FUNdamentally Sound in
Skill and Life
Mission Statement:
To intentionally empower, educate and equip Inner-City Middle and High School Female Student- Athletes to become college educated, purpose driven citizens, through coaching, training and mentoring.
About Our Organization
FUNdamentally Sound LLC, was founded in Tulsa, OK in 2000, by Coach Davitria Harrell, as a basketball training organization, because she saw a tremendous need for fundamental training. Through FUNdamentally Sound, Coach D has trained hundreds of student-athletes in Oklahoma, Texas and Tennessee. Coach D has been selected by Dallas Mavericks as a Camp Instructor and has also done camps for the Memphis Grizzlies and Texas Legends. Additionally, Coach D has been a featured skills trainer for both the Memphis and Dallas Jewish Community Centers. Currently, she has a contract with the City of Collierville Parks and Recreation to train all of their volunteer coaches.
This organization is a culmination of everything that Coach D has done in ministry and her secular career. Those careers include Youth pastor, outreach director, development specialist, job coach, welfare to work trainer, health educator, insurance agency owner, and National Director of Business Development at the Art Institute in Dallas. In 2018, Coach D became the first female Area Director for FCA within the four-state Region. Coach D served faithfully as the FCA Memphis Urban Area Director, but felt a strong calling to minister to the needs of Memphis’ Inner-City Female Student-Athlete. In a city mired by crime, teen pregnancy, school drop-outs and youth hopelessness, Coach D felt led to be intentional about serving this population. As a product of divorce, domestic abuse, sexual and physical abuse and having been a depressed, suicidal teen, Coach D saw God use athletics and mentors literally save her life. Armed with the vision and passion, she and her Board of Directors are ready to meet the challenge.
THE WORK WE DO
SKILL: For Our Middle School Girls
Nationally, we all know that there is a shortage of teachers. Well, there is an even bigger shortage of qualified coaches to teach Middle School student-athletes. Our main focus is to teach the fundamentals of basketball. This is where FUNdamentally Sound in Skill steps in.
If a young athlete does not learn the fundamentals in Middle School, High School ball and College are doubtful. We provide year-round, intensive basketball skills clinics and camps to help prepare them for High school ball and beyond. Additionally, we offer Team Grannies to provide pregame meals and support the student-athletes at games, as parental support is usually minimal.
LIFE: For Our High School Girls
Many of us have gotten to College and were clueless about what we wanted to major in. Well, for our Junior and Senior female student-athletes, we provide Personality Trait Assessments to help them identify areas they have natural propensities in and also supply ACT and academic tutoring.
From there, we help them create a map to fulfillment. Our Sport Management Intern advocates for the student-athletes with colleges and universities to determine if an opportunity exists. For those who will not play past High School, our Sports Management Intern helps them find paths to traditional and non-traditional careers.
Why The Need?
Girls’ participation rates lag behind boys’ rates despite having a similar number of teams.
Sports are strongly associated with greater social involvement and diverse interests.
Highly involved athletes are more likely to report good grades, aspire to graduate college and were less apt to get into trouble at school than non-athletes.
Highly involved athletes had lower rates of depressive affect, lower levels of self-derogation, and higher levels of self esteem when compared to non-athletes.