Brenda Stewart Clevidence played basketball for the Streaks in the 1980's. She and her teammates were confronted with a very tough situation. As part of budget cuts, District #205 eliminated all JH sports when she and her teammates were in JH. When they arrived at GHS, they were playing their first games vs. teams who had played 40-50 games.
Brenda and her group were among the first to commit to playing in the off-season. They attended summer camps. Summer leagues were played at the Carver Center, and we took trips to Maine West to play. They were invested in playing and improving.
Brenda was one of the first to really work on her game in the summer. She was willing to invest hours on her own to elevate her game. I am convinced her work ethic and commitment to self-improvement helped to change our basketball program. Her approach changed our culture at GHS. It was a first step, but an important step- Players investing in skill development in the off-season. Without a doubt, this has been the most important component of our program, and it started with Brenda.
Since 2022, Brenda has owned an "I'm Possible Basketball" Training facility in Madison, Wisconsin. It is an impressive facility with an impressive staff. I wanted to reach out and talk to her about what she has been doing.
Massey- When I heard you had opened a basketball training facility, I really was not surprised. Your approach to basketball in high school was extraordinary. She were into skill development in the 1980's. You would have loved having the opportunity to go to a place like the one you have created. How did it all come about?
Brenda- I often wonder how I ended up owning a basketball training facility but I guess at my core I was always a gym rat. I loved being in the gym practicing, lifting weights, team practices or getting up shots at my parents’ house. When I was in high school, I was always happiest playing basketball. I have great memories of high school basketball, especially of my wonderful teammates I played with – Jane Albright, Marcy Hungate, Penny Riley, Linda Carlson, Shannon Johnson, Alicia Brannon, Lisa Williams – and many others. Our team was not successful in the way the GHS girl’s basketball is now known – but I like to think this group and those before me really started the culture that carried on. We were friends, we cared about each other and we worked hard.
Massey- What do you remember about you high school off-seasons?
Brenda- My high school class had the first year of the “daily dozen” skills we did each day in the summer. We also traveled to Maine West as a team to our first summer basketball tournament before my Junior year. I think we lost every game but we had a lot of fun. It was a great bonding experience.
Massey- Can you share what you did after you graduated from GHS?
Brenda- After GHS I played basketball for two years at Carl Sandburg College and then a year at Northeast Missouri State. I had a major ligament tear in my ankle at that time and had to stop playing basketball at a higher level. After Northeast Missouri State I transferred to the University of Illinois at Chicago where I earned undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Economics and my Master’s Degree in Biostatistics. After school I worked as a statistical consultant and data analyst for 20+ years.
Massey- I know your children have been very involved in athletics. Tell me about them.
Brenda- In 1991, I married Derek Clevidence (from Galesburg) and we had two kids Brett and Emily. I coached both of my kids in basketball when they were young and continued coaching AAU & travel basketball for my daughter as she got older. My son ran track at University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee where he was a hurdler and a javelin thrower. My daughter is currently playing basketball at Millikin University in Decatur. I am very grateful for two healthy kids and all of the fun experiences I’ve had watching them play sports and grow into amazing, capable people.
Massey- How were you impacted by your son and daughter's youth experiences?
Brenda- The experiences my kids had in youth sports started my journey towards where I am today. While I was able to coach my kids and protect them in many ways, I know many kids & families did not have great youth sports experiences. Many of the other coaches I worked with or coached against had no playing experience, did not understand how to develop a basketball player or how to work with young kids. I witnessed a lot of negative situations both from a basketball skills standpoint as well as the way kids were treated. It was hard for me to watch bad basketball being taught. But it was even harder for me to see the negative environment that was growing in youth sports – particularly AAU.
Massey- I am assuming some of the negative experience you saw in youth sports led you to want to get involved in skill development programs?
Brenda- In observing youth basketball, I felt that real skill development was something missing in today’s youth basketball culture. The basketball community already had a lot of live play, a lot of team opportunities but no place to focus on skill development. In 2022, an opportunity presented itself for me to open an I’m Possible Basketball training facility. My facility focuses only on skill development and all of my trainers are professionally certified basketball trainers through Micah Lancaster. Micah owns I’m Possible training and is one of the top basketball trainers in the world. He has worked with many NBA players & teams over the years. I can attribute my desire to have kids acquire real skills directly back to my experience playing basketball at GHS. I always considered myself lucky to play for a coach/system that taught the fundamentals of basketball. And, I’m Possible focuses on fundamental skill training.
Massey- What attracted you to the "I'm Possible Training program in particular?
Brenda- I’ve always been attracted to the idea of continuous improvement. It was how I behaved as a player, how I try to live my life and I’m Possible was the perfect vehicle for me to share that with young hoopers. One of my primary values for my gym is creating a safe place to fail. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or a professional there is always a weakness to identify and a way to get better. This is another reason I was attracted to affiliating with I’m Possible when I opened my facility. I’m Possible has a deeply rooted philosophy celebrating mistakes and turning your weaknesses into strengths. I feel like this is something that is missing from youth sports.
Massey- Tell me about your program.
Brenda- My gym is located in Madison, Wisconsin and we have served over 300 kids since March 2022. We offer basketball camps, large group training and personal basketball training. Most players choose Personal Training (small group training)where they work with 2-5 players at a time focusing on foot work, explosiveness, timing, and many other intangible skills of the game. We use video feedback so players can see in real time where they need work. The other unique aspect of our training is players get access to our Real Skills app. The app has a checklist of 700+ basketball skills. It’s great for anyone wanting to work on their own! You can see what our gym & training looks like on our website or Instagram.
@possibletrainingwisconsin (Instagram)
Massey- How rewarding has it been for you?
Brenda- I’ve learned a lot since opening my gym – it’s been very hard work but extremely rewarding. I’ve enjoyed the fun perks of working with some of the Wisconsin Badger Basketball team. My head trainer has worked with a few professional players. We’ve had some of our players earn Scoring Titles, All-State honors, and one team we trained even won a state championship last year. As a basketball lover I’m blessed that I get to be exposed to high level basketball. It’s amazing. But, the most rewarding experiences I’ve had as a gym owner has been seeing the transformations we’ve made in the lives of kids. I’ve had parents telling me how horrible their basketball experience has been and they’ve been desperate to find a safe place for their kid to play basketball. We often hear how the gym is an important part of their family and it has really helped their kid’s self-esteem. I love offering great training but I’m most proud of the positive relationships we are building with our families.
Massey- What you are doing is so impressive. It is not surprising that you would create a place to help young people learn to love basketball and work to improve their games. I had always hoped that I could figure out a way to have one of our teams go for a workout but I didn't get the job done. Maybe in the coming years they can make it up.
Brenda- Thank you again for the opportunity to participate in your blog. I’m very proud to have been part of the GHS girls basketball program. Wishing the Streaks many years of continued success.
No comments:
Post a Comment