Fierce Club Basketball Team is accepting new players.
This newly renovated gym in the Lutheran Church on Sunset serves as a practice site.
The Fierce Club Basketball Team under Coach Mike (Mike Martin) is a players-first youth basketball program that raises the bar in athletic training, development and mentorship coaching.
Have a seven- or eight-year-old that needs something to do on Saturday mornings?
Coach Mike, who has played basketball all over the world, Australia, China, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and with the L.A. Clippers Training Camp, offers a “tiny” hoopers program Saturday mornings.
Palisades resident Matt Babrick has high praise for Martin. His two sons, now in 4th and 7th grades, have been with this coach four years.
“Coach Mike is an outstanding leader who not only understands the game of basketball at a high level but also teaches the fundamentals with patience and precision,” Babrick said. “More importantly, he’s an incredible person whose character and passion inspire players on and off the court.”
The club currently operates out of the only full- court facility in the Palisades located in the Lutheran Church gymnasium at 15905 Sunset. The building was not destroyed in the fire and is currently the only indoor space for basketball in the Palisades.
About the facility, Babrick said, “It’s a gem.”
Palisades Lutheran Pastor Dr. Martin Lee, whom Coach Mike calls “an amazing human being,” made Mike director of the youth programs at the church and told him he could use the gym.
But the Coach took it a step further, he built the gym into an auditorium where kids could play basketball. That included hiring subcontractors and installing a new floor.
“He paid for the wood out of his own pocket,” Babrick said. “It’s phenomenal space.”
Martin worked from 2013 to 2015 for the Clippers, structuring youth camps. When he retired from professional basketball in 2016, he worked with high school teams, such as Saint Monica High School. He is currently the head varsity coach at Gardena High School.
In January 2021, he started the Fierce Club Basketball program and works with kids in the 8- to 16-year-old range, elementary through high school levels.
The coach said he likes working with the 7, 8, 9 and 10 year olds because “They are so eager to learn and so impressionable.”
Coach Mike Martin likes working with all ages of players. Here he’s working with a player in the “new” gym at the Rec Center that was destroyed in the fire.
This successful program has been impacted by the Palisades Fire because so many families have moved out of the area. If a resident has moved back or has kids attending local schools looking for more opportunities to play ball or sports in the Palisades, So Cal Fierce Basketball offers everything from travel teams to athlete development.
Coach Mike emphasized that “program is not just about winning, but includes player development, basketball IQ and character.”
More information about tryouts, the schedule, and practice are on the website.
“We envision a future as leaders in youth basketball creating opportunities for all aspiring athletes to thrive on the court, in the classroom and in life,” Coach Mike said.
To find out more about the program, email socalfierceball@gmail.com or visit the website So CaL Fierce Basketball.