PREP Athletics Basketball Podcast
PREP Athletics is a company that helps basketball players find the right fitting prep schools to help them meet their goals. This podcast features PREP Athletics founder Cory Heitz's valuable expertise and vast connections to share insights and stories about the past, present, and future of prep school basketball. It also features in depth interviews with prep school basketball coaches from all competitive levels. Cory is a prep school alum, former D1 player, and Air Force veteran. Learn more about how PREP Athletics can help you by visiting www.prepathletics.com, and be sure to sign up for the newsletter.
Episodes
140 episodes
Dwayne Pina St. George’s Coach on AA Prep Hoops
St. George’s head coach and admissions officer Dwayne Pina joins Cory to walk through one of the most complete prep school basketball journeys you will ever hear. Coach Pina shares exactly what he looks for in recruits, how he devel...
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Season 1
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Episode 128
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42:23
Nemo Maric: How Hoosac Prepares Players for College Hoops
Nemo (Nemanja) Maric, head coach at Hoosac School / ISA (AAA), joins Cory to unpack a true Euro–U.S. hybrid approach to prep school basketball development. Maric shares his journey from Serbia and a 13-year pro career to building a multinationa...
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Season 1
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Episode 127
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36:12
Kenya Jones: Class B, Big Results—Brooks School’s Blueprint
Kenya Jones, Head Coach and Associate Director of Admissions at Brooks School (MA), joins Cory for a straight, practical talk about prep school basketball, player development, and college placement in today’s NIL/transfer-portal era. Jones expl...
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Season 1
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Episode 126
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34:33
Ben Veshi: How Hargrave Builds College-Ready Guards
Hargrave Military Academy head coach Ben Veshi joins Cory to give a straight, inside look at prep school basketball, player development, and college placement in 2025. Veshi explains Hargrave’s structured, military-style environment, why it acc...
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Season 1
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Episode 125
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50:47
Sean Crocker: Mercersburg Coach on D1 Guards
Mercersburg Academy head coach Sean Crocker brings two decades across college hoops, Hoop Group, and the MAPL to this no-fluff episode. Sean breaks down exactly what college coaches need from a Division I guard—defend multiple positions, handle...
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Season 1
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Episode 124
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38:18
Christina Batastini: St. Andrew’s Coach on D1 Guard Musts
Stanford Final Four guard, pro vet, and USA Basketball 3x3 U23 coach Christina Batastini joins Cory to deliver clear, no-nonsense guidance for families navigating prep school basketball. Now the head coach at St. Andrew’s School (NEPSAC AAA), C...
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Season 1
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Episode 123
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1:06:14
Steve Turner: A New Era At Montverde Academy
Steve Turner—now Head of Basketball Operations and National Team Head Coach at Montverde Academy—breaks down the modern prep-to-college pathway with zero fluff. After 26 years at Gonzaga College High School, Turner explains why he chose Montver...
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Season 1
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Episode 122
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58:10
George White RecruitU Founder on College Recruiting Truths
In this episode of the PREP Athletics Podcast, Cory Heitz sits down with George White, former Division I player at Harvard, longtime college coach across D3, D2, D1, and the NBA/G-League, and founder of RecruitU. George brings unmatched perspec...
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Season 1
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Episode 121
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55:27
Marcus O’Neil: Why Most Kids Miss D1 Dreams
Coach Marcus O’Neil of Tilton School is back—and he’s got wisdom to share. With 15+ years at Tilton, a national prep championship, and a resume that includes NBA alumni like Wayne Selden, Nerlens Noel, Terance Mann, and ...
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Season 1
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Episode 120
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57:23
Dan McHale: D1 Coach Reveals Recruiting Realities
Dan McHale—former D1 head coach at Eastern Kentucky and long-time assistant under Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith, and Kevin Willard—joins Cory Heitz to pull back the curtain on what college coaches actually look for in recruits. From his start as a s...
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Season 1
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Episode 119
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40:08
Alex Gallagher: Why D1-or-Bust Hurts Players and Families
In this episode, Cory welcomes Alex Gallagher, head girls basketball coach and longtime faculty member at Nobles and Greenough School, a top-tier prep school in Boston. With 25 years of coaching and mentoring under his belt, Coach Gallagher sha...
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Season 1
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Episode 118
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1:04:13
Hanno Möttölä: NBA Pioneer & International Coach on What It Takes to Go Pro
This week, Cory sits down with Hanno Möttölä—Finland’s first NBA player, University of Utah Hall of Famer, and current assistant coach for the Finnish national team. Hanno’s journey spans from dominating youth basketball in Europe to starring f...
