WINNING the right way with Dell Leonard-Mountain Home Basketball

·56 min·5 clips

Coach Dell Leonard has averaged 17 wins a season for 30 years—what's his secret sauce?

Steve Kramer hosts Dell Leonard, the head varsity women's basketball coach at Mountain Home High School in Arkansas, who is in his 30th year of coaching and approaching 500 wins. Leonard reflects on his longevity, averaging about 17 wins per season, and attributes success to the people around him. The conversation shifts to mental health and emotional intelligence, with Leonard noting a significant increase in student struggles after COVID, leading his school to hire dedicated mental health staff for athletes. He emphasizes the importance of coaches being assertive and knowing players' home lives to support them. Leonard shares a detailed story about taking in a troubled student who had never played basketball; though she never played varsity minutes, she improved dramatically academically and personally, illustrating the program's impact beyond wins. He discusses balancing challenge with care, aiming to make practice hard so games feel easy. Leonard describes his coaching evolution from intense anger to using encouragement, like telling a struggling player, 'I know you can do it,' during conditioning sprints. The episode delves into game planning, where Leonard and his staff watch extensive film to prepare multiple defensive plans (A through D), adapting in-game as needed. He recounts a championship game where they were down 12 at halftime, switched to their fourth defensive plan (a 1-3-1 zone), and won by double digits. Leonard explains that this flexibility requires year-round teaching and carryover, not just last-minute practice. He praises the Coach's Edge membership for its resources and connectivity among coaches. The episode concludes with Leonard sharing his contact information and reflecting on the ripple effect of mentorship in coaching.

As heard by us

A veteran coach ties winning, defensive standards, and team culture to the long work of building a program.

Del Leonard's three decades on the bench and push toward 500 wins give this single-episode review a clear center: what makes a girls basketball program hold together.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Want a veteran coach's perspective on approaching 500 wins, guarding man-to-man, and building a no-drama team culture?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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