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USA Handball Talk (Episode 41): Handball Great, Magnus Wislander

(John Ryan on defense against Magnus Wislander at the 1993 World Championships)

Magnus Wislander played 384 international matches for Sweden and is considered one of the all time great handball players. Two of those 384 matches were against the U.S. at the 1993 World Championships and the 1996 Olympics. He was in Oslo at the 2025 World Championship for Swedish Radio and by chance, we were both asking ourselves the same question: How would the U.S. national team of the 1990s fare against the current U.S. National Team? This short 3:30 minute discussion addresses that question and how the game has changed in the past 30 years.

Commentaries from 2023 comparing the 1993 and 2023 USA National Teams

  • Two Handball World Championships in Sweden Separated by 30 years (Part 1): Nostalgia and and a Little Bit of Deja Vu: Link
  • Two Handball Championships in Sweden Separated by 30 Years (Part 2): From 0% to 83% Dual Citizens- Does that Matter?: Link

Watch on YouTube or listen/download the mp3 file at the top of the page.

If you have any suggestions for future topics that you would like us to consider please let us know on social media.


Don’t miss an episode:

  • Subscribe on YouTube: Link (Earliest Availability)
  • Subscribe to the  podcast in iTunes: Link
  • Follow the  Team Handball Handball News podcast on Spotify: Link
  • Or use this RSS Feed to sign up for the podcast in your favorite podcast aggregator: Link

And, be sure to check out the podcast archive with interviews and great  handball discussion going all the way back to 2006: Link

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USA Handball Talk (Episode 40): USA Men’s National Team Back Court, Alex Chan

Alex Chan joined the U.S. National Team in 2021 and has been a key contributor ever since. I sat down with Alex during the U.S. rest day after their first match vs Portugal at the 2025 World Championships.

Some of the topics we discussed include his handball career, his time playing for club Cisne and being one of the leading scorers in the Spanish Liga Asobal and playing for his current club, Burgos.

Watch on YouTube or listen/download the mp3 file at the top of the page.

If you have any suggestions for future topics that you would like us to consider please let us know on social media.


Don’t miss an episode:

  • Subscribe on YouTube: Link (Earliest Availability)
  • Subscribe to the  podcast in iTunes: Link
  • Follow the  Team Handball Handball News podcast on Spotify: Link
  • Or use this RSS Feed to sign up for the podcast in your favorite podcast aggregator: Link

And, be sure to check out the podcast archive with interviews and great  handball discussion going all the way back to 2006: Link

USA Handball Talk (Episode 39): USA Team Handball Board of Directors Candidate, Harald Wuesthof

Harald Wuesthof is one of the candidates for an upcoming election for one of the General Membership Director seats on the USA Team Handball Board of Directors. Listen or download the mp3 file at the top of the page or watch on YouTube below.

USA Handball Talk (Episode 38): USA Team Handball Board of Directors Candidate, Viva Kreis

Viva Kreis is one of the candidates for an upcoming election for one of the General Membership Director seats on the USA Team Handball Board of Directors. Listen or download the mp3 file at the top of the page or watch on YouTube below.

USA Handball Talk (Episode 37): USA Team Handball Board of Directors Candidate, Kurt Shaffer

Kurt Shaffer is one of the candidates for an upcoming election for one of the General Membership Director seats on the USA Team Handball Board of Directors. Listen or download the mp3 file at the top of the page or watch on YouTube below.

USA Handball Talk (Episode 36): USA Team Handball Board of Directors Candidate, Richard Hesketh

Richard Hesketh is one of the candidates for an upcoming election for one of the General Membership Director seats on the USA Team Handball Board of Directors. Listen or download the mp3 file at the top of the page or watch on YouTube below.

USA Handball Talk (Episode 35): USA Team Handball Board of Directors Candidate, Aaron Hamm

Aaron Hamm is one of the candidates for an upcoming election for one of the General Membership Director seats on the USA Team Handball Board of Directors. Listen or download the mp3 file at the top of the page or watch on YouTube below.

USA Handball Talk (Episode 34): USA Team Handball Board of Directors Candidate, Thomas Rosenberger

Thomas Rosenberger is one of the candidates for an upcoming election for one of the General Membership Director seats on the USA Team Handball Board of Directors. Listen or download the mp3 file at the top of the page or watch on YouTube below.

USA Handball Talk (Episode 33): USA Team Handball Board of Directors Candidate, Chris Brase

Chris Brase is one of the candidates for an upcoming election for one of the General Membership Director seats on the USA Team Handball Board of Directors. Listen or download the mp3 file at the top of the page or watch on YouTube below.

