The owner told Siegel about the growing platform and how aspiring writers publish their ideas about the collegiate landscape.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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It was an ironic set of circumstances for Siegel, who had no intentions of ever getting involved with sports media. In fact, he would always tell everyone that when he became a coach one day, he would hold terse and blunt press conferences, just like San Antonio Spurs legendary coach Gregg Popovich.<\/p>\n
But the idea of writing and talking about basketball came easily to Siegel since it was second nature to him. He envisioned this as a great way to begin covering the team he was hoping to join: the Louisville Men\u2019s Basketball team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Siegel\u2019s vast knowledge of the NBA Draft, personal player evaluations, statistics, and player scouting reports became essential to the website through the years.<\/p>\n
The Legends of Louisville<\/p>\n
It was hard to establish immediate connections with the basketball team as a new freshman at Louisville, so Siegel took his first year to learn the landscape of Cardinals\u2019 athletics, with his dreams of joining the basketball team at the back of his mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cI wasn\u2019t with the basketball team at all my freshman year. I was just a regular freshman, hanging out and going to the games to watch Donovan Mitchell, and then, during football season, watching Lamar Jackson win the Heisman Trophy. That was freshman year for me \u2013 watching the rise of Louisville Athletics.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Brett](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/12c1ee3f23bebaf3ac1c797cae92a2c1.jpeg\"\/)
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Brett Siegel with Donovan Mitchell<\/p>\n
Through his connections and friendships in his fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, Siegel arrived back in Louisville after summer break and became one of the few \u201coutsiders\u201d to move into the same building as the Louisville Men\u2019s Basketball Team and their staff in the fall of \u201817.<\/p>\n
Getting to know and live with the team personnel brought him one step closer to his dream of becoming a student manager, but when the FBI probe hit the Louisville program, it once again complicated Siegel\u2019s path to joining the program.<\/p>\n
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Another Path in Media\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite the FBI investigation creating all kinds of uncertainty surrounding the Louisville Basketball program, Siegel knew an internship was his next step to getting in with the team. But in his search for what to do while his basketball dreams were shelved for the moment, what followed couldn\u2019t have gone any better for Brett.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, you\u2019re always looking for internships during your undergrad years, and you\u2019re trying to get fieldwork just for your major,\u201d he said. \u201cSince I couldn\u2019t get on with the basketball team, I was trying to figure out what other avenues presented themselves.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the very first time we visited Louisville, I remembered seeing the ESPN affiliate radio station on campus. We had this little strip on the main road through campus that we called \u2018Card Town,\u2019 and it had restaurants and some other businesses, and the radio station was there. I remember my parents pointing it out, \u2018Oh, look, ESPN radio, maybe that\u2019d be a fun gig one time.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That \u201cmaybe\u201d turned into a \u201cyes\u201d in October of 2017 when Siegel would reap the fruits of his labor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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An Unforgettable Memory<\/p>\n
\u201cI figured, why not kind of dip in there?\u201d said Siegel on the ESPN radio station. \u201cI had a background writing about basketball, and it\u2019d be great to learn about the radio avenue in sports. Maybe that\u2019s a future gig for me. Maybe that\u2019s something I look to get involved in with radio and talk shows, and so I joined them. <\/p>\n
