THE BASKETBALL NEXUS WEBSITE PRESENTS: STATE OF THE GAME PODCAST S2 E31 FEATURING: COACH PAUL CULPO, CASTLETON STATE U. “PLAY TO WIN!”

Coach Culpo’s State of the Game podcast is available for free on the Rustbelt Basketball Coaches Network YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@rustbeltbasketballcoachesn2257)

Podcast YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/jkwSPcBvz9w?si=4t4ZzkJtv4AiBWtZ

Coach Paul Culpo has had one of the most interesting coaching journeys in NCAA men’s basketball. Known as one of the most creative & knowledgeable basketball coaches in the NCAA, Culpo has earned a reputation for leading teams to achieve far beyond expectations. Coach Culpo calls his ability to run a wide variety of tactical schemes over his career simply playing to win. Culpo’s formula is: Play to win with fundamentally sound & talented players. Additionally, Coach Culpo says his team’s styles of play have had to be unconventional to stay competitive.

Paul Culpo is the veteran head coach of the men's basketball program at Vermont State University Castleton (formerly known as Castleton State University). Since taking over the program ahead of the 2009–10 season, he has engineered the program's most successful modern eras and is the program's all-time winningest basketball coach. Culpo was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame on August 8, 2015.
Coaching Summary: Over 16 complete seasons leading the Spartans (2009–2025), Culpo compiled a 164–231 overall record, including 110–141 in conference play. The Golden Era: He led the program to winning records in seven of his first ten seasons. Under his guidance, the Spartans reached the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Championship game three times. 2011–12 Championship: His landmark season came in 2011–12 when he guided Castleton to a 19–10 record, capturing the program's first-ever NAC Tournament Championship and securing an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. For his work, the NAC named him Coach of the Year. Recent Transition: Culpo led the Spartans through their transition into the highly competitive Little East Conference (LEC). He continues to helm the team for the 2026–27 campaign alongside associate coach Shawn Gibbons and assistant Julian Llopiz. Background & Accolades: A native of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Culpo has over two decades of collegiate coaching experience across all three NCAA divisions. Before settling at Castleton, he served as head coach at Hartwick College and the Doncaster Panthers professional basketball team in England. He spent time as an assistant coach at Division I UMass-Amherst under Steve Lappas. In recognition of his widespread contributions and success in the region, Culpo was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in August 2015.

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Details

Level

All Levels

Sport

Basketball

Type

Offense
Defense
Game Strategy
Motivation
Team Culture
Leadership
Communication

About the seller

Hello, I’m Rustbelt Basketball Coaches' Network "Basketball Nexus" Webs.

My name is Derek Sheridan & I coached basketball in the great states of Indiana & Ohio. I began my coaching & teaching career as a PE teacher & 6th-grade basketball coach. Over the years, I worked my way up to becoming a head boys’ basketball coach. My coaching career spanned nearly three decades; & I’m still teaching PE classes for Maumee City Schools, located in Maumee, OH. I recently retired from coaching due to health reasons, but I stay closely connected to our game. Currently, I am the clinic director for the Northwest Ohio District VII Basketball Coaches’ Association (NOD7BCA), a staff member for the newly formed Rustbelt Basketball Coaches’ Network, a high school basketball game color analyst for Buckeye Cable Sport Network (BCSN), and creator & lead author for “In Ted’s Honor” weekly, free basketball coaches’ newsletter. Additionally, I am mentoring basketball coaches from the United States and Serbia. Derek Sheridan Honors & Awards Earned: 1999 Midland Athletic Conference Season and Tournament Champions 1999 Midland Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Led our program to Maumee’s first winning seasons in 6 years 2010 District Seven Co-Coach of the Year 2010 District Seven All-Star Game Coach 2012 Selected as the Ohio coach for the “PostyourT” OH v. IN All-Star Game 2012-2022 Selected to work the OHSBCA Top 100 Workout in Columbus, OH 2013 Boys’ Division I Rep for District VII Basketball Coaches Association (NOD7BCA) 2013 Selected as an Assistant Coach for the Ohio team for the Ohio v. Indiana Border War Indiana All-Star Team Clinician at the Springfield Central Catholic HS (MO) Clinic 2014 Selected as the Vice President of NOD7BCA 2014 Selected as the Head Coach for the OH v. IN Border War All-Star Game 2015-2017 President of NOD7BCA 2017-Present Clinic Director for the NOD7BCA 2017-2018 Central Catholic HS, Toledo, OH, Varsity Assistant Coach 2018-2021 Delta HS, OH, Head Boys’ Basketball Coach 2022-Present High School & College Basketball Analyst, Buckeye Cable Sports Network 2022-Present Rustbelt Basketball Coaches’ Network, LLC, Owner TESTIMONIALS FROM OUR PURCHASERS: “Hey Derek! I just wanted to reach out and say thank you so much for the content you have shared! I watched your blocker/mover 101 YouTube video just now. I am all in on running it this season. I coach Varsity Girls basketball at Herscher HS in Illinois. My name is Tim McElroy. I can tell you care about kids the way you talk and your love for the game and sharing!! I would love to get on the phone with you sometime and talk more about basketball if you'd ever be available to share more wisdom with a young coach. This will be my 2nd season as the head coach. We have a couple of decent shooters and really athletic raw players and then a bunch of girls I don't want handling the ball haha so Dick Bennett's very basic flare pin continuity, where we have started this summer and I love hiding players in the blocker spots. I believe we will only be as good as our SCREENS this season and man I have never had a coach explain it in such a detailed manner like you!!” Coach Tim McEloy, IL “Derek Sheridan and I met as opponents playing for Huntington College and Saint Francis College in the old NAIA Mid-Central College Conference in the early 90’s. He has always been a basketball junkie wanting to learn as much as possible about all aspects of the game. Over the past 30 years in our quest to become head coaches, Derek has worked his way from the bottom up sponging knowledge from personal experience, meeting with rookie through veteran coaches, watching videos and game film, collaborating with peers, and writing books along the way. As a coach, he has personally been a mentor to countless numbers of young coaches and players helping them become as fundamentally sound as can be while instilling values and integrity. It is fitting that he is continuing the mentorship by passing along his vast amounts of knowledge to innumerable amounts of coaches through this website form of multimedia. As a peer who has been mentored by Derek multiple times along the way I am not surprised that he is delving into this venture to give coaches an opportunity at an easy way to advance their knowledge of basketball towards bettering the experience of their teams and players. Over the years, he has helped my program, specifically our Blocker/Mover offense & the aspects of the Princeton offense we’ve added. His organizational tools are unreal, they will save you time. Coach Eric Thompson, Huntington North HS, (IN); Head Boys’ Varsity Basketball Coach “We utilize most of the Rustbelt products for one reason, they make our lives easier. I could add a lot more to this statement but the main point I’m making is, RBCN products have made my life easier. Well done & thank you Coach Sheridan.” Coach Troy Opperman, Jackson Center HS (OH); Varsity Assistant “Just wanted to let you know we used your “32” zone offense last night against a top rated team

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