Interview with Founder + President of College Chalktalk, Chris DiSano

I recently had the chance to speak with Chris DiSano, founder and President of College Chalktalk (CCT) -- a comprehensive site dedicated to inside the lines coverage of men's college basketball with an emphasis on the Atlantic 10 Conference. Sponsored by the Atlantic 10 and possessing relationships with schools and coaching staffs from more than 20 leagues across the nation, CCT has earned respect throughout the coaching community and is committed to analysis which is credible and accurate.

A native Rhode Islander, DiSano is a graduate of James Madison University (B.A.) and Syracuse University College of Law (J.D.). He is a member of the United States Basketball Writers Association and one of a distinct group of media and coaches carrying votes for Atlantic 10 individual/team accolades. As President of College Chalktalk, LLC, DiSano is responsible for oversight of all business development, content development and operations management. He resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife.

I talked with Chris about his passion for the game, the early beginnings and vision for his site - College Chalktalk - and how he uses social media to build credibility and community.

PRC: What spawned your love for college hoops? Were you a player or a coach?

Chris DiSano: I first realized my love for college hoops growing up in Rhode Island during the 1987-88 season. I was 12 years old and watched the Rhode Island Rams, led by Tom Garrick and Carlton "Silk" Owens upset Syracuse to reach the Sweet Sixteen. From that point I was hooked. I went on to play high school ball in Rhode Island, but my 5-foot-10, 145lb (at the time... I haven't sniffed that weight in nearly two decades) frame wasn't going to net me a D-1 scholarship. I ended up at James Madison, worked for Lefty Driesell for a year or so... and then went on to law school. But the passion never subsided.

PRC: Talk to us about your website, College Chalktalk? When did you decide to become active on the web? What drove that decision?

DiSano: I was confident in my knowledge of the game... and because of that passion and the enjoyment I get from analyzing, talking and writing about college hoop, I had always thought about creating a website. Unfortunately, I didn't have the technical background. But when user friendly blogs became widespread, I was able to parlay my love for the game with barely passable computer skills to get a Blogger blog off the ground. At the time,I wrote some test articles and contacted then Associate Commissioner of the A-10, Duane Bailey, about my idea to create a site specializing in coverage of the A-10. Duane believed in the concept and told me I just needed a better looking blog. I contracted with a web designer friend of a friend who was able to give the site the slight upgrade we needed to earn the support of the A-10. College Chalktalk formally launched on January 15, 2008, in a blog format.

PRC: Your National Coaches' Diary Series is a must-see for college hoops fans. How in the world did you get 50 coaches from over 20 conferences to participate? How do you manage this process?

DiSano: Its taken some time, but the site built credibility through solid, informed coverage of the A-10. We became credentialed and really stuck to quality control. From there, it's just like anything else...relationships, relationships, relationships. I've been fortunate to form some great ones and, coupled with hard work and late nights, the concept of the Diary Series became reality.

As far as management of the process, its not easy but one word comes to mind. BlackBerry. Without it, it would be nearly impossible.

PRC: You have a lot of ties and knowledge about the Atlantic-10. Who are your all-time favorite coaches in this conference? Who did you predict to take the A-10 crown this year?

DiSano: Well, anyone who loves the game of basketball has to respect John Chaney (Temple). While Chaney may have taken heat for some incidents that occurred later in his career, his knowledge of the game and the genuine way he cared about his players was unmatched and something I will always admire. I am also a big Phil Martelli fan. Very accommodating... and an even better quote.

The A-10 as we've seen early on is wide open this year. Dayton was the heavy preseason favorite but has struggled defensively early on, which they can't afford to do because they are just not prolific enough on the offensive end. Defense, pressure, turnovers and transition are their calling card. I still believe Dayton will regroup, but Richmond is an excellent team that can play at a level offensively - when Justin Harper is on - that no other team in the conference can match. With their two guards, Kevin Anderson and David Gonzalvez, they may very well emerge as regular season champs if they can simply rebound the basketball.

PRC: How do you go about marketing the website? How do you integrate or plan to integrate social media in your site's marketing efforts?

DiSano: Much of the marketing thus far has been based upon relationships cultivated with respected folks in the business. For instance, we have an advertisement in this month's edition of Basketball Times, a very well respected publication in the gameI am a big believer on establishing credibility first. In my opinion, that foundation is necessary prior to launching any mass marketing effort, otherwise a short-term spike will be just that... a short term spike. If the credibility is there and you can ramp up marketing efforts after establishing the foundation, you see sustained gains. That's the phase we're entering now.

If truth be told, integrating social media is very important, but is an area that we're just beginning to scratch the surface on currently. We'll be redesigning our Facebook page. And in connection with the launch of the new web site one month ago (which replaced the blog) and our expanded national coverage... we've relaunched our Twitter page. We've still got to continue educating ourselves about the multitude of other creative ways to use social media, and that's where you come in Peter!

PRC: What's your vision for College Chalktalk? Is there an end goal? If you had $1M to spend on the site, what advancements would you make?

DiSano: My vision for College Chalktalk is to continue, day-by-day, building a site with a strong reputation for credible college basketball coverage. I certainly think about the future, but I'm not sure I want to focus too much on an end-goal, for fear of limiting flexibility along the way. If we continue to grow at our current pace, things will work out down the road.

As far as the million dollar hypothetical, I can't even hazard a guess... but I can tell you that I'd hire somebody to take care of all the back-end work that keeps me up late at night!

PRC: You and me, both! Thanks for taking the time to share information about College Chalktalk, and the National Coaches' Diary Series.

DiSano: Thank you for the opportunity! I really appreciate it.