We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shaun Shell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shaun below.

Alright, Shaun thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents were able to find that balance between sportsmanship and a healthy competitive drive. My parents never put a heavy emphasis on winning and losing, it was always about having fun and being a good sport. I think the mistake a lot of parents make is focusing on trying to make their kid super competitive. In reality that is something you are either born with or not. The focus should be on development, and as you improve your skills like anything in life you naturally want to be the best at it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Be Gr8 Basketball Academy is a FUNdamental focused youth basketball training program. We are going somewhat against the norm of the way youth sports has been trending in recent years. In an oversaturated market of “Trainers” claiming Elite Skills Training or Travel Ball Teams hand picking the best players from all over the city with a win or else mentality. Our approach is more inclusive for all skill sets because we believe development should be at the forefront for youth athletes.

What I’m most proud of are the stories of our students who were hesitant to try sports or may not necessarily look the part of an athlete. Those are the students we love to hear about that have found confidence, friendships and so much more through the game of basketball. Recently many students that have grown up in the academy since elementary school, now in high school have come back to help with summer camps, clinics etc. That is the family feel we’ve always envisioned for Be Gr8 as a community program.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Like so many others during 2020 we had to come to a hard stop in our training. Playgrounds, Parks and Gyms all shut down. Basketball rims were removed from the backboards and courts were taped off all over the city.

Unsure of how long we were going to be quarantined we created our “Online Sessions” multiple 30 minute classes via Zoom that focused on Ball Handling and fitness over all. These classes became a hit and after a few days we had students logging in from 6 different states. This pivot taught us so much not just about business but the impact we could have on our students. As we all dealt with the mental and emotional strain of quarantine, our Online Sessions gave us the opportunity to chat and just check in with our students during a really difficult time in the world.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

In the early stages like most businesses we just wanted to acquire as many new clients as possible. One day I started training a 7 yr old who was reluctant to try basketball after a bad experience with his first coach and league. After a few months of training we rekindled his love and increased his skillset. Shortly after his Dad reached out to inform he had Try Outs and eventually made a Travel Ball team and would no longer have the time to train due to the heavy scheduling.

Initially I started to question my business model, if training would get my students better just for them to leave I would never retain any clients. Eventually I had to come to the realization that this was EXACTLY what I wanted. I wanted to give the kids the confidence and skills to be able to go and tackle whatever their goals were. As those students cycle through more will enter and we become a bridge and safe space for our students to safely grow into who they should be.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.begr8bball.com
• Instagram: @begr8bball
• Facebook: Be Gr8 Basketball Academy
• Linkedin: Be Gr8 Basketball Academy
• Twitter: @begr8bball