The Plug March | April 2021

March | April 2021

PAYING IT FORWARD:

Digital Mag

THINK FAST, MOVE FASTER:

D.J. Marchiando bringing speed and agility to D1 Training

How Darayl Jordan went from basketball hopeful to a highly-touted skills trainer

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THINK FAST, MOVE FASTER: D.J. Marchiando bringing speed and agility to D1 Training

BUILDING A TRADITION: Bill Collins reflects on work with Teague family in creating Team Teague

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PAYING IT FORWARD: How Darayl Jordan went from basketball hopeful to a highly-touted skills trainer

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FREEZE FRAME

CONTRIBUTORS Editor Aueyia Taylor Writer Josh Ayen Photographer David Dixon

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from the desk of the director

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.

Success is what you make it.

Respectfully, Kwana Evans

Live, Laugh, Love

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THINK FAST, MOVE FASTER: D.J. MARCHIANDO BRINGING SPEED AND AGILITY TO D1 TRAINING

By Josh Ayen

D.J. Marchiando recently joined the D1 Training staff at The Factory, focusing on speed and agility training for athletes. Prior to joining D1 Training, Marchiando played for an indoor professional football league.

Marchiando talked with The Plug’s Josh Ayen to discuss his background and work with D1 Training.

You are a couple years removed from earning your personal trainer license in 2018. How did you get started with personal training?

I was actually living in Saginaw, Michigan, playing for a professional indoor football team there. The owner of our team, who was a former NFL player, he had his own training space. It started out as a side job with some speed, agility and training sessions with some young kids. I wasn’t even certified, but that’s how I got my feet wet.

That was in 2014 and 2015, and then a few years later I decided to get certified. I had really fallen more in love with [working as a trainer], and that’s what made me decide to move up to the Indy area and look for a gym that fit my style of training athletes for sport.

How exactly did you wind up at The Factory?

It was actually right at the end of quarantine as gyms were opening back up. I had a football tryout at a really big D1 facility in Nashville. So, I decided to search it, and typed in D1 Training facilities near me. The Factory popped up, and I decided to give them a call. They were looking to start hiring after quarantine. A couple hours later, I was in for an interview.

How has the adjustment been moving to a new city?

I’ve loved it. It’s been good for my growth as a trainer to just get out of my comfort zone. I feel like this gym really fits my style, and I feel comfortable where I’m at here.

With your training focused on developing speed and agility, what are the biggest keys to developing those traits of an athlete?

There was a huge difference in my speed when I learned to connect my mind to the workouts I was doing. I say this a lot to my athletes (I do know how often it sticks); I like to use the term, “Think fast, move faster.” It’s about connecting your mind to your body and getting that max effort out of every drill you do. If you’re sprinting, if you’re working on jumps, make sure everything is max effort.

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I also like to do a lot of contrast sets. A lot of people have seen sled sprints or people running sprints with a parachute. I like to do all those things, but then immediately after, I like to do a contrast set without it so your body feels the difference. You’re building that fast-twitch muscle fiber that you need to fire your muscles faster.

Since starting your new role at D1 Training, what would you say is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

The most rewarding part is definitely the kids telling you what they did good in their sport or their game, and just seeing them get stronger and develop and get faster and more athletic. I think every trainer in athletic training likes to train athletes that are at the collegiate level or professional level, but I don’t think there’s anything more gratifying than seeing the kids really get something out of it.

Have there been any kids that caught your attention since you started in June?

Jamari Miller from Team Teague. He’s a middle schooler, and there were a lot of weeks where he would come to the 4 o’clock class, go to a basketball workout, and then come back and workout again at 6 p.m. I think someone like that stands out to me.

I’ve only been here since June, so it’s not like he’s developed a ton since then, but I think he’s having pretty good success on the basketball court. To us, as trainers, to see him come in day in and day out, it’s good to hear that he’s doing well in his sport because we see that he puts in the time.

Is there anything else you’d like to add that I haven’t asked already?

(Head Trainer) Stefan [Certa] at D1 and the Teague’s have been model bosses if you ask me. I’ve had some good employers, some bad employers in the past as most people have had. They [run] are really a topnotch facility, and they are great to work for.

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A LEAGUE FOR

EVERYONE

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UNBILLIVEABLE UNBILLIVEABLE UNBILLIVEABLE UNBILLIVEABLE UNBILLIVEABLE UNBILLIVEABLE UNBILLIVEABLE UNBILLIVEABLE Building a UNBILLIVEABLE Tradition UNBILLIVEABLE UNBILLIVEABLE UNBILLIVEABLE BILL COLLINS REFLECTS ON WORK WITH THE TEAGUE FAMILY IN CREATING TEAM TEAGUE

By Josh Ayen

It’s no secret Team Teague has developed and hosted some of the best basketball talent to come out of the Hoosier state. What many people do not realize is the people behind developing these players.

A longtime friend of the Teague family, Bill Collins remembers being asked by Shawn Teague to coach a group of second graders for a basketball tournament. Collins was skeptical.

“How good could second graders be?” Collins thought.

Ten years after Collins coached that group of second graders, that class is on track to graduate this spring. Many noteworthy studentathletes came from that group, including Jalen Blackmon, Caleb Furst and Luke Goode. All three are among the best players in the state for the 2021 class and are on track to play college basketball at the Division I level.

Collins was around Team Teague in its infancy, back when it was just a few AAU teams known as “Jeff Teague’s All-stars.”

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"Coaches don’t recruit superstars, they make them."

He still remembers when the AAU program held their practices at the Northwest High School gymnasium.

