Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Williams.
Michael, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
All I can say is that kids make you do crazy things… I’ve always loved the game of basketball, I played as a youth in recreational leagues, in middle school, and high school as a teenager. I always said that when I had children, then I would introduce them to the game of basketball and become his coach. In 2010, my second child, Brandon, was born. When he was five years old, I started teaching Brandon the fundamentals of basketball, including what I believed to be the most important skill – dribbling. I always felt that if you were a good dribbler, then you could control the game because you are the point person on the team – you set up the offensive plays. However, basketball was not his first love. It was soccer, and at the time, he participated in a recreational soccer league in Poway called “The Little Kickers.” About five minutes before one of Brandon’s soccer games my wife and I noticed that the coach had not yet shown up. My wife said, “Why don’t you go out there and warm them up?”. I ran the team through some warm-up exercises and much more! The coach didn’t show up, and I ended up becoming the team’s coach for the remainder of the season. Although I didn’t really know the game of soccer that well, I was able to improvise. I also coached soccer for one additional season after that. I was forced to learn the game quickly and soon became a big fan.
I also noticed that there were similarities between basketball and soccer. I knew that soccer could improve any athlete’s footwork, and this would help my son once he started playing basketball regularly.
Soon Brandon learned other basketball fundamentals and began participating in recreational basketball leagues where I was either the Head Coach or Assistant Coach on those teams. When Brandon was seven years old I, I felt that he was skilled enough to play on a youth competitive basketball team. The closest team was in San Marcos, and we lived in Escondido. I couldn’t find a competitive team in Escondido. He played with this team for a season, and during that time, I learned the difference between the structure of recreational and competitive-level basketball. When the season ended, I told myself that I would start my own competitive team for my son to play for.
I viewed this as a project, and I had successfully completed projects both at work and in Business School, So I was confident that I could pull it off. I did a lot of reading about managing a team, and the first (and best) source I used was the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). I felt that this organization provided the most helpful tools for running a competitive team. I recruited players from my son’s recreational basketball teams as well as any kids in my neighborhood that I knew played the game. I started out with one team of 8 players, and now after 5 years, we have grown to 60+ players and 7 teams. I have also transitioned the team into a 501 (C) (3) non-profit organization.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In the beginning, one of the biggest challenges was recruiting enough kids that had the skills to play for a competitive team. I would attend the recreational league games around town and if I identified a player which I believed stood out and could add value to my team, then I would introduce myself to the player’s parents and invite him or her to one of my practices. Often times if a player was simply athletic and had a lot of potential, then I would want them to join my team because I could fit them into our system.
One of the biggest challenges is retaining my “star players.” A lot of times, once a player leads the team to a championship in their division, bigger and more established competitive teams will “recruit’ or “poach” the player for their team.
Another current challenge is finding enough facilities to use for practice. Unlike some of the other competitive teams, we are limited to the number of practice facilities here in Escondido.
Finally, in order to operate, I am required to charge the players monthly operating fees. Occasionally, there is a player whose family cannot afford to pay the operating fees. The problem that I encounter is that there are no programs that offer subsidies or grants readily available to assist players with this.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We don’t recruit many “five star” athletes. So we instead look for players who possess potential to be this type of athlete. I believe that is the first thing that sets us apart. In addition:
- Teaching players to be aggressive and more physical than their opponent.
- Inserting players in challenging situations like asking them to play in a position that they are not accustomed to.
- Rewarding a player when he or she has an outstanding game or season.
- Providing drills to players to practice outside of the scheduled practices.
- Encouraging the players to play other sports as well to increase overall athleticism.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
You have to understand your strengths and weaknesses and surround yourself with people who can support you. It can get tiring performing multiple tasks for the team, including Coach, Administrator, and Treasurer. I almost quit twice. But the first time one of the parents persuaded me to stay. The second time my son stated that he didn’t want to play for any other team but the North County Buckeyes. As Director, I now handle only the operations and have people who can support other functions besides coaching.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ncbbasketball.com/
- Instagram:@ncbbasketball_official
