My name is Benas and I'm passionate about traveling, sports and coffee. In this podcast I will aim to combine all three of them by 'zooming' around the world and talking to sports professionals and coffee savants around the world while having nuanced conversations about different topics within their profession. If you're interested in hearing the stories and lifestyles of high achievers, the biggest lessons throughout their life, their mindsets within their respective sports then please subscribe to this podcast, buckle up, get your cup of coffee and 'come fly with me'. Thank you :)
EP#97 | Chris Babb: Transition from player to coach, retirement & mental health journey
NEW EPISODE!
(EP#97)
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):
Support: https://www.patreon.com/c/bmatke (https://www.patreon.com/c/bmatke)
Homepage: www.bmatke.com (http://www.bmatke.com)
Sponsor: www.proballers.com (http://www.proballers.com)
"Chris":
Chris Babb’s basketball journey took him from Penn State and Iowa State to the NBA. After going undrafted in 2013, he made his mark with the Maine Red Claws, earned his opportunity with the Boston Celtics, and went on to build a long career playing across Europe.
In this episode, Chris looks back on the draft process, his D-League-to-NBA transition, and adapting to life and basketball in Europe. We also talk about his decision to retire, the mental health challenges he faced throughout his career, and how he’s approaching the next chapter: coaching.
Topics:
00:00 Intro
3:00 NBA memories & mindset
7:40 Decision to go to Europe
12:05 Rookie & Euro experience
16:00 Cultural experiences
23:45 Mental Health journey
31:30 Retirement & New Identity
42:00 ProBallers.com
45:40 Impact from other coaches
49:00 "Must" for coaches
53:00 Assistant Coach Lessons
1:02:20 Scouting reports & Information
1:10:21 ATOs
📢 Subscribe to my YouTube channel The Benas Podcast, if you want to stay updated! You'll find this podcast on all audio platforms as well.
👍 Press „Like“ ir and share this podcast to your network!
#ChrisBabb #DLeague #NBA #InternationalBasketball #Coaching #Retirement #MentalHealth
Finding Chris:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/c_babb/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisBabbII (https://www.facebook.com/ChrisBabbII)
Finding “The Benas Podcast”:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-b-podcast/id1558492852?uo=4 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-b-podcast/id1558492852?uo=4)
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Bw5UJNSQLKo0wUybEIza3 (https://open.spotify.com/show/3Bw5UJNSQLKo0wUybEIza3)
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-benas-podcast (https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-benas-podcast)
…or visit www.bmatke.com (http://www.bmatke.com) to find more info.
Comment, Like & Share here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmatke/ (https://www.instagram.com/bmatke/)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bmatke/ (https://www.facebook.com/bmatke/)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bmatke3 (https://twitter.com/bmatke3)
www.bmatke.com (http://www.bmatke.com)
25 Sept 2026
EP#96 | Igor Kokoškov: Mentorship, NBA Journey, Slovenia’s EuroBasket Gold & Project B
NEW EPISODE!
(EP#96)
If you want to support this podcast (Ačiū!!):
Support: https://www.patreon.com/c/bmatke (https://www.patreon.com/c/bmatke)
Homepage: www.bmatke.com (http://www.bmatke.com)
Sponsor: www.proballers.com (http://www.proballers.com)
"Igor":
Igor Kokoškov’s remarkable coaching journey began in Serbia before taking him to the NCAA and then the NBA, where he spent more than two decades as an assistant, won an NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons and became the first European-born head coach in league history. He later brought his expertise back to the EuroLeague, while his greatest FIBA achievement came in 2017, when he guided Slovenia to an unbeaten EuroBasket title.
In this episode, Igor shares how meeting Quin Snyder at Duke helped shape his path, the mentors who influenced him during his Serbian basketball beginnings, and how he learned to build trust with NBA players as a foreign assistant coach. We also explore managing energy throughout a long season, the evolution of in-game play-calling, and his role as Head of Player Development with Project B—along with leadership, communication, adaptability and many more lessons from his extraordinary career.
Topics:
00:00 Intro
00:35 Quin Snyder impact
6:00 Beginning of coaching
10:20 Mentorship & Methodology
18:45 Serbian Basketball Culture
23:00 Foreign Coach in the NBA
30:45 Decision-making process
35:00 Connection with players
40:20 Locker-room impact
44:30 Energy Management & Information diet
57:45 ProBallers.com
1:06:25 Eurobasket 2015 & Playcalls
1:17:00 Offensive Systems & Winning
1:23:10 Project B
1:25:34 ATOs
📢 Subscribe to my YouTube channel The Benas Podcast, if you want to stay updated! You'll find this podcast on all audio platforms as well.
👍 Press „Like“ ir and share this podcast to your network!