Since working with the Teague family, the program has gone on a meteoric rise. Much of that success can be attributed to Collins.

Over the years Collins has worn multiple hats for Team Teague. Assistant director, recruiter and media manager are among his many titles. Along with his role as assistant director, Collins is still coaching Team Teague’s class of 2025 team.

Shawn Teague calls him Tigger because he bounces around all over the place.

One of Collins’ favorite teams he coached was a class of 2019 team. At one point, that team lacked depth and did not have a true frontcourt player.

Seeking any available player, Collins took a flyer on a kid from Greenwood.

That kid’s name was Trayce Jackson-Davis.

Collins still remembers how terrible Jackson-Davis was when he first joined the Team Teague family. At one point, Jackson-Davis’ family considered pulling him from the team because of how much he struggled. Collins and Teague pleaded with the family to let him stick around and develop.

“Because his upside was so high, we were just working it out with him,” Collins said.

Today, Jackson-Davis is one of the most dominant players in the Big Ten at IU. Success stories like Jackson-Davis, Goode and Blackmon demonstrate Team Teague’s willingness to develop players who stick with the program.

Coaches don’t recruit superstars, they make them.

Collins is proud of how much he, Teague and the rest of the staff have established a strong identity for an AAU program in a short timeframe. page | 04

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Off the court, Team Teague has adopted core pillars of family, being a good sportsman and being a good citizen.

Collins shared how some teams have done community service like participating in an “adopt a family” program over the holidays or worked in a soup kitchen. “[Shawn] truly believes in what he preaches, and the coaches and the program have bought into it,” Collins said. “It’s working out for us right now.”

Sometimes he will take a moment to reflect and think about how much the program’s influence has grown since The Factory opened three years ago. It has not an overnight success story, but the product of buy-in from coaches, players and their parents.

With several Team Teague alumni playing college basketball, Collins is optimistic he will soon see those first-generation players playing professional basketball. In the meantime, Collins will continue to work with coaches to develop young athletes to become well-rounded people and ultimately earn a basketball scholarship.

“As long as we keep getting everybody in school for free, I’m satisfied.”

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N EW M ERC H A LERT !

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HOW DARAYL JORDAN WENT FROM BASKETBALL HOPEFUL TO A HIGHLY-TOUTED SKILLS TRAINER

Darayl Jordan never imagined he would earn a living as a basketball trainer, let alone play basketball when he was the age of his current students.

“My freshman and sophomore years in high school, I definitely wouldn’t have thought I would be playing basketball,” Jordan recalled. “I was terrible.”

“I was discouraged, but I just wanted to keep trying, and it ended up paying off for me,” Jordan said.

The head basketball trainer at The Factory was considered a late bloomer when it came to his basketball career. Measuring at only 5’9”, Jordan did not make it past tryouts during his first two years at Brownsburg High School.

Jordan hit a growth spurt in the summer before his junior year, growing nearly six

By Josh Ayen inches to a height of 6’2”. Then-Head Coach Joshua Kendrick noticed a different kid on the floor during tryouts, and it didn’t hurt he was able to dunk.

Kendrick rewarded Jordan with a spot on the junior varsity team. By his senior year, Jordan started every game at varsity.

In his first varsity game, Jordan dropped 18 points against Carmel.

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Looking back, Jordan says that was one of his favorite basketball memories, because that was when he knew he belonged.

Kendrick then opened the door for Jordan to play college basketball. The former Brownsburg head coach introduced Jordan to Paul Patterson, then-head coach at Taylor University. Jordan enjoyed his visit, but Taylor was unable to offer any scholarship money at the time.

A few weeks later, Taylor called back and offered a scholarship to Jordan. He was in.

Jordan spent his first two years playing under Patterson, a coach who preached the fundamentals of basketball. One of Patterson’s main goals, according to Jordan, was to develop his players into future coaches.

During his summers in college, Jordan was required to coach youth basketball camps hosted by the Taylor men’s basketball program.

He never imagined he would enjoy teaching kids how to play basketball, let alone consider a future in coaching or training.

Jordan contemplated what was next after graduating from Taylor University in 2015. He juggled an internship at Spiece Fieldhouse in Fort Wayne and worked a few basketball clinics with his uncle, Shawn Teague, at Northwest High School in Kokomo. Eventually, Teague invited his nephew to join his staff at The Factory when its doors opened in 2017.

Because of his background, Jordan feels like he can relate with just about any student who’s trying to work on their game.

“I’ve been the best player on the team, I’ve been the bench player, I’ve been the guy who’s gotten cut,” Jordan said. “All those different things play into why I do what I do.”

Jordan with kids of all ages, from bite-sized leagues all the way to high school. He gets the most enjoyment out of helping kids develop themselves as an athlete and a basketball player. Whether it is developing a student’s dribble, their shooting or decision-making, THE PLUG | 14

Jordan is always thrilled when he sees his students learn a skill that they were not able to do beforehand.

When working with a new student, one of the first things Jordan monitors is their ability to follow directions. That sets the baseline for what Jordan will (or will not) be able to accomplish with this student.

“If I can get them to pay attention to instructions, I can get them better,” Jordan said.

From there, Jordan assesses the level of his student’s skillset and develops a unique plan on how to grow.

Jordan has mentored countless students during his years with The Factory. He gained another mentee when he welcomed his second son into the world in early January.

His 6-year old and newborn sons give him extra motivation to be the best version of himself when he shows up to work at The Factory.

“Every time I’m at the gym, I just go that much harder for those kids, because it means a lot more to me.”

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TheFactory D1indy

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