Our Story

The four of us all love to travel and have done a fair bit of it. During our trips, we have had the privilege of seeing and sometimes experiencing facilities and technology that we felt was missing here in Australia. We remember what it was like to discover these places and looking forward to going there and we wanted to create a facility that would fill our clients with that same high hopes, and deliver. An idea was born.

This vision combined with the boys’ passion for the sport, drove many conversations and desires to build our dream facility that would excite and motivate. Our belief is that the minute you think you’re working hard enough, you’re not, hence our slogan ‘Train Insane or Remain The Same’. It’s time for us to create a culture of future athletes that live and breathe their passions and we want to give them a place that they can do that.

All of us, Johnny and Steve in particular, think back to being a kid and wish they had access to rebounding machines, dribbling booths and agility technology. Imagine if recovery was a focus and sports scientists were readily available to help you improve on the thing you love doing the most.

We want that for our children and our country.

We knew it was time to elevate our game to the next level.

The logo design came from Declan, who at one of our very many early meetings, sat along side of us drawing it on his iPhone (which is normal for him to do), and spontaneously showed us a logo that looked to be very much inline with our vision. We loved it so much. It was a symbol that led us to continue to discuss our plan of attack for the future of Ball 360.

COACHES

Our Founders

“Johnny”

I played Junior domestic basketball at a few associations but mainly at Dandenong. Junior VJBL representative basketball I played for Hampton Park, MMBL and Big V with the Chelsea Gulls and Big V at Keysborough Cougars.

We won back to back VJBL Metro 1 Championships when with Hampton Park in 1999 & 2000 and back to back MMBL Championships with Chelsea Gulls in 2001 and 2002.

I played Big V for over 14 seasons from 2003 to 2016 achieving Division 1 Runner up with Chelsea Gulls in 2004 a Big V Division 2 Runner up with Keysborough Cougars in 2012 and a Big V Division 2 Championship with Keysborough Cougars in 2015.

In the later part of my playing career, I started enjoying the coaching and leading part of my role, especially seeings that by now we had exciting juniors joining our program and was very proud to have been the Big V Co-captain in 2015 & 2016 and part of the Keysborough Cougars leadership team in all 7 years of my time there.

Even before becoming a dad, coaching and children’s development fast became a part of my life. I have enjoyed coaching in the VJBL for over 15 years from under 12’s to under 20’s. I’ve also coached domestic teams and for the last 4 years worked closely with Kingston Basketball Academy on Skills and Development.

I have even been part of a few international trips to the USA and New Zealand where alongside the likes of Andre (Kingston Basketball Founder and Director) and Nathan Vogt (Keysborough Cougars Founder and Division 1 Big V Mens coach for over 15 years) we coached children through the experiences of visiting Colleges, High Schools, Training Facilities and NBA/WNBA games and seeing how the best in the world go about their craft. Some of the coaches we have had the privilege of meeting and training with like Jordan Lawley have really had an impact on my coaching.

I am a passionate AFL member following Hawthorn. I also follow the Chicago Bulls and the NBL. Any sport really. My heroes being Michael Jordan and as a shooter love to watch Stephen Curry.

Tanya

I played domestic basketball for a number of years as a junior and when I became a player’s girlfriend and wife went down the path of being a fully qualified VJBL and Big V score bench official. I have played soccer, volleyball, football, you name it, and I want to give it a go.

I was ‘training insane’ with Skye Football and Netball club playing in the Division 2 women’s league in the SFNL for the second season as a Vice Captain in 2022. Awarded Most Consistent in 2021.

I am a passionate Collingwood Magpies AFL supporter and member who witnessed the ‘draw’ and premiership in 2010 and now get to enjoy many WAFL games in an era where us women are thriving.

I pride myself on being hard working and dedicated in my working life, achieving awards along the way. Employee of the year in my junior working life at Mc Donalds and Team Manager of the year in my time with the OPSM group. At Flight Centre for a decade, I am especially proud of the work I did to put together a New Zealand and USA basketball tour in 2019 making all of the plans required for the logistics and to accommodate up to 20 kids and their families around the North Island of New Zealand, Los Angeles and Vegas.

I love following my kids around to their games supporting their journey, but also enjoy all live sports going to the Olympics, NBA and the NBL especially when I can combine it with my other passion which is travel.

Fun facts: was the national Australian karaoke champion which earned me a nomination and title of Mauritian of the year in 2004.

John & Tanya

We met in high school. Started dating in year 12 and in 2003, on a Friday night of course so as not to interfere with Saturday night game day, got married. Baller life from the start.

