As we launch this new platform to share a variety of basketball related content with you, I wanted to take a minute to share my story with you. Here is the quick run down.
Growing up in a blue-collar family in small town Princeton, MN, there was nothing I loved more than playing basketball. I spent countless hours in the driveway pretending I was Kevin Garnett, or even more, pretending I was the next KG-caliber player for the Timberwolves. Although my basketball career never reached the levels of being an NBA superstar, I am very proud of the things I accomplished and the places the game of basketball took me.
Through high school, I kept growing until I hit 6’10, and that height combined with hard (but sometimes directionless) work brought me attention from top universities in the Big Ten and around the country. One of my main motivations for working as a trainer now is the desire to teach young players what I have learned throughout my career. I look back and wish I knew a fraction of what I know now when I was younger.
After high school I attended the University of Wisconsin and played 5 years (with a redshirt season) under hall of fame coach Bo Ryan. The lessons I learned from him about basketball, as well as life in general, are invaluable and will continue to shape who I become as a man throughout my life.
After finishing college I was considered a potential NBA prospect. I worked out for over a dozen NBA teams and had a few express interest in drafting me. Unfortunately, I went undrafted and after playing for a few teams in the NBA Summer League, I took a deal overseas and went to play for two years in Belgium, two years in Italy, one in Japan, and one in Switzerland, with more experiences with NBA Summer League sprinkled in between.
Halfway through my career, I reconnected with Reid Ouse, who I had met years before when he worked Badger basketball camps when I was still in college. Reid was in the process of moving his business back to Minnesota after spending a few years out east working with some of the top basketball trainers in the industry, and I needed a trainer to work with in my off season.
Reid opened my eyes to a whole new world of skill training unlike anything I had done before. After struggling through our first couple workouts together, I started to grasp his concepts and I fell in love with the training process.
Fast forward to today, with a wife and two year old daughter, I made the decision to turn down offers to return to Europe and continue my professional playing career to stay home and build our training business with Reid. The opportunity to help young players develop and pass down the knowledge I’ve gained is a truly rewarding experience.
As we go forward, I’d love to share some of the many stories I’ve experienced through my career as we share high-level basketball content with you through our website to help you grow as players and coaches.
Stay tuned for more.
-Jared