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Abe Woldeslassie Talks Program Building · A Quick Timeout

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0:48
SPEAKER_01: Welcome to another episode of A Quick Timeout Podcast.
0:51
SPEAKER_01: Today's guest isn't new to the show.
0:53
SPEAKER_01: However, it's been quite a while since we talked and he's been well-traveled since then.
0:59
SPEAKER_01: He's in his first year at the University of North Iowa and he is Coach Abe Woldeslassi.
1:04
SPEAKER_01: Coach, welcome back to the show.
1:06
SPEAKER_00: Coach Miller, great to be here.
1:07
SPEAKER_00: Thanks for making time.
1:09
SPEAKER_01: If you can believe it,
1:10
SPEAKER_01: it's been, I looked it up, five and a half years since you were on the show last.
1:13
SPEAKER_01: Can you give like a quick rundown of what's happened in that time?
1:17
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, I think when we met, I was at McAllister, right?
1:20
SPEAKER_00: So I was at my alma mater as the head coach.
1:21
SPEAKER_00: And then I left there, went to Denver.
1:24
SPEAKER_00: I was an assistant there for a year.
1:26
SPEAKER_00: And then in April, I was hired here.
1:28
SPEAKER_00: Coach Kyle Green, our new head coach, came from Iowa State and brought me on board.
1:33
SPEAKER_00: So I'm going into my first year as assistant coach and general manager at Northern Iowa.
1:38
SPEAKER_01: You have kind of a hybrid role you just mentioned there.
1:41
SPEAKER_01: How do you,
1:42
SPEAKER_01: as you all are building a roster,
1:44
SPEAKER_01: combining that somewhat long-term construction,
1:47
SPEAKER_01: you want to be able to have stability with guys,
1:50
SPEAKER_01: and then also the responsibilities you have player development-wise,
1:55
SPEAKER_01: person development-wise,
1:56
SPEAKER_01: and understanding that you may have guys for only a year or two
2:00
SPEAKER_01: or maybe even just seven months.
2:02
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, we brought in a blend.
2:04
SPEAKER_00: So last year's team here went to the NCAA tournament, had an amazing season.
2:08
SPEAKER_00: And then Coach Jacobson left, you know, went to Utah State.
2:11
SPEAKER_00: Six seniors graduated, a couple other guys transferred out.
2:14
SPEAKER_00: So we ended up bringing in eight new players this year.
2:17
SPEAKER_00: Five are transfers, all from the Division I level.
2:21
SPEAKER_00: We have two high school kids that'll be freshmen.
2:23
SPEAKER_00: They were seniors this past year.
2:25
SPEAKER_00: And then one international player.
2:26
SPEAKER_00: So Yeah, you know, I think it's going to be a blend moving forward.
2:30
SPEAKER_00: I don't think every year it'll be just high school seniors.
2:32
SPEAKER_00: I don't think it'll be transfers.
2:34
SPEAKER_00: And I think thankfully,
2:35
SPEAKER_00: you know,
2:36
SPEAKER_00: where we are as a program,
2:37
SPEAKER_00: we have a lot of stability,
2:38
SPEAKER_00: you know,
2:38
SPEAKER_00: with Coach Green,
2:39
SPEAKER_00: again, new head coach, but he was here for 16 years as an assistant.
2:43
SPEAKER_00: And then we have four other assistants who all played here,
2:47
SPEAKER_00: all went to the NCAA tournament here and know the type of kid that's going
2:51
SPEAKER_00: to be successful here.
2:52
SPEAKER_00: So we'll see, you know, this thing keeps evolving.
2:54
SPEAKER_00: Now we've got the five years of eligibility and Maybe it'll be six or seven in a few years.
2:59
SPEAKER_00: Who knows?
2:59
SPEAKER_00: But you just you're trying to do the best you can where you are, you know, with the rules.
3:04
SPEAKER_01: So when you're talking to players and their parents and others who you want
3:09
SPEAKER_01: to be influential in the program about the UNI culture that you guys are trying
3:14
SPEAKER_01: to establish there,
3:15
SPEAKER_01: do you have or could you share with us kind of the pillar traits that you want to be
3:21
SPEAKER_01: the defining attributes of those who are part of your program?
3:25
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, again,
3:27
SPEAKER_00: Coach Green, new head coach, was here 16 years, had so much success as an assistant.
3:31
SPEAKER_00: And, you know, his wife works in town, his son played here, his daughter played here.
