Making practice plans from the cab - Brandon Schwab

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Paul Yeager:  Hey everyone, it's Paul Yeager This is the MtoM Show podcast, a production of Iowa PBS and the Market to Market TV show. A couple of weeks a year I disappear from the show and spend time working for Iowa PBS covering high school girls sports, specifically the championships for basketball and for softball in Iowa. It's something that's kind of fun to do. And it's a good mix of what I've always done in my career. Sometimes you do mix a couple of things that you don't think always go together, but in this case they do. We're going to talk with Brandon Schwab, who is the head girls basketball coach at Algona, Bishop Garrigan in high school in Algona, Iowa, which is in the north central part of the state and Brandon is again a state champion coach. We're gonna find out what it's like to be on the sidelines and balance family and farming in addition to his life on the farm. That's our discussion today. And one thing about this discussion, his team features the best high school girls basketball player in Audi Crooks. Iowa State Cyclone fans are familiar with her, she'll be a Cyclone next year in Ames and those in the Big 12 will probably get to know her as well. So we'll talk a little bit about Audi, his family as well as his life on the farm in Hancock County, Iowa and also coaching in Algona. So that is our discussion today on the MTM Show podcast. If you have a tip for me or anything you want to write to me, send me an email at PaulYeager@IowaPBS.org. now let's shoot some hoops and talk some farming with Brandon Schwab. You farmers have it rough look at you t shirt in the middle of March. Is that how it really works? You must not be a dairy guy.

Brandon Schwab: No, I'm not a dairy guy. This this is our weekly March trip after state basketball have and before spring planting that we take every year so yep, enjoy in Cape Coral going to enjoy some Twins baseball 's afternoon.

Paul Yeager:  I thought farmers are only supposed to pick one sport, you can't pick two.

Brandon Schwab:  Well, unfortunately, I've got two. Or fortunately, I have two boys that are involved in all sports. So I get to balance between all of them.

Paul Yeager:  We'll talk basketball and a little bit but I have to be true to my agriculture audience. Tell me about the farm.

Brandon Schwab:  Well, this is my 14th year of being back farm and full time I farmed with my I farmed with my dad for 13 of those years he passed away last year after the state basketball tournament. So last year was my first year of by myself on the farmer of running things on my own. So it's been a definitely a transition without a doubt. Being able to have a guy that's farmed for 40 years there to beat any question down the door to now you're farming it all yourself, you know, so it's been a transition. Luckily, I've got a lot of good people around me good friends and neighbors that have done a lot of years to help me through it. And I'm, I'm lucky that I had you know, 13 years of full time farm and with dad before he passed away, how active was he prior to getting sick, very active all the way up all the way up until the last he had been battling cancer for about five or six years. Previously, you know, and he was very active all the way up to the fall before you know he really didn't get sick to the last you know, say 45 days before he passed away. So he was very much very active in the daily operation of the farm.

Paul Yeager : So you didn't even have like that last fall to say yep, this might be it, because he was sick, you were there that fall before it was still all all systems go.

Brandon Schwab:  All systems go the fall before there. Yep, he was all systems go putting in as many hours as all of us were every day. So yeah, I mean, so it was it was a it was a quick and fast thing. But that's sometimes how, you know cancer in the world works. So we've had to move on from that and keep the farm going in the right direction because that's what he'd want.

Paul Yeager:  I forget brothers or sisters around you that help?

Brandon Schwab:  I have a sister that is a school teacher at Waukee district. And that's it. So just me and my sister.

Paul Yeager:  So it's you now full-on everything. We've got to make a whole lot of decisions. So how do you allow someone to have a little bit of, you know, blocked out time from say November to March? 

Brandon Schwab:  Well, luckily, like you said before, I'm a grain farmer, you know, I mean, I can still haul grain during the day. A and still get to basketball practice at three o'clock in the afternoon, you know, so basketball is one of them sports that allows me to still balance both both worlds without a doubt. You know, so, you know, I would say I market around the basketball a little bit more than I probably should sometimes you know, of when we don't haul a whole lot of grain in the last four years during state tournament basketball or district basketball. So, yeah, that's just market around that for sure. lately.

