Basketball Paradise, LLC.

★★★★CP P

My kids did stints with Paradise and am very familiar with other travel programs. I'm convinced they teach the best fundamentals by far and really drill in playing/thinking for yourself. All the kids on our teams eventually made middle/high school teams (very competitive class 4A teams). Now a few caveats. We had coaches like Fran, Ryan, his brother, Scott, Eric - only Ryan is left so I can't speak to the newer coaches. To maximize value, your child needs to have a good level of athleticism (e.g., probably made the "A" team on other sports they played), otherwise it just won't be a good experience (I saw this time after time). Unlike the "we'll create a team no matter how bad it is" programs, Paradise truly will only field a team that can compete at least at a B level. They tell it like it is and many parents or kids simply can't take the direct feedback. Ryan is a great coach/teacher but felt he never truly connected with many parents (unlike Fran, Scott, or Eric). Definitely worth trying and seeing if you and your kid likes it.

★★★★★Ambition

I was extremely impressed with this organization. From the time management to the instruction is top notch. I attended one session with my 9 year old son and I was convinced! Basketball Paradise has an array of instructional expertise and knowledge. Furthermore, Ryan and his staff have a hands on professional approach and aren't afraid to hold their participants accountable. Therefore, all drills are explained in depth prior to and kids respond well to his directives. This is exactly what I have been seeking. I strongly recommend Basketball Paradise!

★★★★★Kevin Dunn

As a former coach, AD and now briefer on the recruiting process, you have to be open to an honest opinion. I tell parents all the time that you are suppose to believe that your kid is the best player around. All parents think their kid is a D1 player and they may not be. When we brought my daughter to the program we were told that she needed a lot of training before she could play with the teams. Keep in mind that she had never played basketball before. We told her that competition will always come your way and you have to be ready for it and work hard. She has practiced and worked hard to earn her spot at playing because of work ethic. I tell parents that during the recruiting process you can be your kids biggest enemy. When you take your kid out of a program because a coach doesn't think they are good enough, you make them believe it's okay to quit if it doesn't go your way. You had your kid try out at Paradise because you saw or heard something good about the program. If you think it's bad now, wait until you start the recruiting process with your kid. Try traveling to MS, FL, TX or from state to state and your kid does well at the camp, but the coach still doesn't think your kid is good enough. Remember Michael Jordan coach told him in H/S that he wasn't good enough to play on varsity. Bottom line, compete and everything else will fall in place. Best of luck to all your kids and I hope this will help you as well. Basketball Paradise is the place to be if you want to play at the next level.

★K I

We signed my son (5th grader) up for training before basketball season. We attended two practices and never returned. At both practices it was clear the coaches had their favorite players. The favorite players received the most training and were told constantly about their great abilities. My son along with about 5 others were sent to the other side of the gym to run drills with little to no instruction, and since they were not making every basket the balls would cross over into the other side of the gym. The coach got irate yelled at the kids and at one point pulled them together and had them sit and just watch the better players. The coach told my son and his group they are not going to make their school teams because they all sucked and told them to sit and watch the great players. My son was so discouraged, he completely gave up on basketball and to this day will not play. The coach was one of the owners. On a side note, our oldest son played 4 years of high school basketball, I have seen lots of basketball coaches, none as bad as this guy.

★Michelle Davis-Peters

Very obvious this organization takes money for try-outs, but clearly knows who's going to make the team BEFORE try-outs. They greet all "former players" by first names and previous parents and don't even acknowledge, much less "evaluate" new kids coming in. My son is 13, 6' tall and has made his school team every year, which is extremely competitive with the number of kids in the district. He played travel in between until the organization closed. This was one team he tried out for out of 3. He received 2 out of 3 offers. Guess which one didn't? This organization is a joke! Don't waste your time or money trying out. Most disgusting 2 hours ever. We knew 20 minutes after arriving, we were just there as a money maker for them. The coaches didn't even pay attention to my son. Yikes! Beware.