By SAM LANCE
The largest grassroots program in the country is expanding even further, this time to Colorado, the founder of West Coast Elite Ryan Silver confirmed to ZAGSBLOG.com.
West Coast Elite — officially a member of the UAA — already spanned over three states with programs in Arizona, California and Oregon. Now, Silver adds Colorado into the mix.
“I’m very excited about the opportunity in Colorado,” Silver said. “We’ve had a ton of parents reach out to me, people are just asking for West Coast Elite to come to Colorado. So I’m just very, very excited.”
The new Colorado programs will first roll out in August 2024 and will be for the 6th, 7th and 8th grade level. Silver said he also plans to have two girls teams for the upcoming AAU cycle at the 15u and 16u level. And then, in February 2025, West Coast Elite will have a Colorado team at the 15u, 16u and 17u level for girls and boys.
For Silver, expanding to Colorado was a no-brainer.
“It’s just a great market,” Silver said. “I’ve been going there for over 10 years now doing my camp in Colorado. And almost all of the best players — Deron Davis (Indiana), D’Shawn Schwartz (Colorado) — all of those guys came to our camp at Colorado the last 11, 12, 13 years. So there’s just a lot of interest, and it’s a great market. Obviously a growing market. I just think it’s a great for West Coast Elite.”
West Coast Elite now has over 49 different branches in the United States, with each branch running its own program. West Coast Elite is also nationally recognized for its camps, tournaments and showcases that span over 32 states, with notable alumni including NBA stars like Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green and Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren.
However, West Coast Elite doesn’t just support top-tier talent like the Holmgren’s of the world.
“We send probably 100 kids a year to high academic Division III schools,” Silver said. “It shows you the strength of our overall program. It’s a very different focus, whereas other groups are purely focused on high-level players. We’re focusing on servicing all kids at all different levels.”
This is evident with the Colorado expansion, as the first teams will be at the middle school level. Silver relayed just how impactful getting into the West Coast Elite program early on can be. Several star players in today’s college game, from Colorado’s KJ Simpson, to St. Mary’s Aidan Mahaney, to San Diego State’s Lamont Butler, started in the West Coast Elite program in middle school and stayed all the way through.
“Getting these kids young, developing them, keeping them together, letting them understand the importance of teamwork, is critically important to their long-term development,” Silver said.
You can find out more information about West Coast Elite’s program and founder Ryan Silver here.
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