Yorktown Resident 'Teaches' Youngsters With NBA All-Star David Lee

Terry Teachout has been molding young minds on the basketball court since 1987, when he kick-started Teaches Hoops. The Yorktown native has groomed a torrent of talent, trained various NBA players, and developed a grassroots program that places strong emphasis on participation, fun, and skill development.

He has formed a 23-year feeder program for Westchester County schools, helping youngsters get better, so that they learn the fundamentals and intricacies of the game.

Teachout's been a major local presence and helps equate kids in Westchester with the same success status as those in the hoops hotbed of New York City.

For the third consecutive summer, Teachout and NBA All-Star forward David Lee, whom he trains, will hold camps in the area. The first camp took place last week at Sleepy Hollow High School.

Teachout and Lee, the former New York Knick who was recently traded to the Golden State Warriors, will also hold a camp at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua the week of August 9-13.

Teaches Hoops will hold a camp in Yorkown the week of August 2 to August 6, without David Lee.

Teaches Hoops' staff includes former college players and professionals such as Troy Young (Concordia), Jonathon Duperron (Concordia), and Colin Powers, who played professionally in Ireland.  

Teachout said he gathers "first-rate staff" to teach the game of basketball, help youngsters get better and advancing their skill sets.

"You can hire people who coach, or you can hire people who can supervise," Teachout said. "Our guys coach. We know their backgrounds. They come in and they can raise the level at camp just by making the kids feel more important by telling them how to get better, but really caring about if they do get better or not. You know, they answer questions, give one-on-one instruction. That's really been the solid advancement of us, as far as standing the test of time for now, 23 years." 

Teachout, 49, authored a four-year career at Duquesne University. While he tried out for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers and was cut following his college career, he now works part-time with the NBA.

Although, he wishes his NBA paycheck were as large as those of today's multi-millionaire players, he's nevertheless content to work with the world's premiere basketball league, he said.

"We [Teaches] partnered with the NBA on the NBA Fit program, and we ran a couple events for them," Teachout said. "It was part of the national competition, where people would qualify by going to this event, in order to advance to nationals, to play at the All-Star game. Hopefully we'll do more down the road."

Each year, Teachout tries to refresh the Teaches brand. He's added camps strictly for shooting, Girls Only camps, as well camps with the aforementioned NBA players. This summer, Teaches' key addition has been a high-competition sleep-away camp that will take place at Camp Lakota in Wurtsboro, N.Y. in August.

"We're thinking of new themes going forward," Teachout said. "Which is different, but under the same fundamentals of participation and fun. The kids keep coming back, and there's a reason for it. We've got to keep bringing something new. We have to ask ourselves every year going into the summer, 'What separates ourselves from, you know, another camp?'"

The man they call the "shot doctor," lives in Yorktown with his wife Jana and their two six-year-old twins, Hayley and Taylor. Teachout has long been connected with the town. He coached a Yorktown-based AAU team that featured Yorktown varsity players such as Jordan Moody and Jacob Mercado.  

Teachout has long been the President of Dierdrof-Stead Inc. while managing the basketball gigs on the side. His passion for the game has never faded and working with youngsters and training NBA players keeps his competitive juices intact, he said.

While it may be a long time since Teachout seriously laced up the high tops, citing a men's league down in Thornwood 20 years ago, he still gets in his shooting and challenges the counselors and campers to Teaches camp shootouts.

It's become an annual activity at the camps he runs with Lee. Over the years, Teachout has watched his top assignment really blossom as a player. That was evident this year, when Lee participated in the NBA All-Star game in Dallas.  

Though Teachout is sad to see Lee, a beloved Knick who left a lasting legacy during his five-year stay with the Knicks, go to Golden State, he knows both parties will benefit from the trade.    

"I think what he has done as far as get to a new team and the type of team Golden State is, I think that's a fantastic step in his career," Teachout said.

"He's got some young guys with talent that are going to go up and down," he said. "Stephen Curry is not just a great scorer, but a great passer. Monta Ellis is going to run the court with David Lee. You know, David scores a lot of his points in transition and hustle points. These guys are going to be going up and down right with him."    

Teachout continued, "Probably one of the best hidden things of all this between the great contract and the great players, now he has a chance to finally make the playoffs. He probably will, with that team."