DJ Sackmann is a world-renowned NBA expertise coach with tens of millions 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 considered one of six head coaches in Unrivaled, the brand new 3-on-3 ladies’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, after I obtained the decision for this, I used to be extraordinarily excited. I’ve been capable of spend offseasons working with [WNBA] gamers and obtained to grasp the event aspect of issues. After I obtained this, I simply checked out it as a chance to study from the very best ladies on the planet from my aspect of improvement, after which additionally be capable to assist them develop and work on their recreation all through the offseason.”
Unmatched, which can embody a minimum of 34 WNBA stars taking part in full-court 3-on-3 basketball, was co-founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart to supply gamers a chance to remain within the U.S. within the offseason and work on their video games somewhat 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 improvement: 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 crew at present comprised of 5 WNBA standouts, three of whom have been All-Stars. Collier, the 2024 Defensive Participant of the 12 months, 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 area. However, Sackmann is very regarded for his power in participant improvement.
“He’s in all probability the very best at having the ability to describe what he’s instructing,” mentioned Harrington, one other Unmatched head coach. “He’s such an outstanding speaker and instructor.”
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 discovered extra watching DJ in a single week than I might have presumably imagined.”
For Sackmann, Unmatched will function an official entry level into the WNBA area. He hopes he’ll be capable to leverage his intensive participant improvement background to affect the ladies, whereas additionally taking classes away from the expertise to enhance as a coach himself.
“Seeing what that course of actually appears to be like like from a improvement standpoint — what they’re doing within the weight room, how they strategy observe, and the way they’re approaching simply their total professionalism, after which having the ability to take that and go it all the way down to the youthful era,” he mentioned. “I spend a number of time yearly with youthful highschool, high-level basketball gamers. With the ability to go that all the way down to among the younger ladies 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 Unrivaled head coaches. You can even examine Andrew Wade, a former sports activities blogger and faculty hooper turned participant improvement specialist.
