Joe O’Shea: Head Coach of The Kiski School on Reclassing, Recruiting & Development

Joe O’Shea, Head Coach of The Kiski School, joins us to discuss prep school basketball, reclassing, college recruiting, player development, playing time, and college placement.

Joe shares his journey from Vermont Mr. Basketball to Division I basketball at Holy Cross and Bryant, professional basketball in Europe, college coaching, and ultimately leading the program at Kiski.

We also discuss how Kiski develops its players, why Joe strongly supports reclassing in most situations, what families should understand about playing time, and how the transfer portal has changed recruiting for high school basketball players.

⏰ Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction
01:46 – Joe O’Shea’s Basketball Background
03:16 – Transferring From Holy Cross to Bryant
06:25 – The Reality of Division I Basketball
09:01 – Lessons From College Coaching
12:24 – Inside The Kiski School
17:24 – How Kiski Develops Players
19:47 – Playing Time and Finding the Right Fit
22:10 – Should Basketball Players Reclassify?
25:00 – College Placement and the Transfer Portal
27:18 – What College Coaches Really Value
31:10 – The Future of Prep School Basketball
33:36 – Why the Prep School Path Matters

📌 Key Topics:

• Prep school basketball
• Reclassing and the extra year
• College basketball recruiting
• Player development
• Playing time and roster fit
• College placement
• The transfer portal
• Preparing players for college basketball

👤 About Joe O’Shea:

Joe O’Shea is the Head Basketball Coach at The Kiski School in Pennsylvania. He was a two-time state champion and Vermont Mr. Basketball before playing Division I basketball at Holy Cross and Bryant. He later played professionally in Europe and coached at Mercyhurst and Saint Anselm.

🔗 Connect with Joe:

Email | joseph.oshea@kiski.org
X | https://x.com/_joshea1_
Hoops IG | https://www.instagram.com/kiski.mbb/

🎙️ About PREP Athletics:

At PREP Athletics, we help young athletes and their families understand the prep school path and how it can create better opportunities in the classroom, on the court, and throughout the college recruiting process.

We talk about prep schools, post-grad years, reclassing, recruiting, academics, AAU, NCAA updates, and the decisions families need to understand before choosing a path. Our goal is to help players find the right fit, not just any placement.

#PrepSchoolBasketball #CollegeRecruiting #Reclassing #BasketballRecruiting #PlayerDevelopment #KiskiSchool

🔗 Connect with Cory:
 
Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
Email | coryheitz@gmail.com
Phone | 859-317-1166

🔖 Subscribe to the PREP Athletics Podcast:

iTunes | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prep-athletics-podcast/id1546265809?uo=4
Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/6CAKbXFiIOhoHinzsReYbJ
Amazon | https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c37179d-3371-47f9-9d97-fd569e8802a7/prep-athletics-basketball-podcast #AmazonMusic  

Transcript

Introduction

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey friends, and welcome to this week's episode of the Prep Athletics Podcast. Very happy to have you here. Thanks so much for showing up. And if you like what we do here, please be sure to share it with a friend. Got a lot of good knowledge on here. And today I'm proud to have Coach Joe O'Shea, head coach of the Kiske School in Pennsylvania. And Joe grew up in Vermont, came from a family of college coaches, and Joe was a two-time state champion. He was Vermont Mr. Basketball before going on to play D1 at Holy Cross. He was there a year, then transferred to Bryant to play for his uncle, and he was a big-time starting point guard there. So had D1 experience there, played professionally for a year after that, and then came back and coached at the D2 level at Mercy Hurst and St. Anselm before getting the job at Kiske. So we go into his background, what it takes to be a D1 guard. We learn about Kiske, how he develops players, how he places them, and much more on this episode. If you like it, be sure to subscribe to our podcast, our YouTube channel, and newsletter on the Prep Athletics website. And any questions you have about the Prep School world, please feel free to reach out. We get back to everyone that does. So thanks again for tuning in, my friends, to the Prep Athletics Podcast and enjoy this one with Coach Joe O'Shea from Kiske School. Welcome to the Prep Athletics Podcast. This is Corey Heights. If they did, maybe you will get better as a player during that year. So it was kind of exciting. Like, oh yeah, somebody wants me. Joe, welcome to the podcast. Thanks, Corey. I appreciate you having me. Yeah, it's good to have you here. And uh let's start with your background.

