
Episode 259: Ernie Contreras, Performance Coach and Director of Basketball, University of San Diego
From The Rising Coaches Podcast by Rising Coaches
April 27, 2026 · 39 min · Season 1 · Episode 259
About this episode
Ernie Contreras discusses strength and conditioning strategies for developing athletes at various levels.
On this episode of the Rising Coaches Podcast, we’re joined by Ernie Contreras, Performance Coach and Director of Basketball at the University of San Diego. Coach Contreras has built a strong career in strength and conditioning with stops at Santa Clara, Holy Names, Texas Tech, and experience at the G League and NBA levels before arriving at USD. His background gives him a unique perspective on developing athletes across different levels and environments. In this episode we discuss how to build a strength program when rosters are constantly changing with different body types and backgrounds, advice for coaches working without high-level resources or equipment, and how to develop mental toughness in players during preseason workouts.
People in this episode
Host: Rising Coaches
Guest: Ernie Contreras
Topics covered
- strength and conditioning
- athlete development
- mental toughness
- coaching resources
- preseason workouts
Keywords
- performance coach
- basketball training
- strength program
- mental toughness
- coaching advice
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of San Diego, Santa Clara, Holy Names, Texas Tech, G League, NBA
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