Rob McClanaghan
Rob McClanaghan

He’s the man behind the scenes of some of the NBA’s biggest stars.

Rob McClanaghan has trained and worked with the likes of Steph Curry, Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant and John Wall just to name a few, and he recently joined Adam Finkelstein on The Upside podcast to give a first hand perspective on his career.  (Click to subscribe on iTunes or subscribe on Spotify.)

 

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Great work in South Beach with @kingjames and @johnwall Game like intensity. No reps off!

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His book ‘Net Work’ gave fans a unique look at the world of the NBA superstar and McClanaghan’s ability to gain the trust and confidence of the game’s elite makes him one of the NBA’s hottest commodities. The Ringer recognized him as “The Man Behind Your Favorite NBA Jump Shot“.

Rob’s path to working with the NBA elite was hardly conventional. Growing up in Cranston, RI he was a local star at Bishop Hendricken High School but had no Division 1 prospects.

 

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Great first day on the Asia Tour with @UnderArmour and @StephenCurry30 in Shenyang. #SC30AsiaTour https://t.co/UxzL34si28

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While D1 scholarship offers may have been lacking, his self  confidence was not. McClanaghan was able to secure a spot on the roster at Syracuse as a walk-on and quickly became a fan favorite in the Carrier Dome due to his 3 point shooting. He earned more playing time than a typical walk-on and was ultimately a three-year basketball letterman for the Orange.

Critically, McClanaghan was able to learn from the way Syracuse coaches Jim Boeheim & Mike Hopkins operated, an education he would capitalize on after his playing days. In particular, he would build on the way Hopkins would engage players with his energetic approach.

After playing in 3 NCAA Tournaments and winning a Big East Championship, he moved on to coach basketball at the University of South Florida before exclusively preparing players for the NBA Draft and regular season as well as college stars and European players such as former Hendricken & University of Rhode Island sharpshooter Jimmy Baron.

Recent guests on The Upside include:

Visit The Upside on YurView.com for more and follow Adam Finkelstein on Twitter: @AdamFinkelstein

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