Joe O’Shea’s Basketball Background

SPEAKER_01 1:46

Where did you grow up and how did you get into basketball?

SPEAKER_00 1:49

So I grew up in Burlington, Vermont. So up where UVM St. Michael's uh located up there in northern Vermont. And uh my dad, he played basketball at the University of Vermont, and then he stayed in that area after graduation, ended up joining the staff at St. Mike's after a couple years at UVM and Champlain College, which was a duco uh up there at the time. And he was the assistant for about, I think, six or seven years, and then the head coach for 13. So my whole childhood up until I left for college was uh up in Burlington.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

Yeah, nice. Now you ended up going to Holy Cross after high school. Tell me what led to that decision.

SPEAKER_00 2:30

Yeah, so you know, uh, it's interesting because now I'm coaching prep school, but I actually didn't go to prep school. I was a, you know, I just went to public high school in Vermont and got recruited out of there to, you know, a few different schools at kind of like the low major level. And uh, you know, the University of Vermont, Holy Cross, a few of the Ivy League schools, and ultimately chose Holy Cross. I thought it was a good fit at the time. Uh, you know, it was a full scholarship, Patriot League, so really good academics, but you still didn't have to pay to go to school. And I was one of four kids. So my parents were uh, you know, they were open to to the Ivy League, but they also uh, you know, there were three more, three more of us coming along. So I think the opportunity to get a full scholarship was was important for myself and and for my family.

Transferring From Holy Cross to Bryant

SPEAKER_01 3:16

Awesome. And then after one year at Holy Cross, you transferred to Bryant. What led to that decision?

SPEAKER_00 3:21

Yeah, so committed to Holy Cross, you know, sometime in the fall of my senior year of high school. I don't remember exactly when it was, but you know, September, October, something like that. And then uh Sean Carney, he had just taken over for Ralph Willard at the time there in the you know late like 2009, I think it was. And he uh only lasted a year and was was let go. So the situation changed pretty dramatically uh from the time I signed to the time I enrolled. And uh Milan Brown, who's now actually out here uh in Western PA at uh Pitt, he uh he took over and you know, he was a really good coach, really helped me a lot in that first year of my uh you know, my college career, but it wasn't quite a great fit in terms of some of the things I was good at with the style of play that we were playing. So I felt like I needed to make a move in order to uh you know kind of have the college career that I wanted to have. Um I also, in all honesty, needed another year to grow physically. I was pretty behind the eight ball. Like I went into to college as you know, an 18-year-old. So I, 18-year-old who played public high school basketball in Vermont. I just really wasn't ready physically, mentally, emotionally for what college basketball entailed, um, which is one of the reasons now I see in prep school how valuable the extra year and you know the experience can be. So um, you know, that I needed that extra year. So I went to Bryant, uh, you know, redshirted for a year. You know, I was fortunate. You know, my uncle was the head coach at Bryant Timo Shea. Um, he had coached, you know, he was a high major assistant uh at Boston College and you know, kind of broke through and got his first head coaching job at Ohio in the early 2000s and was there for six or seven years and then wanted to get back east and um took the Bryan job in I think 2008. And so the program was transitioning from the NE10 uh to the NEC. And uh, you know, he needed players and you know, he it wasn't really a long, drawn-out recruiting process. It was just kind of like he got on the phone with me and was like, Do you want to come? And I was like, I do, and went there and redshirted a year, and then uh, you know, it was fortunate we had a good amount of team success and also had a good amount of personal success as well. So um, you know, that was a big decision for me. You know, that first year Holy Cross was really the first time in my life in basketball. I had failed. And, you know, I needed to sort of reassess things. And, you know, there were things situationally that could have been better, but there were also things personally that, you know, I needed to really improve on if I wanted to have the career that I wanted to have. So it was a big moment of sort of self-reflection and self-awareness for me and ultimately ended up being a positive, but it was definitely a big move. And back then, as you know, the rules were a lot different. So you had to sit out. Um, and that really was was really valuable for me, that year of growth in the weight room academically, uh, you know, just learning college basketball for a year without giving up a year of eligibility. And um, it turned out to be, you know, a really good situation for me the next three years.

unknown 6:24

Yeah.

