The American Skills Journey

By the time Efe was eleven or twelve, one question had become an obsession for his father: where in the world could Efe receive the very best individual basketball skills training?

The reasoning was simple. Efe was developing into a guard. His future would never depend on extraordinary height. It would depend on skill, creativity, decision-making, shooting, ball handling, and the ability to create advantages with the basketball.

Watching professional basketball in Europe, his father noticed something fascinating. European clubs developed intelligent, disciplined guards who understood systems and team basketball. Yet when those clubs reached the professional level, they often invested millions in American guards. Why? Because those guards brought something different: confidence, shot creation, creativity, the ability to attack one-on-one, and fearlessness.

The American system was often criticized for emphasizing athleticism and individual play over structured team basketball. Some of that criticism was justified. But it also produced guards capable of creating offense under pressure. Efe’s family believed the ideal player would eventually combine both: American creativity and European tactical discipline. That belief would shape one of the biggest decisions of his childhood.

During countless hours of research, one name appeared repeatedly: Micah Lancaster and I’m Possible Training.

Efe first attended training camps during school holidays. The experience confirmed everything the family had hoped to find. Training was based on detail: footwork, ball manipulation, balance, body positioning, decision-making, reading defenders, and creating solutions. Every drill had a purpose. Every repetition had meaning.

Not everyone understood why the family valued those methods so highly. Some believed they were unnecessary. Others felt traditional European training already provided everything a young player needed. Efe’s family respectfully disagreed. They were not searching for confirmation. They were searching for improvement.

Following his period at Anadolu Efes, they realized occasional visits would never be enough. If they truly believed in this development philosophy, they had to commit completely. At only thirteen years old, Efe moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The move to America became one of the greatest sacrifices the family had ever made. They were not a wealthy family with unlimited resources. Every international move required enormous financial, professional, and personal sacrifices.

His parents accepted those sacrifices willingly. Not because the journey was easy. Because they believed that investing in their son’s dream was one of the greatest gifts they could give him.

Rather than asking whether something was comfortable, they asked only one question: “Is this the best place for Efe to grow?” If the answer was yes, they found a way.

Efe enrolled at Grand Rapids Christian Middle School, where he completed eighth grade, before continuing into Grand Rapids Christian High School for ninth grade. His parents rented a small apartment close to the school so he could live near his classes, basketball, and training facilities.

Because of visa limitations, neither parent could remain permanently in the United States. Instead, they alternated their stays. For several weeks or months, his mother would be with him. Then his father would arrive as she returned home. For more than half of those two years, his parents lived apart so that Efe would never have to face that journey alone.

Looking back, the basketball development was extraordinary. But so were the sacrifices behind it.

Academically, Efe adapted quickly. He was already an excellent student and spoke fluent English, making the transition into American school life remarkably smooth.

Basketball was another story. This was no longer simply about talent. It became a way of life. In addition to school and team commitments, Efe typically completed around fifteen hours every week of specialized individual skills training, usually spread across six days, with sessions often lasting two to three hours.

Each workout also meant another twenty to thirty-minute drive each way, making for long days that usually ended late before another early school morning. The routine became normal: school, homework, training, drive home, sleep, repeat.

For two years he trained inside the I’m Possible environment. Although he had opportunities to work with Micah Lancaster, much of his day-to-day development came through an exceptional group of trainers including Joshua Dudley (“Churchboy”), Joshua Villarreal, Mertzie Klein, Bryce Stanhope, Braxton, and several other specialists.

Joshua Dudley and Joshua Villarreal became central figures in his daily development. Mertzie Klein contributed to several aspects of his overall skill development. Bryce Stanhope, one of the organization’s leading shooting specialists, spent countless hours refining Efe’s shooting mechanics and consistency. Together they built far more than basketball skills. They built habits.

The greatest transformation was not technical. It was mental. Training stopped being something Efe had to do. It became something he genuinely wanted to do.

His father has never described himself as a basketball coach. His role was simply that of a father: finding opportunities, driving to training, rebounding, encouraging, supporting, and sharing common sense whenever appropriate. The coaching belonged to outstanding coaches and trainers. The work belonged entirely to Efe.

One story perfectly illustrates that mentality. During one period, Efe suffered a foot injury and had to wear a protective walking boot for several weeks. Many young players would have viewed that as an excuse to stop training. Efe saw an opportunity. Every morning before school he woke his father before sunrise, then called his close friend Dwayne, who joined them before classes began. Unable to move properly, Efe sat on a chair while Dwayne rebounded basketballs. Shot after shot. Morning after morning. Even injury became another opportunity to improve.

The American years also became a period of innovation. While observing the training environment, Efe’s father collaborated with Micah Lancaster on developing new training equipment. Together they helped transform an existing wooden footwork platform into what became an anti-slip training mat. Later, inspired by Lancaster’s original Rip Cone, Efe’s father designed the more versatile Skill Cone, capable of supporting multiple training applications.

During the summers, Efe also participated in elite basketball events in Las Vegas, where he met Coach Dean Browne. A strong friendship quickly developed. To this day, Coach Browne continues encouraging Efe to return to the United States whenever the right college opportunity presents itself.

The relationships built during those years proved almost as valuable as the basketball itself.

After two remarkable years, the family felt the original mission had been accomplished. America had transformed Efe into a far more creative, confident, and skilled guard. But another realization had become equally clear: those individual skills now needed to be integrated into one of Europe’s most sophisticated tactical basketball systems.

During a visit back to Turkey, trusted basketball friends suggested the perfect destination. Valencia Basket. Spain represented the ideal bridge between American creativity and European structure. America had expanded Efe’s toolbox. Spain would teach him how to use every one of those tools within elite team basketball.