Conversations for high school basketball players and parents around the realities of what it takes to make a varsity basketball team.
We interview coaches, players, and referees to give you an inside look behind the curtains of high school basketball.
5 Final Fours, 3 Title Games: Coach Donny Daniels' Incredible Basketball Journey
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
9 Aug 2026
What It REALLY Takes to Play Professional Basketball | Zac Seljaas
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
23 Jul 2026
Beckam Rees Interview | His Riverton High Basketball Legacy
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
Who has been a guest on Making the Team
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Bret Kinghorn
Ike Palmer
Lance Gummersall
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
40,145
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 65 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
81
Social presence
91
YouTube
76
Engagement
0
Contact Making the Team
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
