# Episode 259: Ernie Contreras, Performance Coach and Director of Basketball, University of San Diego

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-rising-coaches-podcast-498118/episode-259-ernie-contreras-performance-coach-and-director-of-basketball-university-of-san-diego
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-rising-coaches-podcast-498118/episode-259-ernie-contreras-performance-coach-and-director-of-basketball-university-of-san-diego.md
Podcast: [The Rising Coaches Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-rising-coaches-podcast-498118)
Published: 2026-04-27T08:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://the-rising-coaches-podcast.captivate.fm/episode/episode-259-ernie-contreras-performance-coach-and-director-of-basketball-university-of-san-diego
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/146f3dce-e614-4ba9-ad62-476ecb8888c2.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-rising-coaches-podcast-498118/episodes/episode-259-ernie-contreras-performance-coach-and-director-of-basketball-university-of-san-diego
Duration seconds: 2353

## Resource

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.

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## Transcript

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