Players and coaches always get a chance to shine on Basketball Spotlight but we never hear from the guys that actually orchestrate the AAU process. Therefore we created From The Director’s Desk to give program directors a shot at expressing themselves.From The Director’s Desk Feat: Terrence “Munch” Williams (Team Scan)
BS:What was your goal when you started Team Scan?
TW: Our goal was to create a nurturing and holistic environment that challenges the stereotype of what basketball programs face today. We wanted to not only change the perception of the coaches, but also the image of the student-athletes. Our desire was to establish a program whereby those leading the youth (coaches, trainers, directors) were valued as role-models more for their work and integrity, rather than the laundry list of tournaments in which they played. We have built a program that focused on their overall development both in the classroom and on the court and cared less about the rankings of players. Team SCAN provides a safe haven for adolescents to feel like it's just as cool to pick up a book as it is a ball.
BS: Where do you see Team SCAN in the next 5 years?
TW: In five years, we expect Team SCAN to grow into an organization that is known for developing high caliber student-athletes and grooming them to be college ready; scholastically, socially and athletically. Being known as a program that teaches our kids how to play the game the right way and having an appreciation for their educational opportunities are very important to us.
BS: What are some of your programs biggest achievements since its inception?
TW: It has been very rewarding to see our student athletes succeed on and off the court in their school communities and be associated with their overall development. As an organization, we have worked hard to develop relationships with schools, our student athletes and their parents to provide school placement counseling (which includes brokering financial aid assistance), helping each child transition to their respective schools and maintaining a counseling/mentoring relationship with our kids. As a result, we have been able to successfully place over ninety percent of our student athletes into boarding and preparatory schools and have helped negotiate over $1.2 million dollars a year in financial aid/tuition assistance.
BS: If I had a son that’s just entering the AAU basketball scene, why should I choose Team Scan?
TW: Team SCAN is comprised of positive individuals who are well educated and take pride in helping the youth in their community. Our coaches serve as evidence that you can be successful regardless of your childhood obstacles and provide a safe and stable environment that offers academic, athletic and individual support. It is comforting to know that whether your child needs homework assistance, improvement in his skill set or is dealing with a personal issue, you can always count on Team SCAN to be there for your child. We are really a family, parents support games, we car pool, and the Team SCAN staff provides exemplary support in identifying prep schools that best fit the needs of your child and see them through the entire application process through high school graduation.
BS:You went from coaching one squad to directing a program in 3 short years, how did you make it happen?
TW:With any good team or organization, it all starts with finding the right people to be a part of the program. Without having people on board that understand the program's vision and goals, it would be impossible to grow a team as successful as SCAN.. We know that educational achievement is the fundamental key to a student’s success; therefore we offer tutoring and academic support services to ensure each of our youth have the foundation needed to achieve in a competitive class environment. Our program has developed the same way our students have developed - one step at a time. Children need time, energy, love, support, and opportunity to succeed. We look to offer all of these components to every child who enters our program; from our youngest being five year olds enrolled in our Saturday Skills camp to our 16U team. If you are developing youth in this kind of environment early in life, they learn valuable lessons about hard work, discipline, dedication, preparation and perseverance. When these messages are instilled in your daily language, your success is inevitable on and off the court.
BS: Discuss some of the challenges that come along with directing a big time program?
TW: Many of the challenges we face are no different from what any other program may face while building and maintaining their program in the NY area. Recruiting and maintaining your talent, developing your players and managing the egos and personal interests of your players and parents are all a part of the territory when dealing with any AAU Program.
Operationally, we face a lot challenges when it comes to scheduling because we also deal with our player’s academic and social development needs. In addition to developing competitive tournament schedules, we organize school visits, regularly check up on our players and their academic progress, and coordinate SSAT and SAT Prep tutoring sessions and will be developing our own comportment and financial literacy training.
BS: Right now you guys have Chris Mccullough a top 10 sophomore in the country; can you explain the task of managing a player of this magnitude?
TW: In our program, all of the kids are held to the same standard. They are expected to excel on and off the court. This means that they must be good citizens within their community as well as excellent students. We expect all of our players to work hard and it is important that they are coachable. These expectations apply to the first man on the bench as much as they do the 12th man on the bench, Chris is no exception.
Chris's level of responsibility for his actions is now heightened because of all the attention he is getting. He must be careful how he portrays himself via social networking sites, and we make sure to let him know that now everything he says is under a microscope. I have no doubt that Chris will be successful, he's a good kid, and if he continues down the road that he is on I know he will have a very successful basketball career.
