At the center of that growth is head coach Michael Collins<\/a>, whose coaching r\u00e9sum\u00e9 spans nearly two decades across youth, collegiate and professional basketball.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve definitely coached the three major populations of basketball players,\u201d Collins said. \u201cThe youth space, the college space, and I\u2019ve worked with a ton of overseas and G League and NBA pros.\u201d<\/p>\n Since joining Brooklyn Basketball last September, Collins has overseen a rapidly expanding coaching staff that now includes more than 20 coaches and several full-time program leaders who run clinics throughout Brooklyn schools and at the organization\u2019s training center across from Barclays Center.<\/p>\n But he said the mission stretches far beyond teaching jump shots and dribbling drills.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe goal is always meeting the kids where they\u2019re at,\u201d he said. \u201cThat means being able to interact with a kid in seventh grade who\u2019s never played the game and maybe not even that interested in the game. We want to make that experience \u2014 that hour, that two hours \u2014 very fun for them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Brooklyn Basketball\u2019s school programming now operates five days a week, reaching nearly every corner of the borough. Coaches travel directly into schools, often adapting to whatever space is available \u2014 auditoriums, cafeterias or gyms without baskets.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes there are two or three coaches with 50 kids, and not everybody has a basketball,\u201d Collins said. \u201cThat requires a lot of energy, a lot of effort and flexibility.\u201d<\/p>\n Brooklyn Paper observed one of those school visits at P.S. 8, The Emily Warren Roebling School, where Coaches Greg and Dante transformed a small gym into a high-energy learning environment over four sessions, each featuring about 40 fourth- and fifth-grade students.<\/p>\n Many students eagerly jumped into drills and games, while others initially lingered along the walls, hesitant to participate. But for many of those quieter students, all it took was the thrill of making a basket to break out of their shell. By the end of each session, clusters of children surrounded the coaches, holding out pencils and scraps of paper in hopes of getting an autograph.<\/p>\n The organization uses what Collins describes as a \u201cconstraints-led approach,\u201d where students learn basketball concepts through games and movement-based activities rather than traditional drills alone.<\/p>\n \u201cTo the untrained eye, it may not look like traditional basketball all the time,\u201d Collins said. \u201cBut they\u2019re going to have fun, and they\u2019re going to learn through the game.\u201d<\/p>\n For many students, the clinics become less about basketball itself and more about confidence, teamwork and resilience.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThey may not have thought basketball was a sport they could play, and then all of a sudden they can,\u201d Collins said. \u201cThey saw some success, and they want to replicate that.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Brooklyn](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/EVB01338.jpg\" "\\"Brooklyn")
At PS8 The Emily Roebling Schools, over 100 students packed an auxiliary gym for basketball drills and shootarounds.Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Basketball<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/EVB01373.jpg\" "\\"Brooklyn")
Students at PS8 get excited to play against coaches.Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Basketball<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/EVB01284.jpg\" "\\"Brooklyn")
Students take part in a youth clinic run by Brooklyn Basketball at a Brooklyn school gym.Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Basketball<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/EVB01469.jpg\" "\\"Brooklyn")
Collins and Shorenstein emphasized their shared commitment to educating and supporting Brooklyn\u2019s youth through basketball and community programming.Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Basketball\n<\/p>\n