Naethan Hoaglund

[Phill Shallenberger @CoachPhill_S]

The Lie Coaches Believe About Success

Scripture: Luke 10:40; John 15:5

As coaches, we live in a world of checklists.

Practice plans.
Recruiting calls.
Film breakdown.
Player meetings.
Lineups.
Travel.
Fundraising.

There is always something that needs done.

Luke 10:40 says Martha was “distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.”

Not bad things.
Not sinful things.
Just… things.

Meanwhile Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus.
Present.
Connected.
Listening.

Martha wasn’t lazy.
She was busy.

And busyness pulled her away from the very Person who could actually give her life.

Sound familiar?

How often do we fall into the same trap as coaches?

“If I just grind a little harder…”
“If I spend more time in the office…”
“If I work one more hour…”
“If I do more, we’ll see more fruit…”

I’ll be honest — that mindset used to define me.

A few years ago, God grabbed hold of my heart through one verse that has become my life verse:

John 15:5.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

That verse didn’t just encourage me — it changed my life.

I realized I had been trying to produce fruit through my own effort instead of through my connection with Christ.

I was coaching hard.
Working long hours.
Grinding nonstop.

But slowly drying up spiritually.

Here’s what Jesus makes clear:

Fruit doesn’t come from grinding harder.
Fruit comes from staying connected.

Branches don’t strain to produce grapes.
They simply stay attached to the vine.

The vine does the work.

And I love this promise in that verse:

Not “you might bear fruit.”
Not “there’s a chance you’ll see fruit.”

You WILL bear fruit.

But only if you abide.

So many of us are out here coaching like disconnected branches — hustling, sweating, forcing outcomes — while replacing presence with productivity.

We substitute:

👉 effort for abiding
👉 busyness for intimacy
👉 striving for trusting

And then we wonder why joy fades.
Why burnout creeps in.
Why pressure keeps rising.

Martha was doing good things…

But she missed the best thing.

Connection always comes before production in the Kingdom of God.

Your leadership.
Your impact.
Your influence on players.
Your fruit in the locker room.

It all flows out of your relationship with Him.

Not your grind.

Yes — work hard.
Yes — be excellent.
Yes — steward your role well.

But never let “what needs done” distract you from Who you need most.

Because apart from Him…

You can do nothing.

But if you abide?

You WILL bear fruit.

Not because you forced it.
Not because you hustled harder.

But because you stayed connected to the Vine.

⸻

Coach’s Prayer

Lord,
Thank You for reminding me that real fruit comes from staying close to You, not striving harder.
Help me to choose connection over distraction, presence over busyness, abiding over grinding.
Shape my heart as a coach to lead from a place of intimacy with You.

[Naethan Hoaglund @NaetHoaglund]

@ESPNRittenberg Domes? Over inflated balls?

[Damin Altizer @DaminAltizer]

Nebraska putting 4 players on the court. Duke’s last 10 seconds up 2. Florida helping and giving up the 3.

Just a reminder the next time you’re at a high school game: mental mistakes happen at EVERY level.

And screaming at 15-18 year olds from the stands isn’t changing that.

[Naethan Hoaglund @NaetHoaglund]

@realStanVG

[Tyler 🟠🐴 @Keegs_for3]

@Hassel_Chris @AndrewCDowns Van Gundy did not deserve this assignment

[Naethan Hoaglund @NaetHoaglund]

Anything but a ref show

[Pat Forde @ByPatForde]

If the rest of this game is a Keaton Wagler-Bennett Stirtz showdown, I'm very much here for it.

[Naethan Hoaglund @NaetHoaglund]

Woke up feeling ELITE!

[Naethan Hoaglund @NaetHoaglund]

@therealmrh1976 @EliotClough Zeroing punches were thrown.

[Naethan Hoaglund @NaetHoaglund]

@JackStill50 @EliotClough Zero punches were thrown.

[Dordt Men’s Basketball @DordtHoops]

The @AmericanStBank All Star Game hosted by Dordt University is tomorrow night! Boys game at 7:15. A great chance to see some of our local Senior athletes in action. Rosters below ⬇️

[Naethan Hoaglund @NaetHoaglund]

@NickPaulsen @MattchewMills

[Naethan Hoaglund @NaetHoaglund]

If you say it slow enough, Tennessee State sounds a lot like Hampton.

[Naethan Hoaglund @NaetHoaglund]

@gocoogs1 @CoogTom Outside of Arizona, the whole league is overrated.

[Naethan Hoaglund @NaetHoaglund]

@FastbreakHoops5 1 active player and everyone else standing around. No thanks.

[Jonathan Haidt @JonHaidt]

Where are the students who think they benefited from Chromebooks and iPads in school?

Where are the teachers who believe that ed tech greatly improved education?

Let's get this stuff out of elementary schools by September. Older grades will be harder, but let's start with K-5.

[Flappr @flapprdotnet]

Ellen Hughes, birthed two Olympic heroes and was a consultant on the women's team that won gold.

She's lady liberty.

[Kaleb Stoppel @DrKalebStoppel]

For a long time, I thought I understood resilience.

I had talked about it. Taught it. Encouraged others to live it.

But everything changed when I found myself needing to depend on it to get through challenges and adversity I had never faced before.

After being shot at Olathe East, resilience was no longer something I observed from a distance. It became something I had to lean on daily. Not the polished version. Not the inspirational quote version. The real version.

The version where sleep is hard.
Where fear lingers.
Where healing feels uneven.
Where you question your identity.
Where you wonder who you are now.

For a long time, I thought resilience meant coming out stronger, better, more put together. But that has not been my experience.

For me, resilience has meant refusing to stay stuck. It has meant taking the next step forward even when I did not feel ready. It has meant going to therapy. Having hard conversations. Redefining leadership. Leaving a career I loved. Starting over. Choosing presence with my family. Choosing peace.

And choosing to keep showing up.

Being invited to speak at the 2026 Resiliency Conference hosted by Johnson County Mental Health Center is deeply meaningful to me. It represents something bigger than one story. It represents a community that is willing to talk about the hard things. A community that believes healing is possible. A community that understands leaders struggle too.

Resilience is not a finish line. It is a daily practice.

I am still practicing.

If you are walking your own road of healing, I hope you know this: you do not have to look strong to be strong. Sometimes resilience is simply taking the next step toward peace and toward what matters most.

The conference will be held on Friday, May 1, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM at Resurrection, A United Methodist Church in Leawood, Kansas.

It is open to individuals with lived experience, supportive loved ones, and community members.

If this message resonates with you, I would be honored to see you there.

You can register here: https://t.co/JvOfCquFBK

One Step at a Time
https://t.co/Li1j4RyXqh

[Naethan Hoaglund @NaetHoaglund]

I’d rather win ugly than lose pretty.

[Quinn Douglas @Quinn_Douglas_]

Ben McCollum: “We set offensive basketball back 30 years but we got the win.”

[Naethan Hoaglund @NaetHoaglund]

@CoachLynch_21 It takes a lot of work just to be average in basketball.

[Naethan Hoaglund @NaetHoaglund]

@stoolpresidente @Seahawks As always, first class from this guy.

[Hoop Herald @TheHoopHerald]

This is awesome

At 91 years old, Harold Mulhern is still coaching high school basketball at Wisconsin's Osseo-Fairchild High School.

He says he wants to coach until “He’s Dead”

THESE are the types of stories that should go viral

(Via @kare11 🎥)