Lessons From Legendary Coaches and HBCU Heroes Supporting Student Athletes with George Lynch

Beyond The Whistle with Odell McCants

On this episode, we go Beyond The Whistle with George Lynch. I go back with George all the way to high school, where we both played for legendary coach Stu Vetter and nationally ranked teams at Flint Hill School in Virginia. George was a member of the 1993 University of North Carolina NCAA national championship team. George played 12 years in the NBA, and his coaching career includes serving as an assistant at UC Irvine, Southern Methodist University and the G-League's Grand Rapids Drive. Most recently, George served as head coach at Clark Atlanta University.

Along George's basketball journey, he has played for and coached with some of the greatest minds in the game. From his high school coaches - coach Vetter at Flint Hill and Woody Deans at Patrick Henry in Roanoke, Virginia, to Dean Smith at UNC and Larry Brown with the Philadelphia 76ers and at SMU. He's also committed to improving the educational experiences of student-athletes at HBCU schools through his newest venture, HBCU Heroes.

George and I discuss:

• How he developed into a great defensive stopper (second all-time in steals at UNC)
• The experience of leaving home to finish high school
• How putting team first actually made him a better player
• How his approach to the game as a player has become the foundation of his coaching philosophy
• What he has taken from each coach he has played for and coached with, and how he has woven those experiences into his coaching style
• What he has learned about himself since becoming a head coach
• How the COVID-19 pandemic and required distance learning has magnified the educational technology needs of many HBCU student-athletes
• Founding HBCU Heroes and the goal of procuring 6,000 computers for HBCU student-athletes

Connect with George Lynch

• Website: HBCU Heroes
• Instagram: @georgelynchcoach
• Twitter: @Glynchcoach
• Twitter: @HBCUHeroes

Connect with Odell McCants

• Website: McCantsSports.com
• Twitter: @odellmccants
• LinkedIn: Odell McCants
• Email: [email protected]