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Season 1
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Episode 117
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1:20:34
Daniel Poneman: Top NIL Agent on Recruitment & Player Fit Episode
Daniel Poneman, one of the most influential agents in college and professional basketball, joins this podcast. Daniel, a Chicago basketball mainstay, got his start as a teenage scout and has since built a reputation as a top NIL and NBA agent, ...
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Season 1
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Episode 116
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47:02
Alex Popp of Winchendon School Talks NEPSAC Basketball, Player Development, and College Recruitment
Cory welcomes back Coach Alex Popp, one of prep basketball’s most respected voices, now the new head coach at The Winchendon School in Massachusetts. With a background that includes leading Vermont Academy, five years at powerhouse IMG Academy,...
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Season 1
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Episode 115
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39:35
Curtis Peery of Massanutten Reveals D1 Recruiting Truths & Navigating Transfer Portal Era
In this revealing episode of the PREP Athletics Podcast, Cory sits down with Curtis Peery, Head Coach of Massanutten Military Academy's post-graduate basketball program. Coach Peery, a former D1 assistant at Maryland Eastern Shore, shares a maj...
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Season 1
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Episode 114
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27:30
Cary Herer of CATS Academy: Exposure & College Pathways
This week, host Cory Heitz sits down with Cary Herer, Head Coach at CATS Academy Boston and a driving force behind one of NEPSAC AA’s fastest-rising prep basketball programs. Cary brings a unique blend of experience, from playing under John Cal...
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Season 1
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Episode 113
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53:22
Shavar Bernier of Taft School: Finding Your College Fit
In this compelling episode of the PREP Athletics Podcast, Cory sits down with Shavar Bernier, head basketball coach at the prestigious Taft School. Bernier shares his unique journey from being a first-team all-state player in New Hampshire to t...
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Season 1
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Episode 112
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53:57
What D1 Programs Really Want: Coach Craig Carter of South Kent School on Basketball IQ & Decision Making
In this week’s episode of the PREP Athletics Podcast, I sit down with Craig Carter, the new head coach at South Kent School who took over for Raphael Chalias last August. Coach Carter shares his journey from the playgrounds of Brooklyn to playi...
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Season 1
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Episode 111
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52:47
Preparing Players for the Next Level ft. Jared Grasso of Knox School
In this insightful episode of the PREP Athletics Podcast, we sit down with Jared Grasso, head coach at the Knox School on Long Island. Coach Grasso shares his journey from Division I point guard to becoming one of the youngest head coaches at B...
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Season 1
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Episode 110
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37:25
Inside ESPN’s 30 for 30: Director John Dorsey on Marinovich, SMU, and Documentary Making
In our latest episode, we dive deep into the fascinating world of documentary filmmaking with John Dorsey, the acclaimed director behind ESPN’s 30 for 30 classics “The Marinovich Project” and “Pony Excess.” From his early days at Propaganda Fil...
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Season 1
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Episode 109
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39:11
Competition vs. Hard Work in Player Development ft. Coach Brian Fruscio of Canterbury
In this episode of the Prep Athletics Podcast, we dive deep into the world of prep school basketball with Coach Brian Fruscio of Canterbury School. From his early days growing up in a blue-collar town in upstate New York to building Albany Acad...
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Season 1
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Episode 108
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52:14
How to Build Complete Student-Athletes ft. Coach Billy Thom of Millbrook School
Join us as we sit down with Billy Thom, Head Boys Basketball Coach at Millbrook School, for an insightful discussion about prep school basketball, college recruitment, and holistic student development. We explore Billy’s journey from being a st...
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Episode 107
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50:26
The College Recruitment Playbook ft. Coach John Zall of Vermont Academy
Coach John Zall shares his wealth of knowledge on navigating the complex landscape of prep school basketball. From college recruitment strategies to player development philosophies, Coach Zall offers invaluable insights for athletes and familie...
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Season 1
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Episode 106
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44:37
Building Championship Culture at Deerfield with Coach Connor Merrill
We're excited to bring you our latest episode featuring Connor Merrill, Head Basketball Coach at Deerfield Academy, where we dive deep into the world of prep school basketball and player development. From Coach Merrill's own journey as a post-g...
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Episode 105
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34:16
2024 Prep School Basketball State of the Union
In our annual State of the Union episode of the PREP Athletics Podcast, we take you through our extensive tour of prestigious prep schools across the country, sharing exclusive insights and emerging trends in the prep school basketball landscap...
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Season 1
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Episode 104
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12:51