3:36
SPEAKER_00: So he really understands what it takes to win here.
3:39
SPEAKER_00: I think toughness is going to be number one, right?
3:42
SPEAKER_00: So finding guys that are physically tough, emotionally tough.
3:45
SPEAKER_00: Again, we're in Cedar Falls,
3:47
SPEAKER_00: Iowa, you know, you have cold winters, it's a blue collar kind of place.
3:51
SPEAKER_00: So Finding students that really fit that is really important.
3:55
SPEAKER_00: You know, again, we brought in five Division I transfers that all produced, right?
3:59
SPEAKER_00: So I think production,
4:00
SPEAKER_00: playing, finding guys that, and it doesn't necessarily have to be a transfer portal.
4:04
SPEAKER_00: It could be high school that have played,
4:06
SPEAKER_00: that have had success at winning programs is going to be really important.
4:09
SPEAKER_00: And then again, just guys who are going to buy into, you know, who we are.
4:13
SPEAKER_00: Again, I think it says a lot that, you know, I'm one of five assistants.
4:17
SPEAKER_00: The other four that went here all graduated from here.
4:20
SPEAKER_00: Three of them played here, and then one of them was a student manager.
4:22
SPEAKER_00: So they really believe in the place, and so you've got to find guys that want that.
4:28
SPEAKER_01: In regards to style of play and what you guys want to do, is it more of the same, you and I?
4:34
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think Coach Green will have his own twist on it,
4:36
SPEAKER_00: but again,
4:37
SPEAKER_00: he was the defensive coordinator at Iowa State,
4:39
SPEAKER_00: had tremendous success there under TJ Otzelberger.
4:42
SPEAKER_00: So some of those defensive tendencies and the way they played there will be really similar here.
4:47
SPEAKER_00: Part of that too is we got to recruit guys that are going to fit that.
4:51
SPEAKER_00: But tough,
4:51
SPEAKER_00: physical,
4:52
SPEAKER_00: you know,
4:53
SPEAKER_00: we had great summer workouts this summer and didn't call a whole lot of fouls.
4:57
SPEAKER_00: You know, we wanted guys to be able to play through that.
4:59
SPEAKER_00: And I think if you're able to do that this summer and this fall,
5:02
SPEAKER_00: that'll prepare us as we get ready for November.
5:04
SPEAKER_01: Talking to several guys about the summer and for high school and for a lot of
5:08
SPEAKER_01: the D3 college, you don't get them in the summertime.
5:11
SPEAKER_01: So being able to maybe translate some of that to what early season would look like,
5:16
SPEAKER_01: what you guys do and to what high school and college D3 level early season stuff.
5:22
SPEAKER_01: What have you guys been focusing on outside of the toughness,
5:25
SPEAKER_01: but in regards to the player development,
5:27
SPEAKER_01: style of play, how do you spend your summer?
5:30
SPEAKER_00: You know,
5:31
SPEAKER_00: we did spend a lot of time on the defensive end,
5:33
SPEAKER_00: kind of implementing We spend a lot of time eating together,
5:37
SPEAKER_00: team breakfast, trying to build a culture.
5:38
SPEAKER_00: And it's hard when you have so many new faces.
5:50
SPEAKER_00: Spent a lot of time together, locker room, weight room, eating together.
5:54
SPEAKER_00: And then I think so much of it just goes back to the recruiting piece again.
5:58
SPEAKER_00: And just the more you're able to be honest with guys on the front end and say,
6:02
SPEAKER_00: hey, this is who we are.
6:03
SPEAKER_00: This is what we're looking for.
6:04
SPEAKER_00: It's helped, I think, that transition this summer.
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7:02
SPEAKER_01: Is there anything specific that you feel like culture wise was something good
7:07
SPEAKER_01: that you did to kind of acclimate those guys to the program?
7:11
SPEAKER_00: So we had workouts Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday.
7:13
SPEAKER_00: Wednesdays were kind of quote unquote off day.
7:16
SPEAKER_00: So we still did kind of conditioning, but it was we played pickleball.
7:21
SPEAKER_00: We had kind of like this Olympic thing over at Coach Green's house.
7:24
SPEAKER_00: We did a dodgeball thing with coaches and players.
7:27
SPEAKER_00: They went to the water park, you know, one day.
