WOLVERINE BASKETBALL ACADEMY LLC

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Melick Russell has a passion for basketball.  This passion had him create the Wolverine Basketball Academy.  He founded this Program to help girls gain the necessary skills to master the game of basketball.

 

He wants the girls to be skilled-oriented and CONFIDENT!
 
In his program he focuses on growth, and building the program slow and steady. He has been encouraged by the talent he’s seen and worked with. In 2018, his junior NBA team, (the only one in South Dakota), took third place at the 10-state Central Region tournament in Kansas City.
 
His teams have also won various tournaments, including Willie Mac 2018 (Sioux Falls SD)  and Kearney Blowout 2018 (Kearney NE). His teams have also placed in the Top 3 of various tournaments around the country! These include the Jr NBA (Lawrence KS) in 2018, Battle for the Arch (St. Louis MO) and The Reebok World Championships (Kansas City MO) in 2019!
 

In 2020 the Wolverines went 3 for 3 in having ALL 3 senior girls being  heavily recruited  from across the country, to be being offered by numerous college's!  A 100% success rate! 
 
Coach Russell believes in QUALITY over Quantity, and because he only has 2 teams of differing ages he is able to focus on the skills, education and basketball IQ of EACH individual girl and create a plan that works for that specific girl. 

This includes: personal training, team training, making highlight videos, and help with college recruiting.

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"I don't talk about having 20 plus AAU teams that i can not personally manage. I have ONE Varsity team. My program is just as good and in a lot of cases better, and they aren't losing quality due to a much less expensive program. I want our girl's to be taken seriously and judged on their merits, not just lumped into they're just another AAU."
  
Ultimately, he wants girls to see college basketball scholarships as a reality.
 
“I have a network that includes numerous college coaches,” he said. “They are paying attention to the talent I work with.”

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One Parent is quoted as saying, “He will help you improve, and he’s always positive with his players.”

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