Don, Hahn & Rosenberg – Hour 2: Rod Strickland & The List

Date: March 11, 2026
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Special Guests: Rod Strickland, Alan Houston

Episode Overview

Hour 2 of “Don, Hahn & Rosenberg” brings a deep dive into March basketball, New York sports, and the triumphant story of LIU’s basketball program under coach Rod Strickland. The hosts are joined in studio by Strickland for a revealing, celebratory conversation about his journey as a head coach, program-building at a mid-major, and the emotional rewards of leading young athletes to the NCAA Tournament. The episode also features a surprise call-in from Knicks legend Alan Houston, and closes with the show’s signature musical segment—a passionate “Top 5 Father-Son Songs” list, replete with heartfelt lyric readings and host banter.

Key Episode Segments & Insights

1. New York Sports Update & Tournament Buildup

[00:34 – 03:57]

• Knicks road trip and the anticipation for college basketball’s March Madness.
• Celebrating LIU and Hofstra both clinching NCAA bids; local pride in New York basketball.
• Fun banter about the current energy on Long Island: Islanders comeback win, local college teams making “the dance,” and a packed Newsday sports page.

2. Rod Strickland’s Coaching Journey & LIU’s Turnaround

[07:03 – 25:59]

• [07:29] Don La Greca: “Four years ago...you won three games. Four years later, you win 24. It’s the most in 15 years. You’ve got the tournament bid, NAC championship, your coach of the year...Where do you rank this season?”
• [08:13] Rod Strickland (on taking the LIU job):
  “It was a leap of faith... I don’t think most people when I left the NBA would have thought I’d be a coach... But I believed in myself, and I thought I can improve an environment just putting the right people around me. And I think we did that... It’s been a journey. It’s been fulfilling. ...That’s what we do as New Yorkers...we figure it out.”
• Building a winning program: Emphasizes culture-building, assembling a strong staff, and growing from a 3-win season to 24 wins and a tournament berth.
• Discusses the difference between being an assistant in power conferences and a head coach at a mid-major.
• Strickland’s adaptability and humility as a leader—meeting players where they are, relating to their unique experiences, and balancing “tough love” with personal growth.
• How his own playing and personal history informs his ability to connect with and coach young people.
• [14:31] Allen on mid-major transfers: “They went to a top tier D1 school, didn’t play, got completely dejected, and now they’re at a lower tier school where you got to go find that original kid from high school.”
• [18:50] Rod Strickland (on “Why LIU?”): “Never [thought ‘what am I doing here’]...I try to stay in this middle ground because I don't...carry myself above it. ...Applause can be fate. You up here one day, next minute you down here. So I can't let anything else tell me who I am.”
• Program impact: Now LIU is on the map, better for recruiting, and can “do something special in New York City.”

3. Alan Houston Surprise Call-In

[19:37 – 21:23]

• Alan Houston calls in to congratulate Rod Strickland, sharing personal anecdotes on Strickland’s impact as a coach and mentor.
• [20:01] Alan Houston: “First of all, congrats. ...All of us who knew Rod before he became a coach, when he was playing and then he was coaching...that's just who Rod is. ...It doesn't surprise me that y’all are here.”
• [20:34] Rod Strickland: “It feels great...We’ve been the number one target all year. We were supposed to win. That’s hard to do...it’s been an incredible growth moment for me.”

4. Cinderella Run & NCAA Tournament Fears and Hopes

[22:19 – 26:17]

• Discussing the importance of clinching a tournament spot in a conference with probationary teams, and the different mental pressures of regular season versus conference tournament.
• Anticipating first-round matchups against “blue bloods” and how to prepare players for facing powerhouse programs.
• [23:56] Allen: “Some of these kids ain’t ever seen talent like this on a night in, night out basis. This is truly the big league.”
• Strickland details how to prepare (“defend, rebound, 50-50 balls, be the toughest team”).
• Hosts explore the emotional magnitude if LIU were to pull a first-round upset.
• Insight into a coach’s real nerves and game-day routines: Strickland confesses, “I threw up before every game when I played in the NBA until I was a non-starter in my last five years” ([26:17]).

5. Generational Changes & NBA Anecdotes

[27:07 – 32:37]

• Discussion of Bam Adebayo’s historic scoring night and comparing it with classics like Kobe’s 81-point game versus current NBA “foul fests.”
  • [05:59] Rosenberg: “Even though it’s second most points ever scored, maybe it doesn’t make your top five for that reason.”
• Revisiting Rod’s own highest career scoring game—reflecting on how his style would fit today’s NBA:
  “That court spread...I might have 50 and 20 assists. ...The guard...the usage...ball in your hands.”

