About Nick Elam
About
My Story.
My Mission.
Nick has served as a teacher (a leader of students) and principal (a leader of students and teachers), and now serves as a professor of leadership (a leader of leaders).
Along the way, on March 10, 2007, Nick brainstormed a way to revolutionize basketball simply by removing the clock from the end of the game. At first, even Nick was skeptical. But through tireless research and exploration, he became convinced the idea had merit. Then the really tough part came – trying to convince others that the idea had merit. What Nick didn’t realize in 2007 is that it would take ten years of persistence, patience, and positivity before he ever got to see his innovation come to life, at TBT: The Basketball Tournament in 2017 as the Elam Ending®. What Nick didn’t realize in 2017 is that it would only be 2 ½ short years later before the best players in the world gathered on one court to bring rave reviews to the Elam Ending®, at the 2020 NBA All-Star Game. What Nick does realize now is that the Elam Ending® will continue to grow and shape the sport of basketball, at every level, for generations to come.
Elam Ending Story
On March 10, 2007, a light bulb went on for Nick Elam. Already a diehard basketball fan, on that day Nick devised a concept with the potential to make a great sport even greater, to preserve a more natural and exciting style of play through the end of every game, to eliminate what we don’t enjoy about late-game play while enhancing we what we already enjoy…all by simply removing the clock at the end of every game. At first, Nick himself was skeptical. He explored the concept out of intellectual curiosity, but was sure he would find a fatal flaw.
But as the weeks and months went on, Nick came to believe more and more strongly in the merits of the concept – that not only was the concept necessary, but that it had the soundness and coolness to spark the most exciting evolution ever seen in sports. Breaking down game footage, crunching numbers, and listing and organizing his arguments turned into a consuming effort. Nick was pulling all-nighters on a project that had no deadline and no assurance of implementation or compensation. That’s the definition of passion.
After convincing himself by the summer of 2007 that this concept had merit, the really tough part began – trying to convince those in the basketball world the concept had merit. Nick has thought of this dream every day since, and has found ways to nurture and advance the dream. The journey has included everything from countless hours of continued research, tinkering with different versions and fine-tuning his concept, writing, and outreach, to the ongoing internal effort to stay positive, patient, and persistent.
What Nick didn’t realize in 2007 is that it would take ten years before he ever got to see his innovation come to life on the basketball court, at TBT: The Basketball Tournament in 2017 as the Elam Ending. What Nick didn’t realize in 2017 is, after the basketball community finally got to see for themselves what had only been in Nick’s mind up to that point, that it would only be 2 ½ short years later before the best players in the world gathered on one court to bring rave reviews to the Elam Ending, at the 2020 NBA All-Star Game. What Nick does realize now is that the Elam Ending will continue to grow and shape the sport of basketball, at every level, for generations to come.
My Biography
Nick Elam is best known as the originator of basketball’s Elam Ending®, but this is only a small part of his varied background in education, leadership, athletics, and mathematics. Nick’s passion for service led him into education. After graduating from the University of Dayton in 2004 with a bachelors degree in Adolescent-to-Young Adult Education and a second major in Mathematics, Nick became a high school math teacher. While continuing to teach, Nick’s desire to lead drove him to return to UD to complete a masters degree in Educational Leadership in 2010. Nick then served as a school leader – including stints as high school assistant principal, athletic director, and his most cherished chapter as intermediate school principal. During his time as principal, Nick completed his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, Culture, and Curriculum at Miami University in 2017. Nick also holds a masters degree from Northwestern University in Sports Administration, with a specialization in Sports Analytics. Since Dr. Elam joined the Educational Leadership faculty at Ball State University, he prepares aspiring school leaders to enter the field, and conducts research related to education, leadership, and athletics. He has also served in a variety of additional service, mentoring, and tutoring roles. Every step of the way, Nick embraces the opportunity to help students, teachers, and fellow leaders of all ages, abilities, and ambitions advance toward their goals.
