Coach Donny Daniels has seen college basketball from the very top. Five Final Fours. Three national championship game appearances. Eleven seasons on Rick Majerus' staff at Utah, seven at UCLA under Ben Howland, and nine at Gonzaga with Mark Few. He recruited Keith Van Horn and Andre Miller to Salt Lake City and coached future NBA stars like Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love and Jrue Holiday in Westwood.

Today, you'll find him on the bench at Cottonwood High School.

Erik and co-host Coach Doug Meacham sit down with Coach Daniels to talk about a career that spans four decades, what he learned from three very different Hall of Fame-caliber head coaches, and the advice he'd give to players chasing the next level, parents trying to support them, and coaches trying to build something real.

📺 Subscribe for more Utah basketball interviews:

@MakingTheTeamPodcast

📸 Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/making_the_team/

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@making.the.team

⏱️ CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro

0:50 Aha Moment to Start Coaching

2:56 Starting at the University of Utah

5:01 Role at Utah

6:06 The Grey Squad

10:14 Juddy Question 1

12:07 Mike Doleac

14:06 Off Court Team Buidling

16:30 Juddy Question 2

17:25 Being a Great Assistant

23:08 Balancing Truth with Feelings

25:12 Teaching Shot Selection

27:56 Learning from other Coaches

31:03 Majerus Coaching Tree

34:01 Coaching in today's game

36:13 Picking a Skills Trainer

41:30 Common Threads of Great Teams

43:16 Coaches Adapting to Today's Challenges

44:40 Mental Health

51:18 Making the Right Play

57:30 Parents & Recruiting

58:35 Always Learning

1:01:46 Learning from Mistakes

1:03:42 Moving to High School

1:06:15 Andre Miller Recruiting Story

1:11:36 Donny's Passions outside basketball

1:12:53 Eric Daniels Carrying the Coaching Torch

1:19:22 Advice to Past Self

#UtahBasketball #DonnyDaniels #RunninUtes #Gonzaga #UCLABasketball #RickMajerus #UtahHighSchoolBasketball #BasketballPodcast #CollegeBasketball #MakingTheTeamPodcast #CottonwoodHigh #BasketballCoaching #PlayerDevelopment #HoopsInterview

What does it really take to go from high school basketball to playing professionally?

In this episode of Making the Team, I sit down with professional basketball player Zac Seljaas to talk about his journey from Bountiful High School in Utah to BYU and ultimately professional basketball in Europe.

Zac was part of an incredible run at Bountiful, winning two state championships and playing alongside future NBA player Sam Merrill. He went on to play Division I basketball at BYU before continuing his career professionally overseas.

But this conversation is about much more than where Zac has played.

We talk about the lessons he learned at each stage of his basketball career, the work required to reach the next level, dealing with challenges and adversity, and what young players can learn from his experiences.

If you're a high school basketball player hoping to play in college, a parent helping your athlete navigate the process, or a coach looking for lessons to share with your team, there is a lot to take away from Zac's story.

🔗 Seljaas Hoops Website:

https://www.seljaashoops.com/

🔗 Follow Zac's Journey Here:

https://www.instagram.com/zseljaas/

Some Zac Stats:

• 1,704 career points at Bountiful, plus 494 rebounds and 217 threes

• The 2014 4A title was Bountiful's first since 1997

• 4A MVP, first-team all-state; Utah Player of the Year in 2015

• BYU Career: 134 games, 39.5% from three, 8th most 3-pointers in program history

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

0:21 Seljaas Hoops

3:10 High School Buzzer Beater History

7:07 Bountiful High Lessons

9:50 Having Dad as Coach

13:01 Coach Maxwell Style

16:30 Dealing with Being "The Guy"

18:48 High School Workouts Habits

21:51 Advice to High School Self

22:41 Getting Recruited to College

26:52 Major Changes During College

28:39 Going from Good to Great

31:49 Mission and Getting Back

35:23 College Workout Habits

43:51 "Bag Work"

49:24 Advice to College Self

50:31 College to the Pros

57:27 Overseas vs US Basketball

1:04:29 European Basketball Organization

1:15:11 Playing for Napoli

1:18:48 Different Cultures & Languages

1:21:14 Quote Reaction

1:25:28 Favorite Shoes

1:27:43 Family Dynamic

1:30:31 The Goal

1:32:32 Advice to Early Pro Self

1:33:36 Stying Sharp in the Offseason

1:36:07 Has it all been worth it?

#Basketball #ZacSeljaas #BYUBasketball #UtahBasketball #HighSchoolBasketball

What does it take to succeed as a high school basketball player?

In this episode of Making the Team, we sit down with Beckam Rees - standout guard for the Riverton Silverwolves. We talk about his basketball journey, Riverton legacy, and what it takes to compete at a high level.

Beckam shares insights into the work behind the scenes — the training, mindset, discipline, and sacrifices required to succeed in competitive high school basketball.

If you’re a basketball player, coach, or parent of a young athlete, this interview provides valuable insight into how players develop and what separates good players from great ones.

Subscribe for more interviews with players, coaches, and experts about what it really takes to succeed in basketball.

#basketball #makingtheteam #beckamrees #rivertonbasketball