6. The List: Top 5 Father-Son Songs

[34:38 – 46:58]

• [34:45] Segment intro: Rosenberg explains his list this week is “father-son songs,” prompting an emotional, funny, and music-geeky discussion.
• Reading and dissecting the lyrics to songs that stand out for their emotional heft, especially in context of parenthood.
• Ranked Songs:
  1. “Cat’s in the Cradle” – Harry Chapin (the ultimate father-son song, universally relatable, brings hosts near tears)
  2. “Father and Son” – Cat Stevens (“His voice is particular...You have to hear the whole song.”)
  3. “Leader of the Band” – Dan Fogelberg (“If you pay attention to the words, by the end of the song, you’re done. Kleenex.”)
  4. “Beautiful Boy” – John Lennon (“It was in Mr. Holland’s Opus.”)
  5. “Watching Scotty Grow” – Bobby Goldsboro (“Complete corn pone, but I get how it works. It hits for you.”)
• Bonus mentions: Elton John’s “Levon”, Paul Simon’s “St. Judy’s Comet”, Everclear’s “Father of Mine”, George Michael’s “Father Figure,” and Luther Vandross’ “Dance with My Father.”
• Direct lyric readings, personal associations, and laughter/near tears from the hosts.
• [39:38] Don: “I hung up the phone and it occurred to me, he’d grown up just like me. My boy’s just like me. ...I can’t say it. You can't do it.”
• [53:09] Don: “No Luther Vandross? ...Try to get through [‘Dance with My Father’]. After I lost my dad, that song...yeah. Holy crap.”

7. Cultural/Pop Culture Tangent: Movie Reflections

[47:58 – 53:06]

• Allen shares emotional takeaways from movies (“Beautiful Boy,” “American Beauty,” “Sixth Sense”) and how films help process family relationships and personal growth.
• Hosts riff on memorable movie twist endings (Sixth Sense), and the role media plays in emotional introspection.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Rod Strickland on coaching at LIU (08:13):
  “This was like another challenge... I believed in myself, and I thought I could improve an environment with just putting the right people around me.”
• Strickland on humility and motivation (18:52):
  “If I walk in a room of men and women, I'm amongst the men and women. I don't see myself above that. Applause, you know, that can be fate.”
• Alan Houston’s heartfelt congrats (20:01):
  “First of all, congrats... that’s just who Rod is. ...We saw it and it doesn’t surprise me that y’all are here.”
• Strickland on tournament dreams (25:39):
  “If you were to somehow ever win a game like that, it might be the greatest accomplishment and feeling of your entire lifetime coming to you at nearly 60 years old. ...When you walk in there, you're thinking about doing that.”
• Host music banter [38:59]:
  Don: “Now he doesn’t have time for him. Now he doesn’t have time for me. The thing that we never got—time.”
  Rosenberg: “If you have a problem with Cats in the Cradle number one, you’re not human, you’re a bot.”
• On the power of music & fatherhood [44:14]: Allen:
  “This conversation makes me think, because Natalie and I go back and forth about if we want...another child...and it makes me think I probably need to feel what it's like to have a son.”

Segment Timestamps

• [00:34] Knicks, college hoops, Hofstra/LIU story
• [07:29] Rod Strickland interview begins
• [19:37] Alan Houston call-in
• [22:19] Clinching tournament, pressure talk
• [23:56] NCAA matchups, preparing players
• [26:17] Strickland’s playoff nerves anecdote
• [27:39] NBA scoring: Comparing eras, Bam Adebayo
• [34:45] The List: Father-Son Songs
• [39:38] Emotional climax of song lyric reading
• [47:58] Movie emotions & pop-culture tangent

Tone, Energy, and Style

This episode is evocative and celebratory, blending New York basketball pride, deep sports insight, nostalgia, and real emotional depth. The hosts tease each other and their guests with warmth and irreverence but aren’t afraid to get serious when talking about fatherhood, legacy, and the emotional impact of music and film. The Strickland interview glows with gratitude and humility; the musical segment is a showcase of the show’s offbeat, heartfelt, and culture-savvy sensibility.

For New Listeners

If you haven’t caught this episode, here’s what you’ll experience:

• A masterclass in program-building at a mid-major, by one of New York’s basketball legends
• Candid, humble reflections on personal and professional transitions
• Emotional, often funny discussions on sports, music, and movies that shape lives
• The kind of “only-in-New York” sports radio camaraderie and depth you won’t find anywhere else

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