Developing the IBT Way

Renny Tyson and his Intense Basketball Training Academy (IBT) is cranking out some adept basketball competitors for men's and women's basketball in Columbus, Ohio and its suburbs.

In its 10th year of existence IBT was created by Tyson and Lamar Thornton, now an NCAA Division I assistant men's basketball coach at Ohio University. "We had the same passion and we wanted to start a training program that developed young kids to be better ... After he left to [further his coaching career], I continued on."

Tyson later met and started training Cordaryl Ballard, a professional guard who competed collegiately at Morehead State. "I began training him when he became a pro and I loved his work ethic," Tyson said. "I loved that he was hungry and he wanted to get better. He pushed me as a trainer as well. We began to partner up and do IBT together."

One of IBT's first examples of quality development is Darian Cartharn who earned Honorable Mention All-Ohio honors as a high school player at Canal Winchester. Cartharn progressed to college where he was a reserve at Wright State before finishing his career as a key contributor at University of Missouri-St. Louis where he averaged a career best 14.9 points while shooting .389 from three. He went on to play professional ball in countries such as Argentina, Finland and Bosnia among others.

The program's most notable alum is NBA vet Caris Levert who has gone on to average 14.1 points over nine NBA seasons with the Nets, Pacers and Cavaliers. Another standout is Kaleb Wesson who earned Mr. Basketball honors in 2017 after his high school career at Westerville South. He went on to star as a 6-9 forward at Ohio State and is now as pro on the international level.

Tyson believes that the biggest change in his field of business over the past decade is that there are more trainers than before. "It's saturated with trainers. Everybody wants to train, but I think from a players' perspective, because there's so many trainers now, everybody is training more. [In the past] you had a few elite players that were training consistently. Now you have younger kids who are really developing themselves at a younger age."

IBT is currently working with players from various ages starting with elementary school students through college. Here's a look at a few noteworthy talents.

Trey Williams

A 6-7 forward from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, Williams has spent two years at Indiana State before transferring to Duquesne where he's played the last two seasons. He's started 111 of his 112 collegiate appearances and has shot 49.8 percent from the field while blocking 1.4 shots per game over his career. He has one more season of eligibility.

Adrian Nelson

Nelson is a Columbus native who stands at 6-8. He just finished his collegiate career averaging a career best 13.5 points while knocking down 50.6 percent of his shots last season at Youngstown State. He helped the Penguins earn a regular season Horizon League championship and an appearance in the NIT. Tyson said that he recently had a workout with the Utah Jazz but is now looking for opportunities to play internationally.

Tamara Ortiz

This 5-4 point guard just wrapped up her high school career at Westerville South. She's now headed to Central Michigan. "She's a fiesty little guard that can handle the ball," Tyson said. "She's hungry and can shoot the ball as well. She brings a lot of leadership and is going to have a great season."

Alexia Smith

After winning a state championship at Columbus powerhouse Africentric, Smith, a 5-8 guard, went on to compete on the college level at Minnesota for two years. Last season was her first at Virginia where she averaged a career best 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.

Some other noteworthy players are Jerry Saunders, a college player who just transferred from Wittenberg to Wheeling-Jesuit. As a freshman last season, he was second on the team with an average of 14.2 points per game. LJ Foster is a 6-4 Columbus high school wing who is a highly capable scorer that has transferred from Mifflin to Walnut Ridge. Drazen Smith is a point guard at Westerville South, who Tyson has commended for maturing emotionally as a player. Maliyah Lofton is a high school point guard at Harvest Prep who Tyson praises for her court-vision and passing.

Dom Aekins, a senior at Walnut Ridge who averaged 28 points per game last season, has made appearances at IBT workouts this summer. "He just got offered by Youngstown State," Tyson. "He's working, He's a crafty point guard. He's quick, fast and can see the floor very well."

Tyson is also working with Pharoahe Zaire, a rising high school freshman who is a center standing at 6-9 and over 300 pounds on his way to International High School. Zaire earned attention as an eighth grader with a viral highlight video that was featured on Ball is Life earning over a million views in a day.

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