John Karzen Basketball

What John Karzen Basketball does

John Karzen Basketball (JKBB) is a co-ed junior basketball development program serving children ages 4-14 across the North Shore suburbs of Chicago. Founded in 1999 by John Karzen as a 20-camper summer camp at the North Shore Racquet Club (NSRC) in Northbrook, Illinois, the program has grown into a year-round operation with more than 300 students enrolled across over 20 independent classes per week, plus in-house leagues, travel teams, specialty clinics, a Girls Only program, and summer camps including 3-on-3 tournaments. All programming is delivered on-site at NSRC, the oldest continuously operating indoor tennis facility in the Midwest (established 1961), which provides 8 indoor hardcourts, 2 outdoor hardcourts, and supporting gym/fitness space.

JKBB operates with a small team (approximately 6 employees) under family ownership; John Karzen serves as Basketball Director and Owner, with coaching support from instructors including a Duke University scholarship athlete. The business model is direct-to-consumer with multiple recurring revenue streams: class registration fees ($372-$651 per session block), league fees ($372-$432), travel team flat fees ($1,050), and summer camps ($300-$365 per week, plus $120 per player for the 3-on-3 tournament). Registration and payment processing are handled through the League Apps platform, with marketing and community outreach driven by the NSRC website, community-specific suburban pages, and Facebook/Instagram social channels. Customer acquisition relies primarily on word-of-mouth and the broader NSRC reputation rather than a formal sales function.

The program is horizontally segmented, with the primary customer being the youth athlete and the secondary decision-maker being the parent. Pricing is mid-tier for the affluent North Shore market, and the product breadth (Tiny Tots through Travel Teams) supports multi-year retention as children age through the curriculum. The business is geographically constrained to families willing to travel to the Northbrook facility, and there is no external capital, no digital product, and no AI/ML technology integration described in the available data.

Name

John Karzen Basketball

Legal name

North Shore Racquet Club

Website

https://northshorerc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

John Karzen Basketball is a family-owned youth basketball development program for children ages 4-14, operating year-round at North Shore Racquet Club in Northbrook, Illinois, serving 300+ students across North Shore Chicago suburbs with classes, leagues, travel teams, and summer camps.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Basketball Instruction and Training

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth & Scholastic Sports Organizations (K–12, AAU, Club Leagues) (MPAKACAF)

Keywords

• Youth basketball training
• Junior sports instruction
• Basketball leagues
• Basketball summer camps
• Youth athletic development

Headquarters

HQ city

Northbrook

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Basketball Class Registration: Year-round co-ed junior basketball program with over 20 independent classes per week. Revenue generated from recurring class fees across multiple skill levels from ages 4-14.
2. Summer Basketball Camps: Week-long summer camps for ages 8-13. AM camps at $365/week and PM camps at $300/week. Camps run Monday through Friday during summer season.
3. Basketball Leagues: In-house league fees for dribblers (ages 7-8) at $372 for 12 sessions and 3-pointers league (ages 9-12) at $432 for 12 sessions. League format full court 4-on-4 with emphasis on sportsmanship.
4. Travel Teams: Travel team program for 3rd-6th graders with flat rate of $1,050 covering practices, leagues, and team jersey. Summer, fall/winter, and winter/spring seasons offered.
5. Combo Classes (Tennis/Basketball): Combined tennis and basketball classes for ages 4-5 at $420 for 12 sessions. Revenue from partnership program with NSRC tennis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

John Karzen Basketball (JKBB) operates a year-round co-ed junior basketball development program for children ages 4-14 at North Shore Racquet Club in Northbrook, IL. The program offers tiered instructional classes (Little Dribblers, Dribblers, 3 Pointers, Shooting Clinics, Girls Only), in-house 4-on-4 leagues, travel teams for 3rd-6th graders, and week-long summer camps (AM/PM sessions, Girls Only, 3-on-3 tournaments). Instruction emphasizes fundamental skills (dribbling, passing, shooting, defense, rebounding), progressive development, sportsmanship, and equal playing time.

