Posted on January 8th, 2026

By Dr. Keith Adams, Ed.D., CMAA

President & Founder, CKA SAVE Project

I grew up on sports columns and sports columnists. I consumed shows like The Sports Reporters, Around the Horn, and Outside the Lines. But somewhere along the way, sports media became dominated by hot takes with no data, no research—just noise for the sake of noise. Why are we screaming?

On the Odd Coaches Podcast, we prefer Conversation over Confrontation. We make our points without yelling and screaming. We use data and experience. Our panelists are current or former players, coaches, officials, sports reporters, and administrators who have won games and championships at every level. This isn't manufactured outrage—it's authentic insight from people who have actually been in the arena.

The Foundation We've Built

The CKA SAVE Project has spent years building something meaningful in the student-athlete community.

For seven years (ending in 2017), our Holiday Basketball Tournament celebrated hundreds of male and female players who understood that excellence in the classroom matters as much as excellence on the court. For four years (ending in 2016), our Academic All-Star Basketball Games continued this tradition of honoring balanced excellence. Close to 100 of our alumni went on to play college basketball at the Division I, II, III, and junior college levels.

We've hosted Student Leadership Conferences and town halls on student motivation. We've created community service opportunities that give young people real-world experience in project management, accounting, hospitality, and athletic training.

Every program, every event, every initiative has been guided by one principle: helping student-athletes Find the Balance between academic and athletic success.

Why We're Ready to Expand the OCP's Reach

The Odd Coaches Podcast has already established itself as a premier digital sports media platform with a legacy of 900+ videos and more than 700 episodes. We deliver original content 52 weeks a year—from Motivation Monday through Find the Balance Friday—providing a year-round masterclass in leadership for coaches, administrators, and student-athletes.

But here's what makes the OCP Global Access Initiative different: it's not just another media venture. It's the natural evolution of work we've been doing for decades.

The CKA SAVE Project brings three critical assets to this expansion:

1. Credibility Born from Experience

My Hall of Fame coaching career spans nearly two decades across both the collegiate and high school levels.

As Assistant Coach at Paint Branch High School (1995-2000), I helped lead our team to the Maryland 3A State Championship in 2000. At Springbrook High School (2002-2005), I coached Folarin Campbell, who would go on to star on George Mason's historic Final Four team in 2006.

At Hood College (2005-2013), we made the NCAA Division III Basketball Tournament with an At-Large Bid in 2006—just four years after the program's inception—and achieved a remarkable 90% college graduation rate among our student-athletes. This is proof that winning and academic excellence aren't mutually exclusive.

Beyond coaching, I've worked for over thirty years in the trenches of education and athletics—as a high school teacher and coach, department chair, and Athletic Director. My doctoral research examined the relationship between academic and athletic motivation among NCAA Division I student-athletes. I've served on the front lines, in the administrative offices, and now as an advocate for systemic change through my work with The Drake Group.

This combination of championship-level coaching, proven academic success, and decades of comprehensive educational leadership positions me as an authentic leader in this space. I haven't just studied the issues—I've lived them, solved them, and delivered measurable results.

Our podcast panelists—our Cavalcade of Stars—aren't talking heads reading scripts. They bring a wealth of practical work experience at all levels of academics and athletics. They're professionals who've earned their voices through years of service, victories, and yes, defeats that taught them invaluable lessons.

2. A Track Record of Impact

The CKA SAVE Project doesn't just talk about supporting student-athletes—we've been doing it.

Through our Holiday Basketball Tournament, Academic All-Star Basketball Games, and Student Leadership Conferences, our event alumni thrived in college athletics. Our leadership conferences developed the next generation of educational leaders. Our town halls changed conversations about student motivation and achievement.

When we take the Odd Coaches Podcast into locker rooms, sidelines, and boardrooms through the Global Access Initiative, we're not tourists. We're bringing decades of relationships, trust, and proven commitment to holistic student-athlete success.

3. An Independent Voice Committed to Truth

The OCP operates with full editorial control over its content, coverage decisions, and journalistic standards. While owned and produced by the CKA SAVE Project, our media coverage is not influenced by donors, sponsors, partner institutions, or affiliated organizations.

In an era when everyone seems to have an agenda, we're committed to one thing: the truth as we see it, informed by data and experience.

The Vision for Global Access

The OCP Global Access Initiative will bridge the gap between theory and the field of play. We're expanding our 2026 National Coverage Map to bring our audience directly into the conversations that matter—with credential access to major championships, conferences, and media days nationwide.

This isn't about creating more noise. It's about elevating the conversation. It's about giving voice to the coaches, administrators, and student-athletes who are doing the real work of building championship cultures while never losing sight of what matters most: developing young people who will succeed long after their playing days are over.

Join Us

The combination of the CKA SAVE Project's mission and the Odd Coaches Podcast's platform creates something powerful: a megaphone for the people who actually know what they're talking about, grounded in an organization that has proven it can deliver real results for real student-athletes.

We're not here to yell. We're here to lead. We're not here to generate clicks. We're here to change lives.

That's why the CKA SAVE Project is uniquely positioned to expand the Odd Coaches Podcast's impact and influence. Because experience matters. Because balance matters. Because the voices of people who've actually won championships and shaped young lives deserve to be heard above the noise.

We invite you to join the conversation. Let's stop the screaming and start the dialogue. Because when we "Find the Balance," everyone wins. Welcome to the conversation.

Stay connected with the Odd Coaches Podcast:

Watch: YouTube — Odd Coaches Podcast 

Listen: Spotify, Podbean, iHeartRadio — Odd Coaches Podcast

Follow: @oddcoaches (Twitter) | @ckasaveproject (Instagram)