College Prep Program

A Master Class is something completely unique to Evolution that we are very fortunate to have as a part of the College Prep program.  Once a month, we will be bringing all players together (example, Saturday 8am-10am) for a deep dive on a specific topic that is critical to a players success at the college level.  We will have one of Evolution’s trainers or a college coach come in to teach a topic and all of Evolution’s College Prep trainers will be in attendance to help out and continue to learn themselves (example, setting and using ball screens).  Then for the next month, all of the weekly college prep training sessions will continue to emphasize this topic to allow players time to master this skill set or concept!

 

We will also be using the Master Classes as a time to touch on some other topics that players need to be to become successful like leadership, mental toughness, dealing with adversity, sleep, and nutrition.  

We’ll be using several different formats all of which will be tailored to the fact that we have a wide spectrum of age groups within college prep. Here are some of the formats for teaching how the recruiting process works:

The foundation of College Prep.  Each player and family will be required to have an individual meeting with one of Evolution’s College Prep staff to set goals and create a clear road map of how to achieve those goals.  We will be looking at each factor that will effect a players career including skills, strength and conditioning, mental, school, and AAU.  The road map will be the accountability component that guide players to achieve their dreams of college basketball. 

The Training schedule and pricing does not change from what you’ve come to expect. We are making some tweaks to the Evolution Training format to create a specific pathway to college success.  Players will graduate through a 3 phase format:

 

Phase 1: Skills Building

In the skill building phase, we will have a more rigid structure to ensure that we are not skipping steps and players are well rounded in all skill sets.  High repetition of ball handling, footwork, finishing, shooting, etc to ensure players are ready to move on.

 

Phase 2: Skill Maintenance & Application 

At this point, players have built a solid foundation of skills and now they need to learn to apply it in game like situations. Our drills will mimic game like scenarios and players will have more opportunity for live play where decision making becomes a greater factor.

 

Phase 3: Skill Mastery & Execution

Once players reach this point in their development, our workouts are focused on high level concepts and players ability to navigate game like situations in a live setting.

Perfect! Not all players need to focus on getting to college yet.  College basketball is a tough process getting there and also once you arrive.  We want players to first love the game and then when they are ready they can take the game more serious.  Once a player is ready to commit to the workload and focus on this goal we can discuss if they are ready.  

Players should have a strong desire to play college basketball.  We know that kids don’t know everything about the college game, expectations at each level, etc, but we expect players to be working towards that goal with a burning desire.  If you are not sure and would like a player assessment, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us and ask!

We will be accepting players on the basis that they are both physically and mentally ready for this program and it’s commitment level.  If we do not accept your child that simply means they are not ready yet.  We will be happy to discuss with you why we feel they need more time to develop in other areas before joining College Prep, what those areas are, and how to improve in those areas.

Evolution’s yearly training calendar has 5 “Seasons” to include Fall, Winter, Early Spring, and Summer.  Each season is roughly 8-10 week long and for College Prep participants we require players to be training at minimum of 4 of those seasons.  We do this to ensure players are developing at an appropriate pace and not falling behind on their goals.  Also, Evolution will be pouring a tremendous amount of resources into each player off the court, we need to know that each player is as committed to their development as we are to them.  

Yes, one of the staples of the College Prep program is to create groups of players who have college potential and a strong desire to get there.  If you ever feel like your child isn’t in a group that is up to their level please discuss that with us, an open lines of communication with families in critical.

This is a simple process of contacting your facility manager who schedules all of your other training.  Generally private (or private shooting) training will not be consistent, rather a few sessions on occasion to correct some specific issues.  

We will be setting up optional “field trips” to visit local colleges for both practices and games periodically throughout the year.  Each season will bring different opportunities to see pre-season workouts, in-season practices/games, or spring/summer workouts. Our goal is to provide a wide spectrum for our players to see including both mens and women’s teams at George Mason University, Marymount University, American University, Catholic University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, and the University of Maryland.  

In one sense it’s crazy and another its necessary.  The more prepared players are going into High School, the more successful they will be in High School.  This will set them on the path towards the next steps of being college ready and a recruitable player. Also, we’ve found that so many talented players are incorrectly steered in the wrong direction towards High Schools or AAU programs that don’t develop their game and stall their potential.  Our goal is to be your advocate and help with some of these tough decisions.