Meet David Allen of Doghouse Basketball Training

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Allen.

David, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My name is David Allen. I went to four different high schools growing up. Valley Vista, Willow Canyon, Dysart, and Moon Valley. During this time, I came across multiple coaches who would shape me into the person and trainer I am today. Bernard Thompson, Carlo Crockom, Jeff Fore, Rodney Berry, and Kevin Kilgore have all mentored me and built the foundation of knowledge I use for my skills training. So I’d like to start this off by giving thanks to them.

The Name: The Doghouse is an idea of a gym my AAU Coach Rodney Berry used to always speak of. He would always talk of this place so vividly and it stuck with me. After I had met my first two clients, I decided to make an Instagram Account. I brainstormed multiple ideas, most were terrible, but I kept coming back to Doghouse. So I created the account and have been building on it ever since.

Doghouse Basketball Training started years after I had been removed from playing and the entire hoops scene in general. I happened to come across some players who were currently playing at a school I attended. I ended up training and mentoring these kids. We started off training people at parks, LA fitness, honestly wherever we could. I approached some of my old high schools and no one really wanted to take a chance on me as a trainer. But through my relationship with the players, came many more players and what turned into the training movement we have today.

Doghouse Basketball Training has built a reputation of building elite players through attention to detail and how personable the training is. But honestly, I believe any trainer or organization can list accolades, players trained, or organizations trained and have that speak for where they are today. Today, I’m 27 years old. I’ve mentored many players and have been blessed to work with many successful programs. At this very moment, my only goal is to continue down this path and continue to change lives in a positive manner.

Myself and Jordan Augustine teamed up to create The Hoop Network. It’s a network of like-minded coaches looking to make an impact on the next generation of basketball players. We’ve hosted coaches clinics and youth clinics. We’ll be looking to build on the early success of this and get it out to the larger masses.

Has it been a smooth road?
The road has not been smooth at all. Murphy’s Law is a real thing. Everything that could have went wrong on this journey probably has. Life long friendships were lost, time away, financial struggles, loss of material items, moments of self-doubt,being taken advantage of, paranoia, you name it, it’s happened over here. But honestly, without those hardships, I don’t think our training is as special as it is today. Through this process, it’s shown me that consistency and self-belief will get you through it all. Another huge thing I’ve learned along the way is “it takes a village,” no one man is responsible for any individual’s growth, its all one big process everyone gets to be a part of. Some people play bigger roles than others, but looking at things from that perspective has opened me up to self-reflection and made everything much easier.

Please tell us more about your work. What do you do? What do you specialize in? What sets you apart from competition?
We specialize in skills training and player development. We train all positions. I specifically enjoy training guards, point guards, especially. I was an elite guard myself, so I always enjoy giving pointers and any little tricks I can to my players. I believe I’m most known for my work with elite level players (high school, college, pro). Which is actually what I’m most proud of, the success and growth of the people I get to mentor and work with. There really isn’t a comparable feeling to actually see and witness the growth of these players on and off the court.

Skills: FOOTWORK, SHOOTING, SPACING, PASSING, IQ, BODY CONTROL, PACE, DEFENSE, MUCH MORE.

I believe myself as an individual has always set me apart from others. My attention to detail and the way I see the game have always been unique but the principles and morals I operate with on a daily basis are most important and the training just follows suit. Nobody took a chance on me, so I built things from the ground up on my own. Nobody would provide opportunities, so I created my own opportunities. I just try to be an example for anyone who has doubters.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
No. I wouldn’t recommend starting out here. Basketball is very separated, coaches and programs make everything a competition rather than focusing on player development. I believe there should be more unity among the cities and among programs. More open communication and less tension. The city could be such a special place for hoop, the potential is limitless. But the adults need to a better job in providing a better atmosphere more geared on the next generation rather than ego, pride and competition among one another.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 623-261-3572
• Email: doghousebasketballtraining@gmail.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/dhbasketballtraining

Image Credit:
Pleasesaycheesephotography
Photography by Roshan Spottsville

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