Former head coach of the Sprague Olympians reflects on his journey through basketball after finishing this season with the best team in the history of the school.

Enrique Sandoval has decades of experience in the game as a player and coach. Most recently, he led the Gervais girl’s program the the 2023 2A State Title. We discuss his upbringing and how it helped shaped him as a player and person. We also get into the impact of the Oregon Latino Basketball Tournament as well to why he did not recruit me when he was coaching at Chemeketa.

2:38 Developing his love for the game

5:50 Memories from the Oregon Latino Basketball Tournament

11:03 His state runner-up team as a senior at Woodburn HS

16:50 Battling through failure in high school

19:30 Encouraging our kids through failure rather than keeping them away from failure

25:10 His path to college basketball

31:48 An all-time George Libbon story from Chemeketa practice

35:53 Being able to handle intensity from coaches

38:05 Playing for legendary coach Bart Valentine at Warner Pacific

43:10 Returning to Chemeketa CC to start his career as a basketball coach

46:23 Transitioning to coaching at Sprague HS

48:40 Returning home to coach at Woodburn HS

51:30 Leading the Gervais girl’s team to a state title

57:50 The changing of youth basketball through one generation

59:40 All-time Woodburn starting 5

1:06:06 All-time Salem starting 5

RJ Veliz talks about his career thus far, developing his love for the game with his family and leading the next generation in his community. After a successful prep career (19th most points in Oregon high school history), RJ has gone onto to play at Western Oregon University, Wheaton College, and will now finish his final year at Corban College here in Salem.

1:25 The Veliz family love for basketball

4:45 Developing the work ethic that was his foundation for his career

8:10 Competing with younger brothers growing up

10:35 Woodburn’s strong basketball community

13:20 Starting high school at Blanchet Catholic in Salem

18:19 Transitioning to play at Woodburn HS as his dad took the head coaching job

22:40 RJ’s future in coaching

23:30 Playing at Western Oregon and Wheaton College (IL)

33:44 The difference in coaching vs playing

37:14 Looking ahead to his senior year at Corban

41:25 What were the impactful moments in his development?

45:12 The need for delusion to compete with higher caliber players

46:00 What he wishes he would have known as a younger player

48:19 What does the young player need to do that wants to be great

50:10 The effects of social media on the younger generation

54:25 The all time Woodburn starting 5

57:38 Who he watches for specific skill sets

Dean Sanderson is the new hire for the West Salem Titans. We discuss his coaching career, the learning that has taken place throughout, as well as his hopes for the future of West Salem basketball.

Jason Unruh is a graduate of South Salem HS where he played for legendary coach Barry Adams. After spending a few years as an assistant, he went on to help found The Hoop as well as the Hoopla 3 on 3 basketball tournament.

Alex Hartman had a successful college and overseas pro career as a basketball player and has used his experiences to springboard his next professional chapter. We discuss his journey as a player as well as the NIL scene for athletes. Be on the lookout for a second episode with Hartman in the future. Check out his work at heartlandcreative.net

Greg Plater became a first-team all-state player at McKay HS while helping to take the program from the bottom of the league to state contenders. He credits his hours in the gym to building his game on the court, but also his confidence in himself to be great.

Jack Martino has over 30 years of coaching experience. His experiences have enabled him to get the most out of his teams. In 3 years at McKay HS, he took them from last place in the Valley League into state contenders.