There were two people that helped Siegel the most at ESPN Louisville. One was Bob Valvano, who was one of the station\u2019s main radio hosts and the brother of Jim Valvano<\/a>, who coached at NC State and is remembered by ESPN through the V Foundation from his fight with cancer.<\/p>\n Each day there featured a new experience, and Brett\u2019s passion for sports was exacerbated with every conversation, whether informative or casual.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brett Siegel with legendary sports commentator Dick Vitale<\/p>\n Bob\u2019s son, Nick Valvano, was the producer for Bob\u2019s show, which Siegel interned for. He helped them out a lot, learned the ropes there, picking their brains for useful information along the way. He built more relationships, especially with Louisville Athletics, there and made connections with an array of people on the phone.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll never forget being able to call Dick Vitale <\/a>that one time, even though it was for a minute or two, to just hook him up on the show with Bobby V,\u201d said Siegel. \u201cBut to just give him the call and say, \u2018Hey, how\u2019s it going? Like, you\u2019re awesome, can\u2019t wait to meet you one day,\u2019 I\u2019ll never forget that. I owe Bob and Nick everything for really opening up this new path in sports media for me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The Louisville Basketball Journey Begins.<\/p>\n Brett Siegel\u2019s work ethic was rewarded with eight unforgettable months at ESPN Louisville. The 212-day affair was the quickest 6,528 hours a human being could ever experience.<\/p>\n After combining his NBA Draft coverage at College Pride Press with the experience at the ESPN radio station, it was clear that Siegel had hit a new level. His basketball expertise was undeniable, impressing anyone who read his articles or listened to his takes at the station.\u00a0<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n He kept his eyes on the bigger picture and took the time to meet the current basketball managers in his building, establishing organic relationships for the immediate future. <\/p>\n By this point, the dark cloud of the federal investigation hung over the university in the aftermath of Pitino\u2019s departure, preventing Siegel from joining the program during his sophomore year.<\/p>\n Half of his time in college had gone by, and his dreams of becoming a manager to embark on a journey in coaching were fading. But it was then that the dust settled, and Chris Mack<\/a> was named the Cardinals\u2019 new head coach in 2018.\u00a0<\/p>\n At that moment, the door opened for new faces on the staff, including Siegel.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Creating \u2018Moneyball\u2019 in Basketball<\/p>\n Throughout the entire fiasco, Brett Siegel remained focused, meeting staff member after staff member. Living in the same building allowed him to make his presence felt, and his basketball acumen was prevalent in every interaction.\u00a0<\/p>\n As he grew closer to the staff, so did his confidence, leading him to showcase his abilities from College Pride Press. His resume was established as their newly minted draft expert, and his time with the Valvanos.<\/p>\n Junior year arrived, and the Cardinals were ready to get back to business. After years of waiting and building his repertoire, the new staff members were so impressed with Brett\u2019s work ethic that they decided to add him as a student manager before the 2018-19 season.\u00a0<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Aside from doing the small things, like taking care of equipment and setting up practices, Siegel began using his passion for data analytics to aid in player development. He started creating advanced statistical spreadsheets for the team based on efficiencies, both good and bad. He shined during meetings with the coaching staff and the team, offering a new modern-day perspective on the game with data analytics.\u00a0<\/p>\n A Numbers Game<\/p>\n \u201cI not only wanted to make the most of my experience as a manager to continue on this path to coaching, but more importantly, I wanted to win,\u201d said Siegel. \u201cI didn\u2019t care if I stayed up the entire night working on these analytical spreadsheets because winning and making sure the team was as good as they could be is all that mattered.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBasically, I always tell people what I was doing was essentially \u201cMoneyball\u201d but for basketball. It was all about efficiency and maximizing our team\u2019s skill while focusing on what made our opponents weak.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n His data sheets also outlined the strengths and weaknesses of every player and provided routes of improvement. When his senior year arrived, Siegel took things a step further and began dissecting each of Louisville\u2019s upcoming opponents, directly aiding each assistant coach with scouting their rivals.<\/p>\n Brett\u2019s impact contributed to a 20-14 record during the 2018-19 season, but the improvements would truly take effect the next year. By the end of the 2019-20 season, Coach Mack led the Cardinals to a 24-7 record, including wins over the No. 3-ranked Duke Blue Devils, UNC Tar Heels, and Michigan Wolverines, while Louisville was the No. 1 team in the AP poll.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone always asked why I would bury myself in the numbers and these charts I was making 24\/7 instead of being a normal college kid, but like I said, winning was all that mattered. We were winning games, we were the best in the country, and all of us in that building had a role to play in order to reach our ultimate goal of making it to the Final Four.