Floors are a patchwork of different sections of wood with large gaps, lips, etc. making it very dangerous for players. Two courts are not normal size so adjusting for play during g our tournament was very difficult. Knowing how hard to throw, gauge distances, etc. was a challenge for many teams, giving home team a big advantage. The courts were TINY! Had our league or coaches been aware we would be playing in such conditions, we never would have entered tournament. Also, total and complete lack of parking for large tournaments like the one we attended. We had parents having to shuttle each other from blocks away. read more

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Not enough spots on the parking lot. We can't park on the street or at other parking lots not connected to the Academy. Small entrance. 3 bathroom which is dirty and unkempt during tournament days. $13/entry for adult, $10 for kids read more

This place is atrocious!! Bathrooms are deplorable, seating is minimal. Not ADA accessible. Dangerous debris around courts (extra hoops, chair racks etc). This facility should not be allowed to host tournaments!!! They charge $13 per person per day. Admission should be FREE because facilities are so bad. read more

My son signed up for the Kent regular training program (4 sessions in 1 month). We paid $125 for four 1-hour sessions. In those 4 sessions, all my son did was practice shooting with other students. We could have just done it at a local park for free! There was no supervisor to teach the kids the proper form or if they are doing something wrong, how to correct/improve their skills. The supervisor was on the other court training another group or watching another team play. In an hour, the supervisor watched my son a max of 5 minutes. That's it! It is as if I paid for use of gym time. It was basically waste of money. I should just have used the money to pay for YMCA membership where we could have used the basketball gym more than 4x! read more

Had my 5 year old do one of jasens shooting classes and can already see the improvement in technique along with more self confidence. If your looking to become a great shooter jasen is definitely the best around! read more

This place is a waste of time and money!!! Very disappointed by the way my kids were treated there. They are not helping the kids build confidence but destroy their hopes and dreams. Stay away!!! read more

This was the worst investment in my nephews' basketball training. If you have more money than brains, by any means, go ahead and pay them for nothing. All they were doing in training was shooting the ball, which they can do for free in front of their house. At game time, team selection was based on nepotism, rather than merit. All in all, they charge a lot for a lot of bad coaching. I do not recommend this organization. read more

if there was zero stars I would put that. i played for ecba for 3 years I also was the point guard at seattle christian where Jasen coached. I started my freshmen thru junior yea. he had mr. Ribera buy his gym because he couldn't afford it and said I couldn't start because his son is on the team. He is a liar and only plays ppl who put money in his pocket. He is a con man and will get his karma. read more

Wow what a disappointment. My daughter joined ECBA for the falls season in 2012. The team cost was $300, plus a MANDATORY $200/mo of additional training. The training didn't work with our schedule but we were not allowed to get out of it. In the third month of the season, they closed 3 of their 5 gyms so training was limited moreso. There was only one practice a week, even though we were told there would be a team practice with the coach and another team training. We were supposed to have two tournaments and be in a league. Even though most parents wanted to be in a league, the coach opted for four tournaments instead. As of the end of the season, we had only played in two tournaments because other tournaments had been cancelled. The coach for us was not at all what you would expect for a club team. The team didn't even learn basic man-man defense. The practices were at rec level at best. When I contacted the owner, several times, about a refund, he did not return my emails. Another parent emailed him her concerns and he got back to her within hours of her sending the email (but she didn't ask for any money back). He did tell her that he hasn't found the right person to run the girl's program (um, yeah) so he's been having some issues on the girl's side. I'm still waiting for him to do the RIGHT thing and contact me. read more

This was the start of the end of my daughters basketball career. She has a slight learning disability due to medication so it takes her longer to learn a basketball play but once she has it she is good. Maurice Hines (Mo) after taking over the team Decided that this did not matter and decided to stick her on the bench and bring kids from other teams to play and make a 7th grade girl sit on the bench and play everyone around her. Even though we had paid for her to play and this was a rec team. She has never recovered from this and decided to quit Thank you Mo for destroying a child! Did you know that 70 percent of all kids drop out of sports by age 13? The saddest part is many of them could have had an enriching experience in sports if they had been encouraged in their strengths and given freedom to grow in their underdeveloped areas. read more

