When George Albanez started a club called 805 Basketball in 1996, there was no indication the name would eventually be changed.
But it only seemed appropriate that the organization would change its name to 805 Family, given the approach Albanez fashioned in the intervening years.
“It’s an unusual closeness in club sports, and I want it like that,” he said.
Albanez’s club is based in California’s Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and, though founded as a boys’ program, added the girls’ teams in 2006 and later became girls-only in 2009. There are three teams, and those limited numbers combined with a defined territory give Albanez the comfort of knowing each and every player in his program.
“We changed it to Family a couple years ago because we’re not like a regular basketball team where we have tryouts and we invite players,” Albanez said. “If you’re the right fit and you know who we are, you’ll find me. But most of the kids grow up in our youth program. They go all the way through.”
At the turn of the century, Albanez had 10 teams but soon began downscaling to maintain a level of closeness with the athletes. “I’d like it to be at four. If I don’t have the right four, I don’t want it. This is not a democracy. This program may not be for everybody. The sacrifice you have to make, the discipline you have to have … our kids play hard. It’s not for everybody.”
The bottom line: “We’re super passionate about what we do.”
His passion is reflected in his laser-focused drive to get each of his players into a college program. He makes a blunt assessment of their chances: “My philosophy is we don’t leave any kid behind. I don’t care how good they are. If they’ve been in this program, I promise them that they’re going to play college basketball. The level? That’s their issue. But we’re going to put them in college basketball.”
Getting there is a process, of course, and it requires players who are willing to listen and undertake the necessary work ethic.
“It’s important to me, in today’s world, that we coach the kids and raise them up together, as a community,” he said. “I don’t have anything against the big teams. I see a lot of the big teams, they take on players who don’t even practice with them. They take on players because they’re the best players with the highest rankings. For years now, all the EYBL teams would come take our kids. I couldn’t do anything about it. I feel there’s very, very, very few kids that should just go play on a team and showcase their skills. Most of these girls aren’t good enough. Most of them just need to play on a good team. They need to play team basketball. We coach them up and we raise them. I’m big on teaching life skills. I’m always telling them, ‘You’re going to be a woman a lot longer than a basketball player.’ You better learn how to communicate. You better stop being sassy. You can’t do it all by yourself. We don’t play that.”
Albanez’s community includes a staff that, he says, “really makes this thing go.” He praises the work done by veterans Oliver Wheeler, 68, and Andy Casanueva, 55. “We have an interesting situation between the three of us. It’s kind of the magic in the family.”
Here’s a look at some of the gems in the 805 Family program with Albanez’s comments:
Samantha Henley, 5-9, PG, 2020– “Super high IQ, and she’s a coach’s daughter. The high school that she plays at (Ventura) is the most successful high school in our area for the last 10 years. Can really, really pass the ball. Highest-level passer. Really long, can shoot and defend. Super competitive. 3.9 PGA. Still growing. Her mom is 6-1 and played at Utah. We’re hoping she can get to 5-10, 5-11. She was on the phone with Gonzaga (recently), and some of the Big West schools have offered her.”
Kaydn Mew, 5-6, combo G, 2020– “She’s a combo guard who can really get buckets. She can score. She can shoot the ball and she’s really herky-jerky. One of the things that helped her was her father was a high school coach when she was younger, and her sisters played Division II ball. She’s tough as nails. Probably our best on-ball defender. She amazes me because she’ll get rebounds with 6-2 girls. She can time her jump. She’s just really athletic. She’s like a 3.7 GPA.”
Tegan Thurman, 6-1, SF, 2020– “4.0 GPA. Her mom is a microbiologist. Ridiculous upside. I’m getting calls from everyone about her. She’s 6-1 with a motor that’s ridiculous. Doesn’t stop. Can run and jump. She can shoot a 3-ball but her discipline is what I’m teaching her; she plays in a region where she’s clearly the best player and can do whatever she wants. She just has to learn how to play college basketball but she is so skilled. She and Samantha Henley have the highest ceiling on our top team.”
Athena Sarogossa, 5-7, G, 2021– “Highest level athlete. Really fast and strong. Can run the floor in transition. Defends at the highest level with her physicality, her speed. With her, (the question) is her 3-ball going to be consistent (and her) ability to create her shot and ballhandling. If she can get that down she’s going to be a high-major. She has a Division I body right now.”
Caia Kajar-Trimble, 2022– “She can turn her hips so fast. She’s so strong and elastic with her body.”
Mika Johnson, 2023– “At a USJN tournament this year it was 7:30 in the morning and when I got there for our first game, I was getting out of my car and there was a Big West school waiting to ask me who she was. She starts on my 15U. She has a ball in her hand every second of the day.”
Brooklyn Shamblin, 2024– “5-8, has a college body today. Today. Her dad was a Division I quarterback. As a sixth grader she played on (Oaks Christian’s) eighth grade team. Doesn’t fear anybody. The biggest competitor I’ve coached.”
Albanez’s talented batch of young players comprise a unique opportunity, both for themselves and the program. But here, again, Albanez points to the impact that a family – in this case a basketball family – can have on the road ahead.
“It’s important,” he said, “that we don’t let these kids get big-headed and lose track of who they are.”
