MILWAUKEE — As one of few military academies in the United States, SJNA is a school rich in history.
"A school with a 140-year tradition, strong academics, and leadership development," says Bob Fine, President of SJNA.
Their athletic programs are just as prestigious, producing first-round talent.
But in 2023, St. John's Northwestern is taking a huge step in player development by partnering with Florida-based DME Academy.
"It brings a partner that is sports-minded with all the contacts, networking. You're going to get the same instruction in academics as you are on the playing fields and court of that nature," says President Fine.
For DME, it gives their a-plus athletes a chance to excel outside of sports.
"The student-athletes, I mean that's where it all starts, being a student. So, the first thing you want is to make sure they have their grades first because it's important to have something to fall back on in life. And then you go into the athletic side of it," says Wesley Person, Head Basketball Coach with DME + SJNA partnership.
Starting with basketball, there will be multiple teams housed on St. John's campus.
"There will be a traditional high school basketball team that competes in the WIAA and then there will be the DME teams that will not participate in WIAA," says President Fine.
For those athletes associated with DME, the days will look a little different than the average St. John's student.
"They get up in the morning and have class work. They have one hour of weight. They have two hours of practice and at night they will have individual training," says Person.
Big picture, sooner rather than later, St. John's and DME will be able to support all levels of student-athlete.
"We promote the three-sport athlete. The ones that are playing football in the fall, basketball in the spring, and running track," says President Fine.
"Today's game has changed and the kids have to put the work in and time in. Not only for exposure, but the work and hard work have to pay off to play at the next level," says Person.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
