Illinois Basketball Academy

Who charges a $ 5 admission to parents once your kid is enrolled in their program. Low rent and disgraceful. Learn how to run a business.

My son joined a team this Spring. It was advertised as running through July. The program ended on June 1^st! We paid $ 950 for him to participate and $ 175 for a uniform fee (which only included shorts, shirt and bag), assuming this would run through July. There was virtually no communication to parents on game times or changes to schedules. The facility was not taken care of and the tournaments were not run on-​time or professionally. Overall, this was an extreme case of POOR MANAGEMENT. My son did like the coaches and had fun. Unfortunately, we were given false information on the length of the playing season. And when I raised my concerns about the short season to the founder and director, I received NO RESPONSE. None.

Place is a joke. No parking when there are multiple games and no food options in area. $ 5 to get in and barely any seats available. They squeeze in four courts, leaving insufficient space for stands or chairs. We keep getting bonus games to play here because it seems the home teams can’t get enough competitors to show up. You can buy a $ 5 tiny jersey mikes sandwich at the concessions table that tastes like it was made prior day.

Was contacted by the brother of the owner of IBA back in June 2012 to referee a tournament. I accepted the assignment to begin at 9AM, was instructed a few days later to show up for at 8AM instead. Showed up at 7:45 and waited in the parking lot for the owners to show up-​they finally rolled in about 7:55AM. Did the first game with out a partner, who showed around 9AM. The paying fans had to run the scoreboard, the place had a terrible odor, and the players/​parents there were unruly and mean spirited. Finished my 3 games and was given a W4 form by the owner to fill out to receive my payment. Inquired about getting a double fee for doing the first game by myself and was quickly blown off. Guess what-​these clowns stiffed me and numerous other referees the past few years payment wise, and after numerous e-​mails and phone calls, I’ve given up. The conditions at this hole are terrible, and don’t expect any quality refereeing here-​the word is out to STAY AWAY from this joint.

Was hired as an official for a Travel League basketball tournament they were hosting. Management was very disorganized, has been almost two months since the games were worked, haven’t received any payment nor returned phone calls or emails asking about payment. Very unprofessional and have recommended to all my fellow officials DO NOT officiate any tournaments hosted by such a disorganized organization!

This place needs a lesson in customer service and a crash course in business management.
How do you run a basketball tournament without sufficient seating, serving warm water and NO A/​C …and fans that are sitting around begging to be switched on but don’t work. AND they have the audacity to charge $ 5 per person?! And our game started 30min late. Did I mention it’s filthy? It’s cooler OUTside of the gym. Shame on this facility for operating so poorly just because the options are limited.
Update:
I gave the owner/​operator the opportunity to make it right and he was arrogant and rude.
Update:
The owner/​operator just approached me and I said «you were dismissive» and he walked away mad. Came back… «I could just ask you to leave». And all because I suggested he reduce entrance fee to accommodate for the poor facility.
Update:
The only court with 1 ref… missed alot. Told owner/​operatir we were short a ref. he did nothing. After 3^rd injury. He sent 2^nd ref and said «call every single foul». Our coaches pulled us from the tournament. They only scheduled one ref and the opposing team easily had 5^th and 6^th graders playing. They injured several of our players with no fouls calls.

At the 2012 Super Bowl shoot out. No parking, filthy conditions, $ 5 to watch, a madhouse. Terrible place for a tournament.

Nice gym for practice but terrible place for tournaments. I was at a tournament here this past weekend and to start with they do not have enough parking to be hosting big tournaments. It is in an industrial park with very limited parking. We had to drive around and park against a fence and hope we were not towed. They charge $ 8 to get in to watch the tournament per day. Very limited seating to watch and nowhere for the team to go between games except outside in the parking lot. The bathrooms are disgusting! They are small and smell terrible. Also, even though the website says prizes for first place there were none. The team I saw placed first in their division and were not acknowledged with a tshirt, ribbon, trophy or anything else. Not even a piece of paper saying they won. Worst place I have been for a tournament of this size!

I volunteered here a few years ago as an assistant basketball coach. I had a fun time. More than me the kids here enjoyed themselves. If your children loves basketball, I would suggest sending them here. Its a good place to get your children active and get better at their basketball skills. It can be a great experience for people who want to join a league at school or anywhere else.