DJ Sackmann is a world-renowned NBA abilities coach with thousands and thousands of social media followers — and intensive expertise working with stars. In 2018, he based HoopStudy, one of many largest on-line basketball training corporations on the planet, and he’s hosted basketball coaching occasions in international locations across the globe.
Now, he’ll be one in all six head coaches in Unmatched, the brand new 3-on-3 girls’s skilled basketball league set to start in Miami in January.
“I’ve all the time been a fan of the WNBA,” Sackmann mentioned. “So, once I received the decision for this, I used to be extraordinarily excited. I’ve been capable of spend offseasons working with [WNBA] gamers and received to know the event aspect of issues. Once I received this, I simply checked out it as a possibility to be taught from one of the best girls on the planet from my aspect of growth, after which additionally be capable of assist them develop and work on their recreation all through the offseason.”
Unmatched, which can embrace at the very least 34 WNBA stars enjoying full-court 3-on-3 basketball, was co-founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart to supply gamers a possibility to remain within the U.S. within the offseason and work on their video games relatively than needing to go abroad.
With that in thoughts, Unmatched’s president — Collier’s husband, Alex Bazzell — recruited coaches with a breadth of expertise in participant growth: former Chicago Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon, longtime NBA assistant Phil Helpful, present Washington Mystics assistant Andrew Wade, and former Brooklyn Nets assistant Adam Harrington.
Sackmann mentioned he already has relationships with Weatherspoon and Helpful, amongst others — and that he relishes the chance to work carefully with them.
“I’ll simply bounce concepts off them, and assist me handle this new area,” he mentioned.
For Unmatched, Sackmann will coach the Lunar Owls Membership, a group presently comprised of 5 WNBA standouts, three of whom have been All-Stars. Collier, the 2024 Defensive Participant of the Yr, headlines the roster.
Lunar Owls Gamers: Skylar Diggins-Smith (Seattle Storm), Allisha Grey (Atlanta Dream), Natasha Cloud (Phoenix Mercury), Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Shakira Austin (Washington Mystics), Wildcard
Different head coaches within the Unmatched combine have extra expertise working with precise groups and within the WNBA enviornment. However, Sackmann is extremely regarded for his power in participant growth.
“He’s in all probability one of the best at with the ability to describe what he’s educating,” mentioned Harrington, one other Unmatched head coach. “He’s such an outstanding speaker and trainer.”
Tom Crean, the top coach of the Indiana Hoosiers, equally gushed about Sackmann’s affect in his web site’s testimony.
“I’m 51,” Crean mentioned. “I’ve been a head coach for 18 years, and I’ve realized extra watching DJ in a single week than I might have probably imagined.”
For Sackmann, Unmatched will function an official entry level into the WNBA area. He hopes he’ll be capable of leverage his intensive participant growth background to affect the ladies, whereas additionally taking classes away from the expertise to enhance as a coach himself.
“Seeing what that course of really seems like from a growth standpoint — what they’re doing within the weight room, how they method follow, and the way they’re approaching simply their total professionalism, after which with the ability to take that and cross it right down to the youthful era,” he mentioned. “I spend a whole lot of time yearly with youthful highschool, high-level basketball gamers. With the ability to cross that right down to among the younger girls who I’m working with goes to be an incredible add-on to me as a coach.”
This text is a part of a sequence that includes the six Unmatched head coaches. You may as well examine Andrew Wade, a former sports activities blogger and school hooper turned participant growth specialist.
