Earned. Not given. Starts before tip-off. Warm up the right way ➜ The Ignition
AO Hoops | Trainer and Coach
Alex Oakeson
Elite basketball player development in Utah. Building players who are ready for the next level — on and off the court.
Who I Am
Built for This
I'm Alex Oakeson — JV Basketball Coach at Cedar Valley High School in Eagle Mountain, Utah, and founder of AO Hoops. My whole career has been built around one obsession: developing players who are ready when the moment comes.
I don't collect drills. I build frameworks. Every session at AO Hoops is designed from the ground up around your game, your mentality, and where you need to go next. Whether you're a middle schooler developing your first real handle or a high school athlete chasing a college offer — this is built for you.
Utah basketball is having a moment right now. The exposure is there. The question is whether your game is ready for it.
Cedar Valley High School · Eagle Mountain, UT
The Philosophy
Four Pillars
01
Earned Not Given
Nothing is handed. Players earn understanding through struggle, repetition, and ownership. Advancement requires demonstrated competence — not elapsed time.
02
Next-Play Speed
The last rep and last mistake are irrelevant. What matters is how fast you move to the next moment with full presence and intent.
03
Don't Judge
The gym is a judgment-free zone for effort and experimentation. Judgment is reserved for lack of effort — never lack of skill.
04
Family Standard
We celebrate each other. We hold each other accountable. We don't let each other hide. The standard is set by the group.
How I Train
The Full
Athlete
Scoring titles and highlight reels are the result — not the starting point. I train the whole athlete from the ground up.
Movement First
Before we ever talk handles or finishing, we have to talk about how you move. Bad movement patterns don't just limit your game — they're how careers get cut short. I believe you build on clean movement or you don't build at all. Everything else comes after.
Built to Last
The best ability is availability. I believe a player who stays on the floor beats a player who's more talented but broken down. The foundation matters — how your body handles the grind of a full season, a full career. That's not a side conversation. That's the whole conversation.
Explosive by Design
Speed and explosiveness are skills — not gifts. I believe every player has more athleticism locked up in them than they've ever tapped. Your first step, your vertical, your change of direction — those numbers move when you train them the right way, with the right progressions, consistently.
Control & Range
You can't play fast in positions your body can't access. I believe mobility and stability are basketball skills, full stop — not something you do after practice. The players who move well in all directions are the ones who make plays that other players can't, because they can get there.
Elasticity & Power
An elastic athlete loads and releases energy faster. That's the first step. That's the gather on a drive. That's the contest on a closeout. I believe training your body to move the way it was designed to — loose, powerful, reactive — is one of the most undervalued edges in the game.
The Approach
More Than Drills
A lot of trainers give you reps. I give you understanding. There's a difference between a player who can execute a move in a drill and a player who knows exactly when and why to use it in a game. I train for the second one.
My sessions are built around game truth — real situations you'll face, not choreography. Film study, competitive environments, character work. I read not just what your technical flaw is, but what's driving it.
That's how I build players who are ready when their name gets called.
Player Dev
Focus
Salt Lake + Utah County
Location
Elite
Standard
Ready to Level Up?