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Alabama Basketball Institute Services
Individual Small Group Training (1st Semester)
Summer Team Introduction -City League (2nd Semester)
Summer Team Introduction -City League (2nd Semester)
During the fall, ABI shifts into a focused training phase centered on individual skill development and game understanding. Players refine ball handling, shooting, footwork, and decision-making while also learning how to operate within two-player and three-player actions such as pick-and-rolls, spacing, cutting, and movement without the ball. This phase bridges the gap between skill work and real game application, helping players think the game, not just play it.
Summer Team Introduction -City League (2nd Semester)
Summer Team Introduction -City League (2nd Semester)
Summer Team Introduction -City League (2nd Semester)
From December to February, players and families are given a strategic choice based on their development needs. Athletes can begin ABI team training, which introduces structured team concepts and prepares them for competitive play, or they may choose to participate in local city leagues. This flexibility allows ABI to evaluate how well each player’s training translates into real-game environments, using outside competition as a valuable development and assessment tool. ABI couches will attend your child game to evaluate their understanding.
Summer Team Season (3rd Semester)
Summer Team Introduction -City League (2nd Semester)
Summer Team Season (3rd Semester)
From March through July, players are placed on age-appropriate ABI travel teams where they can apply their skills in competitive settings. This phase emphasizes performance, teamwork, and adaptability as athletes compete against a variety of opponents. The goal is not just to win games, but to develop players who can contribute effectively within a team structure, handle pressure, and continue progressing in real basketball situations. Player development is the priority.
About Alabama Basketball Institute
The ABI Combine provides a standardized, research-based assessment that continuously tracks each player's physical development, athletic ability, basketball skills, and overall fitness from elementary school through high school, and beyond. Held every August and February, the Combine measures height, weight, wingspan, flexibility, reach, strength, endurance, agility, jumping ability, and shooting performance. This data establishes long-term benchmarks, identifies strengths and development needs, and helps parents and coaches make informed decisions that support each athlete's basketball journey
About Alabama Basketball Institute
GCR Athlete Lab is Alabama Basketball Institute's research-based player development service, offered every August and February to youth basketball players in Baldwin and Mobile counties. Built on research from leading psychologists studying grit, confidence, and resilience, GCR Athlete Lab measures the personal qualities that influence long-term success on and off the court. Through coach observations, parent surveys, player assessments, and performance data, ABI establishes a developmental baseline and tracks growth over time. While most basketball clubs measure points, speed, and skill, ABI also measures character development. This data-driven approach separates ABI by treating every athlete as a developing person, not simply a basketball player.
Founder and Director of Basketball Training
Paul Houlsen
Paul Houlsen is leading a new model for youth basketball development in Baldwin, Mobile, and Escambia (FL) counties. A former professional international coach, Paul won three consecutive Liberian National Championships and three Coach of the Year awards coaching in FIBA-sanctioned competitions across Africa.
Beyond basketball, he spent 25 years in law enforcement and international policing, leading organizations, developing leaders, and directing training programs in the United States and overseas. Recently Paul has begun lecturing about youth development through sports internationally.
Since returning to Baldwin County in 2021, Paul has trained more than 300 players from 15 local elementary, middle and high schools. Simultaneously, he has coached youth, middle, and high school basketball, while building ABI.
Today, ABI is more than a basketball program. Through year-round skill training, competitive travel teams, the ABI Combine, and the GCR Athlete Lab, Paul is building a research-based system that develops skilled players, measures personal growth, and provides parents with meaningful data.
Paul's vision is to develop skilled, confident, and resilient young athletes, based on measurable data, to support long-term success in basketball, school, leadership, and life.