In this week's basketball coaching conversation, former NBA player and NBA/WNBA head coach Derek Fisher joins The Basketball Podcast to share lessons from a champion.

Fisher played in the NBA for 18 seasons and won five NBA championships with the Lakers. Fisher, often considered one of the greatest role players of all time, was part of a three-peat Los Angeles Lakers championship squad with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal from 2000-02 and then again with Bryant and Pau Gasol in 2009 and 2010.

Fisher coached the New York Knicks from 2014-2016 and the WNBA Sparks from 2019-2022.

NBA Coaching Career

New York Knicks: Fisher was hired as the head coach of the New York Knicks in 2014 by then-president Phil Jackson. Despite facing challenges, he brought a wealth of NBA experience to the sidelines, emphasizing teamwork and resilience. His tenure with the Knicks was marked by a focus on player development and fostering a competitive environment.

WNBA Coaching Career

Los Angeles Sparks: In 2019, Fisher took on the role of head coach for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA. His leadership was instrumental in guiding the team through the competitive landscape of the WNBA.

Crespi Carmelite High School (2023–Present)

On August 7, 2023, Fisher embraced a new challenge by becoming the head basketball coach at Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, California. This role allows him to impart his extensive basketball knowledge and leadership experience to young athletes, fostering the next generation of talent.

In this week's basketball coaching conversation, Blair Academy head coach Joe Mantegna shares his insights on teaching the game and radical transparency.

Since arriving at Blair in 1999, Mantegna has transformed the school into a national prep basketball powerhouse. Under his leadership, Blair boasts an impressive record of 464-159, securing 16 Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) titles and 21 trips to the NJ prep “A” state finals, with state championships in 2009, 2011, 2014, 2019, and 2024.

Blair’s program has produced six NBA players, including Luol Deng ’03 and Charlie Villanueva ’03, who both played in the 2003 McDonald’s All-American Game. Additionally, nine Blair alums have participated in the NCAA Final Four, with three winning National Championships. Over 80 players have moved on to Division I rosters, while ten have played professionally overseas. Many former players also coach at the NBA, NCAA, and prep school levels.

Before Blair, Coach Mantegna was an assistant coach at four colleges, including Boston University and Lehigh University. His extensive coaching experience also includes international success. In 2023, he helped lead the South Sudan Men's National Team to three wins at the World Cup in Manila, a historic achievement for African basketball, qualifying them for the 2024 Paris Olympics. At the Olympics, South Sudan became the second African nation to ever win a basketball game.

Mantegna’s international coaching accolades include guiding the USA team at the 2022 NIKE Hoop Summit to victory and assisting South Sudan to a fifth-place finish at the 2021 FIBA AfroBasket. He also played a key role in South Sudan’s qualification for the 2023 FIBA World Championships in Asia. Additionally, Mantegna served as the defensive coordinator for the U.S.-Select U-18 team at the Albert Schweitzer Games in Germany in 2014 and 2016, later becoming the head coach in 2018.

Awesome to welcome legendary Canadian college basketball coach and current Senior Director Sr. Director of Basketball CEBL

Joe Raso is Senior Director of Basketball Operations for the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). He leads the league's player procurement program both domestically and internationally, oversees the CEBL Draft, directs team and player compliance issues, supervises officiating, and plays a key role in the CEBL's relationships with FIBA, Canada Basketball, other basketball organizations, and player agents.

As a college coach, Raso is the all-time winningest coach in McMaster University history and one of the most successful coaches in Canadian University Sports history, with a record of 389 wins against only 155 losses (a .715 winning percentage) over 18 seasons, including 17 seasons with 20 or more wins.

Raso's basketball resume includes four OUA titles, 12 CIS National Championship tournament appearances resulting in four Silver medals, and six OUA Coach of the Year awards. He has produced five All Canadian players and two National Player of the Year winners while leading McMaster.

Raso has been a national and international consultant, clinician, committee member, speaker, and basketball analyst for the past 25 years. A former National team assistant coach, he has coached in World Championships and Olympic qualifiers, working with some of Canada's greatest players, including NBA two-time Most Valuable Player and Hall of Fame inductee Steve Nash. He has also served as Head Scout with the Canadian Men's National team and is an advance scout with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, and Denver Nuggets.

Raso has been instrumental in developing basketball at the grassroots level in Canada and has served in various roles, including Technical Director with the World International Children's Games, where his Hamilton teams won international Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals. As a high school teacher for 32 years, he coached St. Mary's high school in Hamilton to an OFSAA championship in 1991 and represented Canada at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Germany.