\u201d<\/p>\n The Consequences of the Coronavirus<\/p>\n With their championship hopes riding high and the team preparing for postseason play, Louisville was viewed as one of the best teams in the entire country. Their hopes of making the Final Four were real.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, thrill and agony come hand in hand. While Siegel was living the dream, helping the Cardinals\u2019 coaching staff reach the top of the ACC and prepare for the NCAA Tournament, the Coronavirus was ravaging the world.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n To Brett\u2019s surprise, and the rest of the world\u2019s, schools began shutting down as word of the virus spread from country to country. The respiratory virus had taken hold in China, and it was coming to the U.S, putting the 2020 NCAA Tournament in serious jeopardy.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe were at UNC Greensboro, and were practicing there, getting ready for the ACC tournament. That\u2019s when we started picking up on this whole COVID thing, with people saying there\u2019s some kind of virus going around,\u201d Siegel said. \u201cPeople are wearing masks, certain sporting events are not having fan attendance, etc, and when we were practicing, that\u2019s when we got the notification that the NCAA Tournament would be played with no fans. Shortly after, everything was cancelled.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Global Silence<\/p>\n In 2020, every student was sent home and robbed of traditional graduations, including the Cardinals, who were not focused on school as much as their championship aspirations.<\/p>\n A basketball game would be the last thing on their minds as multiple countries began closing their borders. On March 12, 2020, the NCAA made history by cancelling the tournament for the first time since its creation in 1939.\u00a0<\/p>\n Siegel inside the Cardinals\u2019 locker room<\/p>\n Instead of spending his last March chasing the elusive NCAA Championship, Brett\u2019s dreams suddenly came crashing down, along with the rest of his classmates\u2019, and he was left wondering what this meant for his coaching career.<\/p>\n He was forced to move on from Louisville and the basketball program with no real closure. <\/p>\n Siegel graduated with a degree in Sports Administration, and just like that, everything was over.\u00a0<\/p>\n Leaving the Nest\u00a0<\/p>\n It was time to figure out what the next steps of his life would be about, especially since the college basketball and coaching world was shut down. The planet as a whole was in a dark place in 2020, but sitting in silence wasn\u2019t something Brett was accustomed to. <\/p>\n Becoming complacent wasn\u2019t an option, even in the face of a deadly disease.\u00a0He still wanted to coach, and it felt like a real possibility with his connections from the university. <\/p>\n The burning desire to continue his coaching career inspired Siegel to pursue a role as a Graduate Assistant with multiple top-tier programs around the nation, but no one was hiring new staff members because of the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic.<\/p>\n Brett still wanted\u00a0 a career revolving around basketball, especially since he had given years of his life to the sport. With limited options open at the time, Siegel decided to get involved with the media side of things again.\u00a0<\/p>\n The pandemic ushered in a new digital age as people adjusted to a life in solitude. Quarantining forced everyone to connect virtually, and Siegel took full advantage of the paradigm shift by once again becoming a writer.<\/p>\n Solidifying the Future\u00a0<\/p>\n Siegel never envisioned himself working in sports media. He did not go to school to be a journalist, nor did he really ever like to read or write. But writing about basketball immediately clicked with Brett, prompting him to pursue new opportunities.<\/p>\n The sports industry is a cold tundra for those who aren\u2019t prepared for it, but Siegel\u2019s resume was insurmountable after fortifying it in college with the Cardinals.<\/p>\n His expertise on Louisville basketball helped him secure a writing job at FanSided<\/a>, covering his alma mater for Big Red Louie<\/a>, and his expertise made him an ideal writer for an opening on FanSided\u2019s Golden State Warriors<\/a> website, Blue Man Hoop<\/a>.<\/p>\n Writing for two sites naturally brought more exposure, and in October of 2021, he received an offer from the NBA Analysis Network<\/a>. Although his heart lay on the sideline with basketball coaches, his natural talent for news reporting immediately took form. He was now hellbent on becoming an NBA insider<\/p>\n Building Bridges<\/p>\n Brett Siegel started forming relationships with some of the top basketball agents. Coincidentally, he worked with some of the players in college, learning about their respective journeys in the game they all love.\u00a0<\/p>\n He was able to pick their brains and form genuine friendships with those who had been involved with the NBA for decades. Siegel began combining his media expertise with his on-court experience working for one of the top collegiate programs in the country to immediately establish a strong voice in the sports industry.