Paul Yeager:  Well, let's, let's look at it this way. February is usually traditionally a down month for grain. So see, you're just you're just biding your time waiting for the markets to rally in March and April.

Brandon Schwab:  Yeah, that's exactly what was going through my head during that time is that's traditionally a down down spiral market for there. And yeah, we'll use that as an excuse for sure.

Paul Yeager:  All right, so you're in Kossuth County. So that's the big tall county for Iowa, right?

Brandon Schwab  I actually farm in Hancock County, and  live in Kossuth. So in Hancock, where all of our work, the farms are.

Paul Yeager:  so North Central to getting to be northwest Iowa, how was the year for you last year?

Brandon Schwab:  You know, fairly good overall, you know, beans were really, really pretty fantastic for our area, you know, we're very high pH soil, Prairie Pothole flat area that, you know, we we get hurt more on really wet years in our area, just because of drainage issues than we do on drier years. So, you know, we, we had a good year, beans were beans were definitely very good for us. And, you know, corn was, you know, at least above average for us, you know, not anything homerun because we did have an wind issue happened and, you know, some of the fields at some 30% green snap in our area, you know, and you know that that hurt the top end, but still, overall a very good year for us.

Paul Yeager: And do you have any old crop left?

Brandon Schwab: I do have some old crop left eye, I've got some sitting in the bin right now trying to wonder why these markets are going down like they are I mean, I wish you could tell me a little better on how I need to market this old crop grain.

Paul Yeager: You and me both. It's, it's it's always a challenge. When you hold on it's a little bit of that gambling side. So you have some I'm sorry, you have beans left to or just the corn.

Brandon Schwab: I've got I've got some beans and mostly corn left, is what I've got is, I'd say majority of corn, I've got, you know, two or three semi loads of beans left is all I've gotten.

Paul Yeager: Now. All right, when you're farming, do you think only farming when farming or do you think basketball? While you're how does the mind work in the middle of September, October?

Brandon Schwab: You know, it depends what we're doing, you know, during the busy time without a doubt my mind is on farming during you know you get a long day work and ground or sitting in the combine all day, I can say that my mind doesn't wander a little bit of how, you know different things for the basketball team. And, you know, I think that's pretty normal to do. But, you know, when we get into farming, I'm pretty pretty all farmer mode. But my mind does, especially when you've had the teams we've had in the last four years, it's easy to drift and think about that team a little bit.

Paul Yeager: When you said you've returned 14 years ago, what were you thinking 15 years ago you were going to do with your life?

Brandon Schwab: Well, I was a full-time teacher. I taught full-time for five years, four of them at Vinton-Shellsburg and, you know, one in the Oelwein community school districts and you know, I was an assistant coach finishing up my school at, you know, when I was an assistant at Jesup so, you know, I was going to be a full time teacher and then you know, some some land came available for the family and I was able to Dad call and tell me that this is available if you want to do it. My wife was able to get a job back as a dental hygienist. in Algona. We actually had to live apart for for the months just as I had we had our first child because her job came calling and I had to finish my teaching contract out so we had a four month little gap there of living apart and her living with my parents while we were moving back and you know, that whole transition so but yeah,

Paul Yeager: I've heard that story before. That one is a that one's familiar. That happens, you know, you got to fill out that teacher contract and I mean, 20 years ago, was it always I mean, 15 years ago is one thing, but 20 years ago when you're going through college, I mean, was the guy your coach at the age of the kids, you're coaching? Were you always thinking teaching coaching? was farming ever a possibility?

Brandon Schwab: Farming was always up possibility my my dad was pretty strong on his beliefs of the farm was always going to be here, I want you to go out and go do your thing, I want you to go experience college, I want you to go experience a job off of the farm. And that was always the thing, he pushed me in his life to do it not just going from high school right back to the farm. And he said, there's more to the world than just our farm, you know, and, and, you know, he was really wanting me to go out and do that. So, you know, I mean, we did when I left. I mean, I'd come back sometimes in the fall and spring and help but you know, overall from that is, I mean, I, I stayed away for, you know, 10-12 years of college, and that's and you know, and then was able to come back, I'm very happy I did that, you know, you get a lot of new experiences, you got to meet a lot of people you didn't know, and, you know, honestly, I got into a coaching profession that I really love. You know, I guess I've always wanted to coach I've been involved in athletics my whole life. And, you know, I'm happy that the basketball seasons during the winter that I can have a chance to balance them both without a doubt.

