Alabama Basketball Coaches Clinic - 2023

Basketball coaches association clinics usual take place in the fall, so it can be hard for us to create a travel schedule with so many events and so few weekends. We’re constantly picking and choosing between multiple overlapping events.

The Alabama Association of Basketball Coaches, or the AABC, did us a favor and made their conference in the spring!

This weekend Grip Spritz traveled to Gulf Shores for the inaugural AABC clinic. About 150 basketball coaches from the state came down to the beach and got some coaching insights from some high level basketball minds.

Coaches from LSU, Alabama, and the New Orleans Pelicans highlighted the speaker list.

It may sound counterintuitive but our favorite thing is when no one at an event has heard of us yet, it means we’re in the right place!

Over the course of the weekend we were able to connect with plenty of the attendees about what Grip Spritz does and how we can save their school lots of money.

Regardless of where we go for an event, dusty courts are something every basketball coach is complaining about. Their next complaint is usually how their sticky pad just doesn’t fix anything for their players.

Making basketball shoes sticky, what sticky pads do, just isn’t the answer for dusty courts. The sticky sheets just remove whatever dust or dirt is on the soles of the shoes. It doesn’t stop the shoes from accumulating more. Thanks to the adhesives in the product, it actually encourages it. That’s why every few possessions, coaches are stuck ripping off another sticky sheet.

Coaches don’t want to have to deal with this while they’re trying to actually coach. They joke that they have to do it because players accidentally peel off 6 sheets at a time. They laugh but they quickly get serious because, that is an expensive mistake!

One of the biggest advantages basketball coaches see with Grip Spritz is that there is no in game maintenance. You get our traction mat ready before the game, players use as they’re going in and they’re good for the night.

They don’t have to peel of sticky sheets, find somewhere to throw it away and still hear players complain they have no grip on their basketball shoes.

Grip Spritz doesn’t use adhesives, we rehydrate the rubber soles of the basketball shoes. That way, regardless of dust on the court, your shoes have traction.

Basketball coaches have their share of complaints about sticky pads but a huge turn off has always been the price.

A sticky pad and enough sticky sheets to get a basketball team through a full season of just games can be over $300. Schools also have to decide if they want to make their boys and girls share and hope they don’t play the same day or purchasing a second expensive sticky mat and more sheets.

Our goal with Grip Spritz was to ensure schools get two traction mats for less than the cost of one sticky pad. We did that.

On top of the cost savings, our traction mat comes with enough solution for 64 games or practices. Basketball shoes don’t just need grip on game nights, they practice on that same slippery court or even worse, a back gym.

There’s no need for schools to have to purchase more Grip Spritz solution during the season and not having grip while they wait for it to arrive.

Basketball teams, especially high schools, are so happy to finally find a fix for slippery basketball courts that lasts and saves them money.

Our road journey continues in the next few weeks!

Side story, in case anyone is curious about our travels, it’s not always sunshine and rainbows!

This trip to Alabama was a long, odd trip. I was flying from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale, to Pensacola.

To get from San Diego to LAX, it was supposed to be quick and easy. A train that took me directly north to the airport. When I got to the train station, I found out the tracks were closed. We were rerouted onto a bus that took me to Irvine, then finally on to the train. That train took me to downtown Los Angeles, where I had to get on another bus to get me to LAX.

I was worried I would be at the airport too early but by the time I got to security, I was boarding in a half hour.

I landed in Fort Lauderdale for an overnight layover, so it meant a comfy nights sleep on the floor before taking a quick flight to Pensacola.

Finally got to Pensacola, where I had an hour drive to Alabama. When I actually made it, the hotel had lost all my stuff I needed for the clinic that we had shipped there.

After a few stressful hours, it was finally found! After that, it was smooth sailing and a great clinic!

Each trip is an adventure, some more than others! Regardless, excited to get back out there and meet more coaches next weekend!