Meet Jason Goldman

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jason Goldman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Jason, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I found my purpose when I started coaching 4th grade basketball at a local facility near my house. My dad coached me growing up so I always knew that coaching was something that I wanted to do. I enjoyed coaching younger kids but coaching high school athletes was always something that I felt would be an avenue I wanted to explore. When I started my own program, I had no idea that it would grow into what it’s become but the first group of high school athletes that put on the Predators jersey truly defined my purpose. I wanted to help kids play basketball at the collegiate level. So many programs focus on Division I basketball that I felt like Division III athletes and programs were always forgotten. I wanted to create a program that catered to high academic athletes who wanted to use sports to get into colleges that maybe they would have struggled getting into without their athletic abilities. I wanted to help kids reach the next level in athletics while also setting themselves up for successful careers and futures outside of basketball.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I founded an AAU basketball program called the Jersey Shore Predators. We specialize in developing high school athletes and helping them to reach their goals of playing basketball at the collegiate level. In five seasons, we’ve helped 47 of our 52 athletes to play a collegiate sport (and that number keeps increasing) while only having one team at each age level. Instead of creating “B” teams or just getting kids to fill roster spots, we recruit all of our players and only take ten kids at each high school grade. By doing this, we create a family that truly buys into the culture that my coaches and I have worked so hard to create. In my program, we say that our culture travels. Whether it be on the court, in the classroom, at home, etc., our student athletes truly embody the culture and core principles that we foster on a daily basis. My parents instilled core values in me and I know that they shaped me into who I am today. My wife and I try to teach those values to our young children and we try to model them as well so when they grow up, they’ll understand that we tried to lead by example.

This spring, my program has officially become a circuit team as we will compete on the HGAL (Hoop Group Academic League). A league centered around high academics, the HGAL is a perfect opportunity for our athletes to showcase their skills on the court while also drawing attention to their successes in the classroom. Aside from this, we have a uniform sponsorship with Phenom Sportswear and we also have a media partnership with Liam Abujawdeh and LAZ Creative Media. By creating and fostering these connections, we are setting our athletes up for success and showing them that we are creating a culture that builds and nurtures valuable relationships. Our athletes know that this program gives them an incredible opportunity and they don’t take that for granted in the slightest. We have some of the hardest working athletes and coaches (Josh Johnson, Nick Duncsak, and Chuck Sapp) around and I’d like to think that’s a testament to our culture as well as how we treat our athletes, their families, and our craft…the game of basketball.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I would say that the three qualities that were most impactful in my journey would be hard work, dedication, and honesty. I always try to be the hardest working person in the room. Whether it’s early in the morning or late at night, I’m always looking for ways to better the product that I put out. Everything I do is for the betterment of the brand and I’m always looking to make changes that could help my program take another step forward. So many people doubted what I was doing and thought that I wouldn’t be successful but there were also a ton of people who trusted the vision and bought in to everything that we were doing because it was being done the right way. If I want my athletes to give 150%, they need to know that I’m giving 150% every single day as well. Going off of that, I am also extremely dedicated to my work. The Jersey Shore Predators is my creation and I refuse to let my brand fail. If my brand fails, I fail and I think that is one of my biggest fears in life. I want my children to be proud of what I’ve created and continue building. I almost view this as a legacy project for myself and I think that’s one of my main motivators. Lastly, honesty is so important. So many people sell fake dreams to athletes or promise things that they can’t ever guarantee. My parents always taught me the importance of honesty and I think that has helped me to build relationships since the inception of this program. Those relationships have allowed me to recruit athletes who not only took a shot on my program, but they took a shot on me. Without kids like Connor Walsh, Kieran Flanagan, DJ Thomson, Colin Ackerman, Matt Solomon, Luke Farrell, Nick Seeloch, Nick Valentino, Ryan Leskauskas, Kevin Burns, Shane Ryan, Daniel Yarus, Ben Kipnis, Vova Trotsko, Jaycen Santucci, etc., this program wouldn’t exist. They could have easily played for another team but they chose to play for me and I’m forever grateful to all of the athletes and families who made that decision.

I would tell people to run their own race. It’s so easy to listen to criticism and let that impact your mindset or how you go about life. I know when I first started, I took everything that people said to heart. I would let people’s words just fester and make me so incredibly angry and then one day I realized that nothing that anyone says matters unless it’s being said by the people I trust. The ability to just laugh things off is incredible for growth. Keeping a small circle and confiding in family and those who you truly trust is paramount because those are the people who will cheer your successes but also lend a hand to help you up if you fall. You can’t let one setback define you. You can’t let any amount of setbacks define you. The only thing that defines you is how you view yourself when you go to sleep at night. I know the people I care about are rooting for me and I think every person needs to know that they have someone rooting for them as well.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

I would say that my dad, Ron, has been most helpful in helping me to develop the essential skills that led me to create the Jersey Shore Predators. Sports were always a way to bond between my dad and I and they still are today. Whether we were watching the University of Southern California football games or arguing about his New York Yankees and my Atlanta Braves, sports always defined my relationship with my dad. It defined the relationship because it created a bond that I cherish more than almost anything else. My dad taught me about sports in terms of rules and outcomes but he also taught me about sports in terms of life lessons and history. My dad would tell stories about years past in such vivid detail that it was hard to not get excited even though the games happened years prior. He would teach me about responsibility, pride, hard work, and dedication. My mom and dad were always my biggest supporters and being an only child, allowed me to create a relationship that was so special and is something I strive to create with my wife and children.

When I decided I wanted to create the Predators, my dad would always want to go recruit with me or watch games. Whether we were taking a trip to Pittsburgh for a tournament or trekking across New Jersey to watch a high school game, he always had an opinion and always wanted to know why I would be recruiting the kids I was watching. Were they good athletes? Were they good people? What made them different? As I got older and the program continued to grow, I realized that I could always help an athlete improve on his skills but I couldn’t always help an athlete improve on his character. I wanted athletes that would make my dad proud. I wanted athletes that would give everything they had to the sport and to the team just like the athletes my dad would reminisce about. I’ll never forget how many games my dad would come to just so he could watch me coach. He would talk about my program to anyone that would listen and he made it so clear that he was always in my corner. My dad was always pushing me to succeed and I was always trying to build something that my dad would be proud of. To this day, he still offers to come to games to recruit or even just to watch. Moments with him in the gym are moments that I will never forget. I love when he texts me or calls me because he saw my athletes were having a great season because I know he is always rooting for my successes. My mom, Sharon, also shoulders a great deal of credit as she instilled values in me that have truly shaped me to be who I am today. However, without the knowledge of sports and the relationship that I have with my dad, I truly doubt the Jersey Shore Predators would exist.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Jerseyshorepredators
• Twitter: JSPredators

Image Credits

Liam Abujawdeh (LAZ Creative Media)