"We Want Utah Kids." Coach Casey Stanley's Vision for Westminster Griffins Basketball
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How did Coach Casey Stanley’s dream of becoming a head coach finally become a reality?
We are here with Coach Casey Stanley, the new head coach of the Westminster basketball team. How does that feel to be in this position?
I've been a college coach my whole life. I've been at the Division I level. Got an opportunity to coach at a at a at Leighton Christian, which is a great prep school. And we were able to do some really special things. But this is a seat I've always dreamed of. You know, we were talking a little bit off camera. I've wanted to do this since I was six years old, so I feel like every day I'm waking up, I'm living a dream.
Yeah. What is the difference between going I mean you were an assistant in the D V one level and then you're a head coach at the prep level and now head coach here. What is that difference in that shift from one seat to the other?
an assistant, you know, you always feel like you have all the answers. And you know, I I'd always be like, why are we doing it like this? It's just so easy. It's just so obvious. And you know, now uh now that I'm sitting in that seat, you know, there's a lot, a lot more to be considered. You know, it's uh it's easy to kind of be a a backseat driver and kind of, hey, why don't we do this? Come on. It seems all all all simple, but you know it's really not. You know the the prep school deal is is really interesting. It's you know you've got so many good players and we were really unique because you know we've had guys coming from all over the world to come play for us and um you know it's a little bit different here where you know we're more focused on Utah recruiting and that kind of deal.
So y that's been a little bit of a change, but other than that, you know, I think uh my definitely my time not only at the D one level but at Leighton Christian really prepared me for this.
Yeah, what do you think will be some of the similarities going from a prep school to now a college program?
A prep school is a little bit different in my opinion than a high school because, you know, I think in a high school program you're you're kinda dealing with a lot of kids who are playing basketball as a hobby or for fun or what makes a prep school very unique and very much like a division two program is the guys that are there are coming for mostly basketball, right? And it's that love of the game. And obviously they're here to be students and they're here to be Um you know, like like get the whole college experience but but like Leighton Christian, kids that come to Westminster are coming because of the basketball program and the development and what we can do.
Yeah. You talked about kind of recruiting local Utah heavily. What is the mindset around that? Why focus on that versus and then it's not that you're not gonna focus outside of Utah, but why the focus on Utah?
You know, my observation, especially as I traveled around you know, Utah and played different games when when when I was in high school, I would see how many talented players are throughout the state and then I would look into their recruitment, I would I'd be like, all right, well they really don't have a ton going on. I think the amount of talent in this state is is unbelievable. I think this one of the best basketball states um in the country. So, you know, I just believe that number one, you know, if we focus on Utah, we can get some really good players. Utah kids want to stay home. They want to stay local. They want opportunities To play college basketball in this state, probably more so than any other state in America.
They love this state and they want to return here or be here. Um so I think that's a really good draw.
What are the biggest differences between coaching at a Division I program, a prep school, and now Westminster?
And you know, I think recruiting locally gives us the best chance to get really good players. It's a sale that nobody else at this level can really do. So I think that's a huge focus for what we're gonna be
doing going forward. You've coached with some legends, namely Rick Petino. We'll we'll start there. So how do you take what you like from somebody like that? And also how do you decide what maybe you don't want to implement in your program from the type of coach that he is?
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
How did Coach Casey Stanley’s dream of becoming a head coach finally become a reality?
0:00–2:59
2
What are the biggest differences between coaching at a Division I program, a prep school, and now Westminster?
2:59–8:59
3
Why is recruiting Utah‑born talent the cornerstone of the Griffins’ strategy?
8:59–15:49
4
Which coaching lessons did Stanley adopt from Rick Pitino and other elite mentors?
15:49–21:11
5
What non‑negotiables does he believe are essential for building a championship culture?
21:11–28:41
6
How does he balance scouting, shot selection, and analytics to shape game plans?
28:41–41:21
7
What advice does he give high‑school players who want to contribute immediately at the college level?
41:21–42:18