Our developmental and Elite travel teams compete in local and regional games and tournaments to gain competitive experience to further develop their skills and cognizance of the game. This also helps them understand teamwork, build character and boost self-esteem so they are prepared for the next level as student athletes.
OUR PROGRAMS
We are keen on cultivating Fierce athletes and Fearless competitors. Beyond the game, we focus on instilling values, bolstering self-esteem, building confidence and shaping good work ethic on and off the court. My job is to make sure our Fierce Athletes reap all the benefits of my years of experience as a professional athlete & coach at every level of the game.
Key Program Takeaways
CAMPS / CLINICS / CLASSES
We offer camps, clinics and instructional classes as a way for youth and student athletes to stay physically active and work on their game in between seasons. It’s a fun and exciting introduction to basketball for younger participants and a way for competitive players to strengthen their fundamental skills, athleticism and broaden their cognizance of the game.
FIERCE ELITE
We collaborate with our partner program, Great Gain Athletics Inc to provide community outreach events and activities as well as mentoring through sports. Our Fierce Elite extension program is composed of high school age student athletes from around the city who desire to continue to hone their skills and compete in AAU sanctioned & independent tournaments and events outside of, or as an alternative to, school sports.
COACHING PHILOSOPHY
SCF’s teaching philosophy derives from 3 important facets of coaching that help cultivate a complete and sound player. MINDFULNESS, which focuses on INDIVIDUAL PLAYER NEEDS and EXPERIENCES to obtain OPTIMAL TEAM RESULTS. VALUES which focuses on PERFORMANCE PRINCIPLES to build success characteristics on and off the court. PLAYER DEVELOPMENT, which focuses on progressively assessing and evaluating players’ untapped potential to help them reach short and long term improvement goals.
MVP
MINDFULNESS
Players-first coaching is a concept adaptation from the well-renowned Coach John Calipari’s teaching philosophy. He focuses a lot of his attention on what a player needs to get the best results.
Over the years of my experience as an international pro player and now coach, taking a mindfulness approach became a recurring theme in not only my success as a player but also the success of the players I now coach.
– Coach Mike
Mindfulness coaching helps cultivate awareness to encourage moving with intention. It helps us focus our attention on what is happening in the moment (usually in a game setting or when learning a new skill or play). It also helps us acknowledge what attitude we will take when we experience challenges as well. Mindfulness is helpful in how we relate to things and experiences happening around us; especially in basketball when players need to recover quickly to keep their heads in the game. The end result will usually produce more positive outcomes for players and their teammates.
(FIERCE)VALUES
(Performance Principles)
We value what it means to be a complete player as a teammate and student athlete. That is why it is important to instill principles that guide a player’s overall performance. We hold each player to these standards because we feel it brings the best out of each and every athlete.
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
Our player development pathway ensures each player in their respective age group gains the right experience over time to be successful on the court. On average, 35% of the kids who enter our program have little to no basketball skills. However, after only one season, 10% of those kids show improvement. Similarly, the 10% who enter our program with little to no competitive edge improve by 50% after one season. It’s the same with Game Cognizance & IQ. Of the 5% who enter our program with little to no comprehension, 3% show significant improvement after one season. That’s more than 50%. Over the next 3 seasons, these percentages naturally increase over time with improved fine motor skills, athletic performance and game situational play.
In summary, based on our evaluations and Fierce curriculum we have seen significant improvement from all players in all areas of the game whether they enter the program with experience or not. This is a great starting point to lay out pathways to reach individual and team short and long term improvement goals.
Participating in clinics, classes and camps also gives players an opportunity to work on individual goals like shooting and ball handling. To inquire more about what we offer, click the button below.
FAQS
Have a few questions before joining our program or participating in So Cal Fierce activities and events?
Check out the most common questions we receive below.
When do SCF basketball seasons start?
Fall season starts early September and runs for 10 weeks.
Winter season begins early December and runs for 10 weeks.
Spring season starts late March and runs for 10 weeks.
We also offer FREE TRYOUT CLINICS every first Wednesday of the month during each season.
