Hoop Commitment is a resource for basketball coaches and players, ran by me, Mike Nilson.  If you want to improve your game through basketball-specific workouts, nutrition & leadership training, you’ve come to the right place.

Who Is Mike Nilson?

I’m an owner at U-District PT and the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at Gonzaga University.  

Over the last 20 years, I’ve become a Fellow of Applied Functional Science, a licensed sports nutritionist and hold a master’s degree in leadership.  But more importantly, I’ve spent my whole life playing, studying & coaching basketball.  

Here’s a documentary that shares my philosophy on life and basketball:

My full-time job is researching & implementing programs to help athletes jump higher, cut quicker and finish stronger on the court.  

If there’s an innovative and effective way to workout basketball players, I’ve bought the program and tried it.  

I’ve trained NBA, college and high schoolers, but my favorite ballers to coach are my three kids: Carter, Ella & Memphis. 

What’s a Commitment?

Like a lot of motivated athletes, I grew up setting goals.  My bathroom mirror and bedroom walls were covered with visual reminders of things I wanted to accomplish.

While setting goals was helpful for motivation, I still lacked a plan.  I knew I needed something more than just a goal.  I needed a commitment.  

Learning the difference between a goal and a commitment changed my life.  A goal is something you want to do, while a commitment is something you have to do.

The only way I know how to guarantee success is to turn your goals into commitments.  When you change your attitude from, “I want to“, into a mindset that says, “I have to“, your whole world will change. 

Hoop Commitment helps players build better eating, training and leadership habits through 30-day commitments.  Instead of setting goals, we make a promise to practice a habit that will make us better at basketball.  

We then hang a calendar on our wall and start building our chain of success.  Every day that we practice our habit, we earn the right to put an “X” on the calendar.

Hoop Commitment rings are a visual reminder of a player’s commitment to basketball.  For 30-days, they should be married to the game.  

I always wear two commitment rings.  One for my personal commitment and another to give away to players or coaches wanting to improve themselves.  

My First Hoop Commitment

I was a good high school player, but going into my senior year I didn’t have any Division 1 scholarship offers.  

That summer, I traveled to exposure tournaments in Vegas and Phoenix and was devastated when I didn’t play well.  Returning home, I made a commitment to carry a basketball with me 24/7 until the day I earned my college scholarship.

For the next year, my basketball went everywhere with me.  I carried the ball to class, school dances, vacations to the beach… it even had a special place on my pillow.  The ball became an extension of my hand.    

I had a great senior year of high school, earning MVP of the league, yet I still didn’t receive any Division 1 offers.  Without many options, I decided to walk on at Gonzaga University and continue my commitment of carrying my basketball every where I went.

My Commitment Continues

Being a walk-on was the most difficult thing I’d ever done.  Everyone on the team was bigger, faster, stronger and more skilled than me.  If I was going to earn a scholarship, I had to outwork them.

For the next year, when I wasn’t on the court, I was in the weight room.  In addition to tightening up my jumper and handles, increasing my strength, quickness and jumping ability made me a better player. 

All the hard work paid off and I earned a scholarship my sophomore year. There was no greater feeling than seeing the name, Mike Nilson, on a scholarship check!

I am forever grateful for the wonderful people I met and lessons I learned at Gonzaga.  The only way I knew how to express my gratitude was to kiss the Bulldog as I left the Kennel for the last time. 

My last two years at Gonzaga were highlighted with Elite 8 and Sweet 16 appearances, All-Conference Academic honors and earning the WCC Defensive Player of the year.

Following college, I made another dream come true by playing professionally in Europe.  I played two seasons in Duesseldorf, Germany, winning a league championship and once again earning Defensive Player of the Year.

What’s Your Story?

You’ve made it here, so don’t lose momentum by waiting to start your commitment.  The only time we can get better is right now!

There are so many ways to become a better player, where should you begin?  I suggest making a 5-minute commitment and start creating your chain of success today.  

If you want to improve your strength, quickness or jumping ability, check out my Youtube channel to get basketball specific workouts.  

Click here to see my favorite video on improving your vertical leap  

Do you want to become a better leader?  The Leadership Commitment is a great way to improve your ball handling while getting weekly leadership lessons.  

Click here to learn the 3 Levels Of Leadership

If you want to improve the way you eat, read my blog and get simple, quick and tasty meal ideas that will fuel your performance.  

Click here to learn the 3 Levels Of Nutrition  

Thanks for reading this.  I’d love to have you join the Hoop Commitment team.

Join the team and I’ll send you the latest and greatest training tips on basketball nutrition, workouts & leadership straight to your mailbox every week. Sign up below!