Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Lewis.
Hi Chris, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Tomball Aces Basketball was never supposed to be a program. Honestly, it started completely by accident. A friend and I both had daughters playing in a co-ed recreational league at Alodia, and because of that we always coached their teams. Since it was co-ed, we made it a point to draft as many girls as possible each season.
One weekend, out of nowhere, I got a text from an AAU tournament director: “Hey, we had a team drop out. I know you usually draft and know a lot of girls—can you put together a squad and fill in?”
He told me the competition wasn’t that strong, but I knew better. AAU is multiple levels above what we were playing at the time. It’s not the kind of environment where you just grab 10 girls who have never practiced together and show up. But we agreed anyway—just trying to help out.
Going into that tournament, we fully expected to lose every game by 30–40 points. Most of our girls had never touched AAU basketball. We weren’t planning anything long-term. But somehow, against every expectation, the girls went in, dominated, and swept the tournament—first place.
And that was the day Tomball Aces was truly born: February 26, 2023. None of us realized it yet, but that tournament changed everything.
After that experience, we knew we had to seriously consider AAU. Our core group clearly had something special, and the few families who did have past AAU experience (including my own) weren’t playing anymore because of previous bad experiences in the industry. So we continued juggling both rec ball and AAU for the next four months, learning, adjusting, and building something new. Eventually, we made the full commitment and stepped completely into AAU—and that’s when the Aces officially became what they are today.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Outside of that first miracle tournament, nothing about the journey has been smooth. That entire first year was filled with a constant fear of failure and embarrassment. Almost every weekend, I would tell parents and my assistant coach, “If this goes really bad, this could be our last weekend.” And that wasn’t a joke — I genuinely believed it.
But somehow, week after week, we always managed to do just enough. The girls grew, we grew, and the program survived.
We were lucky to have access to an empty warehouse owned by two of our parents. They let us convert it into a makeshift practice court. We ordered pizza, laid down paint, taped lines on the floor, and created what we called the OG gym — Aces Arena. We weren’t open to the public at all that year, and honestly we looked ridiculous at times. We had no mentors, no guidance, and no idea what we were doing. We just kept showing up.
The “terrible weekend” I had always feared finally came. We had a brutal tournament and got blown out by everybody. The girls were fighting with each other, coaches were frustrated, parents were upset, I was arguing with refs — it was chaos. The following Monday we sat down for a players-only meeting and asked the hard question: Do we really want to do this? Because everyone is embarrassed right now.
I remember telling them, “If we ever grow or add more teams one day, it’ll be because this group pushed through the blood, sweat, tears, and embarrassment. We’ll look back on this day as the turning point.”
Every single girl said, “We’re all in.”
And we kept going.
From there, things changed. We slowly started winning. We slowly started building. And eventually, during our busiest stretch, we grew to 12 boys and girls teams ranging from 3rd to 11th grade — all from a program that almost folded every single weekend in year one.
The challenges don’t stop, though. Even now, almost three years in, we’re facing some of our biggest changes and toughest obstacles yet. But the difference is that now we know who we are. We’ve already weathered storms most programs never make it through. So whatever comes next, we’re built for it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Tomball Aces Basketball ?
We started as a single AAU girls team, and over time grew into a full AAU organization serving both boys and girls of all ages. From the beginning, our goal has always been simple: fill the needs of our players, families, and community.
Over the last year, we expanded beyond team basketball and began offering training that’s open to the public—not just Aces players. And lately, we’ve taken things even further by creating affordable, drop-in strength, speed, and agility training after seeing how much the community needed it.
One of the things that truly sets us apart is our pricing structure. Most organizations require families to commit to long 3–5 month seasons. We don’t. We operate on more of an à-la-carte, day-to-day system. If we’re not performing or living up to what we promised, families can walk away at any time with no financial burden. This structure also allows multi-sport athletes to train and compete at a high level in basketball without being forced to choose a single sport at a young age.
I won’t say we take everyone—AAU basketball is advanced—but we genuinely try to make room for as many as possible. If a kid isn’t ready for high-level play yet but is a great teammate, has a supportive family, and is willing to be patient and realistic, our coaches and players will do whatever it takes to help them reach their goals. That part of our culture is different from most places, and it’s what I’m most proud of within the Aces brand.
Our coaches, trainers, and families consistently invest extra time and energy into kids who might be starting in the same place we once did. We aren’t just hunting for elite players. We don’t mind taking the long route with a kid who’s willing to work. It requires more resources, but we also pride ourselves on being one of the most affordable programs in the area.
At the end of the day, you’ll hear it said a lot around here: “It’s bigger than basketball.” And we mean that.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I think that kind of sums us up
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomball_aces/
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