Dream Chaserzzz Basketball Inc. – Youth learning positive lessons through sports

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“People are always sleeping on the under dog’s, but we want to wake them up!” Justin Alliman

The fourth annual Progressive Soles Back to School Backpack Drive was held on Sunday, September 11^th, 2022, at the Adidas Canada Head Office, 8100 Highway 27, Woodbridge, Ontario. Students from all over Toronto had the opportunity to step into their second week of school in 3-stripe style. Attendee’s all left with:

• A free backpack and school supplies
• Were eligible for a free haircut, and/or braid-up
• And of course, FREE pizza, drinks and enjoyable snacks

This weekend was special to Justin Alliman, founder of Dream Chaserzzz Basketball Inc., because he was able to partner with Adidas/Reebok to put on this backpack drive.

“I have never done something like this, but I wanted to give back to the community because of the love that they have shown me, and continue to show. When Adidas wanted to collaborate with me, I had to take part. I had children from all parts of Toronto; they were hanging out, playing basketball, eating, laughing, getting haircuts; it was truly a beautiful thing.”

One activity that affords children such opportunities to develop positive character traits and to soak up quality values is sports. Studies have shown that children who play sports perform better at school, and are often afforded the chance to develop peer status and peer acceptance. Participating in sports can be a helpful way of reducing stress and increasing feelings of physical and mental well-being. What is great about sports is that it teaches youth to keep the body in good health in order to be able to keep their minds strong and clear.

When children learn positive life lessons through sports, there is no doubt they will become honest, reliable adults, and this is one of the reasons why Justin opened up the very popular Dream Chaserzzz Academy.

Dream Chaserzzz Basketball Inc. (https://www.dreamchaserzzz.ca/) is the GTA’s #1 year round basketball training academy. Justin has made it a place where you can come in and be trained and treated like a pro athlete no matter what level you’re at. He has gathered some of the best trainers the city has ever produced, all with the goal to develop young aspiring basketball players into the athletes they were meant to be.

“Getting better isn’t just about training hard; it’s about training with purpose.”

Their training and development philosophy is heavily based on having a support system that genuinely cares for athletes, but aren’t afraid to push them to be their best. It isn’t enough to be athletically gifted, there is so much more to it. Trainers work with athletes on their: footwork, teamwork, determination and their mental toughness. Not everyone is built for the work it takes to be great, but at the academy, they will certainly find out if you are.

During our interview, Justin shared that upon reaching high school, most kids have never completed elite basketball training, and have mostly only played either house league or rep basketball. This leaves them at a huge disadvantage, and it is why the team at Dream Chaserzzz believe that kids should be having basketball training just as much as they play games, if not more.

In a sport like basketball that has grown so rapidly, there is little time to break bad habits that can be prevented from the start with great teaching. Trainers stress the importance of being an all-around player, and they instil in the minds of kids at a young age that there is no one single skill to have as a basketball player. All skills are equally important.

I was able to steal a little bit of Justin’s time on the Sunday after his event, and he shared with me the evolution of Dream Chaserzzz Academy.

“I was taking business in university, and I ended up losing my basketball scholarship. I decided to get into car sales, but during that time, all I could think about was basketball. One of my most pressing questions was how could I put my love of ball and business together.

I reflected on the fact that when I was playing ball full time, kids would look up to me when I was training, and they would ask me for tips to improve their skills. When I thought about it, I knew exactly how I could marry my two loves.

I quit the car selling business, and started to train. Of course, it was difficult starting a business, and I have had to restructure the business model. When I first started training, I was doing it part-time, and I was making money at my fulltime job. When I quit my job fulltime to train, I now had all this time to train, but not making the money. When I restructured the business, I had clients sign up for programs. I used to do drop-ins, but this wasn’t covering the costs.”

Justin shared with me that he had to work at nights, and then run the business by day.

“I started Dream Chazzer’s in 2012, and I didn’t really start seeing growth until 2017. I was travelling around the world during that time, helping other companies grow and structure their basketball training businesses. I took this time to learn and brought all that knowledge back to start growing my business.

I started to see a lot more retention, and I realized that I had to build a community behind the business. What really struck me and stuck with me was that I had to create a brand; it was bigger than me. It was bigger than Justin Alliman!”

Over the years, Justin has had the opportunity to work with some big names:

• Serge Ibaka (Toronto Raptors, NBA)
• Naz Long (Utah Jazz, NBA)
• Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors, NBA)
• Lindsay Allen (Las Vegas Aces, WNBA)
• Tamara Tatham (Team Canada)
• Chris Boucher (Toronto Raptors, NBA)

Humbly, Justin shares with me that although he has done so much he has a slightly different outlook on success.

“I don’t necessarily define success the way other people do. I have been able to help students get scholarships, go to the NBA, WNBA, National Team, and professional teams in Europe. My favourite story is about one of my students who was at the edge of being expelled; that young man turned his life around and ended up being his school’s valedictorian. That to me is a success story.”

His work at Dream Chaserzzz Academy has opened up partnerships with: Adidas, KN Basketball Academy, Northern Pole Hopes, The Grasshopper Project, Ahead of the Game, Raw Blendz, and Holmes Elite Health & Fitness. They all see in Justin what Toronto has grown to realize; he is a man of great character, a character that he continues to instil in all the young people that he works with.