The Passing Game with Fletcher Arritt
The Passing Game with Fletcher Arritt is broadcast on sports radio stations in Virginia and features Coach Fletcher Arritt of Fork Union Military Academy and co-host Brooks Berry.
Archived Shows
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Show 026
This week we are glad to have Dave Odom as our guest on The Passing Game with Fletcher Arritt. Most recently the head basketball coach at the University of South Carolina, Coach Odom was a three sport athlete at Goldsboro High School in Greensboro, NC. He attended Guilford College, and quarterbacked the football team as well as lettering four years in basketball from 1961-1965.
Coach Odom began his coaching career at the high school level in North Carolina. In 1976, after eleven years at the high school level, Odom took his first collegiate position as an assistant at Wake Forest University under Carl Tacy. Three years later he became the head coach at East Carolina. In 1982, Odom returned to the ACC as an assistant. This time, he joined Terry Holland's staff at the University of Virginia--where he coached Ralph Sampson and helped the Cavaliers to the 1984 NCAA Final Four.
Odom was named the head coach at Wake Forest University in 1989. In twelve seasons as the Deacons' head coach, he compiled a record of 240-132 reaching the NCAA tournament 8 times--winning the 1995 ACC Tournament in one of the greatest 3-day performances in tournament history. He was named ACC Coach of the Year on three occasions (1991, 1994, and 1995) and coached some of the ACC's best, including Randolph Childress and Tim Duncan.
In 2001, Odom took the head coaching job at South Carolina University. He stayed for 7 seasons, compiling a record of 128-104. He was named SEC Coach of the Year in 2004 and led the Gamecocks to back-to-back NIT championships (2005, 2006).
Retired from coaching as of 2008, Coach Odom, who currently is enjoying the "island life," is the Chairman of the Maui Invitational Tournament and serves as an analyst/commentator for television and radio.
In this episode, he joins Coach Arritt and Brooks Berry in a conversation that covers team chemistry, coaching the post, the value of the point position, and, believe it or not, the most loyal breed of dog. We are honored to have him as our guest.
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Saturday August 28, 2010
Show 025
We are delighted to have Coach Bill Hodges as our guest on the 25th installment of The Passing Game with Fletcher Arritt. A veteran Coach of over three decades, Coach Hodges is probably best known for leading Larry Bird and the Indiana State Sycamores to the 1979 National Finals against Magic Johnson and the Spartans of Michigan State. Voted the 1979 AP Coach of the Year, Hodges, who was in his first season as a head coach, helped his team to a 31-1 record. "From there," Hodges jokes during his interview, "it was all downhill."
After three seasons at Indiana State, Coach Hodges moved to Long Beach State as an assistant taking his next head coaching job in 1986 at Georgia College (NAIA Div. II). After five seasons, Hodges became the head coach at Mercer University (Atlantic Sun), where he spent six years.
After "retiring" from coaching in 1997, Coach Hodges moved to southwestern Virginia to be closer to family. In the past decade, he has taught History at a local high school, coached girls' tennis, and is now in his first season as the head coach of the Roanoke Catholic Celtics--a small private school in Roanoke, VA.
Coach Hodges talks with Coach Arritt and Brooks Berry about the 1979 Final Four, Larry Bird, and facing new challenges in coaching during this episode of The Passing Game. It is an honor to have him on the show.
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Saturday August 21, 2010
Show 024
Coach Pete Gillen is on the phone in this week's installment of The Passing Game with Fletcher Arritt. Coach Gillen has had success at all levels of coaching and is currently an analyst for CBS College Sports Television and Westwood One Radio. Gillen, who is the winningest coach in Xavier University history, comes to the show fresh off a coaching trip to China where he was invited to work with the Chinese University Basketball Association.
A member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame, Coach Gillen began his coaching career at his alma mater Brooklyn Prep (also the alma mater of coaching great Joe Paterno). In 1975 Gillen joined Bruce O'Neil's staff at the University of Hawaii, where he stayed for one year (alongside assistant coach Rick Pitino). Gillen spent a decade as an assistant (VMI, Villanova--with Rollie Massimino, and Notre Dame--with Digger Phelps) before landing his first collegiate head coaching position at Xavier University in 1985.
