WYE MILLS - Middle School student-athletes who live for basketball can lace up their sneakers and head to Chesapeake College throughout July for a one-month summer intensive program with J Noah Skills Academy.

During basketball training, student-athletes learn the fundamentals of basketball and practice drills using a Dr. Dish shooting machine, with an application to track each athlete’s progress over time.

J Noah’s founder, coach, and classroom facilitator, Jordan Pearlstein, also incorporates exercises learned during his 94 Feet of Game certification training with Coach Phil Handy of the LA Lakers. Training time helps student-athletes hone their skills while reinforcing the importance of consistency and discipline when working to achieve a goal.

Last summer Pearlstein successfully partnered with the Cambridge Police Department and the Pauline F. And David W. Robbins YMCA in Cambridge.

During classroom time, students work through a customized curriculum using basketball-related examples and terminology introducing project management concepts, including scope and time management, cost, goal setting, risk assessment, contingency planning and more.

Students then implement these concepts by using the NBA 2K24 PlayStation video game to complete a series of tasks, culminating in a mock NBA draft. After completing the NBA draft, student-athletes create an action plan, which requires them to identify their personal, athletic and academic goals and develop a strategy to achieve them.

Hosted by Chesapeake College, the four-week session starts July 1 in the college’s Health Professions and Athletic Center Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (except on Independence Day,  July 4.)

The full-session program costs $500, with scholarships available for up to six student-athletes.

To register, visit sserv.chesapeake.edu/Student/InstantEnrollment and enter the course code AYC 502 9A.

To request a financial assistance application, contact Rebecca Fauver at rfauver@chesapeake.edu.

The J Noah Skills Academy is dedicated to providing mentorship and professional development skills for middle school student-athletes. The organization’s vision is that the graduating students will possess the knowledge, tools, and confidence they need to succeed both personally and professionally.

The two-part program, consisting of basketball training and classroom time, is designed to help student-athletes gain an understanding of project management through basketball, and development of tools enabling students to better manage the small details and routines of everyday life and provide sought-after skills for when they enter the workforce. The Academy uses frameworks provided by the Project Management Institute and reinforces them with basketball content.

The Academy is also seeking an assistant to help Coach Jordan and the student-athletes during July. Basketball experience is required. Interested candidates should send a resume to contact@jnoahskills.org.

The J Noah Skills Academy is a nonprofit organization that relies on generous donations from local foundations, businesses, and individuals to keep its tuition low and offer scholarship assistance to those in need of additional financial support. To learn more about the J Noah Skills Academy visit jnoahskills.org.