Longtime friends Dave and Duffy recently met at a local coffee shop in San Anselmo. As always when they got together, the conversation turned to basketball. This afternoon they were remembering some of the coaches who influenced them the most.
“I remember Jonas Honig pulling me out of the game every time I missed a shot,” said Dave Levine, who played high school basketball under Honig at Branson School.
“Mike Saia coached me when I was in high school and we've been friends for 40 years,” said Duffy Ballard, who played basketball under Mike and Larry Fulton at Marin Academy. “His father was like a father figure to me and really helped me grow as a teenager in America.”
Levine currently serves as an assistant coach to Mike Fulton for the San Domenico women's basketball team. Duffy Ballard is Russell Bauer's assistant coach on the Archie Williams men's basketball team. The two friends are basketball coaches who work at schools just down the road from each other… what are they going to talk about besides basketball? For them, it's a profession, a passion, and a big part of their lives since childhood in Marin. And now it's the podcast “Run TMC”.
“We knew there was at least some market for it. People who grew up playing basketball in the county were kind of a nostalgic generation, so it was a very nostalgic market,” Ballard said. “We had enough friends and knew enough people in the community that were coaching. Otherwise, we played basketball on outdoor courts and in high school at games and tournaments. I just want to talk about some great memories.”
The podcast title, “Run TMC,” pays homage to the great Golden State Warriors teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s that featured Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin. For Ballard and Levine, Run TMC stands for Run The Marin County and has scouted great basketball coaching and playing talent for interviews.
“We came up with this idea about three years ago, and the difference between Dave and Duffy is that Duffy is a man of action,” Levine said. “He has an idea and he runs with it. He had an idea for this podcast and just sat and thought about it and didn't do anything about it. When Duffy approached me with this idea, I immediately, enthusiastically, almost physically jumped on (him) and said 'yes.'
Run TMC begins with a conversation with Fulton and talks about the past and present of Marin County basketball, including Caden Coast, the San Dominican women's team's all-time leading scorer and current Redwood freshman women's coach for the Dominican University women's team. remains focused. coach Tim LaCose, Marin Catholic boys and girls coaches Mike and Ashley Saia, and others.
“They really know themselves and ask good questions,” said Tyler Gaffaney, San Domenico boys head coach and star of one of the podcasts.
The podcast's fan base extends far beyond Marin County, including University of San Diego head coach Steve Lavin (a member of the 1982 state champion Drake team), Cal State LA head coach Jim Saia, and University of Idaho head coach Steve Lavin. He is attracting the attention of Alex Pribble, Redwood, and others. Hall of Famer and former Cal coach Karen Horstmeyer and other Marin basketball greats.
“I always get emails from expats who grew up in Marin and now live elsewhere, telling me this is a great walk down memory lane,” Levine said.
Organizers say NBA Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson occasionally listens to the podcast.
“We've had a lot of people ask us questions, not only about Marin's basketball history, but also about the current state of basketball,” Levine said. “During the playoffs last year, I was writing a long email to a friend about (the standings) and the teams to watch in the playoffs…and I got feedback from people like, 'Oh my gosh, this was so helpful.' Thank you. This is great.' So that gives us some kind of confidence that maybe more people might actually become interested not only in Marin's history, but also in its current landscape. He gave it to me.”
Ballard and Levine recalled their first meeting nearly 40 years ago, when Ballard was a high school senior and Levine a freshman, at a training camp in Fairfax coached by Mike Fulton and his father, Larry Fulton.
“We met then, and then we kind of drifted apart,” Levine said. “Duffy went to Haverford and played basketball and then went to medical school and lived his life. I went to Stanford and did what I had to do. We met six or seven years ago. We met again through a friend and started playing hoop together. During COVID-19, we were having shooting competitions on both ends of the court…and then sitting outside and eating burritos. We would go to eat at The Hub, which is now our sponsor.”
Mr. Levine continued: One of the good things about this is that Duffy has his connections and I have mine and we both bring that to the table. ”
The two took a slightly off-the-beaten-path adventure by interviewing Sports Illustrated contributor Chris Ballard (Duffy's brother) about his NBA coverage.
Duffy Ballard, a member of the critical care team at Marine Health Medical Center, said, “Talking to my brother, I've heard all the stories he's told me over the years and they never get old, because he's amazing. “Because I have an NBA story.”
Brooke Smith was a member of the U.S. women's basketball team that won the national high school championship and 2002 state championship at Marin Catholic and won a gold medal at the 2005 World University Games under head coach Rick DeMartini. He is also a WNBA champion, joining Ballard as the eighth player. Grade Coach Levine appeared on an episode of the podcast.
“One of the questions I had for Brooke was when she was playing in the WNBA and when the Phoenix Mercury won the title in 2009, she didn't get a lot of playing time. ,” Levine said. “So I asked, 'What was more satisfying?' Being the Most Valuable Player at Marin Catholic, getting more playing time and winning a state title, or getting a WNBA ring? Do you want to go to the White House?'' Both responses were different and interesting. ”
The Archie Williams boys team and the San Domenico girls team are both competing for a playoff spot in the North Coast Section, which should provide interesting fodder for future podcasts. However, organizers are still unsure if the show will continue during the off-season.