The Reality of Division I Basketball

SPEAKER_01 6:25

Now, what are the uh what was the best part of playing D1 at the low major level, and what was the worst part?

SPEAKER_00 6:31

Uh the best part was, you know, we got to play against, you know, some tremendous teams, some tremendous players. Um, you know, there was, you know, I could think of, you know, we played, I remember my first game back after redshirting at Bryant was at Indiana. So we got to Indiana, their number one preseason in the country. I think Tom Crean was the coach. They got there, they had Victor Ilodepo, they had Cody Zellers. They had two lottery picks. I think two guys that went top five in that next year's draft, and then some you know, unbelievable role players as well. Yogi Pharrell, Farrell, I think his name was. He ended up playing the NBA. So at least three NBA players off the top of my head on that team. And, you know, just the level of play that you would play against, especially in the in the bye games or the guarantee games, was was pretty incredible. Um, and then even like at the low major level, like we played against CJ McCollum, both when I was at Holy Cross and Bryant. Uh, that was one of our best wins at Bryant. We beat the Lee High team. It was the same exact team that that beat Duke the year before uh in the NCA tournament. So just the level of competition, I think, was was you know really high. Uh, a lot of really good players, you know, I think, especially at the for guards, you know, there's incredible guards really at all levels of college basketball. But, you know, even in the NEC, you know, Robert Morris had multiple high major level guards at the time. So just going against that level of play on a nightly basis was was was really uh I was fortunate to to be able to experience that. And then the worst part, you know, I think it's I wouldn't say it's the worst part, but there is a significant, you know, time commitment that I think sometimes kids don't really always understand going into it. Like it is really like a job, you know, for your college career, and you know, you're getting a full scholarship, you know, in exchange for it. So I think rightfully so. But, you know, there were some things probably internship-wise or maybe academically that I wanted to explore because academics were something that were I was I was into and and made uh meant a lot to me. But you're a little bit constrained sometimes on what you can do just because of the um requirements of the season and even the summer now is has changed a lot, I think, in college basketball in the last 20 years, just what's expected of kids in the summer in terms of being on campus and doing summer sessions. So I think some of the the constraints that it created maybe for some other interests in my life. Um, I think that maybe was the only downside that I can think of.

SPEAKER_01 8:58

Yeah. All right. Thanks for sharing that. So

Lessons From College Coaching

SPEAKER_01 9:01

after college, you played a little bit of professional in Europe and then you became an assistant at both Mercyhurst and St. Anselm. So tell me what you took away from that, like, that time as being a college coach that you use and incorporate now at Kisty.

SPEAKER_00 9:15

Yeah, so I was really fortunate. You know, I played the one year of professional basketball in the Netherlands, and then I got right into coaching. You know, I knew I after a year I just really wasn't good enough to ever make a substantial career playing basketball. So coaching was always something I wanted to do, and I decided to jump right into it after that year. And, you know, I was really fortunate to work for two very successful uh college head coaches, like enormously successful, really. Um, you know, Coach Manchel at Mercy Hurst, I think he's won over 500 games, and then Coach Dixon at St. Anselm, I think, won over 700 games in his career. So between the two of them, like they're very different how they approach things, but they really know, I think, you know, what it takes to win and what they're looking for, both you know, in players and what a team should look like uh overall. And so I think from both of them, I just took away terms of actually coaching is just the process it takes to be successful, what it looks like on a day-to-day basis, you know, um, both you know, individual coaching, I think, more like, you know, checking in with players, making sure players are okay in the right headspace, what that looks like, and then also what it should look like as a group, you know, how how a group should look like both offensively and defensively in order to have success. So I just think, you know, almost through osmosis, just being around it, you know, you you pick up on little things that I think, you know, can help you be really successful in your own head coaching career. Um, and then I think the recruiting aspect of it too, just I think something that those years gave me in this role here at Kiske is, you know, I have a very, I think, good understanding of what it takes to be successful at different levels of college basketball. So really from the mid-major level on down to high division three. My brother played at Rochester. So when I was at Merciers, I got to watch a lot of UAA games in person and see what that level looks like. Um and some of the, you know, the subtle differences between mid-major division one to low major division one to division to high division two, you know, lower division two into division three. And I, those are some things I try to explain to our guys because one thing I've always I try to emphasize to these kids now that I coach is that you know there's a difference between being able to be on a roster at a level and there's a difference between being able to help a coach win at a level. And so, especially at the scholarship level, you know, if if you can't help a coach win at that level in today's climate, like you're not really going to be at that school for very long. Now, at Division III, it's a little bit different because you don't have scholarships in the same way, but coaches are always looking for a player that's a little bit above their level. That's really how they win and keep their job or move on to a better job. So, you know, I try to explain that to the to the guys while also, you know, my job here at Kiske is to also advocate for them to get to the best situation possible. So trying to explain to them how the that whole side of it works, you know, you know, it's at some level it is a business, um, is you know a really important part of my job and and something that I take uh very seriously. And it's it's all been impacted by those eight years I spent in college basketball before uh I came here.

