The Elevation Way

An image of snow-covered mountains reflected in a calm lake.

Elevation Basketball is defined and driven by a core set of convictions. To help you understand what we're all about, we're happy to share that we believe...

...that team sports offer remarkable, often life-changing benefits for young people.

The work. The commitment. The earning and sharing. The humility. These are the makings of a good player and a good person!

...that basketball is defined by an ideal blend of team principles and individual excellence.

There’s a lot of room in this sport for individual standout performers. But no one ever won anything that mattered on his or her own. Not Sue Bird. Not Michael Jordan. Not Caitlin Clark. Not Steph Curry. We’re a team-first program because it’s the right way to play the game and the right way to live our lives.

…that learning how to be a great teammate is the most important thing any young person gets out of being a part of—and truly committing to—a team.

There's simply no substitute for learning how to be a part of something bigger. We spend a lot of effort helping our players identify and exemplify the traits of an ideal teammate.

…that age-appropriate skill development and athletic development are two sides of the same coin.

Both are essential dimensions of playing the game competitively. Both will get substantial attention in our program.

...that young people who love basketball should also play other sports and enjoy non-sporting activities such as the visual or performing arts.

We explicitly discourage our athletes from playing competitive basketball year-round. For a long list of mental, emotional, and physiological reasons, kids need variety. And they need some rest!

…that a student-athlete’s primary commitment during an interscholastic season should be to her in-season, school-based team.

Elevation Basketball is a complement to middle school and high school basketball, not a replacement for them. We fully support and respect athletes' commitments to their school-based teams during all seasons. We encourage other club programs to match Elevation’s commitment to this important principle.

...that basketball is more fun when you’re good at it.

From the start of his coaching career in 2001, Coach Price has been saying “If we aren’t having fun, we’re doing it wrong.” But let’s be honest: It’s more fun to be competent. It’s more fun to be competitive. And yes, it’s more fun to win. But winning isn’t the point. Winning is a byproduct of doing other things the right way: working diligently at your craft; understanding your interests and those of the team as fundamentally the same; and trusting in the long-term power of compound returns through developing the skills and smarts of a true hooper.

…that the most important results our program produces won’t be stats or wins or scholarships or titles.

Instead, we’ll measure our success by the many ways in which the young women who participate in our program contribute to their families, workplaces, and communities after they leave Elevation Basketball.