Associate Head Coach Sylvester “Sly” Yanders is doing his part to have the We Are United team ready to roll.
At last, the first season of We Are United hoops is upon us, and the squad is looking prepared. That preparedness is due in no small part to Associate Head Coach Sly Yanders.
Coach Sly is looking forward to the stiff competition that the team will face, but not at the expense of the moment. Like everyone with roots in The Basketball Movement, Sly relishes the process and loves watching players develop on and off the court.
“What we know we can provide is lifelong relationships as these guys develop as friends and teammates,” Sly says. “We can truly see a team forming. They arrived here as individuals, but we’re starting to see their talent as a unit.”
Sly says that the players are working six days a week, often twice a day on shooting, weights, and of course, school work. “We require the same focus on the court as we do with the books,” Yanders says. “These guys aren’t all used to being on their own, and we are making sure they are held accountable.”
Yanders adds that this ongoing accountability is intended to prepare them not only for next steps in basketball but for life. “All the skills we are developing will help them on their next team,” he says. “We want to be able to guarantee that our guys will be positives on their teams.”
Mental toughness is always something that Coach Sly has strived to form in his players. He is also quick to call out his brother, Head Coach Rob Yanders, being a skill trainer like no other.
“Rob has gone all in, getting these guys ready for anything that may be thrown at them,” Sly says. “Rob’s heavy emphasis on skill development is proven. He can develop players that are willing to get better - that is no secret.”
An ongoing theme in speaking with the We Are United coaching staff is no corners cut. “You make it through here? You are ready to survive at a university,” Sly says. “You are ready for anything.”
Check out the upcoming We Are United schedule here and keep it locked to The Basketball Movement for more inside scoops.