How a middle-school sports program called Core Prep Academy became a feeder to elite Los Angeles high schools

Town and Country:

Most parents have never heard of Core Prep Academy, which was founded in 2015 by Todd Wilson, an NBA trainer slash unofficial sports influencer whose Instagram handle is Toddhasaplan (19.2K followers). But it feeds into an uber-striving youth sports culture where just attending practice a few days a week no longer cuts it

After School:

Between 40-50% of Core Prep kids reclassify (i.e. repeat a grade) to gain an extra year of physical and competitive maturity before high school, a practice Wilson says has lost any stigma and now “signals a proactive flex by parents.”