Nathan Meriwether started holding basketball training sessions in college to address problems he saw with one-on-one training in Indianapolis. This quickly turned into helping players on the court as athletes and off the court as people.
“I didn’t even know I was going to be a trainer, but going into my junior year of college, I saw a lot of the guys I was around and myself weren’t getting the training we needed for the level we were at … There’s a personal connection that you have with trainers that can take your game to another level,” Meriwether said.
That initial idea started what would become Get Better Academy (GBA). Alongside one of his mentors, PJ Boutte, he trains over 100 players, from elementary school students to overseas pros while always focusing on building that one-on-one connection with every player.
He started offering training approximately two years ago, giving tips to younger players to help them improve. Soon, he began seeing results. Players he helped would come back to share their excitement after immediately seeing a difference in their game. From there, he started to think about the idea of training and his relationship with basketball differently.
“God started putting a vision on me: Being in the shoes might not be your path, but helping people in the shoes will give you a bigger impact. If I’m hooping by myself and doing my thing, it’s just one of me, but if I can extend that knowledge and guidance within myself, I can touch millions of people,” Meriwether said.
He focuses on connecting basketball to life off the court. He said he always tells players that the ball will stop bouncing, and when it does, they must be ready for the real world.
“Without Nate and what he has done, I don’t know where my college career would be,” said one of Meriwether’s clients, Antwaan Cushingberry. “My two best seasons have come the summer after working out at GBA, so that’s just a testament to what he and his team are doing over there.”
Because Meriwether is only 24 years old, he easily connects to younger players. While his age is a positive, he also said being so young and training players close to his age provides difficulties older trainers might not face.
“Trainers that have been doing this for 20 to 30 years have this experienced nature about them that players will fall into easier, but when we’re the same age, players will ask, ‘If we play one-on-one right now who will win, how am I going to have you train me, and I could possibly beat you right now?’”
Because of this, Meriwether also has to train himself to continue to build his talent and demonstrate his skills to players, helping him gain experience as Get Better Academy has grown. When other players see his clients get better, they trust he can help them achieve their goals.
“My son has been going to Nathan at GBA academy going on three years now, and I feel like it’s been nothing short of great for him and for us as a family,” said Bryson Wells, a parent of one of the younger players Merriwether coaches. “They support him in many ways, but the one that stands out is how they push confidence into every player they train. They make the kids believe in themselves; that they can do anything in life.”
GBA has mostly grown through word-of-mouth with little social media marketing: A strategy Meriwether insists upon.
“Every day, I wake up and ask myself, ‘How much can I succeed in silence?’” Meriwether said.
For him, posting all his work with GBA on social media could put him in a box where he is only seen as a trainer. He also wants to focus on the players he is currently training as opposed to constantly looking for more. His marketing philosophy is, “A good product sells itself.”
This minority business highlight was composed by Garrett Simms at the Indianapolis Recorder, who can be reached at [317-762-7847] or via email at garretts@indyrecorder.com. If you would like your business highlighted in the Indianapolis Minority Business Magazine, click here