SPEAKER_01 12:23

Gotcha.

Inside The Kiski School

SPEAKER_01 12:24

Now, speaking of Kiske, give us your pitch on Kiske as a school and your basketball program.

SPEAKER_00 12:30

Yeah, absolutely. So Kiske, we're in Salzburg, Pennsylvania. So we're about 40 minutes east of Pittsburgh. So I can hop in a car right now and get down to PNC Park in about you know 40, 45 minutes, depending on traffic. Uh the school was founded in 1888 by uh Andrew Wilson, who was a cousin of Woodrow Wilson. Uh, and it was founded sort of in the model of like a New England boarding school. Um and you know, the idea was to rival like a New England boarding school, but out here in western Pennsylvania. Uh and you know, the mission statement of the school is to prepare students to succeed in college and in life. And I think that's a very, it's a simple but very powerful uh statement. So, you know, the school, um, you know, we have about 200 students. Uh the school was an all-boys school up until two years ago. So for you know, over 100 years, all-boys' school. And then the school decided to shift two years ago, and now we have uh girls and boys, we're co-ed. So we have about 40 girls right now, and then the remainder are boys. And as we move forward into the future, we'll continue to move it closer to a 50-50 split with that. Um, you know, we have about 31 countries represented, I think 13 states, uh 350-acre campus. So, you know, it's a really, really nice school. It you know, reminds me a lot of the New England boarding schools that I saw in New England when I was especially recruiting at St. Ansleam. Um, and we have some, you know, those types of traditions. So we have formal meals, that's why I'm wearing a tie right now. Uh Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, we have formal dinner on Monday nights, which I think are a really cool aspect of the school and help to build community. Um, 12 AP classes. So I think one of the best things about Kisky that I've experienced here is I think it's a really strong balance of academics and athletics. So I think, you know, whether you your aspirations are to get a scholarship, whether your aspirations are to go to a very high academic, you know, an Ivy League school or a Nescaq or a UAA, um, I think you can meet or reach all your goals from Kiske and kind of our college placement list, both as a program and as a school, prove that. You know, we have kids that go off to Harvard, um, you know, Tufts, uh, Hamilton, all the all the high academic schools in the Northeast. Um, but then also, you know, if kids are, you know, you know, not quite as strong academically, but still want the structure and the uh, you know, the academic support that's provided by a boarding school, you know, we can meet those needs as well. So, you know, I think that's one of the strengths of the school is that we can meet the needs of a wide range of students. And then uh the basketball program, I think one of the things that makes us unique is, you know, we're out here sort of in the the uh the wild, wild west of prep schools in the sense that, you know, we're a little further away from the epicenter in New England and in the Jersey area. So we're out here with reserve, you know, Lindsley School, uh, but we play an independent schedule of about 25 to 30 games. Uh we play a lot of the really, really good teams out east in Pennsylvania. So we'll play in the Hill tournament, we'll play in the Petty tournament, uh, we'll play in the Mercersburg tournament before Christmas. And then after Christmas, you know, we'll play Mercersburg, we'll play Western Reserve, we'll play Lindsley. Uh, and it ends up being a very strong, strong schedule. Um, you know, we have some advantages, I guess, over some of the Nescax with the in terms of the calendar, that we don't have any restrictions in the fall. So we can do a fall basketball segment that's more akin to what you experience in college. Like we'll be in the weight room four days a week in the fall, we'll be on the court four to five days a week, continue that through until the middle to end of October, and then we get into like our team practice uh to lead into the season. So our access is a little bit stronger because we're not part of any sort of governing body, um, which I think can help with development, uh, get a little bit more access to the kids. Like I don't have to worry about any type of rules with that. Uh, and then we're playing, like I said, a really, really strong schedule. And then we'll play in the PESA state tournament at the uh the end of the year. And the PESA has really, I think, strengthened over the last decade with some of these schools, like West Town has had multiple NBA players. Uh Perky Ollman, you know, had some unbelievable talent a few years ago with Ryan Don, with uh Tommy Ha, uh Xavier and Lee. You know, these guys are all you know in the NBA or on the cusp of the NBA. So the level of play in the PESA, um, you know, I've been I've been very impressed with the talent when we've gotten into the state tournament. Um, so it's been you know it's been a really good experience for me so far here, and I look forward to continuing to grow the program in the future.

