Today we’d like to introduce you to Lucas Archuleta.
Hi Lucas, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I’m originally from Santa Fe/Rio Rancho, New Mexico, where I graduated from Rio Rancho High School. I went on to play college basketball at Otero Junior College (2010-2012) (La Junta, CO) and Fort Lewis College (2012-2015) (Durango, CO), where I received my bachelor’s in finance. During my undergrad years, in the summers, I worked at youth camps and helped at various youth academies (Kings Basketball Academy in Westlake, CA). After I played, I took a grad assistant coaching position at Northwestern State University in Louisiana (2015-2017). I was mentored in the coaching profession and received my master’s degree in business sports administration health and human performance. During that time, transitioned from playing to coaching. I also got into player development, working with grassroots, college & pro athletes, helping them improve not only their game physically but also finding ways to improve mentally and develop their character/how they carry themselves off the court. I’ve spent time coaching at my alma mater Otero JC (1 the year 2017-18) and South Mountain CC in Phx (2 years 2018-2020). and now I’m at a prep school in Los Angeles we started two years ago called LA Premier Prep (2020-currently). During that time also helped AAU programs coach/develop their programs (mainly AZ Select in 2018-2020 & Kings Basketball Academy in CA summer 2016) and, helped coach at NBPA youth camp in Los Angeles, CA (June 2019), and spent multiple years coaching at Phenom America camps in San Diego (Summer 2016 & 2018), CA. And have spent multiple years helping coach, direct, and scout at various Pangos All American Camp events across the country (2018-2021), a brand based out of LA. I’ve been lucky enough to live/work in many cultures/environments in a short period which has allowed me to learn from many great mentors, which I think is very valuable and has taught me a lot. During the school year/season, I coach/mentor our players while helping build the business side of the program in any way I can (planning, scheduling, marketing, social media, recruiting) and during the off-season. I spend most of my time traveling, helping players get better, and working camps for various brands while also recruiting and helping our guys at our prep school get recruited to the college level. So it’s a constant process of building a business year-round between our prep school and being a servant leader player development-wise to players at all levels from high school to college to NBA/G League/Overseas pros. I’ve been fortunate to develop hundreds of college athletes and 75+ pros who have played at either the NBA, G League, or overseas levels.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Far from a smooth road, there are always obstacles along the way when you are building something from the ground up. But don’t necessarily look at those as bad. Just part of the process of building something from scratch, I’ve found that those struggles introduce you to new ways of thinking/innovation as a leader, which ultimately leads to solutions or ways to overcome those obstacles. It’s been a constant process of learning from mistakes/failures and allowing that knowledge to improve you. Most challenges stem from making things work on a shoestring budget while maintaining your core vision for the future. So the challenges are mainly figuring out how to navigate and build a business without a ton of resources, which you ultimately learn a lot from at the end of the day because it teaches you that you can adapt and adjust along the way to continue to grow moving forward. This also helps you figure out ways to get creative in multiple avenues in multiple aspects of the business, that uncomfortability and uncertainty can teach you lessons you wouldn’t learn otherwise. This leads to performance growth for the business and the players you lead.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My job has many moving parts within the development process of helping athletes. Ultimately my job is to serve others, first and foremost, as a mentor in any way I can. Finding ways to impact the individuals, I’m dealing with. The main focus is figuring out where each needs to improve and how I can aid in their development as players and, more importantly, as people. In the team dynamic, it’s figuring out how to make the puzzle pieces fit together so that we can utilize everyone’s strengths to help the group succeed as much as possible. Life is a team sport so teaching them that everyone’s role is equally important no matter how big or small and getting each individual to buy into the team first is crucial to our vision at LA Premier Prep. The business side of things goes hand in hand with that development process. Aside from marketing players/brand/program, networking and figuring out collaborative paths with others to grow the brand side of things. The more I can focus on developing relationships with my players. The more I can help them grow, the more successful they will be in their careers down the road. Whether helping them improve their skillset/mentality on the court or developing their character off the court, every person requires a different approach and way of teaching. I believe the mental aspect and building lasting relationships are most important in helping others develop their mind/build a lasting bond first and foremost, and the on-court success will follow. What I am most proud of is seeing the players. I’ve impacted turn into productive human beings in society, good husbands/wives, fathers/mothers, and positive influences in their communities even further past their playing careers because it’s bigger than basketball. It’s more about helping them develop into winners in life. My willingness to do more with less and my ability to figure out how to connect with and impact each person individually to help them reach their goals toward their future regardless of how hard the challenge maybe is what makes my business approach different from most. I also take pride in my ability to stay consistent with my work habits, whether things are going good or bad, and basically find ways to build and grow the business/people I am in charge of leading 24/7 and 7 days a week. I also don’t believe in taking the easy path, I’d rather take the road less traveled or the harder route, and I enjoy the challenge of the journey I am on, which sets me apart from most. I believe that’s where the most growth can occur and can lead you to destinations/heights most can’t reach, taking the easy way out.
How do you define success?
That can be interpreted differently for each individual. Success for one person isn’t considered a success for another individual. I don’t consider anything that includes material items/possessions as being included towards what it means to be successful. Success to me is doing what you love every day, leading a path of fulfillment, building towards your passion, helping impact/inspire those in your community positively, building lifelong relationships, enjoying the journey you are on in the moment, chasing a constant quest for personal growth/knowledge and being genuinely happy/healthy mentally, physically, spiritually during that process is what I define as success.
Pricing:
- I’ve helped countless players for free especially in their early developmental stages so pricing is hard to pinpoint. Depends on their situation and is different for each client.
Contact Info:
- Website: Lapremierprep.com
- Instagram: Archiebang15 / la_premier_prep
- Twitter: Archiebang5 / la_premier_prep
