Sanford Sports Academy Basketball to merge with ECI and NDPRO
Two powerhouses on the AAU basketball scene, ECI and NDPRO, are merging with the Sanford Sports Academy Basketball program.
The programs are now called Sanford Sports Academy and will feature teams for boys and girls, 11u-17u. In June, the Sanford Sports Academy announced it is offering winter basketball teams for 5th-8th grade boys and girls. All tryouts and practices will take place at the brand-new Fargo Parks Sports Center at the Sanford Sports Complex.
“We are very excited for what this merger will mean for the future of youth basketball in this region,” said Lucas Moormann, ECI Basketball executive director. “This will bring opportunities for kids to compete at a high level, while continuing to learn from some of the best coaches our area has to offer.”
“NDPRO has proudly been the pioneer of AAU girls basketball in North Dakota for the past 16 years,” said Tim Jacobson, NDPRO executive director. “I am excited to announce that NDPRO will merge with Sanford Sports Academy Basketball, marking an important next step for our players. This merger will provide our talented athletes with enhanced opportunities to develop their skills and gain the recognition they deserve for their future basketball endeavors.”
Freddy Coleman, Sanford Sports Academy Basketball manager, oversees operations at Sanford Sports Academy Basketball. Coleman played collegiately at North Dakota State University, where he helped lead the Bison to the 2008-09 Summit League Men’s Basketball Championship, where they advanced to the NCAA tournament to play defending national champion Kansas. After his playing days, Coleman served as the top assistant at Concordia College (Moorhead) and returned to NDSU as an assistant coach in 2013. Coleman has led the Sanford Sports Basketball Academy since 2019. Prior to the merger, Coleman and other performance staff worked with both ECI and NDPRO programs.
“This is a great day for our basketball academy,” said Coleman. “Both ECI and NDPRO are well-known programs with a great history of developing talented boys and girls. I’m excited to not only help fine-tune their basketball skills on the court and grow their love of the game, but also help them become better teammates, better friends and better humans. This is more than about just developing better basketball players.”
11u-13u boys and girls team information includes:
- Weekly Sanford Sports Academy skill sessions from April to July
- Compete in eight local and regional tournaments.
14u-17u boys and girls team information includes:
- Weekly Sanford Sports Academy skill sessions
- Three weekends of practices throughout the spring and summer. Each weekend will consist of two to three practices with their team and scrimmages.
- Compete in eight local, regional and possibly national tournaments.
- Access to recruiting information, strength and conditioning and nutritional resources and are eligible for an optional “Recruiting 101” seminar.
Girls 11u-17u – Sunday, Aug. 18
- 11u and 12u (5th and 6th grade) – 9 to 10:30 a.m.
- 13u and 14u (7th and 8th grade) – 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- 15u and 16u (9th and 10th grade) – 1 to 2:30 p.m.
- 17u (11th grade) – 3 to 4:30 p.m.
Boys 11u-14u – Saturday. Oct. 26
- 11u and 12u (5th and 6th grade) – 1:30 to 3 p.m.
- 13u and 14u (7th and 8th grade) – 3:30 to 5 p.m.
Boys 15u-17u
- Tryouts will be held in March 2025
Learn more about Sanford Sports Basketball Academy in Fargo.
