Terrance McLellan, who is a strength and conditioning coach for Atlanta Hawks basketball joins us to discuss the major takeaways he’s had during his time navigating the field of strength and conditioning. Terrance speaks about the specific scenarios he’s found himself in as an intern and GA leading into becoming a professional in the industry, and how he’s been able to adjust in order to advance into a life in professional basketball.
Episode overview
Terrance McClellan, a strength and conditioning coach for the Atlanta Hawks, shares major lessons from his path through the profession. He discusses experiences as an intern and graduate assistant, the adjustments required to advance, and the transition into professional basketball performance. The conversation gives strength and conditioning professionals a practical way to think about coaching beyond sets and repetitions. It connects day-to-day training decisions with communication, leadership, athlete development, and the realities of working inside a larger organization.
Key themes from the conversation
Learning from internship and graduate-assistant roles
Early career positions can teach technical work, organizational habits, and professional awareness when approached intentionally. McClellan’s examples encourage young coaches to study the entire environment, not just the exercise program. As you listen, pay attention to the decisions behind the approach: what problem the coach is trying to solve, what information matters most, and how the idea can be adapted to a different team, age group, or training environment. That context is more useful than copying a drill or program without understanding why it was selected.
Adjusting as responsibility grows
Advancement brings new expectations, people, and constraints. The ability to learn quickly, accept feedback, and change an approach without abandoning core values is a central part of professional development. As you listen, pay attention to the decisions behind the approach: what problem the coach is trying to solve, what information matters most, and how the idea can be adapted to a different team, age group, or training environment. That context is more useful than copying a drill or program without understanding why it was selected.
Moving into professional basketball
Professional basketball performance operates inside a demanding schedule and a highly collaborative staff structure. The broader takeaway is to prepare for the realities of the next role rather than focusing only on the prestige associated with it. As you listen, pay attention to the decisions behind the approach: what problem the coach is trying to solve, what information matters most, and how the idea can be adapted to a different team, age group, or training environment. That context is more useful than copying a drill or program without understanding why it was selected.
Why this episode matters
Terrance McClellan’s perspective is useful because the role of a performance coach is never limited to writing a program. Coaches must earn trust, explain expectations, adjust to the people in front of them, and keep training aligned with the competitive calendar. This episode invites listeners to examine how professional growth and better athlete outcomes often come from the same habits: asking better questions, communicating clearly, reviewing results honestly, and staying willing to refine an approach.
For head coaches and administrators, the discussion also offers a window into the responsibilities carried by a strength staff. A successful program depends on shared standards, useful feedback, and collaboration across sport coaches, athletic trainers, medical staff, and performance specialists. The details will look different in every setting, but the need for alignment remains constant.
Who should listen
This episode is especially relevant for basketball strength coaches, interns, graduate assistants, and early-career professionals planning a path into professional sport. It is also a strong professional-development resource for interns and graduate assistants who want to understand how experienced practitioners evaluate problems, build relationships, and grow into greater responsibility. Listen once for the story, then return to the sections that connect most directly to the challenges in your own program.
Turn the conversation into action
After listening, write down one idea that confirms your current practice, one idea that challenges it, and one question you want to discuss with your staff. Choose a small action that can be tested without disrupting the entire program, define what improvement would look like, and review the result after an appropriate training block. That simple process turns a podcast insight into a useful coaching experiment while keeping the athlete and the program’s goals at the center of the decision.
Explore more interviews on the Samson Strength Coach Collective, where coaches and performance leaders share the experiences, systems, and lessons shaping their work.