SPEAKER_01 17:11

Yeah, and one one thank you for giving the background on that. Um, I think that's valuable for teams outside of New England to kind of share, you know, their philosophies, how they get seen, et cetera. But um a question families ask me all the time, and I

How Kiski Develops Players

SPEAKER_01 17:24

know they ask you, is what do you do in terms of developing your players?

SPEAKER_00 17:28

Yeah, it's a great question. So I think one of the things I try to focus on is, you know, coming from the college level, is it really mimics, you know, what we did in college. Uh, you know, it like I was saying, in the fall, we're gonna be in the weight room four days a week. I think that's a critical aspect of getting ready for college basketball. I think for better or for worse, college coaches are as impatient as ever when it comes to what they expect from kids coming into college. So especially with kids that reclass with the extra year, if you're entering college at 19, like your body, you know, should look like a 19-year-old. It shouldn't look like an 18-year-old. And there should be a difference. So I really try to emphasize the weight room, especially in the fall and the spring. And then in the fall, we're doing a ton of uh skill development stuff. So, you know, shooting, dribbling, ball hand, shooting, dribbling, passing, excuse me. And then we're doing a lot of small-sided games like two on two, three on three, four on four. Uh, you know, if we don't have, you know, if we don't have 10 guys of equal ability, then I'll break it down into more like three on three type stuff and we'll work on actions. So, you know, different types of screening actions, different types of um, you know, advantage, disadvantage situations to focus in on a particular part of whatever we're emphasizing that day. And then that continues through to the season. Um, and then the season, you know, one of the things I've really tried to hone in on, and I got this from Coach Dixon at St. An's like he was a really, really good teacher uh with film. And I've really tried to emphasize, you know, through Huddle with breakdowns, you know, with with cut ups, is really trying to teach both, you know, this is good and then this is bad, and trying to show kids over the course of the season with, you know, with clips from our games, okay, this is what it should look like, this is what it shouldn't look like, and this is how we're gonna change it. Um, and so I think now with technology, it's it's so um, you know, ubiquitous, you know, in in basketball. And I think it can be a very valuable tool if you use it the right way. Um so I really try to hone in on film. That's something that we've increased, you know, just finished up my second year from year one to year two. Um, just the teaching and the edits and in both individually and as a team, you know, using technology to really hammer home what our philosophies are.

Playing Time and Finding the Right Fit

SPEAKER_01 19:47

Yeah, love that. Thanks for sharing that. Now, what about when parents ask you about playing time and how it's divvyed up?

