Basketball is the platform. People are the purpose.
To build a global network that equips people, empowers communities, and creates pathways for athletes and leaders to ascend in every area of life.
Equip.
Empower.
Elevate.
To build a global network that equips people, empowers communities, and creates pathways for athletes and leaders to ascend in every area of life.
Built for
becoming.
Ascend started as a conversation between coaches who kept meeting at the same gyms, sharing the same frustrations, and reaching for the same solutions in isolation. We believed the game deserved better — and so did the kids playing it.
Today Ascend is a network of independent organizations who choose to align around a shared standard. Each keeps its identity. Together we open doors none of us could open alone.
We are not a franchise. We are not a governing body. We are a network built on trust, shared curriculum, and the belief that basketball is a vehicle for who young people become.
"Basketball has always
been about becoming."
A coach, educator, veteran, and mentor whose path — from a West Philadelphia neighborhood to a boarding school gym to the long road back — shaped a conviction that the game is bigger than the game. Ascend is what he built to prove it.
Isiah Anderson
Founder & Executive Director
The team.
Growing team.
Seth Leonard
Director of Development
- Founder & Owner, Kingdom Abound
- Owner, Mighty Ants Professional Basketball
- Head Boys Basketball Coach, Central Dauphin High School (PA)
- Pennsylvania AP Big School Coach of the Year
- State, District & County Championship Coach
- Mentor, Leader & Program Builder
Seth Leonard is the Director of Development for Ascend Basketball Network. He's the founder of Kingdom Abound and owner of Mighty Ants Professional Basketball, and serves as Head Boys Basketball Coach at Central Dauphin High School — a role that's earned him Pennsylvania AP Big School Coach of the Year honors alongside state, district, and county championships. Seth's work is built on mentorship and program-building, helping athletes and organizations grow far beyond the scoreboard.
Trevor Orr
Head of Recruiting
- Championship High School Coach
- Top Recruiter
- Founder, Sideline Cancer
- 80+ Teams Across the Northeast
- Featured on the MADE Hoops Circuit
A championship high school coach and top recruiter, Trevor Orr serves as our Head of Recruiting. He also leads Sideline Cancer, his own organization, which supports over 80 teams and growing across the Northeast — prominently showcased on the MADE Hoops circuit.
Dr. David Archer, PhD
Leader — Mentor — Educator
- 20+ Years High-Level Basketball Coaching
- High School Principal & Athletic Director
- Pastor
- Two-Time PA District 3 Champion
- Director, Central PA Bruins AAU
- Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
- Owner, ArchWitDaShot
Dr. David Archer brings over 20 years of high-level basketball coaching experience to the network. A High School Principal and Athletic Director, he also serves as a Pastor, combining education, leadership, and faith to guide the next generation both on and off the court. As a championship coach, Dr. Archer is a two-time PA District 3 Champion and directs the Central PA Bruins AAU program. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and owner of ArchWitDaShot.
Omari Pearson
Community Partnerships
- Former Division 1 Player, UNLV
- College Basketball All-American
- Owner & Founder, Passion to Purpose
- National Speaker to Athletic Depts & State Associations
- Advocate for Risk Management & SEL
- College & Career Readiness Educator
A former Division 1 basketball player at UNLV and College Basketball All-American, Omari Pearson is the owner and founder of Passion to Purpose, speaking to audiences across the country. He partners with athletic departments and state associations nationwide to strengthen risk management while elevating social-emotional learning and college and career readiness for student-athletes — helping ensure they're not only protected, but fully equipped to thrive in college, career, and life.