For Episode 84 of the Hoopsfix Podcast we sit down with Worcester Wolves Head Coach Matt Newby.
00:00 Intro
3:03 Interview start
3:07 How he sees this season going with COVID
4:01 Whether Worcester are in a better situation than some clubs because of the university partnership
5:12 Worcester’s roster this season and where the imports are
6:12 Whether he’s surprised with how well Worcester have been competing without their imports
7:14 Transitioning from Leeds to Worcester
9:01 The differences between his role in Leeds and Worcester
11:46 Reflecting on his cup title with Worcester
13:21 How high he would put the Cup title on his resumé
15:07 Matching up with Andreas in the Cup Final, his old NBL rival
16:51 How much of a blow it was for Worcester that the season was cut short due to COVID
18:26 His start in basketball and made him first get involved
26:35 Going to the US for 8-10 years every Summer
28:15 Covering his costs to go to the US
29:10 What the US was doing for his coaching development that he wasn’t getting in the UK
31:40 Whether young coaches now have more resource to improve their coaching
33:53 You’ve got to pay your dues to get a head coaching role
36:17 The importance of man-management and not just XS and Os
38:34 When recruiting a player how important is the connection the coach has with them
41:00 His involvement with York Vikings
41:44 Whether he was full time coaching from the moment he left uni
42:41 Implementing a scaled out schools coaching program
44:34 His coaching role with the council
45:43 How he first got involved with Leeds Met university
48:29 Why a university looks at sport and wants to focus on it
50:22 The timelines and aspirations of the plan for the university programme
52:18 The success of the programme through the national league and why it worked
56:11 The double-edged sword of being backed by a university
58:42 How BUCS and university basketball has changed over the last decade or so
1:02:53 How much of an opportunity BUCS basketball has to be a bigger part of the British basketball ecosystem
1:06:12 How the BBL opportunity in Leeds first arose
1:08:01 Losing the university backing of the BBL franchise shortly before the entry into the league
1:09:40 Why the decided to push forward with the franchise despite losing the full backing of the university
1:11:00 Whether he would advise himself back then not to enter the BBL
1:12:22 Picking up 9 wins in his first BBL season and whether that exceeded expectations
1:14:14 The differences between running an NBL Division 1 program and a BBL franchise
1:15:48 Whether he thinks the BBL franchise committee should have not let Leeds enter
1:16:27 Making the playoffs in Leeds’ second BBL season
1:18:42 The resources Leeds had in comparison to other BBL franchises
1:19:41 His final year with the club before departing
1:20:51 What ultimately led to the breakdown of the club
1:22:33 How hard it was having to leave the club he helped build up from the bottom
1:24:53 Whether he wanted to have another crack at a BBL franchise in Leeds after they withdrew from the league
1:26:18 What he was doing during his two years out from the pros
1:27:06 His thoughts when he was saw the Worcester position advertised
1:28:16 The lack of stability around coaching roles
1:29:22 best British junior player he’s ever seen
1:31:07 Favourite player he’s coached
1:32:21 His coaching role models and inspirations
1:34:47 Favourite basketball memory
1:34:24 Where he wants to be in 3-5 years