About Coach Lothridge.
Coach Lothridge’s basketball journey began one Christmas morning, when he woke up to a hoop placed on the front of the garage at his childhood home in East Syracuse, New York. From that day on Greg was hooked! From playing in the driveway and youth sport leagues, to parks all over the Syracuse area, Greg’s passion for the game grew and grew (just like he did!).
He played his High School basketball at East Syracuse-Minoa High School; Home of the Spartans. During his senior year, Greg led the Spartans to the second highest win total in school history. Individually, Greg received First team All-League, All-Central New York Team, and Team MVP Honors. He was also the recipient of the Vince Celi Memorial Scholarship. That summer, Greg was selected to represent the Central Division Basketball Team at the renowned Empire State Games. A state-wide, scholastic competition featuring the best athletes of each region in New York State.
After high school, Greg took his passion for the game to Rochester, New York where he would go on to lace them up for the Nazareth College Golden Flyers. Greg played a key role in an Empire 8 Conference Championship team in 2010, which led to an appearance in the NCAA Tournament that same year. Greg graduated from Nazareth in 2012, as Nazareth’s all time leader in blocked shots and field goal shooting percentage.
After college, Greg’s professional basketball journey would take him to three different countries and two different continents. He ended his playing career back in Rochester, New York for the Rochester Razorsharks of the Premier Basketball League.
After some time away from the game, Greg reached out to his alma mater ES-M high school and assumed a role as a volunteer Varsity Boys Basketball Coach. After two years at ES-M, Greg was named Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at Cazenovia College of the Northeastern Athletic Conference. After a two year stint with the Wildcats, it was back to ES-M as the Assistant Varsity Basketball Coach, where he shared a remarkable season with the Spartans.
During March of 2021, Greg packed up and moved south to Sweet Home Alabama, spending a year in Huntsville, AL. While in Huntsville, Greg coached at the High School level and with a club on the Under Armour Rise AAU circuit.
In May of 2022, Greg made the decision to move 100 miles south down I-65 to Birmingham, the city he now calls home. Coach Lothridge figured, he moved 1,000 miles a year earlier, so what’s 100 more.
Coach Lothridge has his Bachelors in Business Administration, his Masters in Athletic Administration, and is a USA Basketball Gold Certified Basketball Coach. Coach Lothridge lives, works, and coaches in Birmingham, AL. He is also the tallest basketball coach in the State of Alabama!
Why Give N’ Go Basketball Academy Exists.
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Coach Lothridge founded Give N’ Go Basketball Academy with a deep understanding of how important self-talk is to a player’s success. Far too often players are their own worst enemy. We believe it is our duty to help players break through the limits they may have set for themselves, or limits set for them by others.
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Thinking big is at the core of everything we do at Give N’ Go Basketball Academy. From the players we serve, to our mindsets, GN’G will always be about thinking big. We never want to see a player settle or sell themselves short.
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At Give N’ Go Basketball Academy, we have a deep understanding of how important connecting to opportunity is for the trajectory of a players career. We believe we have a responsibility to facilitate an environment of personal empowerment and relationship building to provide players with the tools necessary to succeed.
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Basketball is more than a game. It can serve as a teacher, a mentor, and a guide. It could very likely lead you down the path to your life’s purpose. Give N’ Go Basketball Academy looks to give players the tools necessary to pursue that purpose in a meaningful way.
The Starting Five.
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From final exams, last minute free throws, driver permit tests and everything in between, big moments require courage. Give N’ Go Basketball Academy pushes young hoopers to live courageously on and off the court.
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What’s more important than trust? At Give N’ Go Basketball Academy we do our best to build trust between the basketball players we serve and their families.
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We need more leaders! Young hoopers that lead by example and do the right thing (especially when no one is watching). Give N’ Go Basketball Academy looks to build the young basketball players we serve into principled leaders on the court, in the classroom, and in the community.
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At GN’G, we want you to pass the basketball, but never to pass the buck. At Give N’ Go Basketball Academy we own our mistakes and learn from them. Never passing the responsibility or blame to others.
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Give N’ Go Basketball Academy will advocate for, support, and encourage every young basketball player that joins the academy. GN’G will never promise anything that is outside of our direct control, but we will promise our encouragement and support every step of your basketball journey.
