If you’ve listened to my previous episodes, you know that I was a college basketball walk on.  It was one of the hardest and most rewarding things I’ve ever done.  I didn’t know what to expect when I showed up on campus and I wasn’t ready for how physically & mentally challenging every practice would be. 

For anyone out there who is thinking about playing Division 1 basketball, I brought on Gonzaga Men’s Basketball Coach, Brian Michaelson, to explain the walk-on process and share how to maximize your chance of having a successful college basketball career. 

Brian and I have a special bond for a few reasons…

First off, he’s part of the Gonzaga basketball brotherhood.  It’s amazing how close our alumni is and how many guys from around the world end up making Spokane their permanent home.  Guys like Robert Sacre, Dan Dickau, Winston Brooks and even JP Batista from Brazil bought a home here. 

2nd, I was his strength coach when he was in college.  We spent a lot of time in the weight room together during his redshirt year and so I get to take partial credit for his arms of steel. 

And the 3rd bond that ties us together is that we were both college basketball walk ons at GU before earning scholarships.   He knows first hand how difficult it can be to make it.

Today I asked him about the common thread between walk ons like David Stockton, Mike Hart, Jeremy Jones and Kyle Bankhead, that not only earned a scholarship, but broke into the starting lineup.  I asked him about how to get a walk on try out and how to catch the coaches eye.  If you or a loved one is thinking about walking on, you won’t want to miss this episode.

Here’s where you can find out more about Brian Michaelson:

Gonzaga Website
gozags.com

If you want to learn more about the mindset that it takes to be a successful walk-on, check out the servant leadership article, 6 Ways John Stockton Assists