(LISTEN)

(Recorded October 25, 2011) Former coach, FUMA camp counselor, and TPG superfan Rick Burby is the featured guest in this episode of The Passing Game with Fletcher Arritt.  For the last 20 years Burby has been in business, coached youth and travel basketball teams, and helped at the high school and collegiate levels. 

From 1988-1991, Burby served as athletic director and head basketball coach at Bryan College in Dayton, TN.  In 1989, Coach Burby was named the NAIA District 24 (state of TN) Coach of Year after leading his team to a school-record 21 wins.  A prestigious honor especially considering that there were 23 NAIA teams in TN at the time--competition included coaching legends Rick Byrd (Belmont) and Don Meyer (Lipscomb).

Burby started his coaching career in 1983 as head coach at Worthington Christian (OH), and then moved to the collegiate ranks by joining the staff at Samford University (AL) in 1985.  From 1986-1988, Coach Burby served as an assistant at Liberty University (VA) prior to becoming head coach at Bryan.  In 1992, Burby became athletic director and basketball coach at Tennessee Temple University, where he stayed for one season.  He currently runs a successful insurance business in Ohio, and continues to stay involved with the game.  We are honored to have him as our guest.

(LISTEN) St. Francis (PA) head coach Don Friday is our featured guest in this edition of The Passing Game with Fletcher Arritt.  Friday, who is entering his third season with the Red Flash, started his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater, Lebanon Valley College as an assistant on Pat Flannery's staff.

After winning the 1994 NCAA D-III National Championship, Coach Friday joined Flannery in a move to Bucknell.  Friday was the top assistant at Bucknell for nine seasons and helped the Bison to two NCAA Tournament first-round victories (2005 vs. Kansas, and 2006 vs. Arkansas).

In 2003, Friday returned to the D-III ranks, but this time as the head coach at Lycoming College (PA).  Friday garnered a record of 83-49 in five seasons with the Warriors and was named the MAC Coach of the Year in 2007.

In the spring of 2008, Coach Friday was named the head coach at St. Francis College (PA).  His Red Flash program has shown steady improvement, going from 6 wins in 2009-10 to 9 wins in 2010-11.  He joins Coach Arritt and Brooks to talk about building a program, recruiting character, and playing Coach Arritt's teams at Bucknell.

Third Segment: Coach Arritt discusses the origins of his "Passing Game" offense and why it has worked for his program for over 40 years.

(LISTEN) Southern Methodist University head basketball coach Matt Doherty is the featured guest in the 56th episode of The Passing Game with Fletcher Arritt.  Doherty, who is entering his sixth season with the Mustangs, has ten seasons under his belt as a collegiate head coach.

Born in East Meadow, NY, Doherty played his collegiate ball under Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina.  As a four-year starter, Doherty helped the Tarheels to a record of 117-21 and the 1982 National Championship.  He played briefly in the NBA and worked on Wall Street for several years prior to taking his first collegiate assitant job at Davidson College in 1989.  There he coached with his former high school coach, Bob McKillopp.

In 1992, he moved from Davidson to Kansas, where he stayed on staff for seven seasons.  Coach Doherty landed his first head coaching job by taking over at Notre Dame in 1999.  In just one season, he helped the Irish to a 22-15 record and an NIT Championship appearance.  After one season at ND, he moved back to Chapel Hill, NC, where he took over the Tarheel program following the retirement of Bill Guthridge.  Doherty garnered a record of 53-43 (23-25 in the ACC) in three seasons with the Heels and resigned his position in the spring of 2003.

He returned to coaching in 2005 by being named head coach at Florida Atlantic (Atlantic Sun Conference).  After only one season, he was named head coach at Southern Methodist University (Conference USA), and has been with the Mustangs for the past five seasons.

He had an immediate impact on the program.  Off the court he helped generate funds for a new practice facility and renovations to the basketball arena.  On the floor, the Mustangs have enjoyed steady improvement, reaching the 20-win plateau in the 2010-2011 season.

Coach Doherty joins Coach Arritt and Brooks Berry in this episode to talk about his experiences playing and coaching at the elite college level.  He shares stories from his days with Dean Smith and previews his SMU team.  It is an honor to have him as our guest.

Doherty Interview: 12:40 - 30:00

Third Segment: Coach Arritt discusses the importance of "balance."

(LISTEN) Former Chicago Bull and 3-Time NBA World Champion Dickey Simpkins is our guest in this episode of The Passing Game with Fletcher Arritt.  Simpkins, who played 12 years at the professional level, currently works with ESPN and runs Next Level Performance (NLP) out of Chicago, IL.

A native of Ft. Washington, Maryland, Simpkins played collegiately at Providence College, where he currently ranks 15th among all-time scorers.  He was twice selected to the Big East All-Tournament team ('92, '94), and was invited to play in the 1991 Olympic Festival where his team earned a gold medal.  Simpkins was selected by the Chicago Bulls as the 21st overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft.

Simpkins played 6 seasons with the Bulls, winning 3 NBA Championships ('96,'97,'98).  After the NBA, Dickey played six years internationally in Greece, Puerto Rico, Russia, Lithuania, Spain, the Philippines, and the CBA (USA).

His career has now led him to coaching, teaching, and mentoring back in Chicago.  At NLP, Simpkins provides "an exclusive personal basketball skills training company that helps student and professional athletes improve their basketball skills and reach the optimal level of conditioning."  He joins Coach Arritt and Brooks in this episode to discuss the NBA Finals, playing with Michael Jordan, and his experience mentoring young athletes.  It is an honor to have him as our guest.

Phil Wall, the director/producer of The Passing Game, is working with VCU on the Official Commemorative DVD capturing the Rams' historic run through the 2011 NCAA Tournament.  Titled "VCU Rams: From First Four to Final Four", the film will include game highlights, behind-the-scenes footage (shot by Wall and VCU's Mike Voyack), and exclusive interviews.

(From VCUathletics.com)

No Ram fan will ever forget the sheer joy and excitement they felt as they saw the seconds tick off the clock on March 27^th when VCU sent home top-seeded Kansas, 71-61, and reached the school's first-ever Final Four.

Enter the "First Four to Final Four: A Commemorative Documentary."

Brought to you by VCU Athletics and Phil Wall Productions, this 60-minute special edition DVD brings you all the excitement of the Black & Gold's run into NCAA Tournament history.

For just $19.95 plus $4.95 shipping and handling, you'll get to see behind the scenes footage, in-depth interviews and all sorts of exciting in-game action. Reserve your copy today.  Don't miss out!

RESERVE YOUR COPY NOW!