The Practice Players Podcast

In this episode, Drew shares some of his favorite moments being a manager with The Minnesota Golden Gophers Men's Basketball team. Drew is a symbol of what positivity and hard work truly is, sharing his story of battling leukemia all while being a college student and working as a student manager. His powerful journey is a must hear lesson on perseverance for all. 

Drew Evenson is the head student manager for the Minnesota Men’s Basketball team. Drew is currently in his second year with the Golden Gophers and is responsible for a variety of day-to-day duties. In 2020 Drew underwent treatment for leukemia and completed his treatment on February 2nd 2024.

Ben Asher is in his third season as an assistant coach with the Youngstown State men's basketball program.

He helped lead the Penguins to a regular-season conference championship after guiding the Penguins to an overall record of 24-10 and a 15-5 league mark en route to the Horizon League Championship.

The 24 wins tied the program record for most wins in a season and the 15 Horizon League victories also set the record for most conference wins.

For the second straight season, Asher was named on the Most Impactful Mid-Major Assistant Coaches in Division I Basketball by Silver Waves Media.

He helped the Penguins to 19 wins in 2021-22, which were also the most since 2000-01 and set a school record for most wins as members of the Horizon League. The Penguins also set a school record for most conference wins with 12.

In 2021-22, Youngstown State also tied the Division I record for most home wins with 13 and secured the program’s second postseason berth in three years with an appearance in the inaugural The Basketball Classic. The Penguins also won its second postseason game with a 70-65 victory over Morgan State.

Asher was also named one of the Most Impactful Mid-Major Assistant Coaches in Division I Basketball by Silver Waves Media.

Asher spent the last five seasons at Rutgers, most recently serving as the Director of Basketball Operations and Recruiting for two years. He also served three seasons as Special Assistant to the Head Coach with the Scarlet Knights. 

With Asher on staff, the Scarlet Knights program has achieved new heights and, in 2020-21, qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 30 years. 

Among Asher’s many responsibilities were serving as liaison to the athletic department at large, including the areas of communications, RVision, marketing, creative, business operations and facilities management.

He played an integral role in the program’s social media outreach and recruiting initiatives. The Scarlet Knights welcomed a four-recruit signing class in 2018 that included multiple four-star players for the first time at Rutgers since 2008. RU has signed four-star recruits from New Jersey in three consecutive classes, with Ron Harper, Jr. (2018), Paul Mulcahy (2019) and Cliff Omoruyi (2020) all electing to stay home.

Asher was instrumental in supervising the program’s student managers, facilitating team travel, and the development and execution of team camps. During his tenure “On the Banks,” he has aided in the resurgence of the program by helping to cultivate an environment based upon relationships and results.

In 2020, Asher was named to the NABC 30-Under-30 Team. 

As Special Assistant to the Head Coach, Asher provided executive level support to Steve Pikiell, while assisting in the overall management of administrative duties and daily functions of the men's basketball office.

Prior to Rutgers, Asher spent a season serving as Director of Operations at Siena under Jimmy Patsos. The Saints posted a 21-13 overall record and competed in the CBI postseason tournament.  He was instrumental in the day-to-day activities of the team, including travel, practices, meals, facility use, team camps and recruiting.

An Oyster Bay, N.Y. native, Asher spent two seasons (2013-15) in the ACC as a graduate assistant at N.C. State under Mark Gottfried. The Wolfpack advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2015, after reaching the ACC quarterfinal and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2014.

Prior to arriving in Raleigh, Asher worked as the head student manager at West Virginia, where he earned a Regents Bachelor of Arts degree in 2013. Under head coach Bob Huggins, the Mountaineers won the Big East Tournament Championship and advanced to the Final Four in 2010, while also earning NCAA berths in 2011 and 2012.

(Pulled from Youngstown State's Website)

Wearing 3 different numbers in high school? Never taking a single campus visit to Ohio State? Announcing his commitment because of a dare with a friend? All-American candidate Bruce Thornton shares some wild stories from his recruitment process, and breaks down what has lead to an immensely successful start to his sophomore campaign.

Sophomore Season (2023-24):

•Averaging 16.9 points, 4.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 0.8 turnovers per game.

•Shooting 37.7% from 3 on over 5 attempts per game

•Led Ohio State to The Emerald Coast Classic Title while being named tournament MVP

(Stats and accolades as of 12/32/23)

Freshman Season (2022-23):

•Started all 35 games as a freshman at Ohio State, averaging 10.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.

