If you’re figuring out how to run a basketball training academy, Brandon Evans’ story is worth studying. He didn’t build Pro Standard the way most coaches imagine it — no polished facility, no climate control, no safety net. Just a 120-year-old warehouse in Fort Wayne, Indiana, sport court tiles that turned to ice in a humid summer, and a five-to-six month deadline to get it open.
Three years later, 40 to 60 athletes train there every week. The business runs on unlimited memberships starting at $250 a month. No-shows are rare. The schedule mostly books itself.
Here’s how to run a basketball training academy the way he does.
How a basketball training academy membership model actually works
Pro Standard runs two tiers. Standard is the anchor — unlimited access to all classes, shooting labs, camps, weekend leagues, and open gyms for $250 per month. Pay three months ahead and it drops to $230. Six months: $210. Twelve months: $175.
“Even the $250 a month — we focus a lot on providing as much value as we possibly can, to where they feel like that $250 is just a steal,” Brandon said.
The math works for athletes and families because they can train 20, 30, or 40 hours a week for a flat fee. At an hourly rate, that’s exponentially more expensive. The model came from a real problem: too many families were saying they wanted to train three or four times a week but couldn’t afford it at per-session pricing.
“We were charging like crazy amounts for some families. And I’m like — I don’t know.”
The switch to unlimited changed that math. For athletes who live far or play multiple sports, there’s a Credit membership — five sessions for $125, nine for $200. But Brandon pushes the Standard every time because frequency is what gets players better.
How does a trial session actually convert?
Anyone who finds Pro Standard through Instagram or the website sees one button: Book a trial class. The trial is $10.
It used to be free. Brandon changed it after watching free trial no-show rates stay high no matter what he tried — calls, texts, reminders. The moment $10 went on file, the dynamic shifted.
“They already have skin in the game. They’re invested. Even $10. Like, you put your card in and it’s on file now. You are invested.”
But the $10 alone didn’t fix it. The form behind the button routes families automatically to the right class based on age and skill level. A 10-year-old beginner goes to Foundations. An advanced 10-year-old goes to Rising Stars. No waiting for a callback. The booking happens in minutes.
The other piece: athletes can only book a trial three to four days out. No booking a week ahead. The closer the training is to the moment they decided they wanted it, the higher the chance they show up.
CoachIQ’s scheduling tools handle the routing, reminders, and booking flow that makes this system run without manual work from the staff. After the trial, Brandon’s manager Chase calls the next morning — not the same day — and walks the family through membership options.
Why individual sessions don’t work in a basketball training academy
Pro Standard doesn’t offer individual sessions. Not for regular athletes. This was a deliberate shift — one Brandon calls the biggest operational improvement he made.
“I don’t believe in individual workouts as a concept for getting people better. The only time we do individual work is because of a weird Indiana rule — in season you can’t do workouts with other IHSAA participants.”
The argument against individual training isn’t just financial. Basketball is a reactive sport. You make reads, you respond to defenders, you move based on what other players are doing. None of that happens in a one-on-one session.
“You have nothing to react to. No stimulus.”
And the economics make it worse, not better. Individual training is expensive because you’re paying for both the trainer’s time and the gym time. That cost doesn’t translate to better results.
“All the major decisions that have been financially rewarding as a business have been rewarding for the players as well,” host Mitch Kersh noted. That’s the point — group training is better development and a better business model. For more on why the numbers work, see group training vs individual sessions: the economics.
What he’s automated (and why it made things more personal, not less)
Brandon spent the last six to eight months building out his automation stack. The result: fewer no-shows, faster conversions, and a better athlete experience across the board.
The automation that made the biggest immediate difference was session reminders. CoachIQ sends a text a few hours before every session with a reschedule link built in. Last-minute cancellation texts from parents went from constant to almost never.
“Before, every coach has had that text — ‘Hey coach, we’re not going to be there. Sorry, can we reschedule?’ We don’t get that anymore. Ever.”
On the membership side, athletes on three-, six-, and 12-month commitments get automated email sequences: 30 days to expire, 15 days, renewal options. Brandon said he gets regular compliments on these emails.
Then there’s the welcome sequence — 12 emails that go to anyone who signs up for anything through CoachIQ. Packed with value for parents and families: what to expect, how to use the gym, what players can do at home.
When someone buys a membership, they also get access to a full online training vault built inside CoachIQ — more content than they’ll ever read, but it signals that this isn’t just a gym. It’s a system.
CoachIQ’s messaging and email tools handle the reminders and sequences that make this work without the staff managing it manually. For more on how automation translates across a coaching business, see how Mike Shaughnessy runs his coaching business on automation.
The money and the mission aren’t opposites
One thing Brandon pushed back on directly: the idea that running a profitable basketball training academy means you’re not in it for the players.
“You can 100% make money while doing what’s best for the kids. It’s not a one-to-one tradeoff. I wouldn’t be able to hire on a team of seven trainers if we didn’t make money. Like — bills have to be paid.”
He didn’t pay himself for the first two years while building the gym. The facility came first. The athlete experience came first. And now that the business is sustainable, he can deliver more to the players, not less.
That’s the model. And it’s one that coaches at every level can build toward — starting with the trial process, the membership structure, and the automations that let you show up to coach instead of managing logistics.
If you want to learn how to run a basketball training academy with this kind of infrastructure, CoachIQ is built for exactly this kind of operation.
