Thank You, Hoopaholics
Life is happening and dreams are coming true. A genuine thank you to everyone who helped me get here
I’m not one for the spotlight. I’m skinny, awkward, and as Jerry “The King” Lawler would say, I have a face for radio. So writing about myself — or boasting about some of my accomplishments — is not something I am comfortable doing.
But I do have some news to share with you all. It’s exciting news, life-changing news, and bittersweet news all wrapped into one. I’ve gotten a job with an NBA franchise and will be joining their scouting department. I’m elated for this new chapter and ready for the challenges that it will bring.
That’s the exciting news, and I’ve got a ton of people to thank for their help in getting me to this point (believe me, I’ll get to them in a bit). So much of that gratitude is for you all, the people who have helped shine a spotlight on my work and supported me for the last several years. When I started doing scouting on my YouTube channel in 2019, I never imagined that in just about four years the opportunity to join an NBA team would find me. Now, those videos will be a thing of the past.
But what all of you who support me there likely never have seen is the chapter of my life that closes now that I have moved to front office life. With this career change comes the hanging up of the whistle and clipboard, the end of being known as ‘coach’.
I don’t think many people here are all too familiar with my story or my journey, just that I am pretty much obsessed with basketball and tell shitty dad jokes. If you’ll indulge me for a moment, I’d like to share that story — to either inspire someone else to take the crazy risks I’ve taken, to learn from my mistakes, or to simply understand why such a “no-brainer” move to join an NBA team is still a tough choice.
They Call Me Coach
I knew I was obsessed with basketball at a young age. I played starting in first grade and was a pretty good player by middle school. But my passion faded a bit in high school, to be honest: I suffered some injuries, stopped working really hard on my game, and found some interests outside sports. Most importantly, I really struggled to have a relationship with my high school coach. My passion diminished most because, frankly, I didn’t look forward to practice or games every day.
That passion was reignited during my freshman year of college. It was the worst year of my life — coincidentally, the first one since kindergarten where I wasn’t part of a sports team. I felt lost and without purpose, without something to really work toward collectively and without a social group I connected with naturally. Over winter break, I went home and asked my former high school assistant (who now was running the JV program at another local school) if I could help out with his team.
I got ‘the itch’ to coach after that first game, an away game where Coach Meade told me thirty seconds before tipoff “okay, Spinella… you’re doing the substitutions tonight.” We won by seven in an ugly JV game that, to me, felt like the Super Bowl.
I was hooked. I continued to help coach the rest of the month I was home before heading back to school. After that experience, I made two promises to myself: to always be part of a team for the rest of my life, and to make sure I provided an experience for other young men that wouldn’t let their passion for basketball fade away in the way mine did.
When I got back to Dickinson College in late January, I marched into the head coach’s office and asked to help out in any way I could. Starting that Spring, I’d work as the team’s manager, starting by doing the clock during practices and filming games from the stands. I’d hold the pad on occasion and pass the ball in a drill once or twice a week. It wasn’t glorious, but I was learning so much by osmosis and felt a sense of belonging and purpose again. I admired my coaches so much, and knew that I wanted to be just like them.
I really hit the jackpot here. To go to a Division III school means to have a very intimate educational experience. In the classroom, that was obvious: small classes, professors who knew me by name, and the chance to be known by many on campus. On the basketball court, it’s staggering how much falls on the plate of the head coach and his one assistant. By being around them, I got to see every aspect of the program, and got some responsibilities handed to me. The ability to learn by doing and get exposure to so much helped me see that I wanted to coach, full stop.
Our teams were pretty good — my senior year ended with a trip to the Elite Eight. I got to see three All-Americans go to work every day, and learned a ton about the chemistry and cohesion that goes into making a group successful. We had talent, and we had differences as people, but we had a greater dedication to winning. There are countless life lessons and stories I learned from being around that group about what it took to be successful.
In 2014, my own coaching journey began. I got to coach three years of high school ball in Indiana from a fantastic mentor and boss. We worked to build the team to the #1 team in the state, and I’m eternally proud of them for cutting down the nets the season after I left. I learned a ton by coaching the JV program for a season, but so much more from seeing the boys grow year after year.
I wanted to coach in college. I loved my experience there and wanted to emulate my role models; to be for others what they were to me. But I knew a scrawny kid with no collegiate playing experience would have an uphill battle, so I decided to embrace this thing called the internet. I began blogging, studying X’s and O’s, and writing about them. Slowly, I gained some followers and got to write on some pretty fun websites. But the whole purpose was to build a portfolio that could augment my coaching career and show legitimate knowledge to prospective employers.
After three years in Indiana, my former college assistant called and offered me an opportunity to join him on his staff at Division III Washington & Jefferson. There’s no sugarcoating it… the team was in rough shape. And in no way do I believe I had a major part in the turnaround from where we were to where the program is now. But man, was I fortunate to be there for part of the building process.
That group in the picture above is about the most enjoyable one I’ve ever been around. They were close-knit on and off the court, determined to get better, and an absolute joy to coach. After a two-year stint in Pittsburgh, I was able to head back to my alma mater and give back to the school that gave so much to me. I jumped at the opportunity to return home, despite going into a program that was, once again, rebuilding a bit.