We have two sons, Declan who is 14 years old and currently playing representative basketball for Pakenham and Kobe who is 8 years old and currently playing representative basketball for Dandenong. Both boys have grown up on the sidelines of some sort of court or field. Declan is passionate about shoes and the Golden State Warriors and Kobe loves Collingwood and Harry Potter.

Together as a family we have always tried hard to have a healthy work/sport/social life balance. We have travelled to the States for tournaments and to be at NBA, WNBA and Summer League games. We were in South Africa in 2010 for the Soccer World Cup and around Australia for NBL and AFL.

We are so looking forward to this new venture with Ball360 which will give us the opportunity to work in a field we love, help people achieve their greatest of goals and thrive in all aspects of health.

Steve

Like Johnny, I played Junior domestic basketball at many associations but mainly at Dandenong. Johnny and I first met when asked to fill in for his VJBL representative team at Hampton Park.

We shared the back to back VJBL Metro 2 Championships with Hampton Park in 1999 & 2000 and the back to back MMBL Championships with Chelsea Gulls in 2001 & 2002.

I also competed in the University Games for Swinburne from 2000 to 2004 and travelled all around the country after qualifying for Nationals every year.

My coaching experiences started whilst being a player, coaching several seasons of VJBL from under 14’s girls to 20’s boys.

I played Big V for over 14 seasons from 2003 to 2016. I was part of the Big V D1 Runner up with Chelsea Gulls in 2004, a Big V D2 Champion with Chelsea Gulls in 2010, a part of the Chelsea Gulls leadership team and a Big V D2 Runner up with Keysborough Cougars in 2012 and along with Johnny, we celebrated a Big V D2 Championship with Keysborough Cougars in 2015. Part of the Keysborough Cougars leadership team in 5 out of the 6 years at the club and Co-captain of Keysborough Cougars in 2012 before injury saw me miss almost 2 entire seasons.

Recovery, especially post surgery is something I know all too well, and love that our facility will offer our clients the equipment and the expertise to efficiently get back into doing the things you love.

Whilst basketball was my chosen sport to play, I follow almost all sports and have even run in the Melbourne Marathon in years 2007, 2015 and 2016.

Born into a loyal Melbourne Demons family and an AFL member since 2011, I finally got to see my boys take home the cup in 2021.

Kristy-Ann

I am Johnny’s sister and grew up with 3 older brothers. The whole family loved all sports, in particular basketball, the AFL and the English Premier League so it was no surprise that I loved sports from a young age too.

In a time prior to having a Women’s Football League to aspire to I played junior footy for 6 years with the boys team and received a life membership at Mossgiel Park Football Club being only the second female ever to achieve this at the time.

I went on to play both indoor soccer, footy and of course basketball and follow most sports. My love for sport growing up, led me to complete a Diploma in Sport and Recreation Management in 2014. While having worked in customer service for most of my adult life managing a team, having a job in sport and recreation has always been the goal and something I saw myself doing long term.

As an AFL member since birth following Hawthorn Hawks, and as the daughter of the famous Nics at the G BBQ’s hosted on the grounds of the MCG, I was there to witness some amazing sporting moments, none more exciting and fulfilling as the Three Peat.

In 2021 I helped start and Captained the inaugural Women’s Football Team in the Women’s Southern Football and Netball League at the Skye Football and Netball Club which I continued in 2022.

Being postpartum myself, getting back into fitness, nurturing new mums and children development is a passion of mine and I look forward to incorporating these things into my work at Ball360.

Steven & Kristy-Ann

KA first laid eyes on Hadders doing his thing on the basketball court coming along as the sister of Johnny. In 2017 we were married, at a location where sporting dreams also do come true, at the MCG in Melbourne. We have a daughter Jordyn who is 3 years old who has inherited the successes of Hawthorn Hawks following in mums footsteps and baby Brooklyn born December 2021 who walks straight into being a fan of the 2021 premiership team following dad and the Melbourne Demons.

Our love for sport and fitness is so strong and vast following so many teams and codes. Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL, Melbourne Storm in the NRL, Tennis, NBL, NBA and Olympics. We have always enjoyed living life to the fullest, travelling and exercising even with a young family. We are passionate about a balanced diet filled with variety and good quality ingredients.

Having been part of successful teams and businesses in the past we are excited to take on this new adventure with Ball360 and share all that we’ve learnt. We hope to create a place that people can go to that will look, feel and be world class.