“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” 

This quote was said by High School Basketball Coach Tim Notke, someone whose job it was to evaluate talent and push his players to reach their goals.

At CAL Sports, a player’s mental qualities are just as important than their natural ability.

“We start with looking at the overall skill, IQ, talent, mental mindset, passion for the game, and decision making.  We’re really trying to figure out where we can strengthen the young athlete,” Coach Corey said. “Can they handle criticism? How are their grades in school? Can they handle pressure?”

CAL Sports coaches take pride in developing players. By listening to their needs and paying attention to the player’s strengths and weaknesses, coaches are able to incorporate certain drills into practice based on the player and team’s needs.

“As a coach I love a challenge.  I wasn’t always blessed to have the most talented players or the most talented team. Talented or not, every player works at each practice. I focus on repetition of good, old-fashioned fundamentals, so regardless of the outcome of a game or a season, every player leaves with various life lessons and an appreciation for Strength, Commitment, Motivation, Determination and Teamwork,” Coach Corey said.

Oftentimes, a player might not be the right fit for a certain team at that particular time, but that doesn’t mean they should give up. If they are committed to the game and work with their coaches, they can build their skills throughout the year to maybe increase their chance of achieving their ultimate goal.

To that end, CAL Sports will continue helping our learning players along their journey with more individualized recommendations in the form of an evaluation.  We provide parents and students with ideas on what they are doing well and where to go next, as well as what skills need improvement and how they can achieve that improvement.  In return, this also lets us know any given program’s effectiveness.  Just as young athletes must evolve, we as educators must ensure the classes offered are working efficiently to the best of our ability.

We will be building a true “academy” experience, where we can provide a path to a player’s growth.  In that way, development becomes more of a process for the coach, parent, and player together instead of a guessing game as to which levels and classes are right for a child.