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From individual training to group training to clinics, camps, informative blogs, videos and more, BT Basketball will handle all of your hoops needs. For guys and girls of all ages, BT Basketball guarantees improvement through a combination of hard work and passion for the game. Whether you are looking for simple basics and fundamentals of the game, or how to take your game to an all-star level, you have come to the right place. I am dedicated to helping young people improve their skills, learn the game, and, most importantly, love the game. It is a passion of mine that I truly enjoy nurturing in others.
Here’s my story…
I played for the legendary Dennis Tobin at Sparta High School. We were fortunate to have very successful teams during my stay as a 3 year starter (including 3 straight county tournament championships and a 63-12 record). Personally, I was able to achieve a measure of success as well (2 county tournament MVP’s and 1,000+ points).
BT back at Sparta High School, getting ready to drop the hammer!
My natural position is point guard due to my lack of height!!! It also become one of my biggest motivating factors. I knew from an early age that I was going to have to somehow overcome my lack of physical prowess. I developed a hunger and a fire to do just that. I decided that if I couldn’t be as big or as tall as everyone else, I would outwork them instead. I spent my time on the playground, in my driveway, in the gym (at all hours). I studied the game from players better than myself, from coaches who understood the game inside and out. I sought out any bit of information, any drill, that could help me take my game to the next level. I played against players that were bigger, faster, stronger and older than I, because better competition makes for a better player. As I continued on my journey, I picked up many of the same drills that I still teach today. The fundamentals never change. My fierce belief in this still drives me today when I am teaching kids the basics of the game. A foundation built on the rocks of fundamentals has no ceiling and limitless potential. A game built without it is bound for failure and frustration.
My strong work ethic and love for the game landed me at the University of Rochester. I came in a started as a freshman but tore my ACL in my left knee in September of my sophomore year. There was no choice but reconstructive surgery and a long, grueling rehab. It was devastating as it immediately wiped out my entire season before it began. Yet I remained determined. I looked at it as a great opportunity to become better, to become stronger. I hit the rehab as hard as I’d ever hit anything in my life. I could not accept this as my basketball fate! Within 8 months I was back playing full speed (and I will tell you, grueling is an understatement!). It was a challenge I accepted and faced head on and I was thrilled to be back on the court doing what I loved. There is nothing like a sense of hard earned accomplishment!
One of the coolest things I’ve ever been able to do… present my 1,000 pont ball to my Mom right after scoring it.
I went on to play my junior year, and it was a bit of a struggle to regain my old self after the injury. It was also one of the most frustrating times of my life. For the first time, I wasn’t enjoying the game. And I didn’t quite understand why at the time. I had worked so hard to get back, and I wasn’t quite playing the way I had hoped. I had a decision to make. It got so bad that for a little while I thought about doing something that up to that point had been unthinkable. Quitting.
Fortunately, I had a talk with a great friend of mine (and a basketball mentor), and cooler heads prevailed. I had come too far, worked too hard. So I stuck with it.
Very proud to be in this exclusive club, yet more proud of the 63-12 record we accumulated in the 3 years as a starter.
The following off-season, I took my workouts to an entirely different level. I became more athletic, more skilled, and I regained my passion and strength (what I didn’t realize until later was that a devastating injury takes a toll that only time can heal). I was playing the best basketball of my life! The upcoming season started out great. I was a captain now and continued playing well through the first week of January when it happened…
This time during a game, I cut backdoor and snap… I lay in a heap on the floor, knowing that I just tore the ACL in the OTHER knee. Unfortunately, I was now a senior and this would most likely be my last game. Or would it. Heck no it wouldn’t. Since I missed my entire sophomore season with my first knee, I had an additional year of eligibility left! YESSSSSS! So here we go again, back under the knife, back to the rehab. Yet this time it was different. I was able to take my first experience with this and improve on it. I knew what to expect. I knew what to do differently. I knew it would be my last year ever to play the game I love. Nothing would hold me back this time. In only 6 months, I was back on the court. I decided this time I would not wear any type of knee brace at all (this was the biggest key for me in getting my game back quicker than last time. I had no physical crutch, therefore, I had no mental crutch). The next season came around and not only did we make the NCAA Tournament, but I was named All-League.
I tell you all this only because I want you to understand the passion I have for this game. It is still with me today. In fact, it continues to grow.
Since my playing days (which are technically still going on as I love playing now more than ever!), I have coached at many programs including Montclair State University and Sparta High School, and St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark (a national powerhouse). I have individually trained hundreds of kids of all ages for over 15 years. I believe that hard work, dedication, and encouragement are the keys to success on the basketball court. It is a true passion of mine to take what I have learned from my experiences in order to help others reach and surpass their expectations.
At BT Basketball, you will work hard, have fun, and I GUARANTEE that you will become a better player.
The only size that matters is that of one’s heart!
Brian