Today we’d like to introduce you to Shea Frazee.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in a place known more for ice fishing than basketball; Fairbanks, Alaska. Watching Michael Jordan’s peak years were some of my first memories. But in Fairbanks, which is right in the center of Alaska, access to sporting facilities was limited both in quantity and accessibility because of extreme weather. So I shot the basketball through anything I could. Which was usually a laundry hamper or a small, low hoop nailed to a tool shed.
By middle school, I had convinced my parent’s basketball was my top priority. And they would drive me to Denali Athletic Club, the only fitness center in my town with a court, daily. By age 12, they’d drop me off right after school and I’d stay on the court practicing shots, playing and studying games in the gym lobby until closing time at 9pm.
Fast forward to finishing my college basketball career, I knew I wanted to play professional basketball and didn’t care what level. But I was underprepared in both mental skill and strength both on and off the court. So I decided to keep working on my game and at the same time use the techniques I applied to myself to help other athletes.
Little has changed, basketball is still an insatiable process for me.
I began exclusively basketball training and consulting in 2011 after receiving an invitation from my friend to move from Seattle, Washington, where my family still lives, to the talent hot spot of Los Angeles. What I love the most about Southern California is the deep basketball culture, diversity, and variety of talent at all levels. My business has grown steadily over the years. And it’s been truly enjoyable for me to have meaningful relationships at every level of the game both here in California, throughout the US and internationally.
To date, I’ve been able to train and consult almost 4o NBA athletes privately which is a dream for me. I continuously work with them to help them maintain and fine-tune their game. Another rewarding aspect of my business is elite player development for younger players trying to maximize their potential. I’ve worked with over 1,500 youth and college players. There are few greater joys for me than working with an athlete long-term and helping them get to a skill level where they can secure a place on their first-pick team, maybe even play professionally, and surprise themselves with their own development.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When I first started out up until a few years ago, I just didn’t have adequate business knowledge or established partnerships to help manage the operations of my business. It’s definitely not a one-man show and I struggled for years figuring that out.
That was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. When they declared the first lockdown, I was a newlywed and my wife was pregnant with our first child. The closing of many gym spaces near me during that time left my business on the brink of collapse. We moved a lot during 2020, which made everything more complex. Each of those moves has its own story. But the circumstances left me no choice but to run workouts outdoors and do training via Zoom. My family, both in Washington State and Orange County, plus the clients who stuck with me during those times are people I’m forever grateful for.
Eventually, both my wife and I went into deep focus with reinventing our careers quietly. And I believe we’re in a better place now as a family than we were before the lockdown thanks to those challenging times.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve been a basketball player developer contracted independently by almost 40 NBA athletes and thousands of elite college and youth athletes. I’m focused on the life journey as a whole with them; not just when they’re already good and not just when they’re struggling. Life and basketball have seasons that I’m able to help athletes navigate through and prosper in. That journey doesn’t look the same for each athlete and I believe I bring an experienced, calming approach to that.
What are you known for?
Being an approachable trainer who can keep players grounded and focused when things are great, yet encouraged and hungry to get better when things don’t go their way.
What are you most proud of brand wise?
I don’t really feel proud. I just feel fortunate to serve in diverse capacities within basketball.
What do you want our readers to know about your brand, offerings etc?
My main focus in serving athletes, from NBA athletes through elite high school prospects, through long-term training and consulting with a high focus on player development.
I’ve also been working on expanding my online training programs. The main goal for me with those is to provide easy to understand programs that address real-world problems for basketball athletes at every level. My first one is out now and helps athletes learn how to shoot farther in six weeks by themselves by providing prescribed shooting techniques and simple weekly scheduling.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I’ll never believe I know everything about basketball.
That’s what inspires me to get on the court daily and work on myself first before I go out and train others. I like to study anthropology, sports psychology, philosophy, neurology, biomechanics and other subjects in an effort to integrate well-rounded information into my training. As well as studying NBA film daily. I mix scientific principles and theories into my training often because I believe athletes with powerful, self-aware minds are the ones who most often maximize their potential.
Pricing:
- Shoot Farther In 6 Weeks (Online Program) $149
- Private training, premium film studies and consultation require an application
- https://www.sheafrazee.com/form/apply
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sheafrazee.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shea.frazee/?hl=en
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sheafrazeee?s=21&t=eVLO846AMbwvDVV8kROCHw
- Youtube: http://youtube.com/@shea.frazee
- Other: https://g.co/kgs/ghvG3q
Image Credits
Jody Hou Chester Liang Brianna Nakatani