What is the age group to participate in So Cal Fierce?
We have 3 tiers, 8u, 10u & up and Fierce Elite (High School).
- 8u/9u is our development tier where the main focus is for players is to develop skills and a competitive understanding of the game. There will typically participate in instructional inner-scrimmage play during practices so that they can learn defensive strategies and game concepts.
- 10u & up for Travel Ball teams. They compete in shootouts as well as AAU sanctioned games and tournaments.
- 15u & up for High School level. They begin competing in mid spring into summer and participate in shootouts as well as AAU sanctioned games and tournaments.
What days are practices and games?
Practices are usually Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with beach workouts on Sundays. However, on rare occasions, practices days, times and locations may change depending on the availability of gyms/practice sites. Official days and times are made available on the parent portal under program schedule for parents registered with our program.
Games are typically on the weekends either Saturday and/or Sunday.
What time are practices and games?
Practices are usually in the afternoon or early evening after school between 3pm and 7pm.
Where are practices and games held?
Practices, clinics and camps are usually held in the Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades area. Games however are dependent upon host and are usually held in the valley, South Bay and surrounding cities.
Are practices and games held indoors or outdoors?
Currently, we hold practices outdoors and sometimes indoors depending on the weather. Games are held indoors. If anything changes, we always notify parents and gather feedback to make adjustments accordingly.
Does my child need to have basketball experience?
Generally speaking, kids do not need to have extensive basketball experience or training in order to participate in our program but should demonstrate basic fundamentals. We are a dedicated development program where short and long term basketball improvement goals are the focus.
We offer 3 options for players who need development before playing competitively.
- For our club teams, practice players have the opportunity to learn the game and develop their skill set participating with those with more experience. They can either sign up for the Travel Team or Development Clinics.
- We recommend parents with children that have little to no basketball experience sign up for our camps, clinics and/or classes as a pathway to competitive play. This will also help to further advance their skill level and gain experience to compete in organized games. This ensures they are getting the best fundamental training as their motor skills develop.
- We offer private training with one of coaches so that your child may have additional one on one attention to focus on specific areas of improvements.
For more competitive players we have two options:
- Fierce Development Travel Teams who play in multiple games and tournaments each season to advance their skill set and cognizance of the game.
- Fierce Excel Travel Teams for players who have demonstrated their ability to excel in multiple high-level, high-demand, high-profile regional and national competitions.
My child is involved in multiple sports so he can't fully commit. Can we receive a discount or be refunded if he misses practices?
As a policy, we do not offer discounts or refunds for missed participation days due to scheduling or commitment conflicts. We ask that before you sign your student athlete up for So Cal Fierce Basketball that you are 100% sure your student will be able to commit to at least 80% participation.
If you are starting our program later in the current season, we can offer to prorate fees when requested in advance.
Another option to consider is signing up for our Practice Clinics, in which your child may come to practice and develop their skills in a team setting without fully committing to team expectations. To learn more about our clinics, click here.
We also offer free tryout clinics for new inquiries as well, if you are interested in signing up, click here. If the free tryout clinic date has already passed and there are no other dates in the future for that month, please select the previous tryout date in the same month or the invite date offered from the head coach.
How much are Program fees and how do I sign up for your Travel Ball?
To learn more about the investment in your child’s basketball development, please fill out a program inquiry. If you are not sure what competitive level your child should be in, we recommend signing up for a free Tryout Clinic or a One on One Session with the coach where your child’s skill-set and game cognizance can be assessed and evaluated.
IMPORTANT:
Although we prefer each child start at the beginning of each season to get the full experience of what we offer, we understand that sometimes that is not possible with other obligations. Please always fill out our program inquiry before registering and paying fees so that we can offer guidance on the best way to navigate your child’s basketball experience within our program. If you paid for the program and changed your mind, you may be eligible for a refund minus any administrative or processing fees.
How do I cancel my Travel Team Membership, request a refund or apply a credit for an activity or event?
You can find our CANCELLATION & REFUND POLICY here.
Have a question that you don’t see an answer for here? No problem. We will be happy to answer your questions here
