(Ep084) Chris Leazier: From Coaching in High School to the Olympics and Back, Lessons from a Basketball Nomad, and Why the Game Belongs to the Players
Chris Lazier refers to himself as a basketball nomad. He grew up glued to Indiana University games back when Bobby Knight was patrolling the sidelines and winning more championships than he threw chairs. Though a good player, Chris decided in high school that he’d have a greater impact with a whistle around his neck. One of his first stops was Thetford Academy, where he coached Basketball Strong co-host Tim DiFrancesco (TD). After spending seven years as an assistant coach at Dartmouth College, Chris was at the helm of Saint Anselm College’s women’s basketball for two years.
Then Bakersfield Jam head coach Will Voigt came calling and Chris entered the D-League, soon reuniting with TD as well. After several other college and high school coaching jobs, Will called Chris again and they teamed up to lead the Nigerian men’s national team at the Rio Olympics. Soon after, Chris was back coaching high school basketball, and also served as the head of scouting and video for University of North Carolina women’s coach Courtney Banghart, who had been his fellow assistant coach at Dartmouth. In the past few years, Chris has applied all his coaching expertise at Hudl, where he currently serves as market lead for elite basketball & D1 colleges.
In this episode, Chris riffs on:
How he developed more compassion as a coach, while still maintaining a standard of excellence
Why it’s important to enjoy and learn from every experience
What coaching and life lesson transferred from coaching in the Olympics, college, and high school basketball
Which coach was the best servant leader he has ever seen
What makes Courtney Banghart such a successful coach
Keep up with Chris on his Twitter feed.
