ABOUT
EYES UP
SPORTS
High-Level Training
Meaningful Relationships
Lasting Impact
WITH A GAME.
MY STORY
IT STARTED
Basketball has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember.
I began working with young athletes at summer basketball camps while still in high school. I went on to play at Northern State University under the legendary Coach Don Meyer, earning All-American and Regional Player of the Year honors before playing professionally in Europe and Australia.
But some of the most important things basketball gave me had nothing to do with scoring points or winning games.
During college, my relationship with Christ began to grow. Between working camps with Coach Meyer and volunteering with a sports ministry in California, I began to see just how powerful basketball could be as a way to impact lives.
That vision led me to start Eyes Up Sports in 2014.
KEVIN RATZSCH
FOUNDER • LEAD CLINICIAN
MORE THAN A
BASKETBALL IS GOOD.
GOD IS GREATER.
One of the verses that shaped Eyes Up from the beginning was 1 Timothy 4:8:
“For physical training is of some value, but spiritual training has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
I love that the Bible acknowledges the value of physical training. Working hard, competing, developing skills, and pursuing excellence are good things.
But they're not the greatest things.
Basketball eventually ends. The trophies collect dust. The points become memories. But what we build into our hearts and the lives of others lasts much longer.
That's where our motto comes from:
BASKETBALL PLAYER.
I've always believed every athlete has something unique to offer. Different strengths, personalities, and ways of playing the game.
Too many kids feel pressure to be someone they're not. At Eyes Up, we want athletes to develop everything they've been given, become confident in who God created them to be, and learn to compete without letting basketball define them.
We take developing great basketball players seriously. We just know there's more to the story.