7:29
SPEAKER_00: So every Wednesday was something different that Was still something
7:33
SPEAKER_00: a little bit physical, but more team bonding.
7:37
SPEAKER_00: Guys are laughing, having fun.
7:38
SPEAKER_00: And I've never seen a team that's laughed a lot that struggled, right?
7:42
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think it's important if you guys are laughing,
7:45
SPEAKER_00: having fun, it's going to make basketball that much better.
7:48
SPEAKER_01: Every offense wants to play fast, take high efficiency shots.
7:52
SPEAKER_01: How do you help them to understand what good shots are for you all?
7:56
SPEAKER_01: Teaching the decision-making part of it.
7:59
SPEAKER_01: How have you found the best to go about that?
8:01
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so Seth Tuttle,
8:03
SPEAKER_00: who's our lead assistant here, and Clint Carlson, both of them played here.
8:07
SPEAKER_00: Both went to the NCAA tournament.
8:08
SPEAKER_00: Both played overseas.
8:09
SPEAKER_00: They're running our offense.
8:11
SPEAKER_00: So they've done a great job kind of instilling what we want to do as a team.
8:15
SPEAKER_00: You talked about shot selection and what is good versus great.
8:18
SPEAKER_00: I think it's you don't want guys overthinking, right?
8:21
SPEAKER_00: Like it's finding this balance.
8:23
SPEAKER_00: I worked for Coach McKill for a few years,
8:25
SPEAKER_00: and he always said the balance between freedom and responsibility.
8:28
SPEAKER_00: And you want to have the freedom to be able to take.
8:30
SPEAKER_00: Good shots as you see them,
8:31
SPEAKER_00: but stay within the structure and the responsibility of our offense.
8:34
SPEAKER_00: So again, I think Seth and Clint have done a great job.
8:38
SPEAKER_00: Just, you know,
8:38
SPEAKER_00: if a guy maybe doesn't take the shot we want,
8:40
SPEAKER_00: pull him aside and say, hey, this is what we're looking for.
8:43
SPEAKER_00: And the more we can have those small teaching moments, the better off we'll be in November.
8:48
SPEAKER_01: How did you guys integrate film,
8:50
SPEAKER_01: especially here during the summer to help guys learn quickly by not just playing,
8:55
SPEAKER_01: but then also learning from somebody themselves doing it on film?
8:59
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think it's the best way to learn when you can see yourself.
9:02
SPEAKER_00: And we have a nice film room attached to our locker room.
9:05
SPEAKER_00: So usually before summer workouts, we would show.
9:10
SPEAKER_00: No more than 10 clips.
9:11
SPEAKER_00: I mean, sometimes it was just one or two things that we wanted to show from the previous day.
9:15
SPEAKER_00: I think at the most it was maybe 10 clips.
9:18
SPEAKER_00: So we were in there less than five minutes, kind of short clips that they can see.
9:23
SPEAKER_00: The chairs are comfortable if you're sitting down too much.
9:25
SPEAKER_00: Who knows?
9:25
SPEAKER_00: Maybe guys are not paying attention.
9:28
SPEAKER_00: They lose focus.
9:28
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, we would usually start practice with that.
9:32
SPEAKER_00: And again, it was quick sound bites.
9:35
SPEAKER_00: But every day we had a workout just so they were able to see themselves.
9:38
SPEAKER_01: As you guys are transitioning to the school year now and
9:41
SPEAKER_01: a little bit more regular practices,
9:44
SPEAKER_01: I know the full hasn't started yet and won't kick in for a while,
9:47
SPEAKER_01: but as far as a staff goes,
9:48
SPEAKER_01: when you have a staff that's new to each other at least,
9:52
SPEAKER_01: how do you accelerate that piece of the culture and everybody,
9:57
SPEAKER_01: not so much like buying in,
9:59
SPEAKER_01: but kind of just understanding what the head coach wants the program to look like?
10:04
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think it helps that Again,
10:07
SPEAKER_00: outside of me,
10:08
SPEAKER_00: we have four other assistants that have been here,
10:10
SPEAKER_00: that all went to school here, and three of them played for Coach Green.
10:13
SPEAKER_00: So I think the language,
10:16
SPEAKER_00: expectations, showing up on time, giving everything you can while you're there.
10:19
SPEAKER_00: Coach Green will always say, you know, how you do anything is how you do everything.
