A Pen And A Napkin

Martin Plum

500 episodes listed below

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Basketball craft from the coaches’ room.

The gist

A Pen And A Napkin treats basketball as a craft, not just a scoreboard. Marty Plum moves between solo notebook episodes, coach interviews, roundtables, and greatest-team discussions with an eye for culture, resilience, recruiting, and late-game detail.

PRESS PLAY

Find your next episode

All episodes

About A Pen And A Napkin

A Pen And A Napkin approaches basketball from the inside of the coaching life. Marty Plum is less interested in polished hot takes than in the work behind the work: preparation, culture, recruiting, resilience, team habits, and the way a season can tilt after one bad response. The show spends plenty of time on college basketball’s biggest stages. It talks Final Fours, national title games, the WNBA draft, UCLA, South Carolina, Texas, UConn, Iowa women’s basketball, Caitlin Clark, Lauren Betts, and promising players such as Awa Phan Tham. But the real center of gravity is coaching. Notebook episodes sound like a stack of observations gathered from gyms, clinics, games, and long drives, with personal digressions allowed to sit next to sharp basketball notes. Interview episodes slow down and let coaches explain how they build programs. A conversation with TJ Eskildsen turns into a practical discussion of not losing two games in a row. Dawn Thornton appears in the interview series as the head women’s basketball coach at Alabama A&M University. Scott Moore’s episode lingers on the reality that many coaches, especially outside the biggest levels, are handling far more than basketball. The show respects those details. It notices donors, laundry, road trips, search firms, assistant work, player response, and the hunger needed after success. Its Greatest Teams entries widen the frame, bringing Jacob Brindle and Nate Wall into looser historical conversations about teams such as the 1997-98 Tennessee Lady Vols. Roundtables add more sideline chatter, with coaches from Nebraska and California pulled into March Madness talk. The pacing is casual and sometimes repetitive, but that looseness is part of the identity. It feels closer to sitting in a coaches’ clinic hallway than hearing a studio panel. The show suits listeners who already enjoy basketball vocabulary and want the lived examples behind it. It is especially strong when a tactical detail becomes a leadership lesson. A blocked shot becomes transition effort. A losing streak becomes a season-management problem. A player evaluation becomes a question about fit and development. A Pen And A Napkin turns basketball talk into craft talk, one story and one coaching lesson at a time.

Made for: For coaches, serious college hoops followers, and listeners who enjoy the practical side of team building more than highlight-only coverage. It especially suits fans who like long conversations, coaching stories, and detailed women’s and men’s basketball discussion.

What sets it apart: The show stands apart by treating basketball analysis as lived coaching practice. Its mix of Notebook monologues, coach interviews, roundtables, and greatest-team conversations keeps the focus on habits, response, culture, and program work.

In their own words

A weekly basketball coaches clinic that you can have in your pocket

As heard by us

Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026

Marty Plum turns basketball talk into a practical study of preparation, player management, program culture and the details coaches carry every day.

Marty Plum treats basketball coaching as a craft built from decisions that rarely make a highlight reel. A Pen And A Napkin moves between detailed coach interviews and solo Notebook episodes, covering preparation, player roles, program culture, postseason adjustments and talent…

Read our full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Basketball's clipboard comes alive when Marty Plum asks how a team keeps one loss from becoming eight.

Press play if you want

practical ways to build resilience after a rough night
the behind-the-bench reality of shared athletes, shrinking rotations, and doing the laundry

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

college basketball postseason analysiscoach interviewsprogram cultureteam resilience after lossesFinal Four takeawaysWNBA draft evaluationslower-level college coaching realitiesgreatest teams discussions

Talks about

Sports Basketball College Sports

Best episodes of A Pen And A Napkin

Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.

The Notebook Volume XIApr 17, 2026

UCLA, the draft, and practical roster talk from a coach thinking aloud.

The Notebook Volume XI stays on postseason basketball as UCLA's championship run gives way to the WNBA draft, with roster fit and what winning teams ask of their best players.

A Pen And A Napkin Presented by Ruiz Auto-Episode #321 TJ EskildsenApr 9, 2026

A coach-to-coach conversation about resilience, response, and the habits that keep a season from snowballing.

This conversation stays close to the day-to-day work of keeping a college basketball season on track. T.J. Eskildson talks about McPherson College with a coach-to-coach practicality that feels lived in: show up ready, move on fast after a loss, and treat the year as a long…

A Pen And A Napkin Presented by Ruiz Auto-Episode #320 Scott MooreApr 2, 2026

A coach-to-coach talk about the work around coaching, not just the game itself.

This episode of A Pen And A Napkin Presented by Ruiz Auto-Episode #320 with Scott Moore stays with the work around coaching that rarely gets airtime: fundraising, staffing, donor pressure, and the other demands that can pull attention away from basketball.