•Named to the 2023 B1G All-Tournament Team

High School:

•Consensus four-star recruit and Gatorade Player of the Year out of the state of Georgia. 

Michael Visenberg covers over a wide array of topics including his role with Pro Insights, who is his GOAT, and the current role length + versatility plays in the modern basketball landscape. Him and The Practice Players breakdown the start to this NBA season, debating which teams will stay hot and which will fall off. 

Michael Visenberg is the Basketball Database Manager of Prospective Insight, a company that specializes in providing grassroots scouting and media coverage. He has covered events including the Nike Hoop Summit, Adidas Global Nations, the Nike Global Challenge, the Les Schwab Invitational, Border League, and the Sports Academy National Cup among many others. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and a graduate of the University of Oregon, he has written and covered the NBA Draft extensively and has his eye on multiple levels of basketball.

Prior to Ohio State

• Played in 34 games as a true freshman at Penn State, averaging 2.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 56.9 percent from the field in an average of 9.4 minutes per contest
• Scored a career-best 12 points on a perfect 4-for-4 effort from the field while adding three rebounds and an assist against Indiana on Jan. 11
• Appeared in both NCAA Tournament games for the Nittany Lions against Texas A&M and Texas
• Was a consensus three-star prospect coming out of Cincinnati’s Archbishop Moeller High School
• As a senior at Moeller, he was a finalist for 2022 Ohio Mr. Basketball, the GCL Conference Player of the Year, the Ohio Player of the Year by Cincinnati.com and a Division I first-team All-Ohio honoree

(from OSU's website)

Danny Cooper is a basketball trainer and content creator. He has clients including Mac McClung (76ers), Brendan Hausen (Villanova), and many more. He documents his journey, using basketball as a vehicle to travel the world and inspire.

2022 AP All-American and current New Orleans Pelican EJ Liddell reflects on his time at Ohio State with The Practice Players. EJ offers some powerful advice from his own experiences for players dealing with social media threats as well as major injuries. With his NBA debut right around the corner, EJ shares what life in the league has been like and what he is looking forward to.

Career Accolades:

High School:

•2x Illinois Mr. Basketball Award Winner

•2019 4 Star Recruit

College (Ohio State):

•2x 1st Team All-Big Ten (2021 & 2022)

•Big Ten All-Defensive Team (2022)

•2022 3rd Team AP All-American

NBA (New Orleans Pelicans):

•41st pick in the 2022 NBA Draft

•Signed a 3 year deal in July 2023 after missing all of the 2022 season with an ACL injury

2022-23 (Freshman):

•Three star recruit out of Princeton High School in Cincinnati, Ohio

•Appeared in seven games in a reserve role

•Scored first career points in a win over Maine (12/21/22)

Career Highlights:

2003-07: Cincinnati Student Assistant

2004-07: Walsh Assistant

2007-12: West Virginia Assistant

2012-17: Fairmont State Head Coach

2017-Present: Youngstown State Head Coach

NCAA Division 2 Runner Up (2017)

Horizon League Coach of the Year (2023)

Horizon League Regular Season Champions (2023)

Jalen Hill was a 4 star recruit in the 2019 class, who spent the last 4 seasons playing at the University of Oklahoma. In 2019-20, Hill started in just one game and played 10.9 minutes for the Sooners. He worked his way up the depth chart, and started every game he appeared in his Junior (2021-22) and Senior (2022-23) seasons. In 2022-23, Hill averaged career highs in minutes (32.7) and points per game (9.7). Hill scored a carrer high 26 points in an upset win versus #2 Alabama (1/28/23). During this game, Hill also held 2023 #2 overall pick Brandon Miller to 4/14 shooting and just 11 points as his primary defender. In the summer of 2023, Hill elected to use his 5th year of eligibility and transfer to UNLV for the 2023-24 season.

Zach Collins is a Las Vegas Native who played at national powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School. After a stellar 2017 March Madness performance with Gonzaga, including a trip to the national title game, Zach Collins went one and done. He was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. In his 4 years with Portland, Collins was an integral part of multiple playoff teams. Prior to the 2021 NBA season, Collins signed with the San Antonio Spurs. In 2022-23 (with the Spurs), he averaged career highs in points (11.6 per game), rebounds (6.4 per game), assists (2.9 per game), and 3-point percentage (37.4%). 

