Coaching in Asia

It only took 3 days after I landed in China before I was on the court coaching. Never in my life did I think that coaching basketball would lead me on such a unique journey. In my over 4 years now of coaching basketball to people of all ages here in Asia, I can say without a doubt, the best part about coaching basketball is the relationships that you build with players and their families. Basketball has allowed us to build connections and bonds even though we may not speak the same language. Through play and through emotions, we have the same shared experiences. The joy I get when I see players or families get excited when they or their loved ones are able to accomplish something they worked so hard for is one of the best feelings.

Kelvin & The Nuggets

One of the first players that I had as I came of here was an incredibly young guy named Kelvin. He was only 5 years old at the time and just loved the game of basketball. Kelvin had an older brother who played on one of the elite teams in our program. He was always at every practice with his mom and would wind up grabbing a ball from somewhere and shooting it around.

In my time in Shenzhen (2 years) I got to coach Kelvin from a super energetic kid who traveled every time he touched the ball, into one of the best players on his club team when he was old enough to join. At that time, I couldn’t speak any Chinese and neither Kelvin or his mom any English. We communicated through WeChat and high-fives. I remember getting a message from Kelvin’s mom with a picture attached letting me know that Kelvin is still asking when I will come back to Shenzhen. Moments like that are what fill my heart with joy, knowing that I made an impact on someone through a game we both love.

In that same time span, I was able to coach another group of kids a little bit older than Kelvin. These youngsters were about 9-10 years old. They all loved the game of basketball and competed incredibly hard. In the beginning of the time when I coached them, they were all goofy little kids. As time went on, I could see the growth in them both physically but also mentally as well. They became more competitive, and inspired to work hard.

Every Moment

Coaching basketball does not come without its challenges though. People may only see some of the fun and exciting parts of my life like working with NBA players and trainers, or celebrating wins with teams, but you also don’t see all the hard work that goes into it. Having to master the curriculum so it can be second nature to give to the players, staying in shape to constantly keep up with kids, to being there for players as they cry about a loss or a bad performance in practice or games. Basketball is not a sport for the faint of heart, it’s a sport where failure is a constant, and battling every practice is guaranteed. I truly have enjoyed almost every second of what I have been allowed to do over the past 4 years and am grateful for every moment.