In this week’s episode Coach Brendan Suhr is joined by Ryan Pannone, head coach of Arkansas State. Pannone traces his “bet-on-yourself” rise from an unpaid high school assistant to NBA assistant coach, G-League head coach, Alabama assistant, and now Division I head coach—through relentless learning, networking, and the humility and willingness to do any job that moved him forward.
He shares how mentors like David Thorpe shaped his player development lens (build belief, sweat the details, tailor plans to the system), and why titles over money, kindness, and initiative opened doors throughout his career.
Pannone also digs into on-court philosophy: teaching modern, conceptual offense through a constraints-led approach and small-sided games; blending skill work with decision-making; and his daily progression to get to five-on-five every practice.
Ryan is a true inspiration and the conversation is a masterclass on having a growth mindset and building a career without skipping steps.
All that and more on episode 310 of the Coaching U Podcast presented by Noah Basketball.
Noah Basketball is trusted by 28 NBA teams, over 200 NCAA programs, and over 1,000 high school programs to capture and analyze key shooting metrics to help your players perfect their shot and reach their max potential.Learn more at noahbasketball.com
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