Nick has been shaped by a wide variety of additional roles along the way. He has been a grocery bagger, mover, pizza delivery driver, EMT and ambulance driver, Mensa member, baseball coach, and grounds crew member in Minor League and Major League Baseball. And of course, he has developed and advanced a 15-year (and counting) independent project to make the great sport of basketball even greater through the Elam Ending® format. The Elam Ending® was first implemented by TBT: The Basketball Tournament in 2017, has since been implemented by the NBA All-Star Game, Canadian Elite Basketball League, dozens of grassroots-level leagues and events throughout the United States and abroad, and continues to grow. Nick’s research and story have been featured in over 400 outlets, including: MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, Mensa Annual Gathering, as keynote speaker at various conferences, as guest speaker at various universities, NBATV’s GameTime Live, ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption, Outside the Lines, NBA: The Jump, SportsCenter, and Get Up!, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, MLB Network’s Hot Stove and MLB Now, Freakonomics, Passions in America, Always Better than Yesterday, the Michael Kay Show, Bob Valvano Show, Sports Illustrated Innovation Issue, The Athletic, The Ringer, Yahoo! Sports’, USA Today Sports, New York Times, Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer, Kansas City Star, IndyStar, Inside Indiana Business, Indianapolis Business Journal, and in the 2021 book How to Watch Basketball Like a Genius. Now, Nick treasures the change to be a motivational speaker, consultant, and mentor, guiding individuals to follow their dreams and organizations to think innovatively (in ways that reach far beyond basketball).
A great life got even greater in April 2022, when Nick married his beloved Abbie. Life got even greater in July 2023, when our daughter Sunny was born!
My Story
On March 10, 2007, a light bulb went on for Nick Elam. Already a diehard basketball fan, on that day Nick devised a concept with the potential to make a great sport even greater, to preserve a more natural and exciting style of play through the end of every game, to eliminate what we don’t enjoy about late-game play while enhancing we what we already enjoy…all by simply removing the clock at the end of every game. At first, Nick himself was skeptical. He explored the concept out of intellectual curiosity, but was sure he would find a fatal flaw.
But as the weeks and months went on, Nick came to believe more and more strongly in the merits of the concept – that not only was the concept necessary, but that it had the soundness and coolness to spark the most exciting evolution ever seen in sports. Breaking down game footage, crunching numbers, and listing and organizing his arguments turned into a consuming effort. Nick was pulling all-nighters on a project that had no deadline and no assurance of implementation or compensation. That’s the definition of passion.
After convincing himself by the summer of 2007 that this concept had merit, the really tough part began – trying to convince those in the basketball world the concept had merit. Nick has thought of this dream every day since, and has found ways to nurture and advance the dream. The journey has included everything from countless hours of continued research, tinkering with different versions and fine-tuning his concept, writing, and outreach, to the ongoing internal effort to stay positive, patient, and persistent.
What Nick didn’t realize in 2007 is that it would take ten years before he ever got to see his innovation come to life on the basketball court, at TBT: The Basketball Tournament in 2017 as the Elam Ending®. What Nick didn’t realize in 2017 is, after the basketball community finally got to see for themselves what had only been in Nick’s mind up to that point, that it would only be 2 ½ short years later before the best players in the world gathered on one court to bring rave reviews to the Elam Ending®, at the 2020 NBA All-Star Game. What Nick does realize now is that the Elam Ending® will continue to grow and shape the sport of basketball, at every level, for generations to come.
services
Speaking
Nick shares his inspirational story of persistence and positive thinking, and key takeaways to help you, your students, or your employees pursue their passions.
Consulting
Bring Nick’s innovative thinking to your school, business, or sports entity, for whatever challenge you are trying to tackle.
Tutoring
Nick brings a wealth of experience to help you or your child succeed in math, on an in-person or remote basis, from ACT/SAT/GRE prep to algebra to calculus and more.
newsletter
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