The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
TEAMING UP
T3, TNBA partnering on sports complex
“Once we started talking about the courts building, it just made sense to kinda work together. ”
— T3 Performance owner Mike D’Andrea
T3 Performance and The National Basketball Academy each have made their mark in Lorain County sports and are partnering for a new venture.
The two organizations are developing a new sports complex behind the existing T3 Performance building, 1965 Recreation Lane in Avon.
TNBA is a professional basketball training and programming organization.
It runs year-round basketball programs including camps, clinics,
leagues, teams, tournaments and training.
The organization was established in 2003 in Cleveland.
Mike D’Andrea founded T3 Performance in 2009 with a goal of maximizing performance results for athletes through effective and progressive training methods, provided by elite level coaches.
“The core of who we are is performance training,” D’Andrea said.
He previously worked with director of ClevelandWest TNBA region Steve Vega and maintained a positive relationship.
“Once we started talking about the courts building, it just made sense to kinda work together,” D’Andrea said.
The new complex will be composed of six volleyball courts that can be converted into two high school basketball floors.
The volleyball space is a collaboration between T3 and The National Volleyball Academy.
The volleyball academy is a Junior Olympic volleyball training organization based at 1200 Chester Industrial Pkwy.
“For tournaments, we can use the space as four basketball courts,” Vega said. “We will get eight basketball courts total.”
T3 Performance has a slew of elite travel baseball teams that also will find use in the new building with a dedicated lounge space.
T3 Performance partner UH Sports Medicine already is present in the current building, but will occupy an entire wing in the new complex.
“University Hospital is a great partner,” D’Andrea said. “They’re a huge part of this next step.”
The UH wing will allow doctors to remain on premises and provide Connor Integrative services such as acupuncture and yoga.
The building will include a performance gym, cafe and a film room where participants can cut and break down film recorded during practices.
Vega, also a trainer and coach from Avon, is one of two athletes in Lorain County to score over 2,000 points during his high school basketball career.
He said the expansion will allow TNBA to fulfill more of its mission.
“We want to be the best basketball training, tournaments, league, resource out there,” Vega said. “It gives us the depth of a facility that can support our growth.”
Both organizations have reached back into the community through a nonprofit which allows underprivileged youth to participate in programming.
“A perk of us working together on a project like this is being able to reach the kids who can benefit the most,” Vega said.
T3 Sports Foundation has collaborated with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lorain County to train athletes.
“There are 12 schools in Lorain County where we send coaches to those locations to train the athletes a couple times a week,” D’Andrea said.
Youngsters gain more than sports fundamentals from the performance centers, he said.
“The first thing we hear from kids who train here is the overall increased confidence,” D’Andrea said. “It’s not just about the sport, but developing the mindset and discipline.”
Development on the building will begin later this fall with anticipation for grand opening in fall 2022.