Stefan B.

I have been the sophomore and assistant varsity basketball coach at Elk Grove High School for the past three years. In addition, I have coached AAU basketball for All In Athletics for the past 6 years. I have experienced coaching boys and girls of all ages and skill levels, ranging from first graders all the way up to college players. I have trained for All In Athletics for several years before beginning my own training business, Balaban Basketball. I am a USA Gold Certified coach.

I was moved up to varsity at the end of my freshman year at Maine West High School. I was then a starter on varsity for the following 3 years. I played high-level competitive AAU basketball, traveling across the country with my team (RWA), where I played in front of dozens of college scouts, coaches, and even NBA players. As a junior, I won the regional and sectional three-point competition and placed 7th in the state for 4A.

Although it varies by client, I have three broad goals for each player that I train. The first is to master ball-handling, the second is to have a fundamentally-sound and gorgeous jumpshot, and the third is to be able to finish by the rim in any way, with either hand, off either foot and off both feet. Typically, especially with younger players, my sessions begin with high intensity stationary and dynamic ball-handling drills. Afterwards, I often teach the player a new move, or perfect the details of an existing move, so that they are confident in their ability to create space, get past a defender to attack the basket, or create an open shot for themselves. Then, we work on shooting drills to improve catch-and-shoot by focusing on footwork in different situations, as well as off-the-dribble jumpers. Lastly, we will work on a new way to finish by the rim, whether it is learning reverse layups, eurosteps, hopsteps, floaters, etc.