Welcome to the Home of ELITE Basketball
Promoting Education through Athletics
Chattanooga Elite Basketball was awarded the 2015 Organizational "One with Courage" Award from the Children's Advocacy Center of Hamilton County. Thank you to all of the coaches & parents that serve as "Champions of Children" in the Chattanooga Community.
Celebrating our 2019 Seniors. Each Senior will receive their share of a $6,000 scholarship courtesy of the Jeffrey V. White Scholarship Fund. Thank you to everyone that made this possible.
Thank you to BMW of Chattanooga for sponsoring Chattanooga Elite's ACT Boot Camp! Together we can make a difference! Click Here to see the news segment!
Congratulations to the 16U team for winning the Division II AAU National Championship in Orlando Florida! Read more here.
Basketball as a Hook
Basketball functions in part as a hook to engage Chattanooga Elite student-athletes in all of our programs. Many kids are particularly excited about basketball at Chattanooga Elite, but, in order to enjoy time on the court, they need to perform in the classroom and participate in our educational & leadership programs. |
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Basketball as a Positive Force for Education
Another reason that Chattanooga Elite emphasizes basketball so heavily is that research suggests that participation in sports helps children to succeed in school. A longitudinal study of over 20,000 students conducted by Team-Up for Youth found that athletes have higher grades, loftier educational goals and fewer discipline problems than non-athletes. A separate study found that, in a sample of over 14,000 high school students, student-athletes were 1.7 times less likely to drop-out than non-athletes. Finally, numerous studies have identified a strong link between student participation in athletics and matriculation to and subsequent graduation from college. The trend is also present at the college level where the NCAA reports that the graduation rates of student-athletes surpass that of the student body. |
Transforming the Youth Basketball
Environment While the positive association between sports participation and educational achievement applies to all sports, Chattanooga Elite focuses on basketball in particular in part because of the detrimental approach to youth basketball in many communities. Youth basketball is dominated by the “pro sports or bust” or “DI or bust” mentality that often undermines student athletes’ academic, emotional and personal development and limits their sense of possibilities beyond the fame & fortune associated with sports. This is highlighted in the college graduation rates of NCAA Division I Men’s basketball players where only 47% of graduate compared to 63% of the student body. By creating an environment that combines basketball, education, and leadership development, Chattanooga Elite is seeking to foster a mindset of using basketball as a segue to educational achievement versus the notoriety of professional sports. Chattanooga Elite accomplishes all this while exposing student-athletes to ALL educational options available to student-athletes, not just Division I. |