About
Coach Dan Holbrook, Assistant Basketball Coach at Emmanuel College
I have 12 years of coaching experience at the college level, and three years of experience at the high school level. From 2011 to 2017, I worked as a full-time coach at Keiser University under legendary coach Rollie Massimino. Coach Mass is a hall of fame coach who was an incredible mentor and teacher to me. He is best known for coaching Villanova University to the 1985 NCAA D1 National Championship over highly favored Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown University Hoyas. Before joining his staff, I spent two years as an assistant at Brandeis University. Before Brandeis I worked as an assistant to legendary high school coach Bob Farias at Lexington High School (MA). I am a passionate teacher and coach with over 10 years of experience training athletes of all ages and skill levels.
I have been working with athletes of all ages and skill levels for over 15 years. Through my cliincs, individaul workouts, and camp programs I have worked with hundreds of athletes.
My sessions are held inside state-of-the-art facilities with high-end training equipment. In addition, I typically hire assistants to work with me in order to make the sessions more efficient. All of my assistants were excellent players at the high school and college levels, and some have played professionally. One of my assistants is a fitness coach who is excellent. Not many other people provide training sessions like we do. I am a career coach and teacher with years of experience mentoring athletes. Building confidence and inspiring players to be the best they can be is my specialty. In addition to learning cutting edge basketball techniques, training with me provides athletes with access to my vast basketball network. I am a resource for parents and athletes. Having coached under some of the best coaches in college basketball, I have built strong relationships with AAU, high school, and college coaches all over the country. I am fortunate to be in a position where I can help athletes and families. Over the years I have assisted in providing countless opportunities to athletes in terms of making the team, getting recruited by colleges, and being offered employment opportunities and internships.
There are a lot of coaches out there who provide good instruction. However, many of them are unable to schedule indoor facilities consistently, and hardly anyone hires assistants to help coach during sessions (There is only so much you can do with one coach and one athlete). I am very technical and efficient. One of my goals is to teach athletes how to effectively train on their own. Another point of emphasis is to teach athletes drills and fundamentals that they can expect to see during the first week of tryouts. I want athletes to make mistakes with me so that they don't make the same mistakes in front of their coach. You only get one first impression during tryouts and I stress this to athletes. My training methods are proven. Choosing me as your coach is not a gamble. The reason I train athletes is because I love to teach.
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
Sessions are tailored to the athlete depending on their position, age, skill set, or goals. I do not use gimmicks, and I do not waste time. Sessions are designed to address weaknesses, learn proper mechanics, and develop muscle memory through game-like repetitions. All drills are competitive and game-like. The drills are proven to carry over into 5 vs. 5 games. Many trainers will impress athletes with "cool gimmicks", but basketball is a 5 vs. 5 game. If drills do not carry over into the games, then the athlete is not getting better at playing the game of basketball. I also teach athletes how to properly train on their own in order to get the necessary repetitions. Building muscle memory is a process and it must be done using proper fundamentals.
A typical workout session includes:
-Warm up with various dribbling drills: one/two ball dribbling, cone drills, stationary dribbling
-Form/set shooting: Focus on proper mechanics
-Stepping into shot: 1-2 step with inside foot, Jump Stop
-Shooting off the dribble: Pump fake 1 dribble pull-ups, shooting off of ball screens, dribble pull-up shots, etc.
-Getting open: Freeing yourself three different ways - V-cut, reverse pivot, stepping over defender's path
-Offensive moves: Rip moves, jab steps, pump fakes, triple threat, euro step, step hop, spin moves, etc.
-Post moves: jump hooks, up and under, spin move, double up and under, face up moves, etc.
-Free throw mechanics throughout the workout
-Play 1-on-1, king of the court, etc.
-Defensive fundamentals: Closing out, boxing out/rebounding, pick and roll defense, guarding on and off the ball, etc.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
There are a lot of great coaches out there. When selecting a coach to help improve athletic skills, you need to find someone who is efficient and enthusiastic. You are paying a lot of money when you select a coach. Everything a coach does with an athlete needs to translate to the game. A great coach is inspiring and demanding.