SPEAKER_00 19:54

Yeah, that's that comes up a lot. And so I would say, you know, with Kiske, one of the the interesting things here is, you know, we have football. So a lot of these schools do not have football anymore. So, you know, we have a school of 200 kids. So we're not, you know, if someone comes here to play ba basketball, like that's their primary reason for enrolling at the school. I try to make sure that they're gonna be in the top seven or top eight. Because if they're not, then you know, it can become a it it can be hard. Like, I don't want to take a kid that either is gonna be on the varsity team and is gonna be the 11th man and play three, five minutes a game. Like, that's really hard for development. I really believe, and this is coming from my own personal experience, like you get better by playing. And like the growth I made when I was at Bryant was much more significant than the growth I made at Holy Cross because I just I didn't get to play. And so at this age, like finding a place where you can play a lot, I think it is important. Um, you know, we do have a like a varsity two team that plays like about a 15-game schedule. So I think for kids that come, that's always an option. But if you're coming to me and like I want to be on the national team, I'm gonna look at your film or evaluate you. And I really want to make sure, especially if you're coming in as a as a one-year or two-year kid, that you're gonna be in our top, really our top eight, maybe top nine to push it. Um, you know, otherwise, it's probably best that you look somewhere else because, you know, I I don't, I never want to guarantee playing time, but you know, you can take a look at the film and and give probably a rough estimate of what you think. And then if you come here and, you know, it it doesn't work out, you know, that varsity two team is always an option. But I'm pretty careful on the front end not to get involved with kids that I think it's clear that they can't play minutes on our varsity one team if they're gonna come to Kiskey. Um, I think otherwise you're gonna end up, I'm gonna end up unhappy because I'm gonna be dealing with complaints. And then the family and the kids are gonna be unhappy because they're not getting the minutes that they expected.

SPEAKER_01 22:05

Yeah. All that makes sense. All that makes sense. Thanks for sharing that too. Um

Should Basketball Players Reclassify?

SPEAKER_01 22:10

what do you tell families that want to know if their son should reclassify or not?

SPEAKER_00 22:14

Yeah. Uh good question. I would strongly encourage it in probably 95% of cases, I think, for a number of reasons. I think first, just the nature of college basketball. It's gotten older and I don't think it's going back to how it used to be. So I think the extra year can be really, really valuable in terms of giving you just another year of development, another year of body growth. Um, all those things, you know, they add up. Like, you know, I went to college, you know, it was 15 years ago at this point, but I went as a true freshman and 18-year-old, I was not ready to play. So I'm not saying all 18-year-olds aren't ready to play, but if you're trying to play at the highest level you possibly can, you know, that extra year is really, really going to be important in terms of you being able to develop and be the best player you can be before you get to college. Um and then the other reason is I think it's important to think about this probably impending NCA legislation with the five for five. And so postgrads, the way I understand it, and I could be wrong because it's it's always changing, um, but the way I understand it is if you decide to graduate high school and then postgrad and get the extra year that way, that year is going to count against your NCA clock. So that's gonna be one of the five years that you use uh, you know, for college basketball. So if you want to maximize your college basketball clock, reclassifying and then graduating at 19, it makes a lot more sense in the long term in terms of giving yourself optionality once you get to college. Um so that aspect of it. And I think too, just from a, you know, getting uh comfortable at a school, I think coming for multiple years, it gives me more time to work with you. You get more acclimated to the community. I know most of these schools all want kids for multiple years as well. So reclassing, whether it turns you into a two-year kid or whether it turns you into a three-year kid, I think it just helps you ingrain yourself into the community. And I think, you know, nothing really bad is gonna happen from it. Um I know there's an additional cost, which is a legitimate concern, uh, but I think it really does uh, you know, usually create better outcomes in the long term, reclassifying.

SPEAKER_01 24:36

Love it. And that the whole NCAA proposal, we're we're recording this on May 7th. We don't know if that's gonna take effect when they vote on it or not. So whenever this gets released, um, it could be moot what we're saying right now, but it's just good to keep track of this. And yeah, if that postgrad year counts towards eligibility, it's a conversation that families are gonna have, and we're gonna have to advise them on that just to make sure they can make the best decision possible. Yes, exactly.

College Placement and the Transfer Portal

SPEAKER_01 25:00

Um with that being said, what is your college placement strategy here in 2026?

