ABOUT OUR PROGRAM
Who We Are
The OSA Basketball Program is run by Mitch Albers, Director of Basketball Operations and facilitated by our full time coaching staff, who all play a prominent role in the oversight and direction of our program.The OSA Boys and Girls Basketball Programs are led by Mitch Runco (Boys) and Joe Tynon (Girls). The experience these two bring to the table is invaluable, and their resumes speak for themselves. Both coaches not only love basketball, but more importantly they love teaching the game to our athletes and coaches. In addition to our boys and girls directors, the thing that truly separates us from our competitors is our full – time coaching staff. Between the seven of us, we have over 120 years of playing/coaching experience! Many of us have taught and coached players at the highest of high levels which includes NBA and high-level Division 1 basketball. We have also worked with a variety of youth teams with varying skill levels, demonstrating our ability to meet specific needs of players for both individual and team growth. Our focus remains the same regardless of what team your athlete plays for! We take pride in training all OSA team coaches “the OSA Way,” and every one of us will always place a high emphasis on skill development while providing all of our athletes the tools to become confident and to perform at a level in which they are pushed to the best of their abilities! We can’t wait to work with your athletes this spring/summer season!
What We Are About
We are always looking for ways to make OSA the best it can possibly be, and we are constantly meeting and discussing ways in which we can provide your son/daughter with and incredible youth sporting experience! While some of our full-time coaching staff is new to OSA, it didn’t take long for us to realize why this place is special and what makes this organization such a great place to be.
It starts and ends with our players. It’s the committed players who love basketball and love to compete at a high level who really make this thing go. It’s the unselfish players who are constantly cheering for their teammates and play with high energy and relentless effort. It’s the players who continue to want to learn and understand how to be coachable and then maximize the opportunities we provide them. We still have a long way to go to get where we want to be at OSA, but it’s not going to take us long to get there with the intangibles the kids in our program have. They want to be great, and they want to be coached. Additionally, we will continue to provide the athletes in our program opportunities to face and overcome adversity. With adversity comes growth, not only as a basketball player but as a young person and at the end of the day this whole experience is all bigger than basketball!
Lastly, it’s obvious we have a great community of parents that solidifies the brand we are proud of here at OSA. The way that OSA families represent our organization during games and on the road is first-class and the TRUST they have in the OSA mission is very much unappreciated! It is the OSA players, OSA families, and OSA coaches that bring value to our program and are a huge part of what makes this the best basketball program around!
High School Athletes
We know that many of our high school athletes aspire to play at the next level. We are here to assist in those conversations with your sons/daughters. The number of relationships we have established with coaches at all levels of collegiate basketball is something we are proud of! Whether it’s locally or around the country, you won’t find a more well-connected staff than we have here at OSA, and that’s something we feel very confident about. We will provide the players here at OSA the best opportunities to play in front of the right fit of college coaches! All of our ELITE high school athletes will be playing during all four of the NCAA certified live-period weekends and in front of a variety of coaches. We want to provide our kids with as many exposure opportunities as possible and based on the tournament schedules we have put together; we feel like we have provided a top-notch platform to do so!
Youth Athletes
OSA teams will play a schedule that is competitive and challenging but at the same time fits their team’s abilities. Players will be challenged by competing against teams from the Midwest and beyond and being exposed to different skill sets and styles of play. Players can expect to compete against a diverse number of teams that play a variety of styles. If your athlete is looking to compete and be challenged, we will provide that! If your son/daughter is ready to grow as a person and player due to being in adverse situations, we encourage you to join us! We will provide your player with all of the necessary tools that will build their confidence, grow their love of the game, and help transition them to make an impact as they get into high school!
What’s NEW and EXCITING!
Elite vs Select OSA Teams…What is the Difference? Once tryouts have concluded, players will be divided into their respective teams, and team rosters will be posted on our website. This year we will label teams a little differently than in years past. Athletes will either be placed on an ELITE team or a SELECT team. The number of ELITE and SELECT teams will vary depending on grade level. Both ELITE and SELECT teams will be provided the same opportunities to work with our OSA professional staff during practices and skill sessions. The main difference between the two? ELITE teams, very similar to our “national” teams in years past, will travel more extensively than our SELECT teams, previously known as our “regional” teams, thus resulting in increased fees for players on ELITE teams.
