Dave Aldape

Founder & CEO

Head Skills Coach

My Story

When I was 12 years old I ‘Googled’ “how to be a college basketball coach, without playing college basketball". I look back on that & laugh because even though I knew what I wanted to do already, I was also self-aware that I wasn’t the most athletic player on the court. I loved everything about basketball, but I loved helping others more.

After my playing career ended in high school, I’ve spent the past 8 years learning the game of basketball from as many coaches & mentors as possible to be able to teach the game at its highest level to all my clients.

Whether it’s my 6th graders or my NBA client, results are what matter most. But what goes into that is more than just showing up to work out.

- You have to be able to honestly assess where you are as player & take responsibility for your own improvement.

- You have to be willing to learn & ask questions.

- You have to learn to fall in love with the process of getting better.

You’re going to have bad workouts, bad practices, bad games. & I’m going to be right there with you to help you get through that struggle together.

I’d love to help work with you through both the good and bad times together & help you develop into a high level player.

My Background

- (2010-2013) played @ Riverside Brookfield (IL) under Tom McCloskey & Mike Reingruber.

- (2012) Finished 8th in IHSA (Illinois) State 3-Point Contest.

- (2013-2016) Student Manager for DePaul Men's Basketball Team.
2 years under Coach Oliver Purnell's staff; 1 year under Coach Dave Leitao's staff.
Attended & participated in practice daily, traveled to games, assisted with video breakdowns, assisted with recruiting process, helped players in the gym

- (2016-present) Started working with kids of all ages & levels in the Chicagoland Area

- (2016-2017) Freshman Assistant Coach / Freshman B Team Head Coach @ Riverside-Brookfield High School (IL). Main role was off-season player development.

- (2017-2018) Sophomore & Varsity Assistant Coach @ Riverside Brookfield High School (IL). Main role was off-season player development.

- (2018-2022) Mentored by NBA Skills Coach & Consultant, Drew Hanlen

- (2019-present) Began working with first full-time NBA Client, Cristiano Felicio of the Chicago Bulls. With a focus on shooting, Cris was able to increase his Free Throw Percentage by 10% in the first year & set a career-high FT%. Cris now plays with Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany!

- (2020) Co-Founded Authentic Basketball

- (2021) First full-time client of 4+ years (Tavari Johnson) received 10+ Division I scholarship offer (committed to University of Akron on September 8th, 2021)

- (2021-2022) served Director of Player Development in partnership with Mac Irvin Fire of Nike EYBL (left to cooperate with NCAA rules)

TESTIMONIALS

I had the pleasure of coaching David Aldape in high school and then a few years later hiring him onto our basketball staff at Riverside Brookfield High School. Coach Aldape does a tremendous job helping players develop and take the next step in their games. He has a knack for having the ability to "coach up" all types of players, including NBA and high level college players all the way down to kids who are playing basketball for the first time in Kindergarten or 1st grade. Coach Aldape is a gym rat who I highly recommend to players of all skill levels, who are looking to improve their game.

Mike Reingruber / Head Coach / Riverside-Brookfield - Boys Varsity Basketball

Dave Aldape Founder & CEO Head Skills Coach