The Madness of March & Chasing What Matters

My trip to Boulder to spend time with Coach Prime & the top high school coaches in America + the lessons learned from March Madness legends

In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the opening Thursday and Friday of March Madness felt like a national holiday. Junior high and high school basketball seasons had just wrapped up, flowers were beginning to bloom, and shorts became a daily wardrobe staple across the country. After the final school bell rang, 3-on-3 hoops games were the norm.

This morning, as the sun rose, that same nostalgia hit me. I found myself craving a Gin’s Pizza (childhood pizza parlor), a Nutter Butter, and time with close friends. So, I FaceTimed our group chat, and down memory lane we went.

It got me thinking about what made sports so magical back then. It was the pure passion to chase a dream, the wonderment of imagining playing on a grand stage one day, and the thrill of late-game heroics. We watched the games and lived vicariously through them - Tyus Edney, Mike Bibby, Grant Hill…

I can still vividly remember the night Duke took down Kentucky in ‘92. My parents sent me to bed, and as a 10-year-old, I wasn’t happy about it. Little did they know, my small AM radio - hidden in my sock drawer with fresh AA batteries - made its way under the covers. I listened to every last word of the broadcast, feeling the thrill of sneaking one past them at the peak of March Madness.

Watching the Big Dance also introduced me to the art of coaching. I studied Coach K on the sideline, admired Dean Smith during timeouts, and cheered for the old Big East - convinced that one day I could be the next Allen Iverson or Victor Page. Even had their jerseys hung up in my room to manifest it.

This past week, I had the honor of being a guest speaker at the Nike Coach of the Year Clinic in Boulder. The Buffs and Coach Prime hosted 40 of the nation’s top high school football coaches, offering full access to meetings, practices, and an extended Q&A with Coach Prime. Observing the Buffs in Year 3 under the cultural icon of Deion Sanders was fascinating. It felt like a stable program trending upwards.

For two and a half days, I walked, talked, dined, and learned from coaches representing legendary programs like St. John Bosco, Mater Dei, De La Salle, Saint Louis, Serra, Central Catholic, John Curtis Christian, Long Beach Poly, Allen, Austin Westlake, and more. We discussed the state of the game, the rapid growth of girls' flag football, leadership traits, and beyond. Bottom line - I was surrounded by true legends, individuals shaping the next generation of leaders.

I asked over 20 of them about their greatest challenges since 2019. The same themes kept emerging: player retention (because yes, you can transfer every year in high school football too), managing expectations, navigating parental involvement, and the impact of social media. The conversations were profound, their insights invaluable.

When it was my turn to present, I shared my 2007 Master’s thesis from USC, centered on one question: “What Makes a Great Coach, Great?” I studied Coach K, Pete Carroll, Phil Jackson, and, of course, John Wooden. My conclusion? The elite coaches all share two traits:

1. Uncommon consistency - They show up the same way, every day.

2. Independent thought - They stay true to who they are and don’t try to be someone else.

Two years ago, I revisited my research since that thesis and every single interview I’ve done with elite coaches, players, and executives. I found that the best of the best do one common thing: they Chase What Matters.

• They have clarity about what matters most.

• They state it with premium confidence.

• They attack it with grounded discipline.

That’s it - clarity, confidence, and discipline.

It was an honor to share this message with the coaches and Nike staff, then engage in a deep conversation about what matters most to them - and, most importantly, whether their players truly understand it too.

As I left Folsom Field, awed by the Flatirons and inspired on many levels, one thing was clear: while the Buffs under Deion Sanders are a unicorn in college football, they are undeniably moving in the right direction beyond just Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders.

More importantly, the high school coaching ranks remain committed to teaching life lessons through football. Traits like love, discipline, independence, creativity, and humility still rank at the top of their core principles.

Sound familiar? They should, especially to ‘80s kids like me. Because these are the same principles the legends of March Madness embodied back in the day.

Times have changed. Rules have changed. Some might argue that the game of football and basketball itself has changed. But the blueprint for success remains the same. The traits that led to greatness then are still front and center for the best coaches in the game today.

So, as spring ball kicks off and March Madness brings us back to our childhoods, let this serve as a reminder: the “good ol’ days” may be behind us, but the people shaping the next generation of leaders are still going strong.

Much love, stay steady, and good luck with your bracket. I’m off to get a slice, a candy bar and talk smack about round 1 on a group thread.

— Yogi