Canada Basketball Coaching Podcast

On this Episode of the Canada Basketball Coaching Podcast, Coach Mike MacKay sits down with Long-time High School Basketball coach and former Provincial Team Coach Jason Payne. Jason shares his coaching journey and path to becoming a Certified Mental Performance Consultant. Along the way, Jason also became inspired to write a book about his learning and journey, which he shares with Mike on the podcast. Useful links: Jason's Website: https://www.jasonpayne.ca/ Jason's Book: https://mybook.to/4xqA4LO

On this Points to Ponder episode, Mike shares a story from his time at the Women's World Cup in Germany and an observation around what it means to be adaptable and what it takes to be adaptable when the storm of the game arrives.

On this episode, Coach Mike sits down with Robert Simmon who reflects on a coaching journey that has taken him from Canadian basketball courts to schools and programs around the world. He shares how early experiences at Olympia Sports Camp, Lakehead, and alongside influential coaches helped shape his belief in mentorship, curiosity, and continual learning. Robert discusses how coaching and working in Ukraine, Mexico, Panama, Singapore, China, and other international settings challenged him to adapt his approach to leadership and player development. The conversation explores the differences between North American and international basketball systems, including skill development, school versus club sport, and the value of creating environments where players can learn through exploration. Robert and Mike also examine the importance of coaching the person first, allowing young coaches to make mistakes, and moving beyond rigid systems or simply copying what works at higher levels. They reflect on the unique role school sport can play in developing resilience, accountability, leadership, and a lifelong connection to sport, regardless of whether an athlete reaches the next level. Ultimately, the episode is a reminder that great coaching is less about having all the answers and more about staying open to learning, building meaningful relationships, and creating positive experiences for athletes and coaches alike.

In this Points to Ponder, Coach Mike explores the definition and language around what it means to play with physicality.

In this episode, Coach Mike MacKay sits down with Kerri Kuzbyt, a former University of Winnipeg and professional player who is now Head of Player Development with the Scottish Basketball Federation. Kerri explains how the constraints-led approach transformed her own game and now shapes the way she develops athletes. Together, she and Mike explore why failure should be treated as useful information, how playful environments can produce deeper learning, and why coaches need to value long-term development over short-term perfection. They also discuss creating healthy competitive environments for girls and women, helping athletes become resilient without treating them as fragile, and giving players the autonomy to discover solutions that fit their individual abilities. This conversation offers practical ideas for coaches who want to make learning more engaging, embrace the messiness of development, and lead with curiosity, compassion, authenticity, and courage.

On this Point to Ponder, Coach Mike builds on the conversation with Kareem Kalil on feedback and breaks down one of his favourite basketball movie scenes!

Coach Mike MacKay welcomes coach, researcher, and PhD candidate Kareem Kalil to explore the complex dynamics of coach-athlete communication. Drawing from his experiences as a player, teacher, school leader, and coach, Kareem shares the inspiration behind his doctoral research, which examines how coaches' intentions and athletes' interpretations can either align or diverge during key coaching interactions. Together, they discuss trust, empowerment, feedback, non-verbal communication, and the importance of understanding the athlete's perspective. This thought-provoking conversation challenges traditional views of coaching and offers valuable insights into creating more meaningful and effective coach-player relationships. Catch up with Kareem on Twitter https://x.com/KareemKalil14 and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kkalil Learn more about the work Kareem is doing here: https://kalilwnba.substack.com/p/studying-the-art-of-coaching

Coach Mike shares a Point to Ponder on a recent informal clinic that he attended and reflects on the impact and power of informal environments for sharing ideas and collaborating in basketball.

On this episode of the Canada Basketball Coaching Podcast, Coach Mike and Coach Brandon sit down to discuss Mike's recent travels in Italy, Germany, and Denmark and Mike's time at the FIBA Women's World Cup. Mike shares everything from his favourite moments travelling, to the best food that he ate, and of course his observations watching the top women's basketball games. Then, Mike dives into some video breakdown from the Gold Medal game of the world cup and explore the power of on-ball defense and the ability to adapt in the heat of the storm. Checkout the new Canada Basketball eLearning on Developing Mindset by heading over to gameplanbasketball.ca

On this episode of the Canada Basketball Coaching Podcast, Coach Mike MacKay shares another Point to Ponder. This time, Mike talks about the power of "soft" skills, and how they aren't soft at all.

