Meet Michael Williams | Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I always wanted to operate my own business. So, it was a pretty easy decision for me. I obtained my MBA (University of San Diego – Class of 2009) and the experience prepared me for the challenge, focusing on a key concept that I learned- servant leadership. I view the organization as more of a community service which seeks to further develop young athletes through competitive basketball Since North County Buckeyes (NCB) Basketball is a 501 (c) 3 tax exempt organization, any funds that I receive are circulated back into the organization to help pay for intangibles to run the operations. I basically have no financial gain with the business.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Actually, my real job is a Government Contractor. Running NCB Basketball is a “side gig” and doesn’t really feel like a job to me. As mentioned before, I feel like I am offering a community service to the youth in the area. However, there are challenges. In the beginning, one of the biggest challenges was recruiting enough kids that had the skills to play for a competitive team. I would attend the recreational league games around town and if I identified a player which I believed stood out and could add value to my team, then I would introduce myself to the player’s parents and invite him or her to one of my practices. Often if a player was simply athletic and had a lot of potential, then I would want them to join my team because I could fit them into our system. Also, another current challenge is finding enough facilities to use for practice. Unlike some of the other competitive teams, we are limited to the number of practice facilities. Fortunately, I have developed a rapport with the local community center where I can rent space to practice. Finally, identifying grant funding has been a challenge. However, after months of research, I was able to secure grant funds from grantees such as Big 5 Sporting Goods, Qualcomm and The City of San Marcos Community Foundation.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I believe that San Diego has the best Downtown of any city in the U.S. So, I always take my guests to explore downtown, especially the Gaslamp District. I believe that it offers a great combination of nightlife, cultural diversity and history to satisfy everyone. It’s always fun to go to a Padres game at Petco Park during the Summer, as well. And of course, visiting one of our beaches such as Moonlight Beach or across the bridge to Coronado is a must see.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Well, kids make you do crazy things… I’ve always loved the game of basketball, I played as a youth in recreational leagues, in middle school, and high school as a teenager. I always said that if I had a son, then I would introduce him to the game of basketball and become his coach. In 2010, my second child, Brandon, was born. When he was five years old, I started teaching Brandon the fundamentals of basketball, including what I believed to be the most important skill – dribbling. I always felt that if you were a good dribbler, then you could control the game because you are the point person on the team – you set up the offensive plays. However, basketball was not his first love. It was soccer, and at the time, he participated in a recreational soccer league in Poway called “The Little Kickers.” About five minutes before one of Brandon’s soccer games my wife and I noticed that the coach had not yet shown up. My wife said, “Why don’t you go out there and warm them up?”. I ran the team through some warm-up exercises and much more! The coach didn’t show up, and I ended up becoming the team’s coach for the remainder of the season. Although I didn’t really know the game of soccer that well, I was able to improvise. I also coached soccer for one additional season after that. I was forced to learn the game quickly and soon became a big fan. I also noticed that there were similarities between basketball and soccer. I knew that soccer could improve any athlete’s footwork, and this would help my son once he started playing basketball regularly.
Soon Brandon learned other basketball fundamentals and began participating in recreational basketball leagues where I was either the Head Coach or Assistant Coach on those teams. When Brandon was seven years old I, I felt that he was skilled enough to play on a youth competitive basketball team. The closest team was in San Marcos, and we lived in Escondido. I couldn’t find a competitive team in Escondido. He played with this team for a season, and during that time, I learned the difference between the structure of recreational and competitive-level basketball. When the season ended, I told myself that I would start my own competitive team for my son to play for. Now, I am 6 years into managing and coaching my own youth competitive basketball team and it has been a great experience!

Website: https://www.ncbbasketball.com/

Instagram: @ncb_basketballofficial