In this episode of the Arena Podcast, Richard Case, the new head coach at Adams-Friendship, prepares to begin his first head coaching job on June 15. Together, we break down the challenges, decisions, and opportunities that come with taking over a program and how a new head coach can attack the first 60 days the right way to build momentum, trust, and culture before the season ever begins.

Topics include:

• summer strength and conditioning
• how to increase attendance and buy-in
• working with multi-sport athletes
• in-home visits
• fall parent meetings
• connecting with youth and middle school coaches
• building culture early
• creating momentum before the season begins

Special guests Rick Jones, Eric Luster, and Ben Startzer also join the conversation to give practical advice and perspective from their own experiences leading successful programs.

If you’re a first-time head coach — or even a veteran looking for fresh ideas — this episode is packed with actionable strategies you can use immediately this summer.

Most coaches have a summer workout plan.

Very few have a summer celebration plan.

In this episode, we break down the Summer Celebration Playbook — simple ways to create energy, motivation, competition, and connection during the toughest part of the year.

Topics include:

• Build Your House / Earn Your Key 🔑
• Taco Thursday + the 4-for-4 Club 🌮
• Treasure Chest reward systems 🎁
• Daily culture awards 🏆
• Why celebrations and traditions matter more than coaches think
• How to create a summer players actually WANT to be part of

My good friend, Coach Eric Luster, head coach at Brazoswood High School in Clute, Texas, joins us along with members of his leadership council and adds an outstanding player perspective to the conversation.

Don’t just post workouts and hope kids show up.

Build something they’ll remember.

In this special episode of Spring Scoreboard: Turning the Offseason Into Accountability, I sit down with two head coaches I know extremely well—Eric Luster of Brazoswood High School and Justin Velasquez of Brazosport High School.

Both were once on staff with me, and now they’re leading their own programs in Texas.

We talk about what actually matters this time of year:

• Building real accountability in the offseason
• Getting players to buy in without constant reminders
• Creating a competitive environment that drives behavior
• And how tracking more than just strength and speed is changing their programs

This one hits different—because it’s not theory. It’s two coaches in the arena, doing the work, and building something real.