Product overview

John Karzen Basketball (JKBB) is a co-ed junior basketball program operating within North Shore Racquet Club. The program offers a comprehensive suite of basketball offerings organized by age and skill level: Tiny Tots/Little Dribblers (ages 4-5) for fundamental movement and basic basketball skills; Dribblers (ages 6-7) for developing coordination and beginning basketball techniques; 3 Pointers (ages 8-11) and Shooting Clinics (ages 11-14) for skill-specific drill classes; Junior Basketball Leagues for ages 7-12 featuring 4-on-4 in-house competition; JKBB Travel Teams for 3rd-6th graders competing in summer, fall/winter, and winter/spring seasons; Girls Only Basketball for ages 8-14 with skill and scrimmage format; and Summer Basketball Camps including AM/PM sessions and 3-on-3 tournaments. The program utilizes League Apps for registration and scheduling. Originally founded as a summer camp in 1999 with 20 campers, JKBB has grown to serve over 300 students with over 12 independent classes, 2 in-house leagues, 2 boys travel teams, and a girls-only league.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Little Dribblers Basketball Program Entry-level basketball program for ages 4-5 focused on fundamental movement skills, coordination, balance, and beginning dribbling, passing, shooting, defense, and rebounding skills. Part of the Tiny Tots Tennis/Basketball combo offering.
• Dribblers Basketball Class Basketball class for ages 6-7 structured for fundamental movement skills, coordination, and balance while developing ball handling, passing, shooting, rebounding, and defense. Priced at $372 for 12 sessions.
• 3 Pointers Basketball Class Skills and drill basketball class for ages 8-11 working on fundamentals with a focus on a particular skill each week, including scrimmage play. Priced at $596.75 for 11 sessions (Monday) or $651.00 for 12 sessions (Wednesday).
• Shooting Clinic Basketball shooting program for ages 11-14 that teaches proper shooting technique, footwork consistency, release and follow-through, and shot selection. Priced at $522.50 for 11 sessions, 5:45-7:00pm.
• Girls Only Basketball Program Girls-only basketball drills and scrimmages for ages 8-14 led by Olga Gvozdenovic, a Duke University scholarship athlete. Priced at $620 for 10 sessions.
• Junior Basketball Leagues (Dribblers and 3-Pointers Leagues) Full court 4-on-4 in-house basketball leagues with no free throws, emphasizing sportsmanship and team play. Dribblers League for ages 7-8 ($372 for 12 sessions, games Thursday 4:00-5:40pm) and 3-Pointers League for ages 9-12 ($432 for 12 sessions, games Friday 4:00-6:00pm+).
• JKBB Travel Teams Travel basketball teams for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade players offering summer, fall/winter, and winter/spring seasons with equal playing time until final minutes of close games. Flat rate of $1,050 per team covering practices, leagues, and team jersey.
• JKBB Summer Basketball Camps

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 students enrolled in year-round basketball program with over 20 independent classes per week
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Little Gym: Established franchised youth motor-skill and sports development program (ages 4 months-12 years) offering gymnastics, karate, and sports skills including basketball. Comparable as a structured, parent-paid youth sports instruction franchise with similar age segmentation and recurring class model.
• Jr. NBA / NBA Youth Basketball: Official NBA youth basketball program providing flag basketball and skills curriculum delivered through schools and licensed providers nationwide. Comparable as a youth basketball instruction framework and league operator targeting the same 5-14 age group.
• YMCA Youth Basketball: Community-based nonprofit youth basketball leagues and skills clinics offered through local YMCA branches nationwide. Comparable as a community-affiliated, low-to-moderate priced youth basketball league and instruction provider serving similar age groups.

Regional players

• National Academy of Athletics: Youth sports camp and clinic provider focused on basketball, volleyball, and multi-sport skills for ages 6-14. Comparable to JKBB's camp and clinic product structure, with similar summer-intensive and recurring skill-class delivery model.

Emerging players

• Breakthrough Basketball: Private basketball training company offering camps, clinics, and online instruction focused on skill development. Comparable as a youth basketball instruction specialist with similar camp and clinic product formats to JKBB's summer and shooting programs.
• Athletic Revolution: Franchised youth athletic development program offering multi-sport training and basketball skills classes for kids ages 5-12. Comparable as a youth sports skills instruction franchise with recurring class revenue model and similar age segmentation.
• EGR Basketball Training: Youth basketball skills and training organization offering classes, clinics, and travel team programs for ages 6-14. Comparable to JKBB's age-tiered skill classes, league play, and travel team offering at a similarly sized independent operator.

Direct peers

• Skyhawks Sports Academy: Multi-sport youth instruction provider (basketball, soccer, baseball, etc.) for ages 3-14 offering classes, camps, and leagues. Closely mirrors JKBB's combination of recurring weekly classes, summer camps, and youth league formats delivered in community settings.
• i9 Sports: National youth sports franchise offering flag football, basketball, soccer, and similar leagues/instruction for ages 3-14. Most direct comparable to JKBB given the multi-sport, age-tiered youth sports instruction model serving families on a recurring class/league basis.
• Hot Shots Sports: Youth multi-sport instruction franchise (basketball, soccer, volleyball, etc.) for elementary-age children delivered via weekly classes, camps, and leagues. Direct comparable to JKBB given overlapping product format, recurring subscription model, and parent-paid youth sports positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Karzen-Tennis-Basketball-100088792723726
• Instagraminstagram.com/karzentennisbasketball
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/john-karzen-basketball

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about John Karzen Basketball