About
I'm a former Scout Team player with Belmont University, as well as a coach/trainer with experience with camps, clinics, and private training with ages 6 through college. I've worked with and coached kids of all ages, and I have a passion for working with young athletes and being a positive influence in their lives both on and off the court. I know how to effectively train young athletes to help them improve their game and develop confidence. I've also had the opportunity to be mentored by long time NBA Assistant Coach and private trainer Irv Roland, as well as former GM/current Assistant GM with the Atlanta Hawks Larry Riley, where I learned a lot about the game and how to develop players. I'd love to talk about your goals and help you improve!
More about my coaching experience:
I've been involved with coaching and training athletes for multiple years. I've been a camp counselor with Belmont University Basketball for their summer camps over multiple summers, where I mainly worked with the older age groups (10-13). More recently, I've led/helped with clinics for kids grades 2nd-8th for Pro Skills Basketball, as well as led clinics for and currently work at Swish Works, a state of the art basketball training facility in Hendersonville. I've been a private trainer for around a year, and have worked with athletes from age 6 all the way up to college. In addition, I've also been a coach with Soccer Shots for a year, where I work with very young kids ages 2-6. As a result, I've been around and worked with kids of many different ages, and understand the wholistic development pipeline and how to coach kids of different ages. Finally, I've also completed the Basketball Player Development and Strategy course with Sports Management Worldwide, where I was mentored by long time NBA Assistant Coach and private trainer Irv Roland, as well as former GM/current Assistant GM with the Atlanta Hawks Larry Riley. I've also completed the Basketball Video Performance Analysis course with SMWW, where I was mentored by long time Scout and NBA/college consultant James Kerti.
My approach to training and what to expect in a session:
My general approach to training is that first you have to understand where they're at and what their goals are. Kids of different ages even up to high school learn differently and are at different places physically and skill-wise, so depending on their situation the approach is different. In general, though, it's a lot of hard work, and a lot of doing the same thing over and over again the right way. Game like situations are very important so we can actually implement what we're working on live and build confidence. Saying the right things, pointing things out, breaking movements down, and teaching in the way that works for that athlete is super important. I'm also a big proponent of teaching the game, not just skills, as smart players always have a place and will play at a higher level for longer.
In a typical session, it depends on the player, but generally, fundamental work with ball handling, shooting, and footwork, as well as defense and game-like reps are going to be the main parts of any session. In addition, especially with younger kids, learning how to move is an important part of any session. Teaching kids fundamental movements will help them with basketball but also anything else they will do in life, so I make sure to always include this in every session. I also will regularly work film into sessions with older kids/college level players, as watching and breaking down film is an extremely important part of getting better, especially at higher levels. I'll often work this into sessions with younger kids as well to a lesser extent, usually with more of a focus on teaching the game.