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Welcome back to the Amy Egan podcast where
each week, Lindenwood University head

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women's basketball coach Amy Egan talks
women's basketball and much, much more.

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We'll talk about past games during the
season.

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We'll talk about players, Yo -Ha Valley
Conference, the NCAA academics careers.

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And starting this week, we're bringing in
some guests.

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And with us today is girls head basketball
coach, Frances Halstenshal, Hailey Lee.

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Hailey, welcome.

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Thank you for having me on.

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Good morning.

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My pleasure.

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I want to take this time to first
introduce Haley.

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You know, we're super excited you're here
today with us.

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You know, I was searching through some
people that we want to bring on here and

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spread the word about Girls Basketball and
Grow the Game and you definitely popped

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first to my mind.

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So let me give you guys a little
background and Gary, especially for you

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since you're from the area and have been
kind of at, lived close to where Haley

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Leake and...

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Francis Howe Central is, and let me give
you a little bit background on her.

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So Haley grew up in Silex, Missouri, small
town girl.

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I like that.

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Of course, I'm a small town girl too.

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So grew up in Silex, was a three sport
athlete in high school, decided basketball

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was the pathway that she wanted to go,
took on the privilege of going to St.

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Louis University and playing her college
career there.

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After graduating from college,

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Looks like she decided to get right into
coaching and develop her career path in

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that way with impacting young women.

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And so she dabbed a little bit in the high
school world, was actually an assistant

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coach at Washington University in St.

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Louis under Hall of Fame inductee Nancy
Fahey.

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And so I'm excited to hear about your time
there with her.

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I've known her for years and obviously
she's had an amazing career in the

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coaching world.

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But while she was there under Nancy, they
did win a national championship.

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They also won a conference title and then
a final four, another final four

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appearance as well.

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So had some great, great success there as
an assistant coach.

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Decided she was going to get back into the
high school world and then dabbed a little

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bit as a dobo at VCU.

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And then where she kind of finally landed,

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and has been since 2014 is Francis House
Central.

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And I would tell you, Gary, when you're
looking at some of the best high school

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coaches in Missouri, I think every college
coach knows that Haley Leake is one of

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those.

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And I think every college coach is always
really, really fortunate and really,

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really excited when you have an
opportunity to talk to Haley.

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and learn how she's done everything that
she's done in the high school world.

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And this is one thing I will say about her
and her success there is her record is 187

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and 82 for a 69 .52 winning percentage.

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Now that is remarkable if you want to say,
put it that way.

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So we're really excited to have you,
Haley.

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I think...

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you know, when I think about you and I've
really, you know, from afar have kind of

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watched what you've done with the program
and had the opportunity lately just being

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in St.

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Louis to maybe see a little bit more
firsthand with it.

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And the first thing that comes to my mind
is how you do things there with your

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culture.

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And so, you know, if you want to kind of
talk a little bit about maybe, you know,

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some of your thoughts with culture, how
important it is.

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who's impacted you in those ways and how
you kind of run that in your program.

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I think any of that information that you
could share would be really, really good

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for our listeners.

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Of course, well, and first, you know,
congratulations on your recent hire here

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at Linda Wood.

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And let me just say first, I'm ecstatic
that you're here and what that's going to

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do for our basketball community.

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And I'm excited to talk about culture.

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You know, first, everybody's culture is
very unique.

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And I think we have to understand that
throughout our own lives, anytime we enter

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a new group or a team,

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It's filled with these moments where
people decide very quickly whether they

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want to be a part of it and connect.

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So I would say at the basis of everything
I do is I try to fill every single day

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with these moments where players or
potential players have curiosity, want to

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belong to what you're doing and can sense
the presence of your program.

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And then you got to ask some questions.

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What is it be about your space that...

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people are going to want to show up and be
a part of.

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And at the high school level, there's such
a complexity to this question because

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you're going to have people that simply
want to get the most out of their high

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school playing experience.

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They're going to want to represent their
community.

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And there's something very beautiful about
that.

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That is the purity of high school sports.

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You're going to have some players that are
going to want to play at the next level.

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You're going to have some players that
honestly,

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probably don't know why they show up at
your door, but they sense there's going to

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be a challenge or some discipline that
they crave that they don't even know.

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So as a head coach, your job is to figure
out how can you unify all of those visions

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and essentially get them working towards
this one standard that you have.

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And then you have to pour into it with
everything you have.

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So that's at the basis.

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And then I think you have some questions.

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You know, every head coach is the leader
and from that leadership, things are gonna

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radiate from you.

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So, you know, you are the source of the
systems that you'll put in place.

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You're the source of the language you're
going to use.

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You're the source of the vision and how
are you gonna build connection?

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Yeah, I mean, Gary, you can tell why I
asked her on here, right?

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100%.

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You know, I would tell you too, in regards
to some of that, you know, I've seen, you

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know, I've went to numerous games that,
that Haley has coached and you know, it's

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very, very evident in the way that her
players play, how hard they play for her,

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how unselfish they are, how bought in they
are, how they celebrate each other, the

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bench.

