Episode 197: Travis Steele, What Happens From One Game To The Next Game

Guest: Travis Steele, Xavier University Head Coach

Xavier University head coach Travis Steele joins the Basketball Podcast to share his insights on what happens from one game to the next game during the season.

Steele is 51-37 in three seasons, including a 13-8 mark in the COVID-shortened season of 2020-21. Steele led XU to a 19-13 record in the 2019-20 season, which was cut short prior to postseason play by the COVID-19 pandemic. Steele was a finalist for the Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top first-year head coach in Division I. Steele, who finished 19-16 in his first season as the Xavier head coach, led XU to eight wins in its last 11 games. All of the opponents for those 11 games were in either the NCAA Tournament or NIT fields, including seven road and neutral site games.

Prior to being named head coach Steele spent the previous 10 seasons at Xavier, including nine on the staff of his predecessor, Chris Mack. Steele has been a part of nine NCAA Tournament teams at Xavier, including five teams that reached at least the Sweet 16. The 2017-18 team won Xavier’s first Big East Regular Season Championship, a school-record final AP ranking of No. 3 and the first NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed in school history.

Former Xavier head coach Sean Miller hired Steele prior to the 2008-09 season as Xavier’s Director of Basketball Operations. Mack promoted Steele to assistant coach after he took over the program prior to the 2009-10 season. Steele was promoted to Associate Head Coach following the 2015-16 season.

Prior to Xavier, Steele worked on the staff at Indiana. He joined the Hoosiers in August of 2006, taking on the duties of the video coordinator. After serving as the video coordinator for a season and a half while at IU, he was promoted to the position of assistant coach in February of 2008.

Prior to his time with the Hoosiers, Steele served as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Wabash Valley College (2005-06) and spent a year with the Ohio State basketball program as a graduate manager (2004-05) under former XU head coach Thad Matta.

Breakdown

1:00 - Reactions After The Win

6:00 - Playing Off Two Feet

7:30 - Identifying Plays

9:00 - Referencing and Scouting

12:00 - Nutrition and Fitness

16:00 - Not Competing Day

20:00 - Analytical Leaderboard

21:30 - Skill Work

25:00 - Hard work as Positive/Negative

28:00 - Travelling

31:00 - Focusing Their Stuff