Testimonials
Ryan Wetherell
To Whom It May Concern: Coach John Hegwood Reference
This letter of reference has been written with input from both father and son (Ryan Wetherell – player and Don Wetherell – father) as the experience of working with Coach John Hegwood has been and still is greatly rewarding and beneficial to both player and family. Coach John Hegwood displays a sincere caring attitude towards his players and a unique ability to communicate and motivate them. The way in which he trains, motivates and teaches clearly produces exceptional results, regardless of a player’s individual temperament and personality. When you combine his ability to motivate and train with his highly advanced experience and understanding of the game of basketball, it becomes obvious that Coach Hegwood is a true gift to players of all ages and levels.
Ryan began working with John four years ago and continued to train with him until his move to a US college in August 2006. The results and benefits have been outstanding. Coach John still maintains close contact with Ryan by phone, continuing his role as a mentor. Ryan is now a junior point guard at USC in Los Angeles and enjoys the motivation provided by John’s counsel each week. The benefits of John’s trainings are numerous, such as; advanced understanding of the game, noting individual weaknesses while providing solutions and practice strategies, practical drill techniques and exceptional conditioning, to name only a few. From a parent’s standpoint, Coach John truly offers himself as an appropriate role model for your child, regardless of age, both in trainings as well as in game situations. He offers peace of mind to parents knowing your son (or daughter) has the influence and added direction provided by Coach John Hegwood.
In addition to Ryan being trained and coached by John, Ryan’s younger brother, Taylor (Now 17), has and continues to enjoy what John provides at an even earlier age. Obviously, seeing the results of his older brother’s experience, it was a “no-brainer’ to take advantage of the same opportunity and John plays a major role in Taylor’s basketball world as well. Taylor now plays for two teams in the US. His school team at JSerra High School in San Juan Capistrano, California and The Southern California All Stars, the current top ranked AAU/High School program in the nation. Taylor will attend the University of San Diego. In a father’s opinion and if you’re serious, you must get your child with Coach John. You will fast take note of the benefits. In closing, we want to note that Coach John Hegwood is a man of great character and integrity and, with pleasure, we highly recommend him. If you have taken the time to enquire about Coach John, we hope this has been helpful. By working with him, we are confident you will realize the benefits and rewards that we have.
Kind regards; Ryan (6’0 Point Guard USC Trojans) and Don Wetherell (father)
James Johnson
"The Calgary Elite Basketball Program gave me added experience playing basketball at the higher level. By playing with them at the Gonzaga University Tournament in Spokane, WA and at the CYDC All Star Showcase in Calgary, AB, I was exposed to the caliber of play expected at the next level by young aspiring players. This program gave me the opportunity and confidence to reach my goals of playing in the United States."
James Johnson Class of 2010
Lethbridge Collegiate Institute, Lethbridge, AB
& Samuel Morse High School, San Diego, CA
"Words can not adequately express our appreciation for all that Coach John Hegwood and other key sponsors of the Calgary Elite Basketball Program did for our son James to help facilitate his goal of playing at an elite level both in Canada and in the United States. Their selfless giving of their expertise, resources and connections greatly helped to open doors for James to continue to play at the highest level of basketball in North America. Their assistance also helped to give him the exposure and subsequent recruitment by some of the best NCAA Division One Basketball Programs in the U.S. like: UCLA, Arizona, Kansas, Texas, Kentucky, Florida, Marquette, Ohio State, Georgia Tech, Boston College and Gonzaga, just to name a few. Thank you Calgary Elite for all that you did to help our son reach his maximum potential."
Ted Johnson
James's Father
It is my great pleasure to write this testimonial on behalf of John Hegwood. I have known John for almost twenty years, since he first came to Calgary to play for the Calgary 88’s. As a player he was intense, a hard worker, and very much a team guy. He demonstrates these same traits in his work with Calgary Elite program. I know of few people who are as inspirational, focused, and dedicated as John. He has truly devoted his adult life to helping young people pursue their basketball dreams. Calgary is a much better basketball community because of the tremendous work John has done.
Cory Russell
DeJuan Peart
July 7, 2009 Reference regarding: Coach John Hegwood
This letter of reference is written by me (Dejuan Peart) a former player for John Hegwood. The experience I had with Coach John has not only impacted me on the court, but it has also influenced my day to day life.
I was introduced to Coach Hegwood in the ninth grade. At that time I thought I knew a lot about the game of basketball; but that was soon gone after going through my first practice with him. He taught me all the fundamentals needed to get to the next level. One thing I truly admire about Coach Hegwood is the way he pushed me. He made it very clear, that to make it anywhere in life, one needs to be disciplined to work hard. He always pushed all of us farther than we thought we could go. At the time I didn’t understand why, but now I look back and I appreciate everything he put us through. Any team that he coached was always known for their intensity and discipline.
I really noticed from the start that he had a heart for the youth. He has a gift of motivation; the way he portrays the game allows anyone to learn. I’ve never had a coach that has been so passionate about the game of basketball. Another attribute of coach John I admire is his patience, he was always willing to give us extra help and training. He did whatever he could to see us all succeed. The fact that Coach John has played professional basketball, I find that we all respected him more because he has done everything that we were dreaming of doing. All the lines we had to run, he ran them, all the shots we put up, he already put them up. The fact that he knows what it takes to make it to the top, is a key attribute to coaching any aspiring basketball player. He kept telling me I can make it; I thank him for all his help.
Through Coach Hegwood’s encouragement and training; I have experienced basketball and life at the collegiate level in the United States. Coming from Canada, players dream of playing basketball in America. Coach Hegwood always told me I had the gifts to play anywhere I wanted to, that motivation really helped me. I just finished my first year at Vanguard University of southern California, it’s a private Christian (NAIA div 1) school. It has been a great experience and I look forward to where God will take me.
I would definitely recommend John Hegwood, as a coach, trainer or a person to motivate others. Whatever the case may be he is ready for the task.
Sincerely,
Dejuan Peart (DJ)
Devon Bookert
Hello, Devon Bookert is 16 years old from Anchorage, Alaska. We found out about the Calgary Elite program through the Northern Exposure camp held in Calgary in November 2008. Upon our arrival we were overwhelmed with hospitality and kindness by the Calgary Elite Basketball program, organizers of the camp. We did not know about the high level of basketball in Canada, but now we know! John Hegwood and the staff at Calgary Elite have a program in place to take these kids to the next level and beyond. They have the insight and know how; coupled with the kid’s hard work, to develop solid fundamental basketball players.
While the kids are being developed; they also have many opportunities to play in local tournaments and travel to the best top US tournaments that are put on by organizations such as Fullcourt Press and Pangos. Devon has played in two tournaments this past April and has received interest from the following schools; University of Portland, Oregon State, Cal Berkley, San Diego, and Louisiana Tech to name a few. If we lived in Canada we would have Devon enrolled in the Calgary Elite program as this Program is a solid foundation for your kid’s future and a great tool to get them into a good college.
Kevin Bookert, father of Devon