Coach Gillen compiled a record of 202-75 in 9 seasons at Xavier. His Musketeers made 7 NCAA Tournament appearances, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen in 1990. He succeeded Rick Barnes at Providence in 1994 and took the Friars to 2 NIT's and made an Elite Eight run in the 1997 NCAA Tournament (upsetting Duke, Marquette, and Chattanooga before losing to eventual champion Arizona). Gillen replaced Jeff Jones at The University of Virginia in 1998. He led he Cavaliers to the 2001 NCAA Tournament, 4 NIT's, and compiled 118 wins in seven seasons.
Coach Gillen won a gold medal with Team USA at the 1994 FIBA World Championships as an assistant on Coach Don Nelson's staff. He is a member of The Xavier University Sports Hall of Fame, The Greater Cincinnati Basketball Hall of Fame, The 5-Star Basketball Hall of Fame, and The Jim Valvano Nike Basketball Hall of Fame.
One of the great personalities in today's game, Coach Gillen shares his thoughts on the developing game in China, the state of Conference USA, and developing a competitive atmosphereamongst today's youth.
Note to Listeners: Coach Arritt discusses defensive philosophies for youth basketball during the third segment. Special thanks goes out to Scott in California for writing in with a great topic for discussion.
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Saturday August 14, 2010
Show 023
This week, The Passing Game with Fletcher Arritt is delighted to have Lafayette College men's basketball coach Fran O'Hanlon as our featured guest. Coach O'Hanlon, who was featured in The Last Amateurs (2000) written by John Feinstein, has been a fixture of Patriot League basketball since becoming the Leopards' head coach in 1995.
Known to fellow Philadelphian streetballers as "Rainbow Johnson," Coach O'Hanlon starred in Villanova's backcourt from 1967-1970. He played professionally in the ABA (Miami Floridians) as well as in Sweden. He has coached at the high school (Monsignor Bonner), collegiate, and professional (Venezuela, Israel) levels.
In 1995, Coach O'Hanlon was named the head coach at Lafayette College in Easton, PA. He led the Leopards to three straight Patriot League titles in 1998, 1999, and 2000--earning "Patriot League Coach of the Year" twice (1998, 1999).
One of our best interviews to date, Coach O'Hanlon talks with Coach and Brooks about playing scholarship ball in the Patriot League, streetball in his old neighborhood, and the life and times of Rainbow Johnson. It is an honor to have him as our guest.
Special Note to Listeners: Coach Arritt breaks down his famed Passing Game offense in this week's "Ask Coach" segment.
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Saturday, August 7, 2010
Show 022
The week, The Passing Game with Fletcher Arritt is proud to have legendary Temple head coach Fran Dunphy as our guest. Coach Dunphy boasts a resume of eleven NCAA bids, twelve conference titles, three Big Five City Series championships, eleven 20+ win seasons, and five perfect conference records.
His coaching career began almost fourty years ago as an assistant at West Point in 1971. After four years at West Point, Dunphy left the ranks of college coaching and returned to his high school alma mater, Malvern Prep, in Pennsylvania.
In 1979, Dunphy returned to college coaching at La Salle University. The next year, he moved to our nation's capitol to become the assistant at American University--where he spent two seasons on Gary Williams' staff and three under former NBA head coach, Ed Tapscott. From American, Dunphy moved back to La Salle for three more years prior to taking his final assistant position at The University of Pennsylvania. He was named head coach of the Quakers in 1989, after only one season as an assistant.
As the Quakers' head coach, Dunphy led Penn to 10 Ivy League Championships. In 2006, he left Penn to replace John Chaney at Temple University. He is the first person to be a head coach at two Big 5 schools and has led the Owls to three straight Atlantic 10 tournament championships. We are honored to have him as our guest.
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