Max Landis is a pro basketball player from Indianapolis, currently signed with FC Porto in Portugal through 2025. After a great high school career at Perry Meridian, Max decided to go to Gardner-Webb to start his college career. After 2 seasons there, he decided to transfer closer to home and finish his career at Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW at the time). Max joins us to tell his story of adversity and triumph throughout his basketball career.

Kelsey Barlow — aka Stambi — is much more than a pro basketball player. Growing up in Europe, Kelsey didn’t specialize in basketball — or sports — at a young age. First it was piano, then horse-back riding, then way down the line basketball eventually became his passion. And that passion has taken him back to Europe & all around the globe over the last decade+ of his pro career.

Tony Hicks is currently in his 7th professional season, having played in countries like Hungary, Germany, Venezuela and more, but this basketball career wasn’t always a dream of his. Tony actually grew up in Chicago wanting to be the next great NFL quarterback, modeling his game after Chicago legend Donovan McNabb.

In this solo episode, host Justin Ochoa, shared some epic updates happening at Gem Sessions! Tune in for info about our 501c3 nonprofit, the app and seasons 3 & 4!

In S2E6, we’re joined John Murry, a current pro hooper in Morocco. John shares his story of how he turned from an ineligible high school senior to a D1 recruit, to getting hurt & cut multiples times before becoming a champion and league MVP in Morocco.

In S2E5, we’re joined by the Olympian, WNBA player & WNBPA executive, Natalie Achonwa, to discuss the WNBA expansion, how to continue elevating women’s basketball and how motherhood has impacted her on & off the court.

Today's episode features Djimon Henson, a current professional hooper for Salon Vilpas in the top division in Finland. Prior to his current team, Djimon spent time in the NBA G-League and played college basketball at Morehead State.

Today we’re joined by Stephanie Mavunga to discuss her WNBA and EuroLeague career, her collegiate career at two of the most history universities in the world and her goals for the upcoming season coming off a severe shoulder surgery.

Today we’re joined by ⁠Ty Harris⁠ of the Connecticut Sun to discuss her journey to the WNBA -- reflecting on her rookie season in The Wubble, her draft-day experience, the growth she’s had on and off the court and her professional goals as she becomes a “vet” in the WNBA.

Ty is one of the most genuine and down to earth people you could ever meet. Hopefully you guys enjoy this episode getting to know her!

We’re back! Super excited to kick off Season 2 of the Gem Sessions Podcast – The Athlete’s Season. For the next several weeks, we’ll be catching up with basketball players all around the world, learning their unique journey & story, getting the behind-the-scenes look at the basketball lifestyle and getting to know these hoopers for the humans they are.

In today’s episode, we have Jordan Walker on the show coming to us live from Belgrade, Serbia. Jordan is currently a Guard for Košarkaški klub FMP in the AdmiralBet ABA League - the top league in Serbia.

Gem Sessions is BACK! We're back with Season 2 -- The Athlete's Season.

Over the next few months, we'll be releasing podcast episodes with hoopers. We're talking basketball - on and off the court - with basketball players, learning about them as a humans and not just the talented athletes they are.

Also, in this episode is a SPECIAL announcement about the Gem Sessions coaching app! Available for Apple and Android users, the Gem Sessions app features both pre-built & customized programming options for basketball players who are looking to take their development to the next level. Make sure you tune in to get the full details on the app!

This episode is packed with good info on what to expect. I can't wait for you to tap in, I know you're going to enjoy!

In episode 24, I’m joined by the one & only Bobby Whyte! Bobby is the owner of HyPower Performance and the creator of Good Drills - delivering skill development & strength and conditioning training to hoopers all around the world.

Episode 23 is truly packed with gems! This week, I’m joined by world-renowned speed coach, Lee Taft. Lee is known all around the globe at THE SPEED GUY, and has influenced a vast majority of the way I look at basketball speed, agility and movement.

Episode 22, I’m joined by Coach Nick from BBallBreakdown! Coach Nick built BBallBreakdown over a decade ago as a culmination of his all of his talents and interests both in the game of basketball and the world of media. Today, his brand reaches over ONE MILLION fans across social media and it continues to grow daily.

Nick has coached, trained and consulted any every level of the game, and brings over 20 years of knowledge & expertise to the podcast.

Episode 21 of the Gem Sessions Podcast is a re-share of my recent appearance on the High Performance Hoops Podcast w/ Julian Lo Casto. We have a great conversation about all things basketball training. We get into my journey into S&C + basketball skill development, then dive in on the X's and O's of complete basketball development and end it with some fun hot takes!

In episode 20, I chop it up with my friend & former athlete, DeMari Davis. DeMari and I trained together during his basketball career and now he’s pivoted into his new career in modeling and music. It was great to catch up with him and get some updates on how his career in entertainment is taking off so quickly after stepping away from basketball.

DeMari is most known as a model, working with major brands such as Finish Line, Foot Locker, Don C, American Crew and Rockstar Original, but he’s also on the rise as a recording artist. DeMari has major talent in both and a bright future in both as well!

In episode 19, we’re breaking down the 2023 March Madness brackets with ACC Network / ESPN host, Taylor Tannebaum! Taylor the host of ACC PM on the ACC Network, after she spent the last several years here in Indy working sports for the local news channel WTHR.

Taylor was a member at my gym during her time in Indy and continues to be a close friend to this day, so it was great to catch up at the beginning of this episode before diving into the women’s and men’s tournament brackets.

In episode 18, I chat with my friend & current professional basketball player, Brandon Wood. Brandon is currently with USC Rip City in the Australian NBL1 league after playing for the last decade in several different counties such as Greece, Italy, Hungary, Lithuania, Morocco and Austria just to name a few. Brandon has also had stints in the NBA G-League along his overseas journey and participated in The Basketball Tournament on multiple occasions.

Prior to his professional career, Brandon was a standout at Valparaiso and finished his collegiate career with Michigan State in 2012 where he was coached by the legendary Tom Izzo and teammates with several future pros including NBA [future] Hall of Fame forward Draymond Green.

In episode 17, I caught up with my guy Tyler Neal of Run The Show. Run The Show is a full-service basketball development company offering training, coaching, events, clinics and recruiting worldwide with a physical location in Cranberry, PA — as well as local offering throughout Northeast Ohio & Western Pennsylvania.

Tyler brings over a decade of coaching experience to the show with previous stops at the high school, college and professional level of the game. Tyler most recently an assistant coach in the Cleveland Cavaliers organization and shares an inspiring story of how he got that opportunity early in the episode.

In episode 16, I caught up with Bjorn Broman, the co-founder & co-owner of the Broman Academy. The Broman Academy works with basketball players from youth to pro, helping players develop on & off the court while being guided by Bjorn & his older brother, Anders, who both had amazing basketball careers & are now passing the torch to the next generation of hoopers.

We get into a great discussion about all things basketball — from his playing experience to his current business endeavors and future goals for the academy. Bjorn has mastered in-person training and continues to work on that craft, but also has a massive social media following with over 500k followers on TikTok and nearing 50k on Instagram. We talk about how he’s able to manage the pros and cons of social media and continue to scale his social media while still providing high-quality info.