Coaching Background:

2022-Present – Ohio State Associate Head Coach
2019-2022 – Ohio State Assistant Coach
2017-2019 – Vanderbilt Assistant Coach
2014-2016 – Ohio State Video Coordinator
2012-2013  – Valparaiso  Assistant Coach
2011  – Valparaiso Director of Operations
2010 – Valparaiso Student Assistant

Played collegiately at Valparaiso from 2005-09. Ranked among the Horizon League Top 10 in multiple categories as a senior, finishing fourth in minutes played (33.8/game), sixth in 3-pointers made (1.8/game) and eighth in steals (1.3/game). He finished his Valparaiso career 10th all-time with 130 career steals and 16th all-time with 229 career assists.

Career Honors

• Julius Erving Top 20 Watch List (2023)

• All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (2022)

• All A-10 Third Team (2021)

• A-10 All-Rookie Team (2020)

• CSC Academic All-District (2023)

• Academic All-Big Ten (2023)

Prior to Ohio State:

Played two seasons at George Washington and two seasons at Minnesota. Started 45 of the 47 games he played at George Washington, averaging 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. As a freshman in 2020-21, set a George Washington single-season record for 3-pointers made (89) and led the A-10 in made 3-pointers (89), 3-point attempts (243) and 3-pointers per game (2.8). In 2020-21, was named All A-10 third team after averaging 17.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game

Transferred to Minnesota for the 2021-22 season and earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors after leading the team in scoring at 17.5 points per game. In 2022-23, missed the early part of the season with a foot injury but finished with an average of 12.4 points over 27 games.

(Bio from Ohio State's Website)

Sean Farnham joined ESPN in 2010 as a college basketball analyst. He works as both a game and studio analyst, and contributes to SportsCenter and other ESPN shows regularly.

In 2008, Farnham began working for CBS College Sports as a basketball analyst covering the Mountain West Conference, Atlantic-10 and Conference USA.

Farnham co-hosted the afternoon drive show with Chris Meyers on Fox Sports Radio. He originally began with the network in 2004 as their lead college basketball analyst and weekend host. Farnham started his radio career in 2003 with ESPN 710 Los Angeles, where he hosted postgame shows on the Lakers, UCLA and USC and also filled in on weekday programming.

Starting in the fall of 2001 Farnham worked at Fox Sports Net/West covering everything from the Pac-10, Big West and WCC basketball, as well as NBA, MLB and college football. During his ten year run at Fox Sports Net, he won two Los Angeles based Emmy’s.

After graduating from UCLA, Farnham was an assistant coach at Pepperdine University under the guidance of Jan van Breda Kolff. The Waves finished with a 22-9 record and advanced to the NIT second round.

Farnham was a student-athlete at UCLA where he was a freshman on the 1997 Pac-10 Championship team that advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. He was named UCLA’s Freshman of the Year in 1997, Most Improved Player in 1999 and was the 1999-2000 co-captain with Earl Watson. In his final two seasons at UCLA, the Bruins were 16-2 in games Farnham started (14-0 in the regular season, both losses came in the NCAA Championship). Farnham was also the Chairman of the Bruins Athletic Council, and represented UCLA at the Pac-10 leadership forum both of his final two years on campus.

Farnham graduated from UCLA in 2000 with a bachelors degree in history. He played high school basketball at De La Salle, the same high school as ESPN’s NBA analyst Jon Barry, in Concord, Calif. Farnham was the first to lead the Spartans to the California State Championship.

During the summer of 2011 Farnham developed a non-profit charity, Hoops from Home, which provides basketball camps and academic scholarships to service member’s children.

(ESPN Press Room Bio)

The first player from the state of Utah to play at Michigan State. Head Coach Tom Izzo has referred to him as a post player in the mold of former Spartan standout Zach Randolph. Averaged 3.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game in 10.8 mins as a freshman (2022-23). Recorded career highs in points (12), rebounds (11), and blocks (3) in a standout win versus #23 Rutgers on 1/19/23. 

Ranked No. 62 nationally, No. 9 among forwards and No. 6 in Utah. Scored 53 points and grabbed 23 rebounds and was named the Most Valuable Player at the Pangos All-American Festival in August 2021. Named the Utah 6A Player of the Year as a junior at American Fork, helping to lead the team to a 17-7 record and a state semifinal appearance. Spent a year at Coronado in Las Vegas as a sophomore, playing with Dallas Mavericks Jaden Hardy. Played his freshman year at Wasatch Academy in Utah, with current MSU teammate Mady Sissoko. Was part of a team played in the GEICO Nationals.

