Reviews & References

My game has truly been expanded; Darren Fenn had observed my playing while being on the same team with him in Germany. He told me that if I start to shoot the 3 point shot it would add to my game. One day after practice he took me under his wing in the gym and he started training me on my shot. Confidence was the major thing I had to develop, I had to put in hard work and time and stay consistent in developing my 3 point shot. Darren Fenn’s instructions were so on point that my game has changed drastically. Doing drills such as the Range Finder and Pick and Pop drills are some of the many he showed me to help me with my game. This past season I played for Maccabi Raanana in Israel where I averaged 18 pts 12 rebounds and 3, 5 assist while shooting 39% from the 3. With Darren’s drills and work out plans combined with me putting in countless hours in the gym I am becoming a much better all-around player!

-Samme Givens, Professional Basketball Player

I am a Physical Therapist who specializes in sports performance, and a basketball coach, and I send my son to see Darren.  I am extremely impressed with Darren’s ability to integrate agility, coordination and conditioning into his basketball specific training.  I am further impressed with Darren’s ability to foster physical toughness, mental toughness and athletic intelligence in his clients.  Darren compliments what we are doing with our basketball program, and I have been very pleased with how he is helping my son improve his game.

-Martin Lambert PT, PhD, OCS, FAAOMPT, FAFS, and local HS and AAU Coach

When I learned that there was a basketball school opening at the South Towns Tennis Center Complex, I immediately reached out to inquire about Darren’s approach and what his plan was for his school. Darren responded quickly and since that first conversation, I have had the pleasure of watching my daughter and many of her teammates work with Darren over the past few months. What is readily apparent is that Darren is committed to the development of the players that he coaches and takes a personal interest in each of them. He is open with parents that his desire is to work with serious players that want to put in a strong effort to improve their game and take it to the next level. The girls come off the court dripping with sweat and smiles on their faces. Most importantly, the benefit of the investment is obvious as their skills improve session after session. It is common for me to find my daughter in the driveway or the garage working on shooting or ball handling drills that Darren has taught her the previous session.

As an AAU coach and a member of the Board of Directors for a local youth basketball organization, I have recommended WNY Premier Basketball Training to a number of parents. Almost all of those that have taken advantage of the opportunity have become regular customers. Darren works with players of all ages. My personal experience is with Darren working with groups of both my 7th and 8th grade AAU teams. He conducts tailored group sessions for post players to work specifically on back to the basket and post skills. He has also worked with all guard groups, focusing on ball handling, improving their first step and a consistency of their shot among many other skills. Finally, he often works with mixed groups of girls from my teams and all sessions, whether position specific or generic, result in Darren pushing the girls to become better. Darren focuses on skills that often get little work or are overlooked altogether in standard practice situations and I anticipate this will be apparent in the upcoming season.

If you are a parent of a player (boy or girl, 8 years to adult) that is willing to put in the work and has a desire to take their game to the next level, I strongly recommend setting up an evaluation session with Darren. I have had my 7th grade daughter work both 1-1 and in groups (2-4 players) with Darren and I can only provide positive feedback. Darren has a personable, friendly and most importantly honest approach to his coaching. He pushes the girls to improve and corrects mistakes, providing positive feedback and constructive coaching. I look forward to seeing the dividends pay off for all of my players this fall as they play for their school teams and then on their AAU teams after that!

Ken Kelley- AAU coach

“My son is a three year varsity starter and team captain going into his senior year of high school. He would like to play basketball in college at the Division III level and has interest from a number of schools.

He has set big goals for his senior season. Although he has had success at the high school level, he doesn’t feel he has reached his full potential. In addition to self- improvement, he wants to help turn around his struggling high school basketball program and start a winning tradition.

Darren’s experience and his achievements at all levels of the game gives him instant credibility and respect. After the evaluation session, my son who said ‘he is the real deal’. It was apparent to my son that Darren has the knowledge and ability to make him a better player.

Working one-on-one, he first identified areas for improvements. Then Darren put together a routine that includes specific basketball techniques, moves and skills combined with a focused mental attitude. Darren’s customized coaching and training program is making a real difference
with my son’s approach to the game and his on court performance.

I highly recommend Darren to any parent who has a self-motivated son or daughter with a passion for the game and desire to improve. No matter what the level of competition, I believe you will be very pleased with the results of his coaching and training.”

Barry Freilicher

“Darren Fenn played for me from 2006-2008. In 2007 we won the German Championship with Darren as our starting power forward. We decided to offer Darren a contract because of three things:

Darren is a winner, somebody who always puts the team first
Darren is a worker, somebody who tries to get better each and every day
Darren has a high basketball IQ
After having worked with Darren for two years I can honestly say that he not only met but exceeded our expectations.

One character trait that came to surface mainly in his second year with us was his leadership ability. True leaders often times do not lead with words, they lead by example. That is exactly what Darren did by playing hurt and staying longer after practice, diligently working on his craft.

Darren will be a tremendous asset to any organization in sports or business.

Being a coach myself, I would not be surprised in the least, if he becomes a highly respected and successful colleague when his playing days are over.”

Dirk Bauermann, 2014-05-07

“Coach Darren’s training with me the past two summers has helped my game improve tremendously. I started training with him after my senior year of high school where I didn’t play as well as I wanted to. After one summer of training with Coach Darren I went off to my freshman year in college and started every game and was one of the top freshman in the conference. It’s great for me as a college player to train with someone who has played at the college level and beyond in the pro leagues overseas. I look forward to continuing to train with Coach Darren and to keep learning from him and developing my game.”

