The Basketball Feelings Podcast, Episode 36: Caitlin Cooper

Not to quote a cheesy pop song, but you can buy yourself flowers.

Right off the bat I have to say that the reasons for not having Caitlin Cooper on earlier wasn’t by our lack of trying, but by life doing what it does best and intervening. The incredible thing about Caitlin — there’s way more than one but stick with me — is that even if you have no interest in the Indiana Pacers, whom she’s covered meticulously for 10 years, you’ve probably read her writing. She is that far reaching even in how singular she is.

We talked about how she came to basketball, personally and professionally, the benefits of taking a circuitous route to things, and managing the pressure of delivering work directly to readers and listeners when it’s your own entire thing, like she has with her new Patreon, Basketball, She Wrote.

We also talked about doubt, knowing when you’re ready, how she keeps her perspective on one team so fresh and from falling into predictable patterns, explaining “special simple”, how she approaches deeply analytical writing knowing the audience isn’t always at the same level, and her process for writing — start to finish.

Plus: Picking a team to cover if she was thrust suddenly into a bizarro world, unjustifiable favs, and playoff predictions that are purely gut-based (a “fun” challenge for a honed and technical basketball brain like Caitlin’s).