SPEAKER_00 25:05

Yeah, so college placement, you know, it's it's much more complicated than it was when I was in high school. Um, it's much more complicated than it was probably seven or eight years ago. So I think the way I look at it, and you know, this is my second year doing this, but I think for the division three level, I think a lot of it is, I don't want to say it's totally different, but it's similar in the sense that like we have a kid right now, actually, one of your kids, Corey, uh, you know, Jake, Jake Wright, who's you know, been really, really good addition to this school. And, you know, his he's looking at a lot of high academic division three right now. And that process is playing out relatively similar to how I remember the process playing out, you know, when I was in high school. Now, for kids that are going after full scholarships at division one or the high division two level, I think you have to be prepared to wait because the reality is that the transfer portal is making it so that schools are always going to try to get older kids and they may not be better fits. Um, but you know, schools are going after proven production and you know they'll circle back to high school kids at certain points. You know, I think they do it a little bit in the fall. I think they'll do it a little bit right before the portal opens in February. But if you're looking for a full scholarship, you have to be willing to wait it out until probably the spring of your senior year to see what pops. Um now, again, if you're a if you're a high major player and you're willing to commit to a you know a mid-major minus level program, well, yeah, they'll probably take you whenever. But if you're trying to play at the highest level you possibly can, it's a little bit more of a waiting game to see what can pop. You know, I think my role is to make schools informed of who you are. Um, you know, I do have relationships with a good amount of coaches just from my years in college. So, you know, I can text them on the side, maybe in a way that an email doesn't reach them, you know, but ultimately, you know, they're gonna I'm just trying to get you in front of them and then they're gonna make a decision about whether or not uh, you know, they think you can play for their school and at their level. And I think, you know, we were fortunate, we had a couple kids last year that went on to college and had very successful freshman years. So I think that helps me, you know, with credibility because, you know, if I try to sell a kid, you know, to a division one coach that's not a division one player, well,

What College Coaches Really Value

SPEAKER_00 27:18

that's probably the last time that coach is going to listen to me. So I think for me, you know, listening to your needs or listening to your goals and your aspirations about where you want to play, I'm happy to do that. But I also have to be realistic with you about where I think you can play because ultimately my credibility is damaged if I send you to a school that you don't belong at. And for me, like, you know, I want to do this for a long time. Um, you know, I need coaches to listen when I pick up the phone. And the more times I can send kids to the right level where they can be successful, you know, the more it's gonna help uh my credibility and the ability for me to place kids, you know, down the line in the future.

SPEAKER_01 27:57

Absolutely. Yeah, I love that. Um this is a question I ask every coach, and you can answer it because if you had experience, but what does it take to be a guard at the D1 level in today's day and age?

SPEAKER_00 28:09

Yeah, that's a that's a good question. I think, you know, to call a spade a spade, like there's a baseline of talent that you need. So there's you know, there's physical talent, there's you know the skill level that you're gonna need. Um, and then there's like the third part, the intangible part. So as Tom uh Kunchowski used to say, like of the intangibles of head and heart. And I think those are probably the hardest to measure as a coach, like trying to figure out what's really inside of somebody. Uh, you know, are they resilient? Are they tough? Are they willing to fight through adversity? Um, so all those things, like once you reach the baseline of, okay, is this is this kid athletic enough? You know, is he quick enough? Um, is he strong enough? And then you add in, you know, the shooting, the passing, the dribbling. So that all those things, you can check all those boxes at a pretty sufficient level. But you know, if you're not willing to fight through adversity, because at some point, you know, for 99% of kids, they're gonna face some adversity in college. If you don't have those other, those other tools, it's gonna be hard for you to be as good a player as your talent would indicate. So that's something I really harp on to our kids is like, you know, when the going gets tough, you know, do the tough get going. And I think you want to be in that group because, you know, coaches, they need guys that can make shots, they need guys that can get in the paint, you know, they need guys that can run a team. But if you're if you don't have those softer skills, you know, you get into the middle of February and you're in conference play and you lose a couple games in a row, you know, you need guys that you know, you know, will get back up the next day and keep fighting. You know, guys you want to be in the foxhole with, you know, for lack of a better term. And I think, you know, all those things, that's one of the things I really like about prep school is you're playing such a strong level of competition. You know, it's not like you're at your local high school beating up on bad teams the whole year, and then you never know what it's like to not be the most talented kid or never know what it's like to get popped by 20 points. And I think being at a prep school on a competitive schedule, I think it really helps develop some of those softer skills that you're gonna need uh, you know, when you get to college if you want to have a successful career. So I think some combination of the three is important, but I think the longer I've been in coaching, the more I valued, you know, the toughness, the resiliency, the desire to get better. I think that's a really important one. I think some kids, you know, they get to college and they're like, this is I've reached my goal. And as a college coach, you want guys that they get to college like, no, this is just the beginning of the process. Like I'm be trying to become the best player I can possibly become because I have an intrinsic love of the game, not necessarily what the game brings to me. And so I think that's always really hard to evaluate, but I think the more you have that and you're really the only one that knows that deep down, um, you know, I think the more successful you're gonna be in the long run and you know, have the ability to play, you know, at the division one level or the highest level that you possibly can play at.

