Our History - The Factory
The Factory was never created simply to be another basketball gym. It grew from a belief that athletes improve when they receive proper instruction, consistent training and thousands of quality repetitions in an environment built specifically around development.
From the beginning, our goal has been bigger than teaching basketball skills. We believe better basketball players are developed by improving the complete athlete — their skills, strength, speed, explosiveness, basketball knowledge, confidence and understanding of the game. That philosophy eventually became one of the biggest reasons The Factory had to be built.
Where It Started
Factory Basketball began in 2013 with a group of middle-school girls and one simple goal: teach them how to play basketball the right way.
What started with one team soon began to grow. More athletes joined, more teams were formed and our approach to player development continued to evolve.
The focus was never simply on winning the next game. We wanted to teach athletes the skills, habits and understanding that would help them continue improving for years.
Where it all started — our original Factory Basketball team.
Growing Without a Home
As Factory Basketball grew, so did the challenge of finding places for our athletes to practice and train.
On a typical week, our teams could be practicing five nights a week at different schools and gyms throughout Southeast Michigan. Basketballs, training equipment and everything else we needed had to move with us from location to location.
But finding basketball courts wasn't our biggest challenge.
We believed developing better basketball players required more than basketball skills alone. Our athletes also needed to become stronger, faster, more explosive and more durable.
We began incorporating strength, athletic-performance and injury-prevention work into our development program, but rented basketball gyms simply weren't designed for it.
We needed a permanent space where we could combine basketball skill development and strength training under one roof.
Why We Built The Factory
By 2018, it had become clear that if we wanted to build the type of complete athlete-development program we envisioned, we needed a home of our own.
We needed a basketball court designed around training rather than simply playing games. We needed room for our basketball equipment. And just as importantly, we needed a dedicated space where strength and performance training could become a consistent part of our athletes' development.
In August of 2018, we signed the lease on an old warehouse in Westland and began transforming it into what would become The Factory.
It wasn't much to look at yet — but we didn't wait for construction to finish before we started training.
Our first temporary hoop inside the warehouse in 2018.
Building a Facility Around Development
While our athletes trained on a temporary hoop, construction continued around them.
The warehouse was being transformed into something very different from a traditional basketball gym. Every decision centered around how the space could help us train athletes more efficiently and effectively.
By the end of November, our basketball floor was complete and The Factory finally had its permanent court.
The Factory basketball floor under construction in 2018.
Along with the basketball court, we created our original strength-training area, finally giving us the ability to combine basketball instruction and athletic development in the same facility.
The Factory Takes Shape
By the end of 2018, the transformation was becoming real. What had started as an empty warehouse now had a finished basketball court and a permanent home for Factory Basketball.
For the first time, our athletes had a facility built around the way we wanted them to train — with basketball development, strength work and specialized training equipment all under one roof.
Pat Sherwood Court at The Factory.
We finally had the home we had envisioned. But we were nowhere near finished building it.
Never Settling for Good Enough
Opening the building wasn't the end of the project. It was the beginning.
From the start, we continued reinvesting in The Factory and asking one question: How can we help athletes improve faster?
We added specialized baskets, rebounders, resistance systems, D-Men, Crossbar Dribble Trainers, shooting equipment and other tools designed to make every minute of training more productive.
Our unique Wall of Rims allowed athletes to get more supervised shooting repetitions without wasting valuable training time chasing basketballs.
The Shoot-A-Way 10K Gun gave advanced shooters another way to get hundreds of game-quality repetitions in a short period of time.
The Factory was becoming exactly what we had hoped: a facility designed around the way we believed athletes should actually train.
Making Consistent Training More Accessible
We knew athletes couldn't make meaningful improvements by training once every few weeks.
Development requires consistency.
That led us to create our membership-based training system, making it easier for athletes to train regularly with professional instruction instead of treating training as an occasional event.
Our goal was simple: give serious athletes more opportunities to get into the gym, receive instruction and put in quality work.
Reinventing The Factory Again
From the day we opened, we've never viewed The Factory as a finished project.
As our programs and number of athletes continued to grow, we once again asked ourselves: What can we do better?
In 2025 and 2026, that question led to one of the largest upgrades to The Factory since we originally transformed the warehouse in 2018.
We added a completely redesigned Strength & Performance Area, a new Front Desk & Team Room, and a new upstairs Parent Viewing & Work Area.
The upgrades weren't simply cosmetic. Each new area was created to expand what we're able to do for athletes and families.
TAKE A TOUR OF THE FACTORYThe Original Vision — Taken to Another Level
Strength and performance training was one of the primary reasons we opened The Factory in the first place.
Eight years after creating our original strength-training area, we dramatically expanded that part of our program with a completely redesigned Strength & Performance Area.
The new space gives us more room, more equipment and more ways to help athletes develop strength, speed, explosiveness and durability alongside their basketball training.
The new Strength & Performance Area at The Factory.
What began as a need for somewhere to incorporate strength training has become a complete athletic-development space integrated directly into everything we do.
Building for Athletes — And Their Families
The latest renovation also expanded the ways athletes can learn away from the basketball court.
Our new Strength Area also gives athletes and teams a dedicated place for classroom instruction, film study, team meetings and learning the mental and strategic sides of basketball.
We also wanted to improve the experience for the families who spend countless hours supporting their athletes.
Our new upstairs Parent Viewing & Work Area includes stairway viewing of the court, ample seating, televisions displaying the action on the court and a dedicated desk where parents can get work done while their athlete trains.
The new Front Desk and entrance complete the transformation, creating a better experience from the moment athletes and families walk through the door.
The Building Wasn't the Only Thing That Got a Makeover
As The Factory evolved, our website needed to evolve with it.
In 2026, we completely rebuilt TheFactoryMI.com to make it faster and easier for athletes and families to find exactly what they need.
The new website was designed from the ground up with mobile users in mind, making it much easier to explore Skills Classes, Private Lessons, Strength Training, Memberships, Leagues, Camps, Classroom Series programs, our trainers and everything else The Factory offers.
Just like the facility itself, the website will continue to evolve as we add new programs and new opportunities for our athletes.
EXPLORE THE NEW WEBSITEMore Than a Basketball Gym
What began with one basketball team in 2013 has grown into a complete basketball and athlete-development program.
Today, The Factory offers Basketball Skills Classes, Private Lessons, Strength & Performance Training, Youth Instructional Programs, leagues, camps, Classroom Series education and specialized training opportunities for athletes at every stage of their development.
The building has changed. The equipment has changed. Our programs have grown. And the technology has evolved.
But the reason we do it has never changed.
A History of Results
Over the years, nearly 100 former Factory Basketball players have gone on to compete at the collegiate level.
Factory athletes have continued their careers at the NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA and JUCO levels.
Two former Factory players have also gone on to become NCAA Division I college basketball coaches.
Those results aren't the product of one workout, one trainer or one season. They are the result of athletes committing themselves to learning, training and improving over an extended period of time.
What Has Never Changed
From one middle-school basketball team in 2013 to everything The Factory has become today, our purpose has remained the same: Building Better Athletes.
We believe development comes from proper instruction, consistent work, honest evaluation, quality repetitions and an environment where athletes are challenged and encouraged to grow.
The Factory will continue to evolve. We will continue to improve the facility, add new training tools, develop new programs and create new opportunities.
But every change will continue to serve the same purpose — helping athletes become better players and better athletes.
Come Be Part of the Next Chapter
See what The Factory has become — then come experience it for yourself.