MUNCIE, Ind- Muncie local, Dennis Trammell, played basketball all four years of college; two years at New Mexico State and two years at Ball State. He then continued his journey playing professionally overseas. His love for basketball has travelled with him all his life. Now, Trammel runs his own basketball and sports gym, doing private lessons with all ages. Trammell built a gym in a barn in his backyard called Next Pro, which has helped young athletes further their athletic pursuits and dreams.
“It always comes back to the love, if you love it, you wanna be good at it, if you're gonna be good at it, you gotta spend time doing it and so you know thats why I think it's important to create these opportunities for kids to develop those skills,” said Trammell.
Dennis has lessons nearly every day of the week. He works with students anywhere from elementary to college age. Some schools include Yorktown, Muncie Burris, Muncie Central, Delta and more. All these student athletes have different reasons for why they spend extra time in the gym.
“I actually want to go to the NBA and be one of the best NBA players of all time. It's gonna be a lot of hard work, but I'm just gonna take it one step at a time,” said Jaxson Johnson, a student athlete.
All of these athletes are learning the importance of hard work from an experienced athlete that has been in their shoes. They focus on all different aspects of the game so they can be well-rounded and knowledgeable during games.
“When you develop your game, you develop your game to where you don't have a whole lot of weaknesses so you can do a lot of things. You can dribble really well, shoot the ball really well, defend really well. What it creates is a lot of freedom, so coaches trust you to do a lot on the floor so it creates more opportunities. More opportunities than their peers that might not be working at that stuff,” said Trammell.
The gym has been a place of hard work, commitment and dedication. Trammell's work as a private coach has pushed these athletes to improve through repetition and practice. He serves as a reminder why it is essential to give kids the tool to thrive.
Contact Estella Davis with comments at estella.davis@bsu.edu.
