Hey friends, this is Coach Rusch here.

I am the founder of both Rusch Skills Academy and Basketball Buddies North Carolina, and I previously served as the head coach of the Clayton High School mens basketball team.

To give you a little background on me, I was raised in Northern Kentucky, where I was ranked as one of the top point guards in the state. I scored over 2,000 varsity career points before moving to Clayton, NC for my senior season. After moving here in 2019, I helped lead Clayton to the Elite 8 of the state playoffs, earned multiple scholarship offers from schools across the country, and went on to play at Asbury University on scholarship for two years.

After struggling with injuries, I returned to Clayton in 2021 and began building Rusch Skills Academy with a simple mission: to help young athletes grow on and off the court.

Since then, our staff has helped players reach the college and pro levels, with many earning scholarships. We have also helped hundreds of athletes build the skills and confidence needed to make their middle school and high school teams.

But most importantly, what we care about most is who your child is becoming.

At Rusch Skills Academy, we do not just develop better players, we develop leaders. We pour into mindset, confidence, discipline, and identity, because we believe those things matter just as much as ball handling, shooting, and scoring. My own growth as a player, coach, and leader has come through learning from great mentors and high-level coaches, and that is something we now pass on to every athlete we serve.

Our goal is to help your child become a standout on the court, a leader in life, and a champion in whatever God has called them to do.

We would be honored to work with your family.

Blessings, Coach Rusch