Paul Yeager: So I guess when you move back to be a farmer was coaching did that happen right away? Or did you have to, like maybe sit out a year there too.

Brandon Schwab: You know, I went from being the head girls, coach at Vinton-Shellsburg to move and back in the area. And there were just no head coaching jobs open. You know, I mean, so I jumped on as an assistant coach, with Algona High School, the public school in town, for two years. And then the Bishop Garrigan job happened to open up and, you know, I always been honest with Algona, and everything I'm, I'm looking to be a head coach. Again, if an area one opens up, that's probably where I'm going to end up and, and take my kids to, you know, and Bishop Garrigan, opened up and I applied, and, thankfully got the job. And I've been there ever since. But that's not You're not an alum of there are you? I am not, I'm not an alumni. I graduated from Corwith Wesley Lu Verne, it no longer, the school that no longer exists. So I went to Corwith - Wesley. So I'm not an alum of Garrigan, or really had any ties to Garrigan. I was just, you know, it was a job opening in the area that I could see myself doing. And it's worked out very well for me.

Paul Yeager: Oh, by the way, your old gym job would be right about there. And the other one, I guess I'm looking at Vinton, if you would think of it this way. So that's the home spot between your two. So that's always been kind of fun, we can talk about some of those old common areas and CWL was a good spot to be born and then Garrigan comes calling you get the job and you kind of get a couple of years under your belt and then all of a sudden, a once in a generation player comes along when you know, Audi Crooks is coming. What are you thinking in sixth, seventh and eighth grade? You know, I, when she's in those grades, I should say sorry, not.

Brandon Schwab: Audi, she'll tell you she's pretty raw in them fifth, sixth, seventh grade years. So, you know, she was always, you know, liked basketball, but she really never took that step in putting, I would say time in as much until, you know, she got in junior high. I mean, she wasn't one that played third, fourth, fifth sixth grade, a you travel ball all over. She didn't do that. You know, I remember sitting at a skills thing that I had got her to go to I took a bunch of elementary kids over to a skills night that had her future AAU coach at and we were doing the they were doing skills and the future AAU coaches, like I had told them, I'm bringing a project over for you that I'd like you to look at, you know, and, and I mean, she's raw right now. She needs some help. But the upside is huge. I can see the upside. And, you know, I remember after that night of skills got over, we went out to supper and he's like, gosh, I'd really like her to play a you with us this year. And so I said, Well, let's call her right now. So I called Audi on her phone and I said, Hey, I'm sitting with the AAU coach, Charles Young right now. And he said he'd like you to play this weekend. And this is a Thursday night. We'd like you to play Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Ames with him. And she's like, let me talk to my mom. I'll get back to you. Five minutes later, she calls back I'm all in and from then on. I mean, she's been all committed year round to basketball from that moment. So you know, that's, that's kind of the process on how that all started.

Paul Yeager: And Audi goes on to win the Miss Iowa basketball for 2023, state championship in her senior season. To be able to say that you two are going to be tied for a generation what does that mean to you to have the two of you mentioned so tightly?

Brandon Schwab: Yeah, you know, I mean Audi's been a special person in my life and, you know, I've made a relationship, Audi and I together that, you know, I'm going to be following her to four years of college, you know, and watching very closely and getting to get as many games as I can get to there. And after college, you know, I mean, I mean, she's, she's, she's a wonderful basketball player, she's, she's a better of a person when you get to know her outside of basketball, you know, I mean, we have talks about not even basketball you know, so I mean, being able to sit down with her and you know, sit down with Audi and just talk not just basketball is you know, relationship with them to players that I we have built together. So, I mean, we've been through the toughest the toughest years with losing at the buzzer at a state title and having to reevaluate and find yourself after that moment to get back to win back to back state championships eventually was no doubt a bittersweet day way to end both of them players careers.

