MBA and Grand Rapids Storm combine forces with merger
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Grand Rapids Storm and Michigan Basketball Academies travel basketball programs have combined forces in a merger, the sides announced on Tuesday.
Jason Martin, who founded the Storm 29 years ago, became friends with Sam Nichols, the executive director of Michigan Sports Academies, when they were on the same coaching staff of the West Ottawa High School football team for a few years.
“Sam Nichols is a friend of mine,” Martin said. “We coached at West Ottawa. In the past few months, the conversations picked up. We thought ‘what if we put together something with the two of us.’ We can expand our scope. This was the best way to do it.”
Martin is now the Boys Basketball Director for MBA.
“We’ve been working for a long time to increase the level of quality for our boys and girls programs,” Nichols said. “Our girls program has soared to new heights under (MBA Girls Basketball Director) Noelle Brown. We want to get the boys to a similar place. It seemed like a good opportunity to combine Jason’s 29 years of experience in this market and combining our properties to operate out of. He does some things that work really well and so do we. So I hope we can bring a great product to West Michigan.”
Martin said that the Grand Rapids Storm isn’t changing anything, but it will be under the MBA umbrella.
“Storm will continue to operate as it has been,” Martin said. “We’ll have all the same players and team colors. But we’ll be able to have access to all the MSA facilities. But our reach has become exponential.”
Martin will still coach the Storm’s top 17U team and run the Storm Classic and Brawl for the Ball summer tournaments.
“Jason will still operate his tournaments separate of us, but still in our facilities,” Nichols said. “He has a lot of great connections and he’s been doing it for a long time. We’re confident that it will continue to add what we do here.”
Martin said tryouts might be a little different, but not by much. The top players will be placed on the Storm teams.
“Very similar to what we’ve done in the past,” he said. “Guys will tryout and we’ll put the kids on the best teams for them. Storm and MBA are working together now instead working against each other for players.”
Michigan Sports Academies runs programs in four sports: Michigan Volleyball Academy, Michigan Basketball Academy, Michigan Futbol Academy, and Michigan Lacrosse Academy. They have four indoor facilities, three in Grand Rapids and one in Holland.
Jason Martin coaches the Grand Rapids Storm 17U team in 2020 during a tournament at Trine University. Martin created the Storm program in 1995. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
