S3 Basketball Academy in Santa Cruz

S3 Basketball

Registration

"Ron is a tremendous teacher of the game with a great energy, passion, and experience to help players at any level from high school to the NBA."

-Dave Joerger, Sacramento Kings Head Coach

“I want to provide basketball players in our community key tools that will help them grow on and off the court.”

- Ron DuBois, former NBA assistant coach, UCSC men’s basketball coach

S3 Basketball is an off-season basketball academy to help Santa Cruz area players elevate their game by focusing on three S’s of the sport: skill, speed and sport psychology. The academy runs April through September and is open to young people grades 4-12.

Through focused, one-on-one and small group instruction over the course of six months, players work on the basketball fundamentals of shooting, passing and dribbling. They also learn body movement and general athleticism, the science of speed and movement, sports psychology and more.

There are three, one-hour sessions per week and players are welcome to attend any or all of the sessions as their schedule allows.

The academy is led by Ron DuBois, whose experience as an NBA assistant coach, an Arizona State point guard and team captain, and UCSC men’s basketball coach make him an invaluable source of knowledge, insight and leadership. Joining Coach DuBois is a select staff of coaches and sports professionals, including strength and conditioning coach Robert Terrance, Licensed Clinical Psychologist Dr. Sherif Zaher, and UCSC Junior Varsity coach Joe DuBois.

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S3: Skill, Speed & Sport Psychology

Registration

The S3 basketball academy is laser-focused on helping young athletes develop their skills and take their game to the next level. There are no 5-on-5 games. Instead, players learn the fundamentals of the game and receive training in how to reach their own basketball potential.

From April through September, players can attend 70-plus hour-long sessions where they’ll get high-level coaching as they workout with other players at their own skill level. During each session, players rotate through three 20-minute stations focused on the core aspects of S3: skill, speed and science.

SKILL: Skills training includes shooting mechanics, passing, ball handling with both the left and right hand, footwork, finishing moves around the paint and more.

SPEED: Speed training includes learning body movement, developing general athleticism, lateral and vertical movement, stopping and starting, accelerating, strength training, body coordination and proprioception. By developing these areas, players learn, on a neurological level, to react quickly.

SPORT PSYCHOLOGY: The science aspect of S3 involves learning about the mental aspects of sports, as well as the underlying science of basketball skills, speed and movement. Players will be given mental training exercises, prepared by Dr. Zaher, to take home and work on in their own time.

LIFE SKILLS: Skill, speed and sport psychology are not the only fundamentals taught at S3 Academy. Valuable life skills such as discipline, accountability, learning to lead and listen are another main focus. As Coach Dubois says, "Not only will we focus on basketball, but life skills such as body language, eye contact and respect will be taught on a session to session basis."