Paul Yeager: I think I asked some of your players I know I asked this year and I might have asked last year I said does Coach Schwab ever take you out to the farm and make you do labor or, or team team building, as it's called, did you ever make the girls come out and do work for you?

Brandon Schwab: I never did the one summer they were looking to get there wanted to get a tan on and I said, Well, I got some rocks for you to pick up I said, and I thought I had the three of them to come out and pick some rock up. But then they found out that both the gator and the Polaris had a roof on the top and they did not like that. It wasn't open to the sun. So I guess I lost that manual labor for the day.

Paul Yeager: Well, they could have rotated one could have drove and the other one could have walked and got in some steps that way.

Brandon Schwab: I think it was partly not the I mean, it's some of it was the roof that they had on and some of it was then they found out after talking to people that picking up rock isn't the most glorious of jobs and not sure how they would react to having a multiple day of that

Paul Yeager: I'm with them. Wasn't my favorite either give you that that's that's one of those jobs I don't miss and talk about often. When you have the small town Iowa basketball player, I still think embodies what a lot of Iowa basketball players of the past used to have. And it is an ag background, some type of farm community that this basketball was that that outlet for some of these that might have been the only sport we're talking generations ago. But give me a little bit of sense of the fabric of the your teams and their connection to the land. And does that make any difference to you if they do or do not have any connection to farming?

Brandon Schwab: You know, I would say in general, we're a very rural rural community at Algona and Bishop Garrigan, is a very farmers strong community, I would say, all of our players, whether they have a direct spot on the farm, we have players that bale hay in the summer we have, we still we have players that have hog buildings attached to their families. We have families, we have players that go out and help and fall harvest and spring planting. So not everyone does. I would say everyone on our team has a connection to at least a family member that is a part of a farm. And yeah, it's a very rural driven community that that is very, you know, have a lot of farming in their lives.

Paul Yeager: And you've coached in a lot of districts where that's the case, what's that conversation? Like when you might have a parent that says, Yeah, I don't think my kid can go out or go this weekend for this tournament to she has to be home to help us do X.

Brandon Schwab: We've had that before. I mean, we've we've had that before. And it's it's definitely a balance, you know, dealing with any, I would say players in this generation, you've got to have a balance between everybody is has busy lives. Everybody has busy things. And it's it's that balance of finding out if you know, a kid has to miss an offseason workout because of you know, they're a part of something or you know, a farm or a family business or something like that. You just got to live with it, you know, and you just got to find that, that middle zone, I guess of being able to make basketball exciting and fun for them and let them know that they have a freedom to do that. i The last thing I ever want us to lose a kid because they say, Well, I've got to help on the farm a lot. Well First thing is always, how can we make this work? What what in what ways? Can we make this work for both of us to have a part because in a small school like we're in we we need all of the players, all the athletes that we can get out for basketball that to have a successful team every year.

Paul Yeager: Is there a conversion table in your coaches handbook of if you bail six racks of hay, you're off weights for two days or something?

Brandon Schwab: No, I don't think there's a conversion table. I strongly say that there's hasn't been many of them in the program bail six racks of hay, and then come to come to basketball practice. I'd say that. But yeah, I mean, we have definitely had players not make some workouts because of that. No doubt. 

Paul Yeager: All right. So just one. And frankly, not many people do squares anymore anyway, right? Not a lot. Yeah, they might sitting in the tractor all day. Yeah, I think you still have to come and lift weights tomorrow morning. That's right. Yeah, you have to make that count. What is the what do you like about a player that does have an ag? Background? I mean, you talk about the balance and understanding how you have to kind of give and take, but Do you notice anything different about someone who might be able to balance a lot of those activities different than somebody who might not have that?