After a 4-21 season, COVID hit. I’m not sure if people know the life of a D3 assistant, but it’s not a glorious one. Lots of hours on the road, very little pay, and no benefits or health coverage. When the pandemic hit and I was pulled off the road, I felt like Ricky Bobby — I didn’t know what to do with my hands. I was nervous about even having a job through the pandemic, and super cautious about being 28 and having no health insurance.
So I decided to do what I could to work from my couch. I pivoted a bit in the summer of 2020, changing my YouTube channel from one about X’s and O’s and team playbooks and toward prospect scouting. Schmitz and Givony were gone from Draft Express; there was an opening for me to enter a bit. I’d thought about and cared much more about player evaluation and scouting since I’d moved to the college ranks, and felt like I had something to offer with the lessons I’d gained in that role.
Throughout the pandemic, I began to crank out video after video, scouting report after scouting report. Before I knew it, the YouTube channel blew up and I was able to monetize the platform a bit. More than anything, I found a new passion that I didn’t really know I had. I fell in love with scouting and with trying to predict the future performances of basketball prospects.
In June of 2021, I once again moved on from Dickinson (after a non-season, thanks to COVID). I was so fortunate to get hired as a head coach at 29 years old, moving down to Baltimore and leading a program in one of the most difficult basketball conferences in the country. Our program was decimated by COVID, losing top players and a year of internal development for the guys who remained.
That’s where most people have caught up to me on my journey and have known me as Coach Spins, the high school coach who also writes about the NBA Draft. I’ve greatly enjoyed the podcasts, the Twitter banter, the Substack posts… you all have made this a really fun process and kept me motivated to post more often.
More than that, my two years at Boys’ Latin have been a dream come true: I got to lead a group of young men, teach life lessons, and relish in the opportunity to impact their lives and their futures. As I leave, I hope to have delivered on the promise I made to myself thirteen years ago: to have ensured all our player’s passion for basketball hasn’t subsided.
But what people haven’t seen are the countless hours that go into doing both coaching and draft scouting. I’ve tried to be great at both, and in doing so I’ve burned the candle at both ends. I’ve been a full-time teacher, been tasked with recruiting, and joined a prominent podcast for a few hours a week. It’s been a rewarding, but literally exhausting, two years.
It’s been rather torturous, knowing I have two careers, both of which I love with an undying passion. How would I ever be able to pick between them? Could I ever really let go of one to fully dive into another? Am I shorting my ability to be great at either by trying to do both?
I knew this day would come at some point, where I’d have to choose between them. That time came this Fall, as my wife and I were expecting our first child. I needed more simplicity in my life, for my iron to be in fewer fires. As fate would have it, an NBA team reached out to me around this time, and the rest, as they say, is history.
So yes… I’m leaving coaching, leaving the public space, and searching for simplicity in my life by taking on one job and task. I’m also fulfilling another lifelong pipedream: to work in the NBA (and perhaps someday become a GM). But it closes a chapter that has brought me so much joy, been the major pursuit in my life for more than a decade, and that gave me so many unbelievable relationships. Closing that chapter comes with a lot of emotion.
The Thank You’s
This diatribe is just a chance for me to show gratitude to all those who have supported my pursuits and helped me earn this opportunity. First and foremost, my wife Kayla and my parents. The bedrock of my support system, who have sacrificed their time with me most and encouraged me to keep pushing. Thank you.
My college coaches and bosses, Alan Seretti and Ethan Stewart-Smith. You inspired the passion and confidence in me to dare to walk down this path, gave me opportunities to prove myself, and taught me more than anyone else. I live in your shadows and admire you both more than you know.
To all those online who believed in my writing and analysis to give me platforms over the years. Coach Nick and Jesse Blanchard at BBALL BREAKDOWN for giving me a chance a decade ago. Dan Favale, Adam Fromal, and Arjun Baradwaj at NBA Math. Jeff Clark and the unmatched Bill Sy at CelticsBlog. Ricky O’Donnell at SB Nation. Ray LeBov and Joel Cordes from The Basketball Writers. chiefly to Sam Vecenie with the Game Theory Podcast. Thank you for your belief in me and for all you and your platform have done to amplify my spotlight. There’s no way I’m where I am today without Sam.
To all those who watched the videos on YouTube, subscribed to our Substack, interacted with our podcast, and did so much to keep fueling me to stick with it. This has been an amazing ride, and I’m grateful for it. Thank you for reading, for being foolish enough to pay for my work, and for allowing me this last platform to sign off in the way I see fit.
To those from Boys’ Latin who advocated for me and gave me the opportunity to coach, a sincere thank you. I hope that there is a positive mark left in the community and that the brightest days for the program are ahead.
For every player I ever coached, thank you for allowing me to be your coach and the countless memories I’ll take with me. This team, in particular, is a tough one to walk away from. The sky is the limit, and I’m confident the best days are ahead for BL.
Basketball is a relationship business. The relationships are what matter most, and the relationships are what I cherish above all. Saying goodbye to coaching, teaching, or writing doesn’t change or diminish the relationships I’ve built through those pursuits. If you ever need me, I’m just one message away, and I look forward to supporting the next generation of ambitious young coaches and scouts who dare to keep working and growing in the same way I’ve been fortunate to.
See you down the line, hoopaholics.
-Adam
Congrats "Former-coach Spins"! 🥳
Even as one of many internet randos who just follow all your work, watching you get this incredible chance feels like a win for all of us in this community of NBA-obssessed people. Wish you all the best.
Will miss your writing. Good luck to you Adam!