Growing up in Westchester County, NY, my most formative years were shaped by sports. Whether I was trying out for a basketball team, playing kickball in the street after school or spending Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden with my mom, these moments have stuck with me my entire life. The ups and downs of these experiences made me who I am today.
After playing basketball competitively through high school, I attended SUNY Fredonia where Ihad my heart set on a degree in Sports Business and a career as a college basketball player. However, a few bumps and bruises, a new Head Coach and one recruiting class later, I realized my tenure as a player may soon be coming to an end. Luckily for me, the new Head Coach and former Knicks player, Phil Seymore, asked me to sit down, take a deep breath and extended an offer to join his coaching staff.
He knew I was banged up and struggling to compete for a roster spot, but he also saw dedication as I ran pre-season workouts, organized open gyms and welcomed new recruits onto campus. I was unsure at the time, but I was also excited for a new opportunity.
Over the next three years, disappointment as a player turned into passion as a coach. I was able to expand my role as a student-assistant, taking on new responsibilities breaking down game film, leading walkthroughs, and recruiting players. This is where I fell in love with coaching. However, I also began to realize that our vision as coaches and leaders was very narrow. Although we were recruiting players who made the extra pass to make teammates around them better, we lost site of the true meaning of making that extra pass. We were only focused on a very small percentage of players who we saw potential to play at the “next level.”
After graduating, I returned home to pursue a master’s degree in business at Manhattanville College. I was still passionate about coaching and found a way to stay involved as the Director for a local AAU basketball program called NY Pride and a summer camp in New Rochelle called Next Level. Although I enjoyed working with the kids, I still saw one fundamental problem; there were only two types of players being accounted for, those who could play at a high level, and those who could pay at a high level. Here I was again feeling like we were missing the bigger picture as leaders and coaches.
As I progressed in my graduate program, I started to put together a business plan. I was determined to start my own organization that approached youth sports “the right way.” I shared my vision with Next Level Camps Owner, Ed Metzendorf who suggested I reach out to Danny Bernstein. The next day, I called Danny and he was on his way upstate to Brant Lake. He answered with his usual euphoric tone and listened as I shared my exciting new idea. Little did I know, there was already somebody out there who had the same vision I had, only 10 years sooner.
After my conversation with Danny, I remember feeling like my tank had been refilled. One short week later, I began working with children at Backyard Sports. I was introduced to our Program Director, Vin Minotti, who mentored me on the ins and outs of working with children of various ages and ability levels including athletes with special needs. Coming from a very different sports environment, it was not typical to see a coach of that caliber check their ego at the door and immediately share their “secret sauce.” It was very apparent right off the bat that this organization was not about Vin, nor was it about Danny; it was about the kids. This was refreshing!
Fast forward 10 years, we are now serving more than 3,000 deserving children in meaningful community sports programs each year. I am extremely lucky to have found Backyard Sports. And with the additions of our COO, Steve Tseckares, and our newest Program Coordinator, Craig Butler, I could not imagine a more incredible group of selfless people to be on this meaningful sports journey with. I can only hope that our next ten years are as exciting as the first!
By Dillon Faulkner, Backyard Sports Cares
