Just outside of Los Angeles, the Threat Basketball Program gives young girls of all ages the opportunity to learn the fundamentals and skills to play basketball at a competitive level. Players learn to challenge themselves in a friendly and well-coached environment. Founder and head coach, Renard Beavers, defines his program as “Blue collar.” A program built from the ground, where players are not asked to be flashy, but to work hard. “It’s from the ground-up,” Beavers says. “We teach our players to work hard, we play defense, and it’s not about making a show.”
Beavers has been coaching since 2008. And after six years in the job, he still enjoys it. “I like it because you get to deal with different players,” Beavers says. “Old players move on, but new ones arrive and they bring a new vision to the game, they force you to change the way you coach sometimes. It is exciting because it’s a new challenge every time.”
Beavers created the program to help young girls find their path and achieve their dreams of becoming all-star players. “The players are going to learn how to challenge themselves,” Beavers says. “What they are going to get is a life lesson on what you have to do to overcome adversity. We put them in a position to succeed, but we also put them in a position where they have to overcome challenges.”
The Threat Basketball coaches have a close relationship with college coaches. This allows the players to show their skills and get a chance to be recruited by colleges. Elite teams in the program participate in many college showcase tournaments in which college coaches and scouts are present.
“We recently participated in a showcase tournament,” Beavers says. “We won all our games and some of our girls got recruited by colleges on the scene. This shows that we are doing our job right. It also shows younger girls that if they work hard, they, too, could get recruited.”
Beavers works with two other coaches. Among them is Coach Brian Worley. Worley has been working with Threat Basketball since 2011. He coaches younger players. “The goal for our teams depend on the girls, but we always try to find the next level for our goals,” Worley says. “We do what we can to develop their skills, find their weaknesses and erase them. We try to help them mature as players.”
Threat Basketball does not look for a specific type of players. They look for girls who are willing to put in the effort in order to get better. “What we are looking for are girls that want to come out and work hard and dedicate themselves to getting better,” Worley says. “It’s important in life, not just basketball that you are committed to working hard and getting better. We do what we can as coaches to develop them, but the effort has to come from them first.”
Threat Basketball does not put all the focus on winning games, according to Worley. “We want to win, but we also understand that club basketball is not about winning games and winning trophies,” Worley explains. “It’s about getting better, learning skills, and developing as a player. Winning is not always the main priority. We put them in situation where they might struggle and not win, but they will get better because they will play better opponents.”
Threat Basketball is currently only open to girls, but Beavers said that he misses coaching boys and is thinking about having a boys’ program as well. “I have been going back and forth with it,” Beavers says. “It has been a lot of work building these girls teams, so if an opportunity presents itself, I will.” A decision that could be triggered by the birth of his son in a few months, Beavers tells us.
Threat Basketball is a great place for players to grow up, develop, and reach the next level. More information about Threat Basketball Program is available online at: http://www.threatbasketball.com.
New Media Strategist Lisa Williams, president of Media Authority Marketing, seeks out organizations around the country like Threat Basketball that are making a difference and highlights their business. For more information about how to get your business featured by Media Authority Marketing email your request to info@mediaauthoritymarketing.com.