Always 100 Takes Players To The Next Level
Commentary
By Keith Edmonds
ALWAYS100 is an organization that was formed and designed to give our youth, and more specifically young ladies, an avenue to train, develop and hone the basketball talents of our young people ages 7-17. What this organization has done for the lives of hundreds of players is given them an opportunity to take their talents “to the next level” all under the watchful eye of their CEO and founder Fort Wayne native Vernard Hollins. He designed Always100 to challenge young women and men to achieve athletic excellence, which in turn fosters self-confidence, leadership and personal growth. ALWAYS 100s motto: “Give 100% at all times with the focus being to help kids remain active and productive which in turn keeps them focused on positivity and not negativity.”
Vernard Hollins is a record-setting graduate of Northside High School product who later attended Wright State University. He played professional basketball in several countries overseas but had an eye on returning to Fort Wayne to begin his vision of helping our youth improve in the game. His experience as a player has helped him become one of the top trainers in the country.
In the summer of 2011, Always 100, Inc., was established as a non-profit organization that fueled the passion and vigor needed to develop the “Always 100 Basketball Academy”, which conducts pro-level, high-intensity group and individual workouts with area youth and high school teams. Hollis’ autobiography, The Disease Didn’t Kill the Dream, is a tribute to his father Tharnell Hollins (who served as a mentor and football coach in the Metro Sports organization), and he has been a featured motivational speaker at various youth conferences and forums throughout the Midwest.
Hollins’ ultimate goal is to continue allowing an exceptional basketball experience with minimal costs or obligations to parents of our area youth. Always100 puts skill packages together that cater to the specific needs of each individual player or team.
When asked how the vision of Always100 started Hollins response: “I continually saw the need for fundamentals and basic basketball principles needing to be taught especially to our young girls. Since I was given the opportunity to see what training and conditioning did for me as a collegiate and professional player, I made it my mission to give back once my playing days were done.”
The Always100 team consists of area coaches and former players who are dedicated to supporting the vision, values and guidance of Always100 and are allowed to not only train and teach basketball fundamentals to over 500 players who are a part of the program, but to form teams and coach them in age/class level events all over the country. Teams compete as AAU traveling teams; the top three squads are sponsored by Adidas and placed in many of the nations featured hoops events through-out the country. This not only challenges them as players, Hollins said, but it also gives them the opportunity to be seen and recruited either through “live” events or “streamed” online by the nation’s top collegiate programs and coaches.
There are many different ways to be part of the Always100 organization which branches out through camps, individualized instruction, group instruction, school instruction, academy (ages 5 on up) or team play. Hollins has dedicated himself to making this one of the top training and basketball fundamentals. This organization has pushed out some of the top local talent on the girls AND boys side as players such as Karissa McLaughlin, (Homestead & Purdue) V.J. Beachem (New Haven & Notre Dame) and Caleb Swannigan (Homestead & Portland Trailblazers) all have sharpened their crafts in the Always100 organization. They are the truest evidence as to what this organization can do for young student athletes.
It’s an understatement to say this organization will challenge your son/daughter through rigorous training and conditioning. The rewards are tremendous, but the work must be done if any success is experienced. Always100 fulfills what’s needed for our youth to gain an overall sense of self-confidence through athletic achievement and has firmly placed its stamp on our city.
This observer believes Always100 will continue to be a force that guides, encourages and directs our young people towards sustainable success, thus not allowing the diseases of negativity and discouragement kill their dreams.