Academy Rewards: Hoop sessions aimed at building skill, fun
FREEPORT — Grace Soilis sees it as a badge of honor.
Finishing one of Ron McNabb's grueling basketball shooting drills.
A drill called “Xavier” is one of the toughest, and the Freeport sophomore struggled with it in the eighth grade when she began going to the Pittsburgh Basketball Academy run by McNabb, who is also the head boys basketball coach at Knoch.
She can complete it now with varying regularity. Other drills, she is still trying to master.
It's all in the pursuit of getting better.
She and approximately 59 other players of differing ages and skills seek out McNabb's help at his academy, which is now flourishing at the old Freeport middle school.
What keeps players coming back goes beyond the court.
“He's probably one of the best people I know,” Soilis said of McNabb. “Sometimes, I have bad days, but he always has a funny comment to say to you. By the end of the day, you are out of the bad mood you're in when you came in the door. He always makes everything better.”
That's the aim of McNabb, who tries to make the approximately 90-minute daily sessions as fun as they are challenging.
“It's nice because these kids really want to get better and they really want to be in the gym,” McNabb said. “Every kid that I work with — and I work with a lot — they are a pleasure to be around.
“There's zero yelling and screaming. There's no yelling for them to work harder,” McNabb added. “We challenge them. They challenge each other and that's what makes them better.”
McNabb trains middle school kids all the way up to college-age players.
He's had several dynamic players come through his academy.Dominick Robb, a North Catholic High School and Niagara University graduate is one of them.Robb is playing professionally in Portugal and has spent the last two years with McNabb.It's the beginners, though, who have a special place for McNabb.“You can see their confidence grow each day,” he said. “They come in and they are a little leery and nervous at first, but 20 minutes into the workout they're having a good time.“When the summer ends and some of these kids go off to their middle-school seasons, I try to go see them play. It's a great source of pride to see these kids playing and really enjoying the game.”McNabb was a star at Valley during his high school playing days, helping the team to a state title as the point guard in 1979.He still holds the Valley career assist record.McNabb was also a standout at Indiana (Pa.) University and is in that school's hall of fame, as well as the A-K Valley hall.McNabb has been a coach for more than two decades, getting his first job at the age of 23 at Valley. He's been the Knoch boys coach since 2012.He ramped up his work at the Pittsburgh Basketball Academy when he retired from teaching in the South Butler School District.After some growing pains, the academy has taken off.It moved from Pittsburgh Mills to Freeport three months ago.North Catholic graduate Tess Myers is new to the academy, but has already found it to be beneficial.Myers helped the Trojanettes to four consecutive WPIAL championships and left as one of its top all-time scorers and players.She will play at Duquesne this winter.Myers goes to the academy nearly seven days a week.“Every time I go there, (McNabb) pushes me hard,” Myers said. “Off the court, he's always checking up on me, seeing how I'm doing. He really cares about you. That's something I've gained the most.”Also, Myers has seen gains on the court as she prepares for her career with the Dukes.“Every day, no lie, I feel like is a challenge,” she said. “Not only does he push you with skill work, but a lot of his shooting drills are also conditioning drills. I feel like he's preparing me for Duquesne with conditioning while touching the ball at the same time.“There's never a day I leave and my shirt isn't drenched.”McNabb has also been careful to follow COVID-19 protocols.Between each session, he cleans thoroughly to prepare for the next groups, which he keeps small.Myers said the academy has been a lifeline for her during coronavirus restrictions.“I was just working outside,” she said. “There's nothing like being in a gym.”That's McNabb's philosophy, too.Basketball is in his blood.“We try to keep it fresh and not do the same thing all the time,” McNabb said. “It's closely related to what happens in a game — a lot of quick moves and a lot of passing and shooting. I think we've been pretty successful.”