<\/p>\n While covering the league for the rising media platform, Brett appeared on national radio stations like CBS Sports<\/a> and ESPN affiliates, as well as numerous podcasts, to discuss the NBA\u2019s biggest storylines. Soon after, he began gathering more intel and building more relationships, which led to exclusive stories and insights into the league\u2019s inner workings.<\/p>\n Fastbreak On FanNation<\/p>\n Siegel\u2019s new connections made him a reputable source for information, leading to another opportunity with Fastbreak on FanNation<\/a>, an affiliate of Sports Illustrated<\/a>, in April of 2022.<\/p>\n He strapped himself to a rocket ship after launching the Fast Break Podcast<\/a> on October 13, 2022. Every show, he would provide new, inside information about the NBA, bringing on other well-known NBA reporters and journalists, and turning the podcast into an overnight success.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brett was ahead of the curve and rising up the ranks in such a short amount of time for someone who never intended to be a reporter. As 2022 came to an end and 2023 began, his inside information and intel stories, specifically on the NBA Draft, stamped his credibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fans around the basketball community kept tuning in for his latest scoops, leading to the perfect role to build his name on the world stage with at ClutchPoints<\/a>.<\/p>\n Breaking NBA News at ClutchPoints<\/p>\n On April 28, 2023, Brett Siegel announced that his 27th episode of the Fastbreak podcast would be his last, as he prepared for a new chapter.\u00a0<\/p>\n The potential of ClutchPoints intrigued Siegel, as it did many other young journalists on the rise. Founder Nish Patel<\/a> established the media company in 2015, and the brand was an instant hit. It became known for its NBA coverage, with Tomer Azarly<\/a> and other reputable beat reporters joining the website.<\/p>\n Brett Siegel at the NBA Cup<\/p>\n As the lead NBA insider for a big platform like ClutchPoints, Siegel\u2019s success skyrocketed. He continued to build relationships with prominent agents, players, team personnel, scouts, and front-office personnel for all 30 teams. <\/p>\n Even the league itself took notice of Siegel\u2019s craft, leading to his first opportunities to cover events such as the NBA Summer League, the NBA Cup, and the NBA Finals.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI was always that kid who would get the notifications about deals and trades, and I would be the messenger to share all of that with my friends\u201d said Siegel. \u201cI\u2019ve always been a fan wanting to know all the little details about how and why things happened in the NBA. Now I get to wake up every day and still be that fan by getting the information, but I get to find out as it\u2019s happening and share it with the next generation of fans.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI always wanted to know about the why and the how, and now I\u2019m the one telling the story instead of waiting for it. That is the most humbling and rewarding aspect of all of this for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Brett Siegel Made It<\/p>\n After many successful draft cycles and NBA trade deadline stories, Siegel has now become a reliable source for news around the NBA, something that\u2019s extremely difficult to be in 2026.<\/p>\n He\u2019s already accomplished a lot at a young age, but he recognizes this is still the start of his journey.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you told me even a few years ago that I would be a reporter or writing every day of my life, I would have called you crazy, but it\u2019s funny how certain things happen in life.<\/p>\n \u201cThat mental strength and competitiveness I always had growing up, and still have even stronger now, keeps me itching for the next day, week, month, and so on in this business. I\u2019ve always been a fan of basketball and always wanted to be able to teach others about the basketball world.\u201d<\/p>\n Siegel ended the interview expressing gratitude for the industry and his biggest inspiration to continue in this cutthroat industry.<\/p>\n \u201cWords can\u2019t describe the feeling I get from being able to be the one to break stories and share the story of the NBA with the world. And I also know I wouldn\u2019t have the chance to even be in this type of position without Woj, Shams, and so many others setting the foundation for the NBA insider role.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019m not trying to be like them. I want to keep being the first Brett Siegel, using my coaching and analytical backgrounds to forge my own path for many years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n The post Brett Siegel Turned Coaching Dreams Into an NBA Insider Career<\/a> appeared first on The Lead<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Becoming a professional insider is one of the hardest things to do in sports. 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