EP161: High School Coach of the Year Carson Huelle on Applying CLA Principles

In this episode, George is joined by Carson Huelle, head coach of Fort Collins High School Girls Basketball. They talk about implementing constraints led approach (CLA) principles into his practice environment; this has fostered a player-first culture rooted in trust, growth, and creativity that led to a successful turnaround season.

Chapters: 00:01:00 – Returning to coach at his alma mater, Fort Collins High School, and taking on his first head coaching role

00:02:00 – How skill acquisition and the Constraints-Led Approach became central to daily practice plans

00:03:30 – Lessons learned from working with Jeff Schmidt and how mentorship reshaped his basketball philosophy

00:06:30 – Practical small-sided games coaches can use to teach offensive actions like ball screens, Zoom action, and spacing

00:09:30 – Using fast-break scenarios and finishing games to develop decision-making and scoring creativity

00:13:00 – What it means to "meet athletes where they're at" and why every player needs to be coached differently

00:16:15 – How player empowerment, trust, and culture fueled a dramatic team turnaround

00:20:40 – Why Carson would add even more chaos and game-like environments into future practices

00:23:50 – His transformative tip: embrace basketball's unpredictability and never stop evolving as a coach

00:26:10 – Transformative Tip

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