On this episode of the Canada Basketball Coaching Podcast, Coach Mike and Coach Brandon continue their conversation with Sandy MacIntosh, Director of Membership & Domestic Programs at Canada Basketball on the New Canada Basketball Youth Rule Guidelines. This part 2 of the 2-part conversation explores the Scoring, Strategies, and Tactical Youth Rule recommendations and the three coaches provide insight into ways coaches and organizations can implement them. You can find a copy of the Youth Rule Guidelines document here: English Youth Rules Guidelines French Youth Rules Guidelines

On this Episode of the Canada Basketball Coaching Podcast, Coach Mike shares a reflective blog on his own continued growth. To get access to the written version of the Point to Ponder, subscribe here: https://mailchi.mp/2a41fa914c75/dtt92e5wlh

On this episode of the Canada Basketball Coaching Podcast, Mike and Brandon sit down with Sandy MacIntosh, Director of Membership & Domestic Programs at Canada Basketball to talk about the newly released Canada Basketball Youth Rule Guidelines document. You can find the Youth Rule Guidelines document by navigating to it on our new website here: English French

On this episode of the Canada Basketball Coaching Podcast, Coach Mike follows-up in his series of blogs on WNBA/NBA (What is the Next Best Action, Next Best Action). This time, he shares a conversation around what happens next after the play. To get access to the written version of the Point to Ponder, subscribe here: https://mailchi.mp/2a41fa914c75/dtt92e5wlh

On this episode of the Canada Basketball Coaching Podcast Coach Mike is joined once again by Dave Maxin, the Manager of Officials Development at Canada Basketball. On this podcast, Dave walks Mike through the new Referee Points of Emphasis for the upcoming basketball season and explore what these new changes mean for coaches. This podcast includes video elements, which can be seen over at gameplanbasketball.ca

On this episode of the Canada Basketball Coaching Podcast, Coach Mike shares another Point to Ponder. This time, he shares his thoughts on the Play before The Play and how it relates in the world of Next Best Action. To get access to the written version of the Point to Ponder, subscribe here: https://mailchi.mp/2a41fa914c75/dtt92e5wlh

On this episode of the Canada Basketball Coaching Podcast, Mike sits down with Tyler Slipp, former University Head Coach and now Director of Sport Participation and Development at Sport New Brunswick. Tyler shares stories from his coaching journey. From his start at UNB, to joining the NEDA program in Hamilton, joining the bench at SFU, taking a head coaching job at the University of Waterloo, to transitioning to the sport administration world as Executive Director of Basketball New Brunswick, and now in his current role with Sport New-Brunswick. Tyler also shares his experience as a parent coach, and answers some of the questions that coaches have sent in.

On this episode of the Canada Basketball Coaching Podcast, Mike shares another Point to Ponder. On this episode, Mike shares the idea of the Butterfly Effect and his reflections from the 2026 Canada Basketball Nationals in Sherbrooke Quebec. To get access to the written version of the Point to Ponder, subscribe here: https://mailchi.mp/2a41fa914c75/dtt92e5wlh

On this episode of the Canada Basketball Coaching Podcast, Brandon sits down to chat with Kiera Lyons, the Head Coach of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Women's Basketball team. Kiera talks about her transition from athlete to coach, and the many roles in sport that she's held along her journey. She expands on building a program and establishing a culture for a young program and share stories on her experience as a colour commentator for basketball in Edmonton.

On this episode of the Canada Basketball Coaching Podcast, Mike shares another Point to Ponder. This is another reflection from his time spent in Italy this summer at the Transforming Basketball Camp, working with coaches and athletes from around the world. To get access to the written version of the Point to Ponder, subscribe here: https://mailchi.mp/2a41fa914c75/dtt92e5wlh