Coach and Founder Darryl Edwards lives by one motto—Adapt and Overcome.
Growing up in Southern Los Angeles, Edwards learned at an early aged that he’d have to roll with the punches of life and overcome his own circumstances. At 20 years old, Edwards became a single dad, but that did shade his passion for basketball. Determined to reach the university level he fueled his diligent work ethic through basketball and mental health. He started working in his neighborhood to train and develop children for the love of sports.
His life’s purpose is to inspire and provide people of all ages with a rich life, through athletic opportunities, and a variety of sport competitions, while developing skills for challenges along the way. He spends countless hours studying, learning and working with our student-athletes in an effort to help them become well-rounded and functional individuals.
He was presented with the opportunity to referee, train and coach basketball internationally. Edwards accepted the challenged and moved to Australia in 2014. In 3 years, Edwards was able to introduce his unique American style coaching to both young men and women between the ages of 17-22. He was able to develop fundamental skills, by focusing on improving their performance and allowing them to learn rather than forcing them to understand.
While Edwards was making his mark overseas, he understood the importance of family and decided to move back to the states in 2017. Although he was ready to dive back into coaching and training in his hometown, he noticed something very different about the youth overseas and the youth that was in Southern Los Angeles. It was evident that did not just need coaching in basketball, they needed assistance in mental health and their well-being.
Edwards grew up in the same neighborhood, so he understood first-hand the everyday struggle of trying to make it in life, in sports while dealing with unknown traumas. Throughout practice, Coach Edwards and his team made it their mission to service underserved communities and bridge the gap between sports and mental health. Due to a rise in depression and youth suicide, they made the choice to fully dive in and develop these young athletes. Although the nation was dealing with a pandemic, Edwards used this time to develop his blueprint for this non-profit, and to engage with the community to develop a trustworthy relationship with those who especially need the help.
