Now in its ninth year, the organization Always 100, fueled by the visions of CEO Vernard Hollins, is continuing to develop the basketball skills and knowledge of area young people. The primary goal continues to be: “We want to provide a platform for girls’ basketball and the thriving talent within our city and state.”
Always 100 is an organization that was formed and designed to give our youth (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 Hollins, a Fort Wayne native.
He designed Always 100 to challenge and achieve athletic excellence which in turn fosters self confidence, leadership and personal growth. Their motto is: “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.”
Hollins, the record-setting graduate of North Side High School and Wright State University, is the visionary behind Always 100, and after successfully competing in professional basketball overseas, returned to Fort Wayne with an eye towards helping our youth improve in the game which did so much for him as a player and helped him become one of the top trainers in the country.
In the summer of 2011, Always 100, Inc. was launched by Hollins as a non-profit organization which “fueled the passion and vigor” needed to develop the “Always 100 Basketball Academy,” which conducts high-intensity group and individual workouts with area players (of all levels) and high school teams. His book: The Disease Didn’t Kill the Dream was a tribute to his father Tharnell Hollins, who served as a mentor and area football/basketball coach for many of those of us connected to this organization today. And Hollins shows that same passion to help our young people that his father did. He has been a featured motivational speaker at various youth conferences and forums throughout the country and is a sought-after trainer for many of the nation’s top clinics and forums.
Vernard remains committed to his ultimate goal to “Continue growing the “basketball experience” for young people with minimal costs or obligations to parents.” Always 100 provides and puts skill packages together that cater to the specific needs of each individual player or teams and has now grown to over 30 girls travel teams that are in action through-out the year.
When asked how the vision of Always100 started Hollins response was: “I continually saw the need for fundamentals and basic basketball principles needing to be taught especially to our young girls, and 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 Always 100 team consists of area coaches, former players and people who are dedicated to supporting the vision, values and guidance of Always100. Those involved with the organization are allowed to not only train and teach basketball fundamentals to over 500 players who are a part of the program, (in various capacities) but to form teams and coach them in age/class level events all over the country. Teams compete as AAU traveling teams and the top 3 teams are sponsored by Adidas and placed in many of the nation’s top hoops events through-out the country. This not only challenges them as players but 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 a part of the Always100 organization which branches out through camps, individualized instruction, group instruction, school instruction, academy, (ages 5-17) or team play. Hollins has dedicated himself to making this one of the top training and basketball fundamental venues in the country and this organization has pushed out some of the top national & local talent on the girls AND boys’ side. Players such as Rashaya Kyle (Marion HS & Purdue University), V.J. Beachem (New Haven HS & Notre Dame), Sydney Freeman (Central Noble HS & Ball State University) and Caleb Swanigan (Homestead HS & Sacramento Kings), as well as many others in our area, have all sharpened their crafts in the Always 100 organization and are true testimonies’ as to what this organization can do for your budding young student/athlete.
I am fortunate to be a part of this organization as a coach, trainer, and AAU Director and to say this organization will challenge your son/daughter through rigorous training, conditioning and basketball principles is a huge understatement.
The collegiate players that come back to assist along with current and aspiring coaches and many others that have become a part of this organization, share wisdom, knowledge and expertise to hundreds of young people who want to become the “best version of their basketball selves” that they can become. The rewards from time spent in this organization’s academy, individual sessions, or team play is invaluable but the work must be done before any success is attained.
Always 100 fulfills what’s needed for our youth to gain confidence through athletic achievement and has firmly placed its stamp in our city as a much-needed commodity to push our young people forward towards not only athletic success but given them the confidence needed to achieve personal success as well. Always. 100 has firmly established its roots in our community and with Vernard Hollins at the helm, will continue to be a force that guides, encourages, and directs our young people towards sustainable success.
As their website states: “Vernard Hollins goals for Always 100 are to be the example of hard work, dedication, and character while exposing athletes to the best opportunities to play the game that he has dedicated his entire life to: Basketball! Keep it 100, Give it 100, Always100!“
Keith Edmonds is a 32-year veteran of teaching and school administration from Fort Wayne. He coached boys high school basketball as an assistant at Snider High School, North Side High School and was the head boys basketball coach at Elmhurst High School for 12 years, advancing to the Class 3A State championship in 2003. Courtside with Coach Edmonds will appear every Wednesday during basketball season at Outside the Huddle. These opinions represent those of the writer. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers.
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