Joerik Michiels was born and raised in Antwerp, Belgium. Passionate about skills training from a young age, Michiels has spent close to a decade studying and gaining knowledge from a variety of coaches and basketball trainers all over the world. This led to teaming up with Olivier Goetgeluck to create the Elite Athletes program. At the ‘EA Facility’ in Antwerp, players of all ages and abilities from beginner to pro come to develop their movement & coordination skills with Olivier, while developing their basketball skills with Joerik. This unique formula has led to international acclaim, with Elite Athletes delivering international camps and coaching clinics all over the world. In 2018, Michiels founded the Elite Academy to provide a comprehensive playing pathway for children aged 11 - 18. Using the EA blueprint, which places a heavy emphasis on integrating decision-making with the technical application of a skill, the goal is to produce players from the academy that go onto play at the highest levels of professional basketball.

Alex Sarama joined Elite Athletes / Elite Academy in the summer of 2019 after three years working with the NBA. In his role as Associate Manager, Basketball Operations, Alex worked on NBA initiatives across Europe, Middle East & Africa to grow the game of basketball. This involved extensive travel to deliver clinics for both players and coaches all over the world, as well as working on programs such as Jr. NBA, NBA Player Camps, Basketball without Borders, NBA Global Camp and NBA Global Games. As Technical Director of Elite Athletes & Elite Academy, Alex oversees the player and coach development for all age group teams and coaches in the program. Growing up in Guildford, England, Sarama studied History at the University of Nottingham and was also the founder & Managing Director of Goldhawks Basketball from 2011 – 2016.