Brandon Schwab: You know, I mean, being able to handle some, you know, even if it's just not, I mean, maybe it is some farming and basketball background, but you know, being involved in a lot of things, I think makes you a little more well rounded, you know, Audi was involved in almost everything Garrigan could possibly put on and, you know, it made her be able to balance her time a lot better. And, you know, manage your time, you know, it's you know, we talk all the time, when we get into postseason play and stuff about you know, you've got to manage your bodies, with your sleep, your nutrition, your, you know, who you're hanging around with things you're doing on the weekends, and you know, if your goal is to be you know, at at the end of the line at the end with a championship, but all those things that fall into place, and, you know, I would think, you know, having people involved in agriculture definitely knows, that helps them with a balance of the team and being able to bounce practice and to be male, more well rounded without a doubt.

Paul Yeager: Do you have perspective? I mean, you kind of talk about your mind might wander while you're in the in the combine cab. Do you write or rethink how you're going to do practice in the coming weeks? While you're on the tractor? And do you have like a notebook or the the app on your phone that you kind of talk into when an idea strikes?

Brandon Schwab: Yeah, I definitely have a notebook that goes around with me, at least during fall, you know, of different ideas and different things. And, you know, in the tractor, I listened to a lot of podcasts of, you know, different basketball coaches, and they, you know, some different ideas that they have, and I would say that's constantly daily bouncing off of my brain, especially in the fall in the spring, not so much. It's, it's a ways away, you know, and the spring is kind of a downtime from basketball, we kind of take a step back from the team, and we really don't pick up any team stuff until school gets out for the summer, you know, or any workout so you know, the spring consists of planting and taking my boys to their AAU basketball, I get to transition to just a dad mode in the spring and sit in the stands and watch. My two boys play AAU basketball all around and weekends consist of if I'm not in the field that I'm still in a gym, chasing them around.

Paul Yeager: Do you take the notebook out then and write things down? As opposed to be that coach that yells or that parent that yells at the coach? How are you"

Brandon Schwab: You know, I go into this a huge season and I sit in the stands enjoy watching them play without without much pressure on either one of our sides. You know, that's my time to do everything I can to get my kids game developed for their next season. And we tried to do that and focus on that.

Paul Yeager: I think it's Frank Martin. There's some comments that make that make the rounds with him where he just says, when I go to watch my kid play I'm just in the stands and I don't say a word because all those people are volunteering to raise his kid on the court. The least he can do is keep his mouth shut so you sounds like you're in that camp?

Brandon Schwab: Yep. Well, I try I try to the competitive aspect also comes out in me if if anything my son's get a little decision making a tongue lashing once in a while of their court performance. But I'd say for the most part i i sit back and just enjoy watching them play I like I like to do that and not after an intense girls game and basketball. You know when you're still adrenaline's high I like to get into the AAU season of I don't even have a girl team around me I just get to watch my boys play and that's fun.

Paul Yeager: Do you enjoy a January if you're hauling grain or something, do you maybe the night before was a loss or somebody threw a zone at you that was different, do you replay that and maybe get a little distracted at that time of year or do you have to really kind of focus on the job?

Brandon Schwab: yeah, you know, I would say that's more of a sleepless night affair and you know, I usually by the morning have kind of a direction of where I want to go the next day you know, if if that happens on the basketball court it's definitely a sleepless night for me if something stumps us or you know that I spent a lot of time watching film I spend a lot of time you know, after games sit in my basement and watching quite a bit of film and a lot of self evaluation on what I should have done differently here what I should have could have done here you know, and I make them notes and stuff to myself to make sure that hopefully that adjustments made the next time. 

Paul Yeager: you're not sitting at the line at the co-op or the ethanol plant watching Hudl are you?

Brandon Schwab: Absolutely not no, not me. We don't need to let the D O T see my phone out at all when I'm driving that semi.

Paul Yeager: Well if it's parked and you're waiting, come on. Your son Colin has been with you on the side and he's to that age right now. What do you think about what dad does? Does he does he think farming-coaching-playing, you know, I mean, it's pretty young but you also are setting an example for him too.