Pat MacDonald- Sophomore Player at SUNY Maritime and son of Daemen Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike MacDonald

Dear Darren,

You might wonder why I send you this email at this point and time. There is actually no explanation other than the fact that it is long overdue. I would like to thank you for everything you did for us and for me during the past two seasons. You have been an excellent player – and maybe even more important – a wonderful captain. You did a tremendous job keeping our team together. You created a caring atmosphere which resulted into fine team chemistry. I was also deeply impressed with the commitment your wife and you showed within the community helping those who really needed it. I hope that your family and you are doing fine and wish you all the best.

Mit flammenden Grüßen / Kind regards,
Stefan Koch | Former Head Coach Artland Dragons/ Giesson 46ers

“Darren has made a huge impact on the play/confidence of my daughter. Darren blends drills based on need with constant reinforcement of the fundamentals. Darren is preparing our daughter to take her play to the next level. We drive over an hour and twenty minutes for her sessions, and would not consider another coach! Take advantage of Darren’s abilities while you can!”

Jeff Angeletti- Panama High School varsity girls coach

“My son began working with Darren with two goals in mind – to work on his inside skills (he plays the forward position in high school) and to become more aggressive.
We certainly are achieving those goals – and WAY more.
Darren is the complete package when it comes to sports development.
– High level skills and drills
– Superb conditioning routines
– Vast knowledge of sports science
– Knowing when to push and back off
He identifies areas to work on and builds a custom program for improvement.
He even went to a few of my son’s offseason games to assess game play and provide insights to work into his training.
I see a huge improvement in my son’s confidence and abilities – shooting, rebounding, inside footwork and even free throws.
As a busy parent with several kids I really appreciate that Darren is always on time and ready to work. Sounds simple but not easy to find in a trainer these days.
Darren is a professional in every sense of the word.
I highly recommend Darren to anyone who wants to amp up their child’s skills.”

Dave Harris- Orchard Park NY

Throughout my coaching experience with Darren, he showed the utmost respect and professionalism any coach could ask for from one of his players. Everyday Darren came to the gym wanting to get better. He did not believe in punching a ticket for work. I was able to work with Darren individually and his hunger to work on small details helped him expand his game on the floor but also expand his game when it comes to thinking the game through. His character on and off the court was exceptional. Never any problems, always on time and vocal in the locker room when things needed to be said. Practices got intense at times because everyone competed at a high level, Darren was a huge part of that practice culture. Toughness and we do not back down from anyone was something Darren brought to the team. I believe Darren will continue to be an asset to anyone that he works with on the court. Pick his brain, be open with him, ask as many questions as you can and at the end of the day you will be a better basketball player and a better individual with his help.

James Duncan/ Head Coach Fukuoka Rising/ Player Development Coach

“While working with Coach Darren I started to realize that I am a much better player than I had previously given myself credit for. Not only have I become a better player physically, but I feel that mentally I have improved as well. My favorite thing Coach Darren has said so far is ‘If you have done it once, then your body can do it again and if your body has done it twice then you can do it three times.’ That made so much sense to me. I have become a better all around player during my time with Coach Darren. I have a much improved post repertoire and my jumper has gotten much better as well. Working with Coach D has not let me down yet, and I am excited to see where my game goes from here.”

Sean Buckley- Junior Player at Buff State

“We went camping and the place had a court. Will’s friends were impressed with his “skills”. He played against kids he didn’t know and won! Not only have you improved his game but also his self confidence which as Will’s mom means more to me than you could know. For whatever reason he lacks self-esteem and we try to work on that. Thank you for being a great coach, see you this week.”

Denise and Bill Kukoleca

I want to thank you, Darren, for the amazing way you were able to work with my my son. After only four sessions, you taught him how to dribble, handle the ball, and most importantly, gain the confidence to play with other kids on the court, I have always said that my son is more or a scholar than an athlete, and you were able to help him discover the athlete within. The confidence he gained along with the desire to just keep persisting came from the time you spent on the court with him. It is unbelievable what you were able to teach him in 4 lessons. There is no question, if you were not relocating, you would absolutely be a part of his weekly training. Thank you for making the game fun, for building his confidence, and for showing him techniques that makes learning the game so much fun. Thank you for your ability to design such a great program for a beginner. Your expertise, patience, skills, experience, and respect for the game set the bar on a whole new level. Your example has set the standard for all other coaches I invite into my sons practice. Best of luck to you and your family. To only give you five stars seems inadequate. You are a shining star. Thank you for all you have done with my child.

RR Royer

Coach Darren gave my husband and 2 boys an incredible lesson. He is extremely personable, an excellent coach and motivator, a great communicator, and designed an amazing lesson that my husband was incredibly impressed with. He showed my boys ways to improve their skills including stances, ball handling, defense, etc. I would highly highly recommend him for both children and/or adult lessons!

Kerri (CoachUp confirmed client)

Also being a professional athlete, I had the opportunity to play against some of the best talent in the world. Playing against Darren for 3 years in the German first division was torture! Although he was usually not as athletic as his opponents, he always got the best of them using his size, talent, and intelligence. Later in my career, I had the opportunity to play with Darren in the first division in Romania. Watching his work ethic everyday in practice was confirmation on his unprecedented success he has achieved over his career. On top of being a good teammate, I was able to observe Darren’s positive leadership and character. I also witnessed Darren mentoring and training players. He would spend countless hours after practice working with young players on footwork, technique, and tricks he learned over his 13 year professional career. Even being the same age as Darren, I was compelled to take notes. His ability to relate and transfer the information is a gift in itself. His transformation into training players was only fitting. In the years to come, Darren will have a tremendous impact on many young athletes on and off the court.

Jason Conley/ Professional Basketball Player and Youth Development Coach

Coach Darren was able to make an immediate impact on my sons game and 
Confidence. I can not thank him enough for his unique approach and how well my 
Son related to him.

Larry Carpenter