Sixteen Division I basketball players have come from one nonprofit basketball program led by English teacher Alfred Chan: The House We Built.
Chan is the executive director and head coach of The House We Built, an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball club. The program gathers kids from across the New England area and sets them up for success by creating accessible opportunities for players to get into college basketball programs with lower prices and with financial aid options.
Chan said he makes sure he supports his players in all forms of life, not just athletics.
“Our impact is much more about helping kids attain a degree, but also get to their goals of being able to take care of themselves,” Chan said.
According to Chan, The House We Built also provides players with opportunities outside of sports. The program works with Mark Reeves, founder and CEO of New England Community Service (NECS) and consultant for The House We Built , to help their athletes gain other experiences, such as supporting families in need.
“They work for NECS in the summertime, so that’s how we keep this continuity of services going. I also run a mental performance agency that’s connected to the nonprofit,” Reeves said. “Anyone that’s with The House We Built has the opportunity to have mental performance coaching or mindfulness coaching through my organization.”
While many basketball club teams have a goal to maximize profit, Chan said he intentionally tries to avoid that relationship with his players.
“We’re different because we truly center it around the players, the young people that we work with, and we help them grow. It’s not about personal gain,” Chan said. “My intent is to help as many kids as I can get to a high level of college and to try to get college degrees for free.”
Junior Kahlil Singleton plays basketball at Canisius University and is an alumnus of The House We Built. He was named an Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week earlier this winter. He worked directly with Chan as his coach and said he felt like Chan had a lot of trust in him as a player.
“I would say that the biggest positive to playing with Chan would be that he really fights for his guys,” Singleton said. “He’s telling coaches, ‘You’re crazy if you don’t offer him.’ He’s really trying to convince colleges to take us. I appreciate how hard he fights for his players.”
Chan said he finds the skills he brings to teaching and coaching very similar. In both, he tries to give the kids he works with confidence and teach them that they can always improve and grow.
“I tell students, ‘I believe in you, you can do this,’” Chan said. “I can’t make them believe in it, but I think it’s important, having that confidence, having that self-belief. I think that’s why I love teaching so much: because I’m just coaching kids in English.”
Reeves said the program is looking to increase long-term stability so it can continue to benefit young athletes, and it is now expanding to include a girls’ basketball program.
“I think the next step is putting a better business structure around the program so it has sustainability for years out,” Reeves said. “It’s bigger than the individual, so some type of succession business model that The House We Built can not only remain, but it can thrive.”
Singleton said the program has shaped his current life and relationships with people, and he’s grateful for the opportunities it gave him.
“On that team, I played with some guys that are my best friends to this day,” Singleton said. “Without playing with The House We Built, my life would look a lot different, relationship and friendship-wise. It’s lifelong relationships, lifelong connections through that program.”
