In this week's coaching conversation, CIA Bella Vista College Prep Brandon Rosenthal joins the Basketball Podcast to share insights on career management and high school coaching.

Rosenthal brings a wealth of experience to his coaching career, encompassing six years of professional experience, nine years at the collegiate level, and one year in high school.

In his inaugural year as head coach at CIA Bella Vista College Prep, Rosenthal revitalized the basketball program, transforming it into a championship contender, and was named the 2024-25 EYBL Scholastic Coach of the Year. Bella Vista College Prep competes in the EYBL Scholastic Conference, widely recognized as one of the most competitive leagues in high school basketball.

Prior to Rosenthal's arrival, the program had struggled, holding a one-and-eleven conference record. Under his leadership, the team achieved a remarkable turnaround, finishing with a nine-and-two record in conference play. This success earned them the title of regular season co-champions and an invitation to Chipotle Nationals in his debut season, spanning from 2024 to 2025.

During the 2024-25 season, CIA Bella Vista College Prep achieved a twenty-and-four overall regular season record. The team reached rankings as high as number two by MaxPreps, number four by Slam, and number five by ESPN. Notably, the team secured the most top ten wins and the most top twenty-five wins of any team in the nation, and played what was considered the toughest schedule in the country. The program received an invitation to the 2025 Chipotle Nationals. Additionally, the team became the first from Arizona in forty-two years to win the Beach Ball Classic. Rosenthal also oversees an academy of seventy boys and girls, which has produced two All-Americans.

Brandon Rosenthal's extensive assistant coaching experience includes roles at various levels. He served as an Assistant Coach for the Santa Cruz Warriors (2023-2024), where he contributed to the team's G-League Franchise of the Year title, Winter Showcase Semi-Finals appearance, and G-League Playoffs Quarter-Finals appearance, while also seeing five players called up to the NBA. Prior to that, he was an Assistant Coach, Director of Scouting & Player Development at Arizona State University (2019-2023), supporting the team in various capacities and contributing to a 2023 NCAA Tournament appearance. His experience also includes positions as Video/Player Development Coordinator for the Phoenix Suns (2017-2019), Assistant Coach for the Northern Arizona Suns (2016-2017), Video Assistant for the Houston Rockets (2015-2016), and Interim Assistant Coach/Director of Basketball Operations at Santa Clara University (2012-2015), where he was part of the 2013 CBI National Championship team.

In this week's coaching conversation, Mount St Mary's head coach Donny Lind joins the Basketball Podcast to share insights on exceeding expectations.

Donny Lind just completed his first season as the Head Men's Basketball Coach at Mount St. Mary's University. In his debut season (2024-2025), Lind orchestrated a remarkable turnaround for the Mountaineers. Picked 11th out of 13 teams in the MAAC preseason poll, Lind guided the team to a 23-13 overall record and a 12-8 mark in conference play, finishing tied for fourth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

The season was highlighted by a run through the MAAC Tournament, where the Mountaineers secured victories over Marist, Merrimack, and ultimately Iona in the championship game. This MAAC Tournament title marked the university's first championship in any sport since becoming a full MAAC member and earned them an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

In the NCAA Tournament, the #16-seeded Mountaineers achieved the program's third-ever NCAA Tournament win with an 83-72 First Four victory over #16 seed American. Their inspiring tournament journey concluded in the First Round against #1 seed Duke.

Donny Lind's impressive first year at the helm has garnered him recognition as a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award, which honors the top first-time head coach in Division I college basketball. The team's 23 wins represent the highest win total for the program as a Division I institution and the most wins in a season for Mount St. Mary's since the 1986-87 season. Notably, his First Four victory also gave him the most wins for a first-year head coach in the Mount's history, surpassing the legendary Jim Phelan's first-year record.

Before taking the head coaching position at Mount St. Mary's, Lind built a strong foundation as an assistant coach at several programs:

VCU (Video Coordinator, 2010-2013): Lind began his post-graduate career at VCU, contributing through film analysis, analytics, and assisting with player development under Shaka Smart.

Mount St. Mary's (Assistant Coach, 2013-2016): In his first stint at Mount St. Mary's, Lind served as the recruiting coordinator and helped assemble what is considered the winningest class in school history. The team won the NEC Tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament during his time. The Mountaineers consistently led the NEC in key offensive categories during his tenure.

Radford University (Assistant Coach, 2016-2021): Working under Mike Jones, Lind was part of a staff that led Radford to back-to-back Big South regular-season titles (2018-19, 2019-20) and the 2017-18 Big South Tournament title, resulting in the program's first NCAA Tournament win in the First Four. He was recognized as a Top 50 Impactful Low Major Coach in Division I.

UNC Greensboro (Assistant Coach, 2021-2024): Lind continued his successful assistant coaching career at UNC Greensboro, again under Mike Jones. The Spartans earned a #2 seed in the SoCon during his tenure.

Donny Lind's return to Mount St. Mary's has already proven to be a significant success, marked by a conference championship and an NCAA Tournament victory in his very first season as a head coach. His ability to connect with players and implement an effective coaching strategy has clearly resonated with the team, setting a promising trajectory for the program's future.

In this week's coaching conversation, Northern Colorado head coach Steve Smiley joined the Basketball Podcast to share insights on the "over ourself" philosophy and grading success.

Steve Smiley has established himself as a formidable head coach at Northern Colorado, leading the Bears with a strong overall record of 89–71 (.556) in NCAA competition. His leadership was instrumental in securing the Big Sky regular season championship in 2025, a testament to his ability to develop winning teams and foster a competitive culture.

Smiley's success hasn’t gone unnoticed—his efforts were recognized in 2024 when he was named Big Sky Co-Coach of the Year. He also owns the second highest winning percentage in Northern Colorado’s Division I era, equaling Jeff Linder for the most postseason wins with six, who he succeeded in March 2020.

Smiley's experience in the Big Sky goes beyond his four years at UNC as he was an assistant coach at Weber State from 2014-16. Before Weber State, Smiley spent six years as the head coach and Athletic Director at Sheridan College.

In the six years with Sheridan College, Smiley posted a 153-43 overall record and led Sheridan to four North Sub-Region 9 titles and two runner-up finishes. Smiley was twice named the North Region Coach of the Year. During his time at Sheridan, Smiley had 21 players sign to play NCAA Division I basketball and 38 players moved on to play at four-year colleges.

Prior to his stint at Sheridan, Smiley spent two seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota where he collaborated with the winningest coach in NCAA history, Don Meyer. During his time at NSU, the Wolves posted a 50-12 record. Smiley was also the assistant head coach at Black Hills State University during the 2005-06 season. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M International during the 2004-05 campaign.