Practices – Teams will practice twice a week throughout the spring/summer season, which begins at the end of March and runs through the end of July. Each practice will focus on a combination of offensive and defensive concepts that will enable your athlete to grow and become more confident as a basketball player. In addition to these offensive and defensive concepts, we pride ourselves on providing high level skill development. ALL players are taught ALL skills and are encouraged to utilize those skills in competitive situations. All OSA team practices are run with great pace and consist of high energy, resembling upper-level high school or collegiate level practices! Note: High School teams will take June off from practices and competition to allow athletes to focus on their high school teams.
Tournament Schedules – Teams will be assigned to play an ELITE team or SELECT team schedule. Our top BOYS 16U and 17U ELITE teams will play the adidas Gold Gauntlet circuit, competing in Indianapolis, Spartanburg, Rock Hill, and Orange County, to name a few. Other ELITE teams will get in front of college coaches on the Prep Hoops Circuit, competing in Indianapolis, Kansas City, Chicago and more! OSA SELECT teams will also have opportunity for travel, but will play most of their tournaments closer to home. TOURNAMENT SCHEDULES WILL BE RELEASED SOON!
2022 Spring/Summer Program Fees* (Fees do not include a uniform/practice jersey, which can be purchased for an additional $160)
3rd Grade thru 17U BOYS SELECT Teams: $1,350
3rd Grade thru 17U GIRLS SELECT Teams: $1,350
3rd Grade BOYS and GIRLS ELITE Teams: $1,350
4th and 5th Grade BOYS and GIRLS ELITE Teams: $1,400
6th and 7th Grade BOYS and GIRLS ELITE Teams: $1,450
8th Grade thru 17U BOYS and GIRLS ELITE Teams: $1,500
*Fee differences are based on tournament schedules and travel requirements
OSA Coaching
OSA team coaches are trained under the OSA Professional Coaching staff, with the goal to strengthen and improve each athletes’ individual skill set. In addition to their team practice and games commitment, OSA Coaches must undergo the following:
COACH QUALIFICATIONS (MANDATORY):
DARKNESS 2 LIGHT TRAINING – As much as we are working to achieve success with our student-athletes on the floor, we must be diligent with addressing the details that impact their lives off of the floor as well. With that in mind, we must stay vigilant in addressing the perils in our immediate environment and sports community that could have an impact on the safety and well being of the student athletes we have been entrusted to develop. As a result we have partnered with the child advocacy group Darkness to Light (D2L) to provide comprehensive training and information regarding issues that are designed for the protection and safety of our young athletes. As a continual effort to proactively educate our staff on this topic, this online training is required to be successfully completed by each coach to continue to work with any of the young athletes at the Omaha Sports Academy. This includes all head coaches and assistant coaches of our teams.
OSA APPROVED BACKGROUND CHECKS – As a continual commitment to the protection and safety of our young athletes, we are constantly reviewing the conduct and actions of our coaches on a consistent basis. As a result, we have partnered with One Source to execute and monitor background checks on all of the coaches in the OSA Select Program. Background checks will need to be completed by all coaches who plan on working with young athletes here at OSA.
MANDATORY REPORTERS – In Nebraska, everyone is a mandatory reporter. This means physicians, medical institutions, nurses, school employees, social workers or any other person who has reasonable cause to believe that a child has been subjected to abuse or neglect is required by law to make a report to the CPS Hotline and/or Law Enforcement. (Nebraska Revised Statute 28-711). Rest assured that our coaches and administrators will do everything possible to ensure the safety and protection of our young athletes and will work zealously to protect all young people from any possible signs of physical or emotional harm regardless of the situation. Our coaches and administrators are trained to report any sign of child endangerment and abuse to the proper authorities.
21015 Cumberland Drive
Elkhorn, NE 68022
tel: 402-504-1222
fax: 402-504-1720