A Pen And A Napkin Presented by Ruiz Auto-Episode #315 Jamie ParishFeb 26, 2026

A practical coaching conversation about sharing athletes and setting summer boundaries.

Jamie Parish and Marty Plum center a recurring coaching problem: how to share athletes across programs without letting summer become a tug-of-war.

The Notebook-Volume IXFeb 24, 2026

Practical coaching talk that moves from a marquee game into the day to day work of building a team.

This episode opens with a coach's eye for the grind: a busy basketball weekend gives way to film, walkthroughs, and the small choices that shape roles.

A Pen And A Napkin Presented by Ruiz Auto-Episode #314 Nick LoGalbo "The Stoic Coach"Feb 19, 2026

A loose, conversational coaching episode that spends time on sponsor reads before settling into practical talk.

Marty Plum starts with sponsor reads and housekeeping, so the episode takes a little while to settle into the interview series. That slow opening fits the show's loose, conversational feel.

Podcasts like A Pen And A Napkin

Gold and Black RadioGold and Black Radio: Purdue Sports and Recruiting
Purdue sports, argued from the details.
Locked On Louisville - Daily Podcast On Louisville Cardinals Football & BasketballLocked On Podcast Network, Dalton Pence
Daily Cardinals roster radar.
That SEC Football PodcastMichael Bratton/SEC Mike
SEC arguments with the depth chart open.
BCJ PodcastChad Brendel
Bearcats talk with the seams showing.
Alcorn State Interviews And BroadcastsCharles Edmond
Alcorn State postgame, still close to the game.
The OHIO Podcasttheohiopodcast
Buckeye football, argued at tailgate volume.

Find your next episode

About A Pen And A Napkin

In their own words

As heard by us

Why you'd press play

Talks about

Best episodes of A Pen And A Napkin

Podcasts like A Pen And A Napkin

Episodes

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #83 Aligning Your Program

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #82 Road Trip Organization

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #81 Running Team Meetings

A Pen And A Napkin Presented by Ruiz Auto-Episode #347 Darron Koolstra

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #80 Five Weird Special Situations

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #79 Creating a Team Covenant

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #78 Small-Sided Games

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #77 Developing An Identity

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #76 Post Game Report Card

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #75 Looking In The Mirror

A Pen And A Napkin Presented by Ruiz Auto-Episode #346 September Roundtable

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #74 10 Common Special Situations

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #73 Identifying Possible Cancers

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #72 Post Practice Evaluation Form

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #71 Practice Themes

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #70 Interacting With Officials

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #69 Practice The Day Before A Game

A Pen And A Napkin Presented by Ruiz Auto-Episode #345 Heath Howington

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #68 Scouting Schedule

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #67 Disbursing Playing Time

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #66 Desert Island Drills

Win The Season Sponsored by Fast Break Playbook-Episode #65 Keeping It Fresh!

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #64 Late Game Playbook

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #63 Preseason Player Meetings

A Pen And A Napkin Presented by Ruiz Auto-Episode #343 Matt Holt

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #62 Playbook Implementation

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #61 Tryouts and Cuts

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #60 Free Throw Shooting

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #59 Ordering Gear

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #58 Time Out Philosophy

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #57 Open Practice and Communicty Night

A Pen And A Napkin Presented by Ruiz Auto-Episode #343 Charlie Wallrapp

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #56 Offensive Transition

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #55 Seasonal Practice Plan

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #54 Dr. Dish Drills

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #53 Observing College Practices

A Pen And A Napkin Presented by Ruiz Auto-Episode #342 Kevin Furtado

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #51 Team Excursion

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #52 Post Game

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #50 Game One Implementation

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #49 Preseason Parent Meeting

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #48 Transition Drills

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #47 Parental Involvement

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbeak Playbook-Episode #46 Halftime

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #45 Supporting Other Activities

A Pen And A Napkin Presented by Ruiz Auto-Episode #341 August Zoom Roundtable

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #44 Full Court Defense

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #43 Youth Program

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #42 Finishing Drills

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #41 Offensive Pillars

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #40 Pregame

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #39 Mentors

A Pen And A Napkin Sponsored by Ruiz Auto-Episode #340 Todd Kuntz

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #38 Half Court Defense

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #37 What Are Your Standards?

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #36 Closeout Drills

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #35 Preseason Team Readings

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #34 ATO Game Changers

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #33 Core Values

A Pen And A Napkin Presented by Ruiz Auto-Episode #339 Blake Sandquist

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #32 Sideline Out of Bounds

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #31 Team Retreats

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #30 Shell Drill

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #29 Establishing a Program Language

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #28 Don't Overcoach

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #27 Defensive Pillars

A Pen And A Napkin Presented by Ruiz Auto-Episode #339 Snow Valley Roundtable

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #26 Baseline Out Of Bounds

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #25 Handling Failure

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #24 Shooting Drills

Win The Season Sponsored by Fastbreak Playbook-Episode #23 What's Your Why?