Coach Jay J. is a basketball coach in the Baton Rouge area with years of coaching experience. As a coach, Jay focuses on the fundamentals of basketball. He played college basketball at Concordia College and likes to work with kids who are preparing for college ball.
Provide a brief summary of your participation playing and/or coaching your sport.
I started playing basketball at 4 years old and have always been very competitive. I wanted to be the best, so I worked hard to become faster and stronger than the other kids. I was smaller than most of the other kids growing up so I needed to compensate with athletic ability, especially in a sport like basketball. I believe that If you strive for excellence then you’ll always be improving your game. I carried this mentality through college and got playing time as a freshman on the team. One motto I like to live by is “When the lights are off, I’m still on”. This saying basically means that I’m constantly working to be better, even when noone is looking. I was able to play basketball up through college and have coached for many years.
Why did you decide to become a private coach?
I got into private coaching because I realized that a lot of kids aren’t really being taught the game even when they are on teams. They aren’t learning the real fundamentals that they need. One problem I see all the time is that guys are put into specific positions and don’t learn to be versatile. Young athletes play center because they are tall for their high school team, but they aren’t big enough to play center in college. If they don’t learn the skills needed for other positions then they can’t play in college. I want to provide the extra attention that the players need to get the fundamentals down so that they can play in college.
What do you enjoy most about coaching?
I like seeing the big smiles from ear to ear and kid’s faces looking like the sun. When kids see and feel themselves getting better they get excited and I take a lot of satisfaction in seeing that. Every child learns the sport differently but I enjoy finding out how each one ticks and coaching them the right way. I understand that children are still learning about the world and I like to be a coach and also a source of support for them.
What can a client expect from private lessons with you?
I provide my clients with a general enhancement of skills. I focus on basic fundamentals because you can’t open up your talent until you have the fundamentals locked down well. You need to be a universal player who can be knowledgable on the floor in all respects. People sometimes overlook how important the basic fundamentals when they watch professional basketball, but those guys are only as good as they are because they mastered the fundamentals early on.
What is your coaching philosophy or mantra that you follow?
It’s not my own saying, but I have to say “Just do it”— like NIKE. People create mental limits and obstacles for themselves for no reason. There is no such thing as “can’t”, it’s psychological. People who focus on what they can’t do are thinking the wrong way: I try to teach my clients to not worry about limits and “just do it” if they want to reach a goal. That is the best way to grow and develop as a player and in life.
Coach Jay is booking basketball sessions now! Click here to check out his profile.
