About this episode

Brooks Savage and Maki Johnson discuss ETSU's plans for the 2026 season and the team's culture.

The 2026 Ingles Fast Break Summer Tour kicks off in Johnson City! ETSU Head Coach Brooks Savage and senior guard Maki Johnson discuss the Bucs' plan for the 2026 season. Coach Savage holds nothing back — from his brutal offseason self-critique to the "Illusion of Choice" mentality borrowed from Nick Saban. Plus, Maki Johnson opens up about his maturation, his faith, and why he's all-in on carrying Coach Savage's culture to the new roster. In This Episode: Brooks Savage's offseason self-critique: "I felt like I failed" The Nick Saban "Illusion of Choice" philosophy and how it shapes ETSU's culture Maki Johnson on his growth, faith, and leadership role as a senior Roster breakdown — portal additions, depth, and team culture The emotional toll of ETSU's Asheville tournament run and what's next Presented by Ingles Markets

People in this episode

Guests: Brooks Savage, Maki Johnson

Topics covered

• ETSU basketball
• offseason critique
• team culture
• leadership
• player development
• coaching philosophy

Keywords

• ETSU
• Brooks Savage
• Maki Johnson
• basketball
• coaching
• team culture
• offseason
• leadership
• Nick Saban

Sponsors

Ingles Markets

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ETSU

Places: Johnson City

More episodes of SoCon Fast Break

• Summer Tour Edition: Ryan Ridder Building a Standard of Belief at Mercer · July 16, 2026 · 1h 2m
• Summer Tour Edition: Jerod Haase's "Give, Grit, and Gratitude" Blueprint at UNCG · July 13, 2026 · 40 min
• Summer Tour Edition: Why Andrew Wilson "Runs To Hard" at VMI · July 6, 2026 · 1h 2m

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