About
I offer fundamental, intermediate and advanced basketball training to individuals and or small groups. Training offered consist of ball handeling, shooting, finishing moves, defense, passing and rebounding.
Mission Statement
"Using basketball as a vehicle to mentor teach and coach today's youth" I believe sports in general are great tools for teaching discipline, building character, self awareness and overall confidence. "Its easier to build strong children than to repair broken men" Frederick Douglas
I am an Army veteran, I have been playing, coaching or training since I was an Army brat myself at about 8 years old. I have played competitively in the Army along with playing on semi-professional teams while located in Korea and Germany. I am currently a basketball contractor for the Army where I run my own program training over 300 total basket ball players. I trained children as young as 5 and as old as 17 years old individually and in small group sessions. I also conducted over 30 basketball camps where the attendance was always 40 or more players. The German city where I'm located allowed me to enter those same children into the local German leagues and in two years we haven't losta league game. While in Germany I also assisted as a coach of a semi-professional team and was the head coach of a regional team. After my competitive days on the Army basketball circuit I coached the post team for two different installations, which is more or less equivalent to Division II or III College basketball. I am also a certified referee. I am currently still living in Germany until September/October 2020. There is some uncertainty with the coronavirus situation going on, but I fully expect to be on the ground by mid October.
I enjoy working with children and young adults helping them improve their basketball skills as well as molding them into more well rounded and responsible citizens. I have been using basketball training to mentor teach and coach for 20 years or more now. As a young Soldier I was always a youth volunteer and as the years went by and I played at higher levels myself I became a formal trainer/coach. I recently arrived from Germany where i was playing, training and coaching an adult team as well as training and coaching over 50 youth players ranging from 5 to 16 years of age.
Highlights
Specialties
Athlete's age
Years experience
Skills to improve
Photos and videos
Reviews
Melissa M.
Derek H.
Crystal S.
Nancy K.
Saadiq P.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
The very first thing I do with a new student is to guage where they are so I can start them at the appropriate level.
Left and Right hand layups, left and right hand dribbling, shooting , athleticism, defensive agressiveness. From there the player is graded on a scale of 1-3. It's important to annotate the current level so the progress can be properly be measured.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have a bachelors degree in sports management and in human resources.
I have attended multiple coaches training session offered by the German basketball federation. As mentioned before I am a certified NCAA and HS basketball referee.
I am certified in CPR, First Aide, Recognizing Child Abuse and communicable diseases.
I am a HR Supervisor so I am also trained in Equal Opportunity, Consideration of Others, Suicide Prevention and Sexual Assault and Prevention
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
I am coming from the Army system where I was for the most part I was handicapped as for as pricing goes, so I definitely won't be trying to break the bank. I understand parents have multiple kids so I would like to be the most economical choice offering multiple child discounts. I would charge:
$20 = 60 min
$15 =45 min
$10 = 30 min
$10 per player for small group sessions = 60 min
How did you get started teaching?
I started out teaching and coaching as a big brother and then as a volunteer with the Army's Child and Youth Services program. Realizing this participation trophy mentality wasn't good for the kids development I branched off and began to do specialized training.
What types of students have you worked with?
I feel I am good with all levels, but I definitely posess the patience to deal with beginners.
The intermediates are the group that have my heart the most, because I was there once. I became the player I was all due to hard work which is what this group will have to put in if they want to be proficient ball players.
The advanced students possess the fundamental foundation to be considered ball players already. What I specialize in is getting the very best out of these players and refining and adding to their current skillset.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
There was a Under 16 game that was not on the schedule basically a friendly game. Well, these games aren't sanctioned so my younger players that are talented enough to play can play in these games. My son and another 11 year old compete well in practice and in training sessions with my competitive 14 and 15 year olds. In this game my son and the other 11 year old are both point guards and both played flawless, scoring more than 10 points each and several assist and rebounds with limited turnovers. This was very rewarding for the boys and for their phsychological well being. Being away from the continental US it's hard to measure yourself when the competition isn't the same, so this game was validation for the both of them.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Look for someone who is in it for the right reasons (the passion, the kids and the love of the game) and not for the money. It's important to be compensated for their time, but I do it for the love, for the opportunity to be able to pass something to the next generation and teach them valuable lessons on and off the court.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
Looking in the mirror and doing a self evaluation is something I preach to my own kids and all of the youth players and young adults I mentor. Students should be honest with their would be teachers and themselves about their skill, passion and will to be better.