What started as a no became evlo...

An in-depth look at how EVLO Academy was born

Coach Chuck, Coach Jake, & Coach K.

There was a season when coaching wasn't part of the plan anymore. For nearly a year, Coach Jake had stepped away from the gym entirely. The grind, the expectations, the constant pull, it was a chapter he believed had closed. So when a local athlete in Austin, Texas began reaching out asking for training, the answer stayed the same. "No."

The messages didn't stop. Weeks turned into months. Requests kept coming, even suggestions to train outdoors if gym access wasn't possible. Still, Coach Jake declined. At the time, there was no vision for restarting, no intention to build anything new, just a desire to stay where he was.

Eventually, something shifted.

After nearly a year away from coaching, Coach Jake agreed to one session. There was no long-term plans, no business ideas, and no expectations beyond showing up for a single workout. It was simply a yes to one moment, nothing more.

Then things took an unexpected turn...

Only hours after confirming the session, the athlete called back and casually mentioned that a media professional would be filming the workout, jokingly reminding Coach Jake not to mess it up. The comments seemed odd, but before there was time to think much of it, another call came through, this time from an unfamiliar number.

The caller explained that he had been contacted to provide media coverage for a basketball workout. Confused, Coach Jake shared what the athlete had told him earlier. That's when the truth came out: the media professional had never met the athlete and had never even heard of him.

At that point, the conversation could have ended. Instead, it deepened.

The caller introduced himself as Zeriah Kincaid, a media professional who explained that someone had spoken highly of Coach Jake's past work. As the conversation continued Zeriah asked a simple but powerful question that would quietly redirect everything: "Do you have a vision for basketball development in Austin?"

It wasn't a pitch or a proposal. It was a question rooted in possibility.

That question led to a Google Meet with Coach Jake and his longtime friend and former college teammate, Coach Chuck. Coach Chuck is a highly accomplished professional basketball player who competed overseas. At the time, however, he was living in Tennessee and had plans to relocate to Texas years later, not immediately.

The conversation wasn't about launching a brand or creating a business. It was about standards. About leadership. About what basketball development could look like if it was done intentionally, with structure, discipline, and professionalism. Zeriah shared his background in media and explained how pairing elite training, professional playing experience, and intentional infrastructure could raise the bar for basketball development in Austin.

There was no pressure and no timeline. Just alignment.

In the weeks that followed, training sessions began quietly. There were no announcements or promotions, just work. The environment was different. The training was deliberate. Expectations were clearly communicated, and standards were consistently upheld. Parents began to notice the difference, and athletes responded to the clarity and structure.

What started as “just one session” became something more.

A faith-centered conversation between Coach Jake and Coach Chuck would ultimately accelerate everything. What once felt like a distant idea became an immediate calling. On September 26, 2025, just one month after that initial, unexpected connection, Coach Chuck relocated from Tennessee to Texas to help build EVLO from the ground up.

Today, EVLO is led by what many refer to as Austin’s Big Three - a unified leadership team rooted in elite training, professional playing experience, and intentional media. Since its launch, EVLO has built relationships with The University of Texas, UTSA, and Texas State, hosted events featuring NBA Champion Lamar Odom, collaborated with internationally recognized basketball figures, and earned local media recognition within just two months.

But EVLO was never built on exposure or recognition.

It was built on obedience, discipline, and purpose.

All because of a kid who lied about wanting training.

Some call it coincidence.

EVLO calls it God.

#evloCertified