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It's very, very evident that she has her
culture rolling.

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So Coach Leake, I am an education nerd.

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If you look closely on my forehead, it
says nerd across the top.

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And so some of the questions I want to
focus on, really on the academic side, is

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I think of high school athletes as your
older players, your juniors and seniors

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start to consider those who are going to
college.

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They start to consider their college
options.

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What is your sense of how student athletes
at the high school level these days are

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thinking about colleges and even their
majors?

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Well, I think more than ever, students
athletes are looking at the whole

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experience.

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It's not anymore just about where my maybe
my interest lays, but basically, you know,

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do I want to be a student here?

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Would I want to be a part of a team here?

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What?

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How would it be to be a fan here sitting
in the stands?

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When I step off campus, do I like where I
am?

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How close am I if I want to jump in my car
or on a?

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train to the nearest city where I can
experience other parts of my life.

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So I think that more than ever, student
athletes are open to exploring the major

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side of it, going in open -minded, knowing
that they are going to get that chance to

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see where their niche is as they begin
that journey for themselves.

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But I think it's about the total fit more
than ever.

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Yeah, I would definitely say that.

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And that kind of leads me into, as you're
helping guide them and you're helping

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develop them and helping them find their
way, how do you approach like multi -sport

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athletes?

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I mean, you were a multi -sport athlete in
high school.

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I feel like from a college standpoint, I
might be getting a little bit harder for

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high school coaches.

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Where do you lie with that?

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What are your thoughts with that?

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Well, I think first off, the skill level
and exposure for female athletes is as

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high as it's ever been.

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And I think with that, there has been a
shift for our kids in this idea of where

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can my platform be?

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And so with that, I think if you look at
the multi -sport athlete, I think you see

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athletes and parents both seeking what
should I do?

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There's a...

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a sense or an urgency of wanting answers.

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And so, you know, I was lucky, you were
probably lucky in the fact that when I

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called myself a multi -sport athlete, it
just meant that whatever season I was in,

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that was the season I was in and I was
gonna give my all.

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Now, if I wanted to finish a game and go
shoot for two hours, I was gonna do that,

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but I was all in to that season.

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A multi -sport athlete today means I might
have a kid come in and try to practice two

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hours with me.

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and leave and go to another training
session for another sport that they play.

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And of course, you know, they're
stretched.

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And so you're in a very, I would say,
delicate position in that you've got to

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support them.

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Sometimes you have to advocate for them
and what you're seeing.

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But it's not as simple as just being
committed to that season anymore.

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Absolutely.

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Leach, what kind of role do you play?

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And I guess high school coaches in general
play in providing college guidance to

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their players, whether they're going to
play the sport or not.

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Is there a role that high school coaches
play on that?

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Yeah, I really believe that first the
first thing you have to get to is this

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level of transparency with your kids.

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If they have aspirations, hopefully those
are things that we've talked about much

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earlier than when they get to that point
where they're trying to make decisions.

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But I would say that that first
conversation is just a very transparent

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one.

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And then from there, as they get into the
complexity of making these choices, you

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know, I've sat down and we've.

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We've written out pros and cons lists.

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We've wrote down direct questions to ask
and to know.

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Sometimes my job is just to be a listener
and allow them to kind of speak through

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everything that's going through their mind
because they might have a lot of voices in

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their, around them telling them where they
should go or what they should be thinking.

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So sometimes my job is just to listen,
help guide and obviously provide any

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perspective I can from my own experiences.

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And do you, Haley, as you know, basketball
is obviously growing and, you know, we've

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kind of reaching this tipping point with,
you know, Caitlin Clark, Phenom, and it's

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so awesome to watch and see.

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And, you know, I feel like even club
basketball is becoming a year round almost

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sport besides the high school season.

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Are you finding like relationships with
club coaches important at the high school

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level?

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Do you guys have those?

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How do you get kind of bridge some of
those gaps in those relationships with

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club coaches?

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Yeah, I definitely think that within
looking at a player, you have a circle.

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And I think as they're aspiring to do
different things, you're going to have

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club coaches, you're going to have their
parents, you're going to have other

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people, whether that's friends or family,
trainers, everybody's a part of this

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circle.

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And so I think the priority is always the
player and their development.

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And so I think.

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the more communicating you can have or the
more clear communication you can have with

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that circle, it puts the player in the
best position to develop.

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And really that is the end goal.

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I mean, if a kid is seeking select team
play or AAU play, they should be doing

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that because they are wanting to develop
at a higher level, whether that's the

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competition piece that they're gonna be
facing throughout the summer or whether

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that's the skill work that goes into the
practices that then leads to the

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competition.

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So that is the major aim.

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And I understand that winning is
important, believe me, I like to win as

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much as anybody else does.

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But at the same time, my job, a club
coach's job, anybody that's in this

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support role, our job is to put the player
in the best position to develop for that

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next level, if they so make that decision
to wanna do that.

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So Haley, Amy and I tease on occasion.

