How Andy Borman plans to transform IMG Academy into a hoops powerhouse.
by Bryan Crawford / @_BryanCrawford
When Andy Borman took over as Director of Basketball at IMG Academies this past spring, there was little doubt that he was prepared for the task of turning one of America’s premier basketball training programs into an elite and competitive prep contender on the national stage.
You see, Borman knows a thing or two about coaching, development, and elite basketball programs.
Borman played basketball at Duke University (as a walk-on) and was a member of their 2001 NCAA Championship squad. While his name may not be one that you’ll remember from those Duke teams and his face may not be one that you’d recognize if he walked past you on the street, you may be more familiar with his uncle who’s pretty famous and a pretty good basketball coach in his own right, Duke Head Coach, Mike Krzyzewski.
Familial ties aside, Borman has constructed a pretty impressive list of accomplishments all his own.
He was a dual-sport athlete at Duke playing both basketball and soccer. In his collegiate career, between the two sports he’s made 7 NCAA Tournament appearances, won 4 ACC Tournament championships, 3 regular season ACC Championships, and has gone to 2 Final Fours to go with the aforementioned NCAA title in basketball.
He also holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Duke, was the Director of Player Development at Cal-Berkeley, and the Director of Basketball Operations at San Jose State University.
He also started a very successful basketball school in Chicago and a pretty good AAU program as well. Needless to say, he is very well equipped to handle his new role running the basketball side of things at IMG.
And his success isn’t merely a case of nepotism either. Andy Borman works hard at everything he does and his competitive drive to be the best is second to none.
“Andy gets it,” says Coach K of his nephew. “He’s smart, he’s very good with people, and he can relate to anyone. Plus, he likes kids and enjoys helping them even more. Nobody is better when it comes to preparation and nobody wants to win more than Andy.”
Says Borman of his legendary uncle, “He’s obviously more than just one of my coaches because he’s my uncle. But at the same time he’s more than an uncle because we’re also really good friends.” He adds, “When Team USA was working out in Las Vegas, because of him I got a chance to go out there and watch them train. I got a chance to go to dinner with Coach K, Jerry Colangelo and those guys and I got a chance to sit down and talk with them and learn. He’s an invaluable resource for me as I put my stamp on IMG.”
His best friend and former roommate at Duke — and for a while in Chicago when he played for the Bulls — is Orlando Magic PG Chris Duhon. He speaks highly of Borman as well. “Andy is a great, great guy and he got respect at Duke from the way that he competed. He hated to lose and he did whatever it took to win. It’s very easy to respect a guy like that.”
And on Borman taking over the program at IMG, Duhon adds, “Andy is so dedicated and he’s going to work harder than anybody else. He knows the responsibilities that he has over there and because of his competitive nature, his main thing at IMG is to make basketball the number one program there and he has a lot of resources to help him build that program.”
Borman who himself is a graduate of IMG Academies, has found a way to balance his own vision for the basketball program while keeping it in line with the basic principle of what IMG is all about. “I came out of IMG and I went to Duke and played two sports and I was ready to go on day one. I saw first-hand what coming down here and dedicating myself as a player did for me.” He goes on to say, “Our main goal isn’t just getting kids into a big-time college; our main goal is that when these kids do go to college as freshmen, they’re impact players right away.”
But it’s not just about the athletic preparation; Borman also wants to teach kids transferable skills that they can use in their everyday lives on a college campus. “IMG really does prepare kids for college better than anyone,” says Borman. “Our kids have lived on their own, so they’ve learned how to manage their own time. These are things that a lot of kids aren’t prepared for when they go away to school. When you’re in college and you get out of class, you’re not going to go to your dorm and have your mom cook a meal for you or have your dad telling you to do your homework. These kids come down here and learn all of that but more importantly, from an athletic standpoint they learn how to play in a real college system so they’ve already got a natural leg up.”
And his goal for the basketball program is simple, “We want to be two steps above high school and one step below college. We are literally going to stick to and define ourselves with the idea of being a genuine college preparatory program. That’s our focus.”
To carry out his vision, Borman has managed to snag some top-notch talent from across the country to help him achieve his goals.
DeAndre Daniels, a 6-9 F who attended Taft High School in Woodland Hills, CA last year and is considered by many to be one of the best players in the country, is currently enrolled at IMG. Christian Garrett, a 6-5 G from California is also currently enrolled at IMG along with Chicago products 6-2 G Phillip Green, 6-8 F Jamari Traylor (the second coming of Amar’e Stoudamire), and do-it-all 6-9 F Shayok Shayok.
With Andy Borman at the helm, look for IMG Academy to make some noise on the hardwood this season.
Read the SLAMonline Discussion Rules before posting.