10:22
SPEAKER_00: And so if our coaches can model that,
10:24
SPEAKER_00: and they've been here,
10:25
SPEAKER_00: and they've graduated from here,
10:26
SPEAKER_00: and they know what it takes to win,
10:28
SPEAKER_00: I think it's accelerated the process of guys seeing what it takes and the buy-in.
10:34
SPEAKER_00: So And a lot of that, I think, goes back to the recruiting piece.
10:38
SPEAKER_00: There are guys maybe early on that we were recruiting that good players,
10:41
SPEAKER_00: good kids,
10:42
SPEAKER_00: but just probably want to fit the way we wanted to play and the way we want
10:44
SPEAKER_00: to do things.
10:45
SPEAKER_00: So the more you can be picky on the recruiting side,
10:49
SPEAKER_00: not that it's ever super easy,
10:50
SPEAKER_00: but it does get a little bit easier in terms of the buy-in on the back end.
10:53
SPEAKER_01: How do you guys split up like even personal visits when the guys come onto campus?
10:58
SPEAKER_01: How do you maximize that time where the kid is there,
11:01
SPEAKER_01: but then also get them the connection points to the program,
11:04
SPEAKER_01: the players they might be with, the classes they might be taking, all of that?
11:09
SPEAKER_00: Like I said earlier, you know, we had two high school seniors from last year that committed.
11:12
SPEAKER_00: There are only two freshmen, and thankfully they're both from a local high school, Cedar Falls.
11:16
SPEAKER_00: So they were really familiar with the area.
11:19
SPEAKER_00: One was already committed,
11:20
SPEAKER_00: you know, before we got hired, and then the other one committed after.
11:23
SPEAKER_00: So having two high school kids that were local, they just moved into the dorms yesterday.
11:27
SPEAKER_00: They might have had the shortest move in the entire country
11:30
SPEAKER_00: of high school seniors going to college because they both live a couple miles away.
11:34
SPEAKER_00: So they were just really familiar with the place, the institution, grew up going to games.
11:38
SPEAKER_00: So their visit is going to look a little different than,
11:40
SPEAKER_00: you know, someone else who's never been here before.
11:43
SPEAKER_00: You know, we can have up to 48 hours on a visit.
11:45
SPEAKER_00: Some guys came and stayed for a couple nights.
11:48
SPEAKER_00: We had one recruit because of the portal and how fast things move.
11:52
SPEAKER_00: He committed without ever visiting.
11:53
SPEAKER_00: We just did a Zoom.
11:54
SPEAKER_00: So a lot of it is tailoring it as much as possible to the recruit, to the parent.
12:00
SPEAKER_00: Now, you know, players are allowed to have agents.
12:02
SPEAKER_00: So there are times where the agents included on that visit too, whether it's Zoom or in person.
12:07
SPEAKER_00: So we just try to accommodate the families and whatever works for them, we make happen.
12:11
SPEAKER_01: You have the unique perspective,
12:13
SPEAKER_01: your time at D3 and then now in your role there at a D1 school.
12:16
SPEAKER_01: Is there anything you'd advise high school and maybe even young college coaches
12:22
SPEAKER_01: to implement that would prepare their players better for playing potentially at
12:29
SPEAKER_01: the next level, whatever that looks like?
12:31
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
12:32
SPEAKER_00: One thing for sure I would say is if possible, get to a college practice.
12:36
SPEAKER_00: And I was really grateful when I was at McAllister.
12:39
SPEAKER_00: I actually went to Iowa State a couple of times when Kyle Green was an assistant,
12:42
SPEAKER_00: was able to watch their practices and you get some face time,
12:45
SPEAKER_00: you pick up a few drills and,
12:47
SPEAKER_00: you know,
12:48
SPEAKER_00: Division III, our hours are limited relative to, you know, the scholarship school.
12:51
SPEAKER_00: So I would say for young coaches,
12:54
SPEAKER_00: high school,
12:54
SPEAKER_00: college, try to get on a college campus, try to meet with college coaches.
12:58
SPEAKER_00: Honesty is the best policy.
12:59
SPEAKER_00: So as the young kids are coming up and they're asking for guidance in terms
13:02
SPEAKER_00: of recruiting,
13:03
SPEAKER_00: giving honest feedback doesn't mean you're always going to be right,
13:07
SPEAKER_00: but Hey,
13:08
SPEAKER_00: this is where you are right now,
13:09
SPEAKER_00: and this is where I think you can be six months from now,
13:11
SPEAKER_00: a year from now, maybe two years from now.
