About Us
Who are we?
We are a group who love the underdog, the discounted, the last picked or ignored. We are the ones who overcame adversity with hard work, belief and drive. We believe that all the basketball greats felt it at one time and their successes inspire us to believe that EVERY player has the strength to rise up and SHOCK THE WORLD.
What is our Mission?
Our mission is to create young leaders through sport so they, in turn, become great human beings in the community.
How do we do it?
1. We create CONFIDENCE through skill mastery:
For younger players, building skill mastery is crucial. It takes about 50-100 repetitions over 3 days to learn a new skill. It takes about 2500 accurate repetitions over three weeks to undo a skill learned incorrectly. We believe it's worth the investment to help younger athletes learn a skill accurately because getting better at the fundamentals makes it easier and more fun to play. There is more of an emphasis on practice than cramming in games. The focus is on possessions and developing fundamental skill through more repetition and group accountability. We constantly strive to bring good, competitive kids together so they can bring out the best in themselves and raise the level of the game in the Okanagan area.
2. We EDUCATE:
Shockers Basketball Academy offers a more specialized approach to basketball, focusing on fundamentals and the "WHY" for doing things. We feel giving players solutions on the court allows them to be prepared in competition, thus building confidence. And the skills go far beyond the court. It becomes a standard for how they live their life. An additional focus is on physical fitness off the court in order to create better long term health habits. Through a partnership with local trainers, athletes are given the right tools to improve strength, speed, and overall fitness. 3. Personalized ATTENTION: We provide smaller group instruction, i.e. 3-6 players per coach, so players receive a consistent message. It allows us to give our full attention to helping our athletes achieve their goals.
4. We CONTRIBUTE:
We provide a platform for players to learn the power of impacting their community outside of the sport. We believe that if they can experience the power of giving to others at a young age, it will become a life long habit that will create change in their future communities. The Academy has already brought small groups to help out at the Gospel Mission and Okanagan Food Bank. The Academy believes that young players can develop more empathy and a greater desire to impact the communities they live in if they are given that avenue earlier in life.
5. We create COMMUNITY:
We believe that environment is stronger than willpower and in this digital world, a lack of human connection, especially during the teen years, can lead to loneliness, anxiety and poor choices. We believe that sport is one of the last avenues to create bonds that go beyond a screen. We focus on team building in order to help teach communication skills, how to deal with failure and how to step outside their comfort zone to become the best version of themselves. Lastly, there would be an element of community so young athletes, at their most formative stage, felt connected, learned how to empower others and could improve their own personal leadership skills.
6. We support FAMILY FIRST: We believe that success can not be measured by wins & losses alone but by the desire to come together when there is no game to cheer. It’s why we devote time to creating events for our families so they too can have a community around them.
FOUNDER:
Officially started in the fall of 2018, Jason Herbert has tapped into his vast experience as a basketball coach and business leader to create a program that focuses on developing the human being, not just the basketball player.
Some highlights include:
• Nationally Certified Level 3 Coach
• Certified Ganon Baker Trainer
• 23 years of basketball coaching at every level from elementary, to High School to College and University.
• Coached Club teams (both males and females) in Ontario including the Ottawa Guardsmen; which was founded by Dave Smart (former head coach of Carleton Ravens) • Coached athletes who went on to professional basketball careers
• Have brought club teams to compete in AAU tournaments (U.S)
• Worked in large summer basketball camps at Michigan, Maryland, Syracuse to name a few.
With that in mind, in the fall of 2018, the Academy began with one team and this past spring started a second team. In the process, kids and families alike have begun to create a community that stays together, works together and has a blast together.