#IgorKokoskov #NBAcoach #HeadCoach #FIBA #Euroleague #ProjectB #Basketball
Finding Igor:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/igor.kokoskov/ (https://www.instagram.com/igor.kokoskov/)
Finding “The Benas Podcast”:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-b-podcast/id1558492852?uo=4 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-b-podcast/id1558492852?uo=4)
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Bw5UJNSQLKo0wUybEIza3 (https://open.spotify.com/show/3Bw5UJNSQLKo0wUybEIza3)
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-benas-podcast (https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-benas-podcast)
…or visit www.bmatke.com (http://www.bmatke.com) to find more info.
Comment, Like & Share here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmatke/ (https://www.instagram.com/bmatke/)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bmatke/ (https://www.facebook.com/bmatke/)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bmatke3 (https://twitter.com/bmatke3)
www.bmatke.com (http://www.bmatke.com)
13 Sept 2026
EP#95 | Valdas Dambrauskas (LT): Trenerio identitetas, "kompetencijų arka" ir kaip atrasti save?
NAUJAS EPIZODAS!
(EP#95)
Jeigu norite palaikiti ši podkasta (Ačiū!!):
Support: https://www.patreon.com/c/bmatke (https://www.patreon.com/c/bmatke)
Svetaine: www.bmatke.com (http://www.bmatke.com)
Remejas: www.proballers.com (http://www.proballers.com)
"Valdas":
Valdas Dambrauskas – vienas ryškiausių Lietuvos futbolo trenerių, savo kelią pradėjęs Anglijoje ir vėliau dirbęs Lietuvoje, Latvijoje, Kroatijoje, Bulgarijoje, Graikijoje, Kipre bei Vengrijoje. Su skirtingais klubais jis iškovojo ne vieną nacionalinį titulą, o šiuo metu vadovauja Azerbaidžano klubui „Sabah“, kuris rungtyniauja UEFA Čempionų lygoje. Jo karjera – tai išskirtinė istorija apie atkaklumą, nuolatinį mokymąsi ir drąsą siekti aukščiausių tikslų.
Šiame ypatingame „The Benas Podcast“ epizode kalbėjomės apie sunkią Valdo pradžią Anglijoje ir pirmąsias patirtis „Brentford“ klubo sistemoje. Aptarėme jo asmeninį požiūrį į tobulėjimą, mąstyseną ir tai, kodėl treneriui pirmiausia svarbu atrasti save kaip žmogų – tik tada gali suprasti, kokiu treneriu nori būti. Taip pat kalbėjome apie kompetencijos lanką, laikotarpį, kai Valdas labiausiai pasitikėjo savimi kaip treneriu, bei viso pokalbio metu lyginome futbolą ir krepšinį, jų kultūrą ir subtilybes. Valdas pasidalijo ir daugybe kitų įžvalgų bei istorijų iš skirtingų savo karjeros stotelių.
Temos :
00:00 Intro
01:00 Old Trafford
3:30 Valdzia / Manager'is
12:00 Statistikos
21:00 Sunki pradzia Anglijoje
29:30 Inercija ir vizija karjerai
34:15: Ose Aibangee itaka ir spaudimas
55:10 Ugdyti žaidėjų savarankiškumą
1:05:00 Zmoniskumas ir zinios
1:09:30 Kompetencijos Arka
1:22:10 ATOs
📢 Prenumeruokite mano „YouTube“ kanalą „The Benas Podcast“, jei norite nepraleisti naujausių epizodų! Šį tinklalaidės epizodą taip pat rasite visose garso platformose.
👍 Paspauskite „Patinka“ ir pasidalykite šiuo podkastu su savo tinklu!
#ValdasDambrauskas #ChampionsLeague #Sabah #Futbolas
Valda rasite čia:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valdasdambrauskas/ (https://www.instagram.com/valdasdambrauskas/)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valdas.dambrauskas.96 (https://www.facebook.com/valdas.dambrauskas.96)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valdas-dambrauskas-34146176/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/valdas-dambrauskas-34146176/)
“The Benas Podcast” rasite čia:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-b-podcast/id1558492852?uo=4 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-b-podcast/id1558492852?uo=4)
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Bw5UJNSQLKo0wUybEIza3 (https://open.spotify.com/show/3Bw5UJNSQLKo0wUybEIza3)
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-benas-podcast (https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-benas-podcast)
…arba aspilankykite www.bmatke.com (http://www.bmatke.com) .
Komentuokit, spauskit 'like' & dalinkites 'social media' kanaluose:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmatke/ (https://www.instagram.com/bmatke/)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bmatke/ (https://www.facebook.com/bmatke/)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bmatke3 (https://twitter.com/bmatke3)
www.bmatke.com (http://www.bmatke.com)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
213,988
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.6 / 5
5 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
68 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 65 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
61
Social presence
0
YouTube
86
Engagement
85
Contact The Benas Podcast
Guest appearances
Does not typically book 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