13:14
SPEAKER_00: We're already getting emails from class of 28,
13:16
SPEAKER_00: and I've gotten a few 20, 29 emails, and it's hard to even think that far ahead.
13:20
SPEAKER_00: Who knows what the NCAA will look like in three years.
13:24
SPEAKER_00: And then I would also say for the kids who are watching or whatever,
13:28
SPEAKER_00: some coaches want specialists, some want guys who are maybe more versatile.
13:31
SPEAKER_00: But I've always felt,
13:33
SPEAKER_00: what's the one thing you can do better than the other nine guys on the court?
13:36
SPEAKER_00: So if there are 10 guys on the court, what do you do best?
13:39
SPEAKER_00: And yes, everyone wants to shoot the ball, but are you the most vocal?
13:42
SPEAKER_00: Are you the best screener?
13:44
SPEAKER_00: Are you the best defense?
13:45
SPEAKER_00: We're recruiting a guard right now who is a good offensive player,
13:48
SPEAKER_00: but he's an unbelievable defender.
13:50
SPEAKER_00: That stood out.
13:51
SPEAKER_00: It's not just his scoring.
13:52
SPEAKER_00: So those are some things that I'd recommend.
13:55
SPEAKER_01: Last thing I'll ask you,
13:57
SPEAKER_01: I don't know if you ever saw yourself as being a general manager or even thought
14:00
SPEAKER_01: that was something that would be needed.
14:02
SPEAKER_01: Here it is.
14:04
SPEAKER_01: How young coaches now,
14:06
SPEAKER_01: you know,
14:06
SPEAKER_01: maybe the thought that they were going into this to just simply be
14:10
SPEAKER_01: an assistant coach and coach basketball.
14:13
SPEAKER_01: How would you prepare yourself maybe for that or suggest
14:17
SPEAKER_01: to somebody else prepare themselves to be able to do what you're doing?
14:21
SPEAKER_00: Tony, the easy answer is no, I never thought I would be a general manager.
14:26
SPEAKER_00: Because that always,
14:28
SPEAKER_00: you think of the NBA or pro
14:29
SPEAKER_00: sports and a general manager in college,
14:32
SPEAKER_00: that never entered.
14:34
SPEAKER_00: But like we said before we got on the call, things are evolving.
14:37
SPEAKER_00: So I think trying to continue to learn,
14:41
SPEAKER_00: being open to new ideas, like I mentioned earlier, now players have agents.
14:45
SPEAKER_00: That's another thing that you never thought,
14:46
SPEAKER_00: well, a college player has an agent or even high school players.
14:49
SPEAKER_00: You may have your own personal feelings about that, but This is the reality.
14:52
SPEAKER_00: And so how can you do the best job with this new reality?
14:56
SPEAKER_00: Try to get into different rooms,
14:58
SPEAKER_00: you know,
14:58
SPEAKER_00: even if it's like,
15:00
SPEAKER_00: whether it's going to the Final Four,
15:01
SPEAKER_00: whether it's going to coaching conferences,
15:03
SPEAKER_00: watching things on YouTube,
15:05
SPEAKER_00: having these conversations like this,
15:07
SPEAKER_00: and just having an open mind, you know, and not knowing every answer.
15:11
SPEAKER_00: You know,
15:12
SPEAKER_00: I was on a panel this summer in Vegas with six other general managers at
15:17
SPEAKER_00: the college level, and all of us have really different roles, right?
15:19
SPEAKER_00: So the There was a GM from Arkansas.
15:22
SPEAKER_00: There was one from Stanford, one from Howard, one from Valpo.
15:26
SPEAKER_00: And so a lot of our roles are really different, right?
15:29
SPEAKER_00: So I'm grateful for the role.
15:31
SPEAKER_00: I'm learning a lot.
15:33
SPEAKER_00: I'm having conversations that I never thought I'd have again with agents
15:35
SPEAKER_00: and compliance and legal team and our athletic director.
15:39
SPEAKER_00: But I hope that that's making me more versatile.
15:41
SPEAKER_00: And again, who knows where this will go in the next few years.
15:45
SPEAKER_00: But I'm enjoying the role.
15:46
SPEAKER_01: Awesome stuff.
15:47
SPEAKER_01: Coach, appreciate you coming on the show.
15:48
SPEAKER_00: Coach Miller, thank you so much.