.
Jo Jo White—he played in the 70s, went to Kansas, won an NBA championship.
Jason Tatum has to be on there—he’s one of the best players in the world right now.
Bradley Beal—he’s had a really productive NBA career.
Larry Hughes—played about 12 years in the league