Brandon Schwab: Yeah, you know, both of my sons you know, Carter, he's a freshman now and he was the same way Colin was all those years not as visible just because we didn't get put on the big stage like we have been the last four years but you know, my my high school boy was the same way Colin sat on this bench all the way through. He got too cool to hang out with that on the bench anymore. You know, and that's the you know, we're where we've got Colin now you know, I mean both of my boys, it's a family or deal my wife, both of my boys me We love basketball. We like watching it we like going to games that doesn't involve anything you know, it's just something that all four of us share together. And you know, it's neat to be able to have Colin on the bench as it was for Carter when he was younger. You know, I you know, I want them around that. You know, I want him around that both of them love the game of basketball and put a lot of time in and I challenged there's few kids, you know, that have sat on as many benches as those kids throughout their lifetime. I remember Carter when he was born, he came to the Shellsburg gym before he went home. I mean, Dad had open gym when we brought him home from the hospital and mom and him stopped there before he even went to his house. So those kids have been around battles, basketballs, great wins, horrible losses. They've been they've been a part of that all of that type of locker room their whole life.

Paul Yeager: And you can you get Carter to, to do some work for you in the fall or in the spring.

Brandon Schwab: He does a lot of work for us in spring and fall. You know, this fall ever he played football and there were some Friday night games, you'd come and work round after his Friday football game. But I would say it's a for him. It's a 15 hour day on a Saturday and a 15 hour day on a Sunday of him working ground or running the grain cart. He's very much involved in the spring in and fall outside of a sports you know, so you know, sports take up in school takes up a lot of time. But outside of that he is definitely on the farm, earning his wage, there's no doubt.

Paul Yeager: I just happened to watch the Nile Kinnick documentary yesterday. And there was a line that Nile Kinnick, when he wrote back to his his family, he was prolific at writing letters, and he said the guys that have the the rural background, have no complaints about the workouts right now. They work hard. Now granted, this is the, we're talking in the 1930s and 40s when he's referencing it, but do you find that the same today the kids who put in those 15 hour days, they might not complain as much when you make them run lines?

Brandon Schwab: Well, you know, me coach and girls is maybe a little different than what you know, Coach Wadley and Coach Meister go through with the boys with their farming but, you know, I coach Wadley our football coach who just got put in the hall and Hall of Fame at Garrigan He has always said there is weight room strong and then there's farm strong and those are two different things. And they'll take a farm strong kid that that loves the weight room over just a weight room kid any day of the week.

Paul Yeager: You'll absolutely take that let's go back to Carter and Colin for just one last thing you know if you're coaching and you're looking at numbers and defenses and things have you taught them how to read maybe some some technical charts and figure out when maybe an opportunity to buy or sell is coming?

Brandon Schwab: oh boy, I wish that was if they could gain that knowledge that's if they want to do anything and come back and farm someday if they'd bring that marketing knowledge back with them that'd be great. I feel I sparked sparked the market every time I sell I just when I sell the next day it goes up so I I'm just getting that. I just feel like every time I sell I joke with my friends and say, Hey, guys, sold some corn today. Just hold on 24-48 hours, you're gonna get a bump yours. So I feel like that's been me as of late.

Paul Yeager: I don't think you're alone in that. I think a lot of people feel that way. So you're okay in that sense?

Brandon Schwab: Yeah. 

Paul Yeager: All right. I appreciate it. Congratulations on the season. It's been really fun to chat with you over the years and I hope we get to continue to talk farming and basketball won't have to stick just to farm you got those state teams coming?

Brandon Schwab: I hope so too. It's been a it's been a heck of a ride and you do whatever you can on this end to get me some marketing advice to sell a little better corn than what I've I've done as of late.

Paul Yeager: Alright, every Friday night we make a podcast right into your phone and make it really easy for you. How about that?

Brandon Schwab: Sounds like. I'll be listening.

Paul Yeager: Brandon Schwab. Appreciate the time. Thank you. 

Brandon Schwab: Yep, thank you.

Paul Yeager: My thanks to Brandon Schwab for his time today on the MToM Show podcast which comes out each and every Tuesday. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts where you can listen or watch us on Youtube. We appreciate either that you may do if you have any feedback for the show. MarkettoMarket@IowaPBS.ORG is the email to us. We'll see you next time. Thank you and bye bye.