I was looking for a good off-season basketball opportunity for my very-late-to-the-game 16 year old son. I looked everywhere, and the only third-party mention I found for this place was here on Yelp, just the one lousy review. Yuck, you know? Who wants that kind of hassle? But from what I could tell, ECBA was the only outfit that offered training in addition to game time. My son really needs to build some skills, not just play in games. So we crossed our fingers, handed over the sign-up fee, and gave it a shot. We started out by getting very lucky. My kid tried out, and somehow squeaked onto one of their travel teams, and he hit the ground running. We have been blown away by the way this place combines quality, intensity, and fun. We signed up for 6 training classes per week, and in each class he gets intense, personalized, high-level coaching. That's in addition to the practices with his team, and the additional 'team train" where they work very generally on the skills of the game. Already I almost don't recognize my kid on the court anymore. His shot is vastly improved, the specialized training for his position has transformed his game, and most of all, his confidence is at an all time high. He wouldn't even have attempted this 2 months ago, but yesterday he DUNKED THE BALL. I'm so proud of my kid, who is giving it all he's got, and beyond grateful (and kind of stunned) at what these coaches can do. I can only wonder how my kid would be playing if he'd somehow chosen this sport sooner, and started training at ECBA: there are 12 year olds training here with ball handling skills that make my head spin. If you've got a younger player who is already thinking about varsity level play in high school or already thinking about college ball, come take a look at these guys. A lot of ECBA kids end up with basketball scholarships to college. And if you've got a late bloomer like I do, you must, must MUST come watch the training that goes on here. (That's the only thing I'd do differently: check them out first. Then we wouldn't have had to feel nervous about shelling out the initial sign up fee because you can see how great the coaches are.) Which leads me back to that other review. It very nearly kept me from trying this place out. For us, this place has been a great investment, not just of the fees, but of our time. The sign up fee is $700 for 6 months of one weekly team practice, one weekly "team train," where the kids work on game skills, and games every weekend for about 4 of those 6 months. Then you pay for any additional classes you want, with the requirement that you do at least one a week. This is the part that is such a screaming deal, and which is really making the difference for my kid. He signed up for 6 classes a week: some shooting classes, specialized training classes for his position, and various other skill development classes. We pay $175 a month for a total of 24 classes. That's a pittance compared to private coaching, and just as good for someone at my kid's level of play, if not better. The coaches have the kids working hard on worthwhile skills every minute that they're on the court. Not a minute gets wasted. These guys run a tight ship. Last, and definitely not least, the peer group is awesome. Great group of kids: friendly, fun, and supportive of each other. My kid always comes home smiling. read more

This academy is only interest in making money and not developing all of the players that attend. Some of the coach are good, but others are not. My son was mocked for not know how to complete a drill by the owner and another main coach belittled him on more than one occasions. He left this gym crying on more than one occasion. read more

My daughter has been playing basketball for ECBA since Fall of last year. We have seen a ton of growth in her skills as a result of her time in training and at practice. Our experience has been great and the staff she has worked with are exceptionally skilled, especially the owner, Jasen Baskett. Our team started out with only 6 girls but has grown to 10 and they get along well and really enjoy their time together on the court. I have recommended to friends that their children should play at ECBA and have heard that some of them will be joining us for Spring/Summer tryouts! I look forward to upcoming seasons at ECBA. read more

Emerald City Basketball Academy - Sports Clubs Near Me - Kent, Washington

This club was an absolute disaster for my 10-yr old daughter. She went to tryouts and we were told that they created a combo 3rd & 4th grade team ... only because they did not have enough girls to fill two rosters. That was fine, but the huge gap in talent on the team served my daughter absolutely no good. I coached her CYO team and I can tell you, as a couch, this should never have happened. Also, the coach was horrible with communication. I emailed him twice ... no response! He avoided conversations with parents at practice; knowing how bad this league is structures. Rather than see the girls go through a painful season, the respectable approach would have been to understand that there was a huge gap in talent, inform the parents of this, cancel the team, and refund their money. Instead, ECBA proceeded with a very painful season ... PLUS ... ECBA is structured that you cannot drop out of the 5-month season ... you must pay for each month with auto-pay. Keep this in mind when you sign up! Shame on me for not understanding, but very bad on them for not having the integrity to cancel the season for this team altogether, thereby preventing a monthly ($125 fee) to the families. I am searching for another league to join. read more

We had two kids in this very expensive program. It was super expensive and had terrible coaching. The communication was awful and we just had to pay pay pay. I will never use this program again. For the cost we saw zero value and the long term "program" parents were elitist and rude. read more

ECBA is the best Basketball training and skills academy in the Seattle area. Jasen Baskett is knowledgeable and a great teacher. My son worked with Jasen since 4th grade, now he is at a Division 1 school on a full ride scholarship thanks to Jasen's coaching and mentoring. My son was prepared for high level competition and high energy D-1 coaching. I would recommend Jasen and ECBA to anyone who wants their son or daughter ready for next level basketball. read more

If you live outside of the Seattle area, don't bother with this organization. If you see the gift certificate at a Boys & Girls club fundraiser, DO NOT BUY! Lousy communicators and they don't offer what they say they will, e.g., summer camps. read more

Very abusive coach (Jasen Baskett)! He continually yells at the kids and is not professional at all. My son became so upset at the unprofessional nature of the coach, that I ended up pulling him out. Other teammates have expressed similar comments. read more

Steer clear of this organization. Our son tried out and was offered a place on a Emerald City Hoops team. We paid the AAU membership fee, the $500 team fee and purchased a team jersey. After the 3rd week of practice, we were informed that our son's team was going to combine with another EC team. The practice before the first game, our son and another player were allowed to participate in 15 minutes of the 90 minute practice. They were excluded from discussions about the game details. When we asked the coach what our son's role was, and if he needed to be at the game, he just provided a hard stare and said "No. He doesn't need to be at the game. Talk to the guy over there who's in charge and he'll give you a refund." Obviously, they didn't get enough players to have a varsity and JV team. Had they communicated that rather than benching our son from practice and avoiding a difficult discussion, our review may have been different. But they lack leadership, courage and empathy. Do not trust them with your children. read more

I just watched a 7th grade boys team play against their top 8th grade team and what a HUGE disappointment. The coach not only belittled his team but the other team as well. I have never seen a coach talk so horrible about the other teams players and I've been through 16 years of basketball with my 3 kids. My youngest used to play for ECBA and I'm embarrassed to even say it now. I would never pay that kind of money they charge for a coach like that. With so many programs out there it makes you wonder why anyone would. Don't waste your money! There are much better programs out there that care about who they hire to represent them. If I could give negative stars on this review I would. read more