Picking Teams: A Playbook for Parents
Picking Teams is a podcast that dives into the playbooks of seasoned coaches. Host Amy Bryant is a 23-year veteran college coach, and her guests hail from the professional, college and youth ranks. Together they'll share real stories from their coaching experiences to empower parents to be positive forces in their children's sports journeys. The podcast is also a great resource for coaches and anyone interested in youth, college and professional sports. Topics covered include: strategies for positively supporting youth sport athletes; college recruiting guidance and etiquette; tips for identifying team culture and coaching styles; college admissions, applications and the recruiting process; student-athlete mental and physical health; and more. Amy Bryant is a student-athlete college counselor and sports recruiting advisor for Bryant College https://bryantcollegecoaching.com/ a full-service college counseling and athletic recruitment advising firm.
Episodes
26 episodes
Trusting the Process with Coach Keenan Hickton
Today’s Play: Amy and Keenan Hickton explore how parental support rooted in trust, humility, and awareness can unlock an athlete’s full potential. Keenan reflects on how his own parents supported his late transition to golf with uncondit...
Double Vision with Coach Tommy Valentini
Today's Play: Gustavus Adolphus head coach Tommy Valentini shares the powerful story behind his team’s NCAA doubles national championship—one rooted in culture, gratitude, and perspective. Tommy highlights how his players prioritized tea...
The Greatest Charity in the World with Coach Kirk Wagner
Today’s Play: Kirk Wagner shares the story of his journey from a soccer-playing son of German immigrants to a high school coach in Atlanta, weaving in lessons from his professional playing days in Germany and his path through college rec...
Complete Your Square - Coaching the Whole Athlete with Coach Steve Brown
Today's Play: Steve Brown returns to share how he’s now giving back through the Steve Brown Academy and his Complete Your Square approach to student-athlete development. Steve opens up about the emotional toll of tran...
Blinders Block you from the Blessings with Coach Steve Brown
Today's Play: Olympian and educator Steve Brown shares the incredible story of how sport shaped his identity—from a fearful 10-year-old in D.C. to representing Trinidad in the Olympic Games. Steve reflects on the hurdles he faced—literal...
Connections for Life: Finding Family in a Positive Team Culture with Coach Kevin Ye
Today's Play: Kevin Ye discussed the importance of instilling life values like hard work and teamwork in young athletes. He emphasizes the need for perspective, noting that sports should be enjoyable and not all-consuming. He also highli...
Get Out Of Their Way with Coach Karl Hedley
Today's Play: Coach Karl Hedley emphasizes the importance of allowing players to face adversity and develop resilience. Hedley stresses the value of sports in teaching teamwork, respect, and leadership, and advises parents to supp...
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Anomalies and Divas with Coach Keenan Hickton
Today's Play: Coach Keenan Hickton shares his journey from multi-sport athlete in Pittsburgh to Emory University standout, and eventually to coaching one of the top-ranked Division III golf teams in the country. Keenan talks about what h...
Model the Behavior with Coach Tommy Valentini
Today's Play: Coach Tommy Valentini offers practical strategies for parents to navigate the emotional highs and lows of youth sports. He emphasizes shifting the focus from wins and losses to effort, growth, and core values, fostering hea...
Love Letters with Coach Kirk Wagner
Today's Play: Coach Kirk Wagner and Amy Bryant explore the challenges of coach-parent relationships in youth sports, with an emphasis on managing emotional parental feedback. Kirk and Amy highlight the importance of coaches preparing for...
Sweatshirt or Bust with Coach Kyle Gookins
Today's Play: Kyle Gookins shares insights on navigating the recruiting landscape to uncover meaningful opportunities, beyond prestigious school names. He acknowledges that the college recruiting process can be a minefield of parental pr...
Serious Fun: The Value of Small Moments with Coach Karl Hedley
Today's Play: Karl Hedley impresses the importance of allowing children to organically develop a passion for their sport, rather than forcing it upon them. Karl also emphasizes the need to make sport accessible and available, but then le...
Sideline Cheerleaders...Supportive Parenting with Coach Kevin Ye
Today's Play: Kevin Ye discusses the rapid growth of padel internationally, including his company's (PATL) plans for expansion, and shares his extensive coaching experience working with youth, college,...
Touch the Line... Transformational Coaching with Coach David Harbin
Today's Play: David Harbin discusses the importance of character over talent in college recruiting. He shares a story of one of his athletes who became all-conference in college despite setbacks. Harbin emphasizes the value of intangible...
The Decibel Level is 10... Sports are Intense! with Coach Jason Zimmerman
Today's Play: Jason Zimmerman, head men's basketball coach at Emory University, sits down with Amy Bryant of Bryant College Coaching to discuss...
The Blessing of a Skinned Knee with Coach Kyle Gookins
Today's Play: Our guest today underscores the value in youth athletes experiencing struggles and challenges to prepare them for the demands of college sports. Coaches also face challenges, especially during the preseason, including...
Get Dressed and Get Out Here... A Shift in Coaching Philosophy with Coach David Harbin
Today's Play: David Harbin shares his path from playing soccer at Winthrop University to coaching high school and middle school soccer and basketball. He emphasizes the importance of creating a positive team culture, highlighting practic...
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Beautiful Naivety...It's the Same Product with Coach Kyle Gookins
Today's Play: Our guest reflects on his experience speaking to MLS Academy 8th and 9th graders about the slim chances of making it to the professional ranks and the importance of prioritizing academics for college recruitment. The discus...
In the Backyard...Getting Ready for the Next At-Bat with Coach CJ Evans
Today's Play: Our guest discusses the differences between coaching young athletes and college players, emphasizing resilience, teamwork, and the mental side of softball. She also provides valuable insights into the recruiting process, in...
Connectivity...Building a Strong Network in College with Coach Christy Thomaskutty
Today's Play: Our guest shares valuable insights from her extensive career in basketball. Together we dive into the changing landscape of college recruiting, considering things like the impact of the new scholastic period in women’s ...
If They Have a License, Let Them Drive with Coach India Chiles
Today's Play: Our guest shares insights from her diverse career, including her time as an All-American softball player at the University of Tennessee, her experience in professional softball, and her transition from nursing to coachi...
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Rankings Don't Equal Success...Navigating the Noise in Youth Sports with Coach Kenyon Generette-Oliver
Today's Play: In this episode, we talk about the evolving challenges in youth tennis, from ranking obsessions to the impact of parental involvement on development. We'll also learn how to maintain integrity in youth sports (hint: dis...
Knowledge is Power...How to be a Collegiate Competitor with Coach Christy Thomaskutty
Today's Play: Join us as our guest shares her firsthand experiences with the challenges college coaches face, especially the impact of parents’ unrealistic expectations on athletes’ development. Discover the importance of parental su...
2+2=6...Recruiting is an Inexact Science with Coach Jason Zimmerman
Today's Play: Follow along with Coach Jason Zimmerman as he shares his journey to a college coaching career and tells us what college sports "is really all about". He also shares insightful suggestions about the recruitin...
Feed Them A Sandwich...An Opportunity for Transformation with Coach Christy Lynch
Today's Play: Learn about the parallels between coaching and parenting as well as how to create a transformative experience for your child through sports. Topics covered include: recruiting, the transfer portal, coach and team ...
