About Us
The idea and vision for the academy was actually conceived about five years ago when Dave Jamerson (former NBA player and first round draft pick) and Ed Schilling (Executive Director of Champions Academy) performed a clinic in Vilnus, Lithuania, at the Sarunas Marciulionius Basketball School. Upon entering the gymnasium, both men were taken back by the 500 or so players sitting around the edge of the court eagerly awaiting their arrival.
Throughout the clinic, several things became profoundly clear about the Lithuanian culture surrounding the game of basketball. Firstly, how absolutely passionate those players were about learning and getting better. Every drill demonstrated was watched with intense concentration and then done with 100% effort. At that point, Dave and Ed agreed in summation that it was no wonder that the basketball world was catching up to the United States.
The second thing that instantly stood out was how fundamentally sound those players were at a young age. This was the case, in large part, because of the two hour skill development training that they were receiving almost everyday from dedicated coaches. This stood out in stark contrast to so much of what had been seen at the grass roots level in the United States. After the conducting the clinic that day, Ed recalls the defining moment that years later would shape and impact their future as well as many others, "As Dave and I walked back to our hotel room that night, a burning passion ignited in our hearts to establish a basketball academy in our nation.
Today, an exciting opportunity stands before Ed Schilling and his staff at Champions Academy. In an era where fundamentals in the game of basketball have steadily declined and together we are on a mission to build the skills of every player we see. By the fall of 2007 we will have a nine court, 18 acre, state of the art facility (to be called Pro Action Arena) that we believe will be a destination spot for countless basketball devotees not only from the state of Indiana, but also from the country and even around the world.
Until then we have a fantastic temporary spot that features the floor used in the World Championships at the RCA Dome in Indy and six glass basketball goals on a regulation size floor. The temporary spot located on the North West side of Indianapolis is being exclusively used by Champions Academy to train over 80 players a week. This training has included over 800 players and even $3000 in scholarship training has been given since 2005.
We would like to thank all who have supported this vision of developing and honing the leadership qualities of every young man and woman who passionately pursues their basketball dreams and seeks to improve in skill development through the Champions Academy. Also a big thank you to those of you have donated money, time and labor to collectively make Champions Academy what it is today. Although we still have much to do, we excitedly anticipate the progress and growth of our Academy as well as the continual successes of our clients on and off the court.