Q&A with Fairwood Elite Basketball Club coach Victor Flores

FAIRWOOD, Wash. — Did you know that Fairwood had an AAU basketball club? Club Director and Coach, Victor Flores, as well as Coaches Brian Gruenich, Kevin Shin, and Manuel Cadenas, have the Fairwood Elite Basketball Club making a name for itself among the AAU community.

During a conversation with Victor, he expressed a desire for the community to learn about the Fairwood Elite Basketball Club (FEBC). I can’t think of a better way to share information about FEBC than by doing a simple Q&A session with the Club Director and Head Coach.

How long have you been coaching?

Victor Flores: I have been coaching sports for the better part of 15 years.  I mainly coached teams that my son, Aidan, was on.  I started out as an Assistant Coach for a Renton Community Center 1st and 2nd grade boys team. I then served as Head Coach for a 5th grade recreation league soccer team and as Head Coach for a 6th grade basketball team. I did a short stint with a 6th-7th grade AAU basketball team, and in 2019, I branched out and started the FEBC AAU team.

What is the history or backstory on FEBC?

Flores: In 2018, we had a few parents and players that were not happy with their progress and development with the AAU teams they were on at the time.  My wife, Firia, and I weren’t seeing the development of our son and we wanted to find a new opportunity for him to learn the game of basketball and develop his IQ for the game.  At a Northwood vs Meeker Middle School Game, I was speaking with a friend, Brian Gruenich, and we talked about what was next for our sons, Aidan and Braxton, and thus sparked the idea of creating our own team.  I began the research on how to create a team/club and in a matter of two-and-a-half months the team/club was registered with AAU, and we officially played our first game (March 2019). Earlier this year we added another high school boys team and are always looking to expand with new teams.

How many teams are in the club and who are the coaches?

Flores: Currently, we have two teams, Black and Gray. The Black team is coached by me and Brian Gruenich. The Gray team is coached by Kevin Shin and Manuel Cadenas.  We have had interest from players and parents of all grade/ages, but we are always in need for volunteer coaches.

What are the team’s goals for the current/upcoming season?

Flores: Our goal is to always develop their IQ, skills, confidence and compete for championships while having fun along the way.  We plan to play in tougher tournaments, which means playing tougher teams and players.  We want to always challenge ourselves to see if we can compete against higher level talent.  Our hope is to have our players compete against strong teams and prepare them for their high school basketball season and into their college years or more.

Who are the team’s captains or leaders? What makes them a vital part of the team’s success?

Flores: We do not elect team captains.  I believe each player is a leader.  Some lead by example, some lead by their voice.  What makes us unique is that our players have a voice in the process from game strategy to player selection, skill training, and holding one another accountable.  We want to develop their IQ and understanding of the game of basketball from a coach’s perspective.  As a coach it’s fun to watch the boys make all the in-game adjustments, work together, and make offensive and defensive changes according to what the other team is doing.  They are applying their understanding of the game and their IQ by reading and reacting to their opponent and developing a winning strategy.

What are one or two things that the team does in training that are keys to their success?

Flores: Dynamic workouts and focusing on the fundamentals of the game.  We like to emphasize the importance of training your body, stretching, eating, and hydrating.  Often kids like to just get on the court and play, but we want to condition their bodies by focusing on doing things the right way.  We know that many kids can put a ball in the hoop, but we want to train our kids on the fundamentals of the game, to increase their knowledge and IQ for the game.  No one player is greater than the team itself.  We have a motto on our uniforms that exudes that philosophy:  WE>ME.

Please describe the most memorable games/tournaments/championships your team has won.

Flores: There are many to choose from, but the most memorable has to be the first tournament championship the team won.  We lost our first two games but needed to win two games to reach the championship. The boys continued to believe they could win and won those two games by taking it one game at a time. They played a great championship game and won in the last minute.  It was special for the players, coaches, and our parents, as there were many naysayers who didn’t believe we could succeed.  It was exciting to see the boys work hard, play together, and win that championship after having only been in existence for two months.

How do you encourage the team after a disappointing loss?

Flores: Tough losses are always hard on the players.  We encourage them to see losses as lessons learned, how we can do things differently, execute better, and assess different strategies.  As I mentioned earlier, the players believe in our system and know that the next game brings a different opportunity.

How does the team celebrate?

Flores: Annually, we host a summer picnic and an end of the year banquet to socialize, have fun and celebrate the community we have built.  We don’t see our club/teams as just coming together and playing basketball games, we want to build a community, a family.  We want our boys to develop a lifelong brotherhood and friendship.

Has the team (or any individuals) broken any records this year?

Flores: This past year (2022), our Black team went 53-14. They competed in 17 tournaments, won six championships, and had five second place finishes.  I’d have to say that was pretty impressive.  Our Gray team was also very successful. They may not have won as many games, but they competed and won a championship.  Having been in existence for only for 9 months, I’d say Coach Kevin and Assistant Coach Manny did a wonderful job getting our players prepared to compete for each game and tournament.

What is the biggest life lesson you’ve learned from being a coach?

Flores: I think you impact these young men, by serving not only as a coach but as a leader and mentor.  I’ve always thought coaching would be easy, you just tell them what to do and they do it.  But like a teacher you need to prepare, research, lesson plan, and execute and teach your players. Coaching also means developing a strong relationship with your players, both on and off the court.  Players have a lot going on today, school, work, life, and family. Basketball shouldn’t be a job or not fun.  My role is to understand how to get the best out of them day in and day out by letting them know that you can relate to them and understand their struggles in life and in basketball.  Sometimes the best way to create that relationship is to play basketball with them and just have fun.

What legacy do you hope to leave as a coach?

Flores: I hope that I can impact their life through basketball and help them make lasting memories with one another by instilling a sense of community, brotherhood, while serving as a mentor and role model. I want them to see me and the coaching staff as role models. And when they have their own kids, they can apply what they learned from us to their kids and the teams/players they may coach one day.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Flores: A funny story I’ll share is when a couple of the players (Torain Keaton and Lukas Lutthans) were injured they came to the weekend games to support the team.  For one game, I had them serve as the coach for that game. They were in charge of the starting lineup, player substitutions, game strategy, etc.  After the first half, they said, “Coach, this is harder than it looks, how do you manage everything going on during the game? And we hate subbing players; they get mad at us!”  I think this gave them a better appreciation for what coaches do to prepare and manage a team, while motivating and uplifting all players to succeed.  I believe that several of our players will be great basketball coaches in the future.

One last thing I’d like to share is my success could not be without the commitment, support and trust of the parents and players for the coaching staff, teams and club.  I think it’s also important to highlight the Keaton, Arredondo, and Gruenich families that have been with the team since day one.  They have believed and trusted the process.  Lastly, I would also like to thank my wife, Firia, for allowing me to spend so much time on the development of the club… I’m sure it’s not easy being a coach’s wife, and to my daughter, Lyla, and son, Aidan, for supporting me on this journey.

Go Fairwood!

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