Building a nationally known basketball business in the middle of farmland in rural Ohio is not the easiest challenge. But, for Jeremy (Fade) Hays, that is exactly what he has done. The Fade Gym. A full-court basketball facility in rural Ohio that trains top players from more than 28 states. His gym includes 6 hoops, and a variety of the top training equipment products on the market.
Over the last 7 years, over 24,000 have trained with Fade between his camps and individual training. His community on social media includes hundreds of thousands of hoopers who are committed to leveling up alongside his training.
Before he was Fade the Trainer, Jeremy was a decorated basketball player in his own right. In high school, he was a team captain and led his John Marshall team to multiple winning records. He gathered attention from a variety of colleges, and ended up playing Division III basketball at Juniata college in Huntingdon, PA. As Fade tells all of his players, he was less worried about going DI and focused on finding the best fit to continue his career.
Juniata was a great fit, allowing for immediate playing time. Jeremy played all 4 years, leading the team in scoring 6 games as a Freshman. At the end of his career, he finished with 1,289 points, was voted the Team MVP, multiple D3 player of the week awards, and set school records for both assists and steals. His major in Early Childhood Education was setting him up for a future he wasn’t even imagining in his college years.
He credits his time at Juniata for teaching him what it meant to become a leader. Another lesson he passes onto his training clients is putting the team above individual success. Despite his record-breaking performances, his playing career ended shortly after college. After a brief stint playing basketball overseas, the next chapter of his life was underway.
Upon returning to his home in Pittsburgh, PA, Fade got involved with the AAU and coaching circuit within his area. Aside from coaching, he slowly started training players 1-on-1 in his spare time. In February of 2017, Fadeaway fitness was born. Initially, Fade was only training a couple of kids per week where it would fit in. Slowly and steadily, his presence began building. One client at a time, word spread about his training sessions and unique approach towards skill development. He remembers conversations with his mom about the growth of his business in the early days, and his dream of training full time.
“I would call my mom saying, hey mom, I did 8 training sessions this week! Pretty soon, I was doing 8 training sessions a day. I couldn’t wait until basketball was all I was doing full time.”
Now, Fade has days with 15 or more hours in the gym straight. Aside from the individual training, his business has expanded to traveling camps and clinics. The photos below are from the latest camp in Utah, featuring a fellow Dish Fam member, Shane Hennen.
When considering what he’s most excited about, continuing to grow with members of the Dish Fam is something that Fade looks forward to most.
From his wild journey, what has Fade learned from the game of basketball? Discipline, humility, work-ethic, to name a few things. While he has major visions for his future, he is trying his best to live in the moment. A few short years ago Fade was coaching basketball, now, he is living his dream of training players full time. With all of the success he’s had, he is focused on making sure he enjoys the journey as much as the final destination.
As his business continues to grow, Fade knows the importance of training with top quality equipment. In 2022, his facility upgraded to 6 Dr. Dish CT machines, giving him and his clients endless training possibilities. The lightweight designs of the Dr. Dish CT allows Fade to transport his machines to different gyms, making his business mobile.
His players wasted no time breaking in the new machines. Immediately, the gym was filled with passionate players ready to work.
This technology gets Fade excited about the possibilities for his clients. Being around basketball for so many years, he’s seen the evolution of shooting machines firsthand. He remembers the days of the basic rebounders, only allowing spot up shooting. “As the year goes by, technology keeps getting crazier. I remember first using a shooting machine as a kid, and it’s amazing to see where it has developed over the years.” Fade loves the accountability aspect of tracking and saving stats on the Dr. Dish.
“Stats don’t lie. Now, I can see what work you are putting in.”
With the new machines and his business continuing to gain momentum, what is Fade’s vision for the future? “Moving forward, wherever I am at, having the Dish is going to be beneficial. Now, I have access to the entire Dr. Dish community. Alongside my training app, I can offer training in a variety of ways. Social media content, training on the app, camps, etc. I want to continue doing more camps and events. To continue growing the game and work with great people”
We are proud and excited to welcome Fade to the Dr. Dish Family. His impressive basketball journey is just beginning, and we can’t wait to play a part in bringing his future vision to life!
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