When Knicks star Josh Hart wanted to sharpen his ball-handling skills before the season, he didn’t head to a Manhattan gym or a high-tech training facility.
He came to the North Fork to work withXavier Allen, a 23-year-old Mattituck High School graduate who has built a basketball training program that attracts both NBA players and local sixth-graders.
Since launchingX Factor in 2023, Mr. Allen has trained hundreds of players across Long Island — from middle-schoolers to NBA all-stars like Mr. Hart, Jimmy Butler and Kevin Love.
Mr. Allen credits the echelon he has reached in his coaching endeavors to networking, constant social media presence and “being a good person.” His social media posts garnered 1.4 million views in December 2024 alone. They include a variety of workouts and tips for basketball players of all skill levels alongside highlights of local players on his Instagram page,@xf_training.
Mr. Allen and longtime Stony Brook School basketball coach Ronald White pored over Mr. Hart’s game film to improve the Knicks guard’s handle and other aspects of his play. That dedication has helped Mr. Allen succeed in a field he believes is largely absent on Long Island: finding a trainer on the East End.
X Factor offers private, semi-private, group and team training, as well as position-specific development, strength and conditioning, and mindset and mentorship programs. The main takeaway? “Be great.”
“They want to be great in whatever they’re working on — whether it’s a workout, a game, the mental side of it, [or] if they want a mentor, the mentorship side of it,” Mr. Allen said.
Trainings can cost anywhere from $30 to $380, depending on the package athletes select. Typically, Mr. Allen trains out ofSportimein Quogue but trains in other East End gyms as well.
From amateurs to professional NBA players, his mission remains the same: He wants open, coachable, serious players who are looking to become not only better basketball players but “better people for the community.”
In the summer months, Mr. Allen’s clinics attract as many as 75 players. He described the clinics as “fun, engaging” ways for him to give back to the community. He’s also working on an online training program for athletes unable to make their way to the East End.
Source: The Suffolk Times
