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HTS & Train to Perform Partner for 19/20 Season

Holy Trinity School Basketball Academy is going from strength to strength, quite literally!

In September 2019, the HTS basketball programme will welcome Train to Perform – who will be conducting the strength & conditioning programmes for our academy students. Having previously worked with Surrey Scorchers in the BBL and leading on the physical profiling & fitness testing for Deng Camp UK, Train to Perform joins the programme with a pedigree in game to match the vision of high calibre delivery at HTS. 

Head Coach Daniel Hildreth said, “The support we get from the Senior Leadership Team at the school is second to none. They have the same vision as us: to create the best opportunities for our students and, in doing so, aiming to bring in the best support to do just that.” 

With the introduction of National Team coach Barney Blake this year, the ever increasing staff list just goes to show the quality and aspirations of the programme. 

Coach Hildreth continued, “We genuinely feel that we have created a programme that has the potential to compete with the elite academies up and down the country. We have a club that runs from u8 all the way up to u19 academy basketball, which means we are able to develop home grown players and give them the opportunity to play at the highest level here in Sussex. We have been successful doing this over the years, but we are always looking to improve. Bringing Train to Perform on board is a huge step for our programme, for both the school and the club, and I’m delighted that we’ll have them working with our students from September.”

Train to Perform is lead by Liam Mitchell, who has just returned from Tokyo with the Great Britain Sailing team as they prepare for their Olympic campaign next year. Liam has also spent time with the prestigious English Institute of Sport, before working with the RFU supporting the England Rugby 7s program. The ex-BBL basketball player comes with a wealth of knowledge not only in the strength & conditioning industry, but also the specific requirements of elite level basketball. Investing in new state of the art equipment will assist with this process.

Liam said, “I’m really excited to be working alongside Holy Trinity School and Storm Basketball Club. These guys have already put a fantastic programme in place for the players, and having the opportunity to be involved in this is something I know will have an even bigger impact to their success.” 

“I was born and raised in Sussex,” Liam added, “so I am really proud to be part of one of the best junior programmes in the country and will do what I can to keep supporting players from Sussex to compete at the highest level.”​

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Coaching Announcements

With Storm Basketball Club growing so quickly, we’ve been fortunate enough to secure 6 new coaches for the upcoming season. Ian Berry, Michael Kwentoh, Freddie Winton, Denny Burling, Keanu Kellett & Mark Chiang will all be joining our coaching ranks, further growing and developing our workforce across the Local League, National League and Foundation programmes.

Ian & Michael will be joining our Sussex Storm National League programme and come with a wealth of experience coaching at various levels across London. Having played NBL Division One last year for Hemel Storm, Ian is a product of Sussex basketball, having played for the programme when it was known as Brighton Bears, before moving to London & working with Greenhouse Sports. Michael runs Chiswick Gators, a successful local league programme operating in West London. He also has a wealth of National League coaching experience having previously helped NASSA to a Final Four appearance in 2013, while more recently working with Richmond Knights. In addition, Michael is a nationally respected referee who has officiated at the highest levels of National League.

Denny, Keanu & Freddie are Crawley basketball alumni, having come through the Local League, National League and Academy systems themselves, and they are now coming back to the club to give back to invest in the future. All are currently involved in the Summer Term of Battle of the Borough (BotB), and moving forwards the trio will be heavily involved in the Crawley Storm Local League programme, while Freddie will also be working for the Storm Basketball Foundation within schools in the area.

Mark has also been involved in the Summer Term of BotB as one of our new and developing coaches, with a background playing as a junior in Eastbourne.

National League Head Coach, Daniel Hildreth said: “This is great for our club, to not only increase the number of coaches in our programme, but also the quality that we can offer our kids. It is really encouraging that a number of the coaches are returning to give back to a club they once played for. We anticipate more coaching development opportunities coming soon.”

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Storm Basketball Foundation Launches

The Storm Basketball Foundation will be our new community programme focused on growing participation from a younger age, in Crawley and the surrounding areas. 

The Foundation will deliver after-school clubs to the majority of the secondary schools in Crawley and will run a number of Breakfast clubs, curriculum time session, lunchtime clubs & after-school sessions at the local primary schools. 

Karl Youngman will take lead on the Foundation assisted by Jordan Richards, and will be delivering regular holiday camps, primary & secondary schools leagues/tournaments, community sessions & the ‘Battle of the Borough’; a new mini-basketball league aimed at 7-9-year-olds, putting the neighbourhoods of Crawley against each-other. 

“This is something that I’ve wanted to have running in Crawley for a long time, even back to the early days of Crawley Cagers. I’ve seen the massive impact that South Coast Elite has had on players in Brighton, and it’s inspired me, even more, to get something running here. I’ve got a lot of respect for Tom Ward, he’s done an amazing job with SCE. Tom’s given me a lot of guidance about how to run the foundation as effectively as possible,” said Karl. ​

He continued, “I’m glad to have Jordan onboard, and I think together we can make a real difference in the area. The ultimate goal is to get all schools regularly playing basketball, from as young as possible. The area has proved to be a hotspot for talent in the last 10 years, and we have only just scratched the surface. I’m excited to see what we can do next.”

Jordan said; “After working with a mix of players in Crawley last year, I’m incredibly excited to get started with the Foundation. The players from Crawley are incredibly hard working and bring a unique attitude to the sport. Last year I worked for SCE running schools sessions and being involved in camps, and I can’t wait to bring that experience into the Crawley area.”

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Hildreth Joins HTS

​The Holy Trinity School, rich in basketball history and numerous National titles, has made a huge step in the continuing development of the already outstanding programme. Over a number of years basketball has had a huge impact on the school, its students and the effect it has in the community.

With the programme developing each year it was essential to build in terms of contact time with the pupils and the quality of the programme. The school is delighted to announce the recent appointment of ex-professional and National League coach Daniel Hildreth to play an integral part of the process moving forward. 

Hildreth played many years as a professional in the UK’s top flight league alongside playing and coaching Senior National League Division One where he won many awards. Having represented England Universities, played in a BBL All-Star game and won many National titles as a player,  Daniel has recently won his 2nd Junior National Championship as a coach. Currently National League Head Coach of Sussex Storm Basketball Club, Daniel leads the U16 Premier team alongside mentoring the other coaches within the club. 

With his wealth of experience and success at both senior and junior level, and now a priority of Sixth Form involvement, the hope is to continue bringing in the very best players in the county to study alongside a fantastic basketball programme.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Hildreth, “I’ve been speaking with Karl about this for nearly 2 years now, about how we can incorporate our very successful National League programme with an educational institution.”

“What is and has always been vital to me is player development for both boys and girls, providing opportunity through a natural pathway from primary school, through to National senior basketball. The school is so supportive of the programme as it appreciates the massive benefits it has on its students. I’m just ready to get started now and see what the future brings.”

The combination of of Hildreth & Youngman now ensures that all students at Holy Trinity School will be receiving top class coaching everyday. Entering both boys and girls teams at all age groups is something that very few other schools do in the whole country, and with the addition of another top level coach – that is exactly what Trinity are now able to do.

It is an exciting time for all involved and the man behind it all, Karl Youngman, had this to say, “It feels like when LeBron joined D-Wade in Miami. This is a massive step forward for the programme, and means we can offer a lot more to all of the students. We will be looking to start a girls programme from the get go and I’m really excited to see what we can do together.”

Hildreth has already been working with some of the students as the school programme now really gets underway!