PHILOSOPHY
APPROACH
Basketball can teach many life lessons, none of which is more important than realizing you can have a lot of fun and work extremely hard at the same time. I’m confident that my players keep coming back not just for new skills, but because they genuinely enjoy the process. I’ve never seen a reluctant, unengaged player improve long term.
COACHING THE WHOLE PLAYER
Every player—especially at a young age—is unique and requires an individualized approach to motivation, instruction, and communication. By making a genuine effort to understand each player, I’m able to create a more targeted approach to their basketball development while building the trust that is essential to a strong coach-player alliance.
Many of my former players return to help coach and mentor younger players, creating a powerful cycle of leadership, connection, and development that benefits everyone both on and off the court.
SKILLS
The skills we teach are based on two core principles. First, the techniques are not easy to learn, but once learned…they are SIMPLE and EASY to do in live games. Learning counter-intuitive deception and re-training instinctive and efficient footwork can be frustrating mountains for young players to climb…but the resulting skill set creates players who can navigate the court with puzzling composure, simplicity, and speed. Second, a skills trainer’s most valuable currency is real-game examples. Not only should trainers be able to show examples of other players using each skill, but the most powerful real-life example is when a player sees him/herself do a new skill. My favorite thing is when I can send players footage of them using something new to great effect.
CONFIDENCE
I develop confidence in my players by helping them realize the following outlook in every area of their game: “If I do it right…it works.” If I shoot it with proper form, it will likely go in. If I do the hesitation jab move perfectly, I will get past the defender with ease. If I approach practice with the right mindset, I will getter better today.
