Ben Kaplan is the co-author of Pipeline to the Pros: How D3, Small-College Nobodies Rose to Rule the NBA. For the first time in league history, NBA coaches and general managers are just as likely to have played Division III basketball as they are to have played in the NBA. While the number of former D3 players working in the NBA is higher than ever, small college alums have served in leadership positions since the league’s founding. Their improbable and inspiring journeys tell a bigger story – the history of small college athletics, the evolution of coaching and management in the NBA, and the hiring practices in the most competitive fields.

Kaplan is an analytics executive in the sports and entertainment business. He graduated from Amherst College, where he gained an intimate understanding of Division III athletics as both a member of the varsity basketball team and a student assistant in the sports information department. Ben’s writing has appeared in D3Hoops dot com, the authority on Division III men's and women's basketball.

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Grab a notebook and jot down some knowledge as you listen to this episode with Ben Kaplan, co-author of Pipeline to the Pros: How D3, Small-College Nobodies Rose to Rule the NBA.

Website - https://www.amazon.com/Pipeline-Pros-Ben-Kaplan/dp/1637274335

Email - [email protected]

Twitter - @bkaplan4

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