Jay Bilas, known for his extensive knowledge of men’s basketball and insightful analysis about the sports industry, joined ESPN in 1995. Bilas, who is featured on ESPN’s game and studio coverage, calls the top men’s college basketball games involving the nation’s marquee teams and conferences every week throughout the season. He has also been an integral part of ESPN’s coverage of the NBA Draft since 2003, providing in-depth player scouting and analysis. He is a regular contributor on several ESPN shows and platforms, including SportsCenter, Get Up! and ESPN Radio.

Bilas is a six-time Emmy nominee: Outstanding Sports Personality – Studio Analyst (2007, 2008, 2020) and Outstanding Sports Personality – Event Analyst (2016, 2017, 2019). In 2016, Bilas was the recipient of the prestigious Curt Gowdy Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The New York Times Bestselling author of Toughness: Developing True Strength on and Off the Court, Bilas also writes for ESPN.com, and was awarded the Best Column of the Year in 2007 by The United States Basketball Writers Association.

A prep All-American from Los Angeles, California, the 6-7 Bilas was a four-year starter at Duke under Mike Krzyzewski from 1982-1986. As an undersized center, Bilas scored 1,062 points, grabbed 692 rebounds, and helped lead Duke to the the No. 1 ranking, the 1986 ACC Championship and the 1986 NCAA Championship Game. Bilas’ 1986 Duke team set the NCAA record for the most wins in a single season with 37.

Drafted by the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, Bilas played professional basketball overseas, ranking among the leagues’ top scorers in Italy during the 1987 and 1988 seasons, and then in Spain for part of the 1989 season before returning to Duke in 1990 to serve as an assistant coach on Krzyzewski’s staff, while also earning his law degree from Duke Law School. While Bilas was an assistant coach under Krzyzewski, the Blue Devils advanced to the NCAA Championship Gem three times, winning back-to-back National Championships in 1991 and 1992.

Since 1992, Bilas has been an attorney with the law firm of Moore & Van Allen, PLLC, where he has specialized in commercial litigation. Bilas serves on the Board of Advisors of the John R. Wooden Award, the Board of Advisors of the Chip Hilton Award, the National Board of the Coaches vs. Cancer Organization, the Board of Advisors of the Duke Brain Tumor Center, and the Board of Directors of The V Foundation for Cancer Research.

(Bio from ESPN Press Room)

Dylan Mihalke currently serves as the Director of Analytics & Assistant Video Coordinator for the University of Oklahoma Men's Basketball team. He contributes to the rest of the Oklahoma staff in a multitude of ways, such as using video and advanced analytics to best serve recruiting, scouting, practice, game-preps, and player development. Before gaining this position, he served as a Graduate Assistant at the University of Oklahoma. Prior to his time at Oklahoma, Dylan served as a Men's Basketball Manager at The University of Iowa. 

Brunk spent the 2016-19 seasons at for Butler, playing in a total of 60 games over 3 seasons averaging 4.9 points and 4.6 rebounds. He transferred to Indiana in 2019 and spent two seasons with the Hoosiers. Played his final season of collegiate basketball at Ohio State (2021-22), where he shot a career best 63% from the field. Currently, Brunk plays for Twarde Pierniki Torun in Poland. During the 2022-23 season in Poland, he averaged 9.9 points, 6.7 Rebounds, and 1.1 Assists per game. 

Jacob spent three years serving as student manager for the University of Oregon Men's Basketball team. He was the head manager for the 2022-23 season. Currently, Jacob works for Open Gym Premier in Los Angeles, serving as their head of tournaments and content. 

Kyle Davis has been with the Ohio State program since 2010. He began his first season as the director of recruiting & branding in 2021-22.

Davis was an undergraduate manager for four years and a graduate manager for two more. He received his bachelor’s degree in sport industry in 2013 and a master’s in sports management in 2015. Davis spent six seasons as the program’s video coordinator and coordinator of recruiting.

Davis will oversee all aspects recruiting, including planning and coordinating all on-campus visits. He also leads all of the programs social media and branding efforts.

Source: Ohio State Athletics Website