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I'm not sure on the podcast, but either
before the podcast or when we're together

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face to face, we tease about referees on
occasion.

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And you'll want to know that many, many,
many years ago, I was a high school

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referee in the St.

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Louis region.

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And history will show that I never either
missed a call, Haley, or made up a call.

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to hear that.

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you come out of retirement, please?

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And the moral of the story is in all life
events, good things happen and bad things

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happen and I don't want to bring up any
specific referee situation but what do you

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teach your girls about good events and bad
events that happen not during just the

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course of your games but outside of games
as well?

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Well, first I'll just say, you know, as a
former player, my dad gave his fair share

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of referees, you know, all they could
want.

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So I feel like coming into my coaching
career, I always kept that in mind.

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But I will say that, you know, first we
got to simply face the facts.

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And I do talk to my kids about, you know,
we at the high school level are in a

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referee shortage majorly.

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It is hard to fill spots.

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And with that, there's a big push to get
more into the profession, which I love.

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But then I just tell them there has to be
an understanding that there's going to be

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missed calls.

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What situation have you ever been in where
you have to make decisions in real time

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and not make mistakes?

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You're going to make mistakes.

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They're going to make mistakes.

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It is my job, in my opinion.

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to relay my concerns and maybe that of our
speaking captain.

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But to me, the rest of it is wasted
energy.

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And I try to remind them of how they can
get back into their next play mentality.

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And also the realization that you are
going to have, this ref will continue to

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be in this game tonight.

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So what type of reactions are you going to
have?

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You got to set yourself and your team up
for success.

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So you know.

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Next, play mentality and direct your
energy on your controllables.

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Yeah, I feel like, you know, I kind of get
to the point where I tell our kids too,

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like, you know, whether we have summer
camps, even do you guys want to ref?

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And they're like, no, no, no.

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You know, I understand that it's a really
hard job.

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And one that I think, you know, our refs
take a lot of pride in, but it is one,

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like you said, Haley, that there are going
to be mistakes that happen.

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And, you know, I, as you, I'm sure just
want it called fairly both ways.

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whatever that is and consistent both ways.

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And I think that's the big thing with it.

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And so, Haley, how do you feel then?

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You know, there's been so much talk with,
you know, the lack of referees, but then a

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possible shot clock coming and to
Missouri.

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And how do you feel about the possibility
of that?

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Would you be pro that, con that?

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What are your thoughts with that?

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Well, my biggest thing has always been
preparing kids to play at the next level.

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So even if, I mean, I might have one to
two to 3%, you know, big picture that want

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to go do that.

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But if I'm gonna run a program, I'm gonna
run it in a way that if that is what

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someone wants, they can do it.

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So that's my end goal always.

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So to me, I'm in favor of anything that
brings them closer to doing that

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successfully.

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So at the next level,

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If there's a shot clock, I would like to
see it incorporated more at the high

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school level and really any.

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You know a lot of the rules, you know to
where we can start preparing them to be

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successful.

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So that's kind of my my aim.

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I know there's some intricacies and layers
into that that would pose.

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You know, maybe some challenges at the
high school level, but I overall big

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picture.

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If it's a part of the game at the next
level, I would like for it to be a part of

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the game here.

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And Coach, I had the last question, and
parents that are listening to this and

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even lower in high school players, lower
age high school players and junior middle

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school players, when you look at a player
that first time, what kind of guidance

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would you give to the parents and to those
players who are younger now to prepare

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them to play at a program like Francis
Allen North?

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Well, first I would say, you know,
hopefully over the years you've developed

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a feeder program that allows you to get in
front of these kids and these parents for

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many years prior to them entering your FHC
hallways.

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And I believe that we've done a pretty
good job doing that.

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And then I think creating the connections,
and we do that specifically through

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something that we call the S -Hive.

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which stands for Spartan Hive and the idea
is creating a buzz about your program at

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every level.

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And so we intentionally pair our varsity
players with specific teams in our feeder

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levels.

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They're in front of those kids, they're in
front of those parents.

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And we intentionally have events to create
those relationships.

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So whether we're talking about, you know,
an S Hive night where they have their own

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game and they have their own...

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you know, night where they're celebrated,
they can be on the court.

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They can, they're able to receive, you
know, entry to the game, those things, or

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we have program days where we work with
leadership and some other things.

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That's when you first get in front of them
and make those connections.

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And then from there, they see what hard
work looks like.

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They see what connection looks like.

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Okay, well we have come to the end of this
podcast episode with Lindenwood University

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head women's basketball coach Amy Egan and
our guest has been Frances Howell North

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High School head girls.

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Coach Haley Leak.

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Haley, thanks for making time today.

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Amy, always a pleasure.

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And for those listening, I encourage you
to share the podcast link with friends and

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families and neighbors.

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If you have questions or comments for
Coach Egan for a future podcast, email

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them to gstalker at lindenwood .edu.

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Thanks for listening.

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We'll look forward to meeting with you
again next week on the Amy Egan podcast.