I'M DANNY WADDLETON, THE MIND BEHIND THE FAST BREAK FORUM. I recently graduated from the University of South Carolina, now working as a graduate assistant with the NJIT D1 Men’s Basketball Team.
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Basketball has played a big part in shaping my life. My grandfather and father were both college hoopers turned coaches, and even though I didn’t quite live up to the on-court legacy of my last name, the game was everywhere growing up. Driveway drills with my dad, AAU weekends, high school hoops, it was just what I did. The thing was, I always had a fascination with the game that went beyond dribbling a ball.
Growing up on the East Coast, I remember staying up way too late watching my Portland Trail Blazers on ESPN. My 10-year-old self felt sleeping through science was a small price to pay, Damian Lillard was must-see TV.
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As a young teenager, I thought sports broadcasting was my future. Those classic Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy calls left an impact on me. My first glimpse into the sports industry was the sports broadcasting camp I attended in high school. I still go back and watch my two years’ worth of reels.
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In college, I explored the sports business world. Throughout my time I attended industry conferences, working the Masters Tournament at Augusta National, and interned at FOX Sports headquarters in Los Angeles, where I got a behind-the-scenes look at how live sports are scheduled and produced.
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Yet no matter where I was or what I was doing, I always made time for the NBA. If a big game interfered with work or a Friday night out, League Pass was my first stop the next morning. Whether it was consuming podcasts, basketball books, film breakdowns, it all just became something bigger than fandom, I became obsessed with understanding the game.​
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In the spring of 2023, I realized most modern basketball coverage leaves a lot to be desired. Hot takes are fun, and big-picture legacy debates always draw attention, but we don’t get beneath the hood enough. I wanted a space where I could blend traditional NBA talk with a sharper focus on film study and analytics.​
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That’s where the idea for The Fast Break Forum was born. I officially launched the page in the fall of 2023 but quickly realized I needed to get better as a writer. So I took a step back and spent the next year taking journalism classes. Fast-forward to the fall of 2024, and I’m back, ready to cover the NBA from every angle: film, analytics, trends, storylines, betting angles.​
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If you love thoughtful basketball conversation, I hope you’ll stick around. Welcome to The Fast Break Forum!