Justin Gainey, Associate Head Coach for Tennessee Vols Men’s Basketball, visits with Says Who Sports to discuss the program’s Elite Eight run last season, the ingredients that make the SEC what he believes is the toughest conference in the country, the powerful life lessons he continues to learn from mentor and Vols’ Coach Rick Barnes, the influence of NIL on recruiting (including the positives Gainey says it brings to the player/fan relationship), the noteworthy impact his approach to coaching defense has had on the team, his days as a former player and captain at NC State and what it was like playing in the dominant ACC of the late nineties including facing opponents like Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter and Steve Francis, the strength of family that has enabled him to pursue his coaching dreams, and much more!

Megan Courtney-Lush, captain of the Columbus Fury of the Pro Volleyball Federation, joins Says Who Sports to discuss the upcoming season, her leadership role with the team, her experiences as a key member of powerhouse Penn State’s back-to-back national championship teams in 2013-14 (including being named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four in 2014), her years playing around the world at the highest level as a professional and what it means to her to be “back home” and performing in front of family and friends, lessons learned from fighting thru and overcoming the adversity of multiple serious injuries in her career, the key ingredient to personal and team greatness in volleyball, the intensity of above-the-net play as an outside hitter and the diverse skill set necessary to play the position, her embrace of the opportunity to influence youngsters and help grow the game, and much more!

Tim Goodwin is widely considered to be among the best high school football coaches in the country, and his Marion Local (Maria Stein, OH) program owns the longest active winning streak in the nation. Goodwin visits with Says Who Sports to discuss the importance of humility despite incredible success, including Marion Local’s record fourteen state championships, the core values of his program, the strong value of a coaching staff that brings a wealth of experience and ideas, and his thoughts on competing in the Midwest Athletic Conference, a powerhouse small school league where multiple schools winning state championships in a variety of sports, not just football, each year has become commonplace.

Goodwin shares his perspectives on the work ethic and strong family values inherent to kids growing up in a community and surrounding area with a rich history of farming and agriculture, life lessons learned from the toughest moments in coaching including tragedy, the ever-increasing spotlight on his program and his disdain for self-promotion, the intense practices that prepare his teams for crunch time in the biggest games, the intense debate among high school football fans in Ohio and beyond about the possibility that his teams could compete with and/or defeat the best ‘big school’ teams in the state, the influence of Bill Belichick on his coaching approach, and much more!