USA Handball Talk (Episode 32): NYC Team Handball Right Back, Togba Aboubacar and his Remarkable Journey from Guinea to the U.S.

This past weekend the New York City Team Handball Club beat the hosts, Denver Wolves in a shoot out to take the Samala Cup title. Their stand out performer was the tournament MVP, 21 year old, right back, Togba Aboubacar. After the tournament I sat down with Togba to discuss his handball journey and his remarkable life journey from Guinea to the U.S.

Here’s a summary with links to some of the items we discussed:

  • His handball beginnings in Guinea and playing for the U18 National Team there
  • His finding the NYC Team Handball Club after a few false starts with wall handball
  • How NYC has taken the concept of “club family” to a higher level
  • Unrest in Guinea which led to his decision to move to the U.S. at the tender age of 16 and living in foster care
  • Togba’s essay about helping someone in a wheel chair: Link
  • Learning English
  • On being a nursing student and his goal to eventually become a doctor
  • On becoming an American citizen and playing for the U.S. National Team
  • On possibly playing handball in Europe

Watch on YouTube or listen/download the mp3 file at the top of the page

If you have any suggestions for future topics that you would like us to consider please let us know on social media.

  • Subscribe on YouTube: Link (Earliest Availability)
  • Subscribe to the  podcast in iTunes: Link
  • Follow the  Team Handball Handball News podcast on Spotify: Link
  • Or use this RSS Feed to sign up for the podcast in your favorite podcast aggregator: Link

And, be sure to check out the podcast archive with interviews and great handball discussion going all the way back to 2006: LinkPosted in College HandballHandba

USA Handball Talk (Episode 31): The Sequence of Events

There has been a considerable amount of drama with USA Team Handball for the past several months. In this video presentation, I provide an overview of the sequence of events from January 2023 to November 2024. Over that period of time there have been:

  • Four Independent Board of Director resignations citing organizational dysfunction
  • One board member who was removed and later reinstated due to being removed improperly
  • A grievance seeking to review board decisions while that board member was improperly removed
  • A very unorthodox CEO removal and replacement
  • And, as you might expect the USOPC is now investigating USA Team Handball for National Governing Body (NGB) noncompliance

Note there is no audio only mp3 for this podcast episode as it contextually would be hard to follow with following along with the video presentation.

If you have any suggestions for future topics that you would like us to consider please let us know on social media.


Don’t miss an episode:

  • Subscribe on YouTube: Link (Earliest Availability)
  • Subscribe to the  podcast in iTunes: Link
  • Follow the  Team Handball Handball News podcast on Spotify: Link
  • Or use this RSS Feed to sign up for the podcast in your favorite podcast aggregator: Link

And, be sure to check out the podcast archive with interviews and great  handball discussion going all the way back to 2006: Link

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USA Handball Talk (Episode 30): Pioneer HS and USA U19 athlete, Aaron Wolf-Bloom

Aaron Wolf-Bloom is arguably the USA’s top state-side youth talent. We discuss his development as a handball athlete and his plans to graduate from High School early and play in Sweden this January.

Watch on YouTube or listen/download the mp3 file at the top of the page.

If you have any suggestions for future topics that you would like us to consider please let us know on social media.


Don’t miss an episode:

  • Subscribe on YouTube: Link (Earliest Availability)
  • Subscribe to the  podcast in iTunes: Link
  • Follow the  Team Handball Handball News podcast on Spotify: Link
  • Or use this RSS Feed to sign up for the podcast in your favorite podcast aggregator: Link

And, be sure to check out the podcast archive with interviews and great  handball discussion going all the way back to 2006: Link

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USA Handball Talk (Episode 29): Bret Harte Middle School Coach, Thomas Schumake

Thomas Schumake is the head coach of the Bret Harte Middle Schools boy’s and girl’s handball teams. This past weekend both teams took home the California Youth Cup Middle School titles. I sat down with Coach Schumake to discuss his approach and journey to become a handball coach. And, we also discuss what it might take to get handball to become an officially sanctioned school sport in California.

Watch on YouTube or listen/download the mp3 file at the top of the page

If you have any suggestions for future topics that you would like us to consider please let us know on social media.

  • Subscribe on YouTube: Link (Earliest Availability)
  • Subscribe to the  podcast in iTunes: Link
  • Follow the  Team Handball Handball News podcast on Spotify: Link
  • Or use this RSS Feed to sign up for the podcast in your favorite podcast aggregator: Link

And, be sure to check out the podcast archive with interviews and great handball discussion going all the way back to 2006: Link