SPEAKER_01 31:05

Yeah, that's good advice coming from a guy that did it, right? Um

The Future of Prep School Basketball

SPEAKER_01 31:10

last question here. What do you see as the future of prep school basketball?

SPEAKER_00 31:14

Yeah, that's uh I would say it's a great question. Uh I do not have a great answer for that. I think if I was a betting man, I would say I think you're gonna continue to see the shift towards more of a probably a pre-professional model uh at a lot of places. Uh that's not necessarily something I'm looking to be a part of. Uh, I think one of the things I value about Kiski is it is like a traditional model in terms of both the education and the athletics. I think both are important. Nothing against the other models. Um, I think they have their place. But I think it's important, or I feel it's important, for kids to be developing themselves, you know, athletically, academically, and then holistically as well. Uh, I think one of the great things Kisky does is, you know, we develop a lot of these soft skills in terms of uh the manners, the etiquette, you know, the daily habits that are important for success in life, um, you know, regardless of what you end up doing. So I think you're gonna continue to see a shift, you know, towards the academy model. Um, you know, I'm hoping there's some clarity and some stability uh with the NCA model uh in the near future, because I do think that would provide some guidance to what our level looks like because you know, we're feeding a lot of these players to college basketball or coming through prep schools or academies. Um But um, you know, I think Kisky is pretty pretty consistent in what you know they want it to look like on my end in terms of our team. Um but I you know I think we'll continue to see this shift maybe even towards you know kids getting paid at some of these schools. I it's I'm sure it's already happening or it is happening. Um but you know, I think the traditional boarding school model, I think there's a lot of value in that. And I think you know, it's it's been around for a hundred years. So I think balancing uh you know, balancing that with also being uh you know, uh being you know, being able to be light on our toes and adjust as needed to what the outside world is doing, you know, I think striking that balance will be critical for for schools like this and you know for uh for traditional prep schools moving forward.

SPEAKER_01 33:27

All right. Thanks for sharing that too. Um is there anything else you want to touch on before uh we go today that we might not have mentioned?

Why the Prep School Path Matters

SPEAKER_00 33:36

No, that's uh that's about it. I mean, thank you for having me on the podcast. I you know really appreciate what you do for these kids. I think a lot of student athletes in high school, like, you know, they don't really know this world. I I honestly, I you know, I my dad was a a college coach for 20 years, and my uncle was a Division I head coach for for over 20 years. And you know, I never experienced this. A lot of my AAU teammates played, played AAU, I mean, played, uh went to prep school, but I think it's a really, really uh can be a really valuable experience for for a lot of kids. It's not for everybody, but for a lot of kids, I think it can be a really, really helpful tool uh to be better prepared to go to college. And so, you know, what you're doing, I think is is very helpful to to expose kids to these opportunities that are out there.

SPEAKER_01 34:23

I appreciate that. Well, Joe, I appreciate you coming on the podcast. And thanks for sharing your backstory and a little bit more about Kiss Q. Thanks, Corey. Good talking. All right. If you guys enjoyed this, be sure to subscribe on all the major podcasting platforms, share with a friend, and if you want to make sure you keep up with everything going on in the prep school world, sign up for our newsletter at prepathletics.com. That's a great resource for any and all questions that deal with prep school. And we appreciate Coach Joe O'Shea from Kiske School joining us today. We'll see you next time on the Prep Athletics Podcast. Take care.