Life & Work with Dimitrius Lovett

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dimitrius Lovett.  

Hi Dimitrius, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I am Dimitrius Lovett, I am from Elyria, Ohio, about 45 mins outside of Cleveland. Not too much going on there but it was a great city to grow up in because of the diversity and how much you learn about life at a young age. You have to be motivated and focused to find your way out or you get caught in the cycle.

Love for the game of basketball started when I was younger. I wanted to be like my older cousin (EJ Neely) and be good at basketball. I would go up to the park with him and watch him play all the time. As I got older my friends would play and I was so bad that I just could tell that they did not want me playing with them. All I wanted to do was play basketball and make it to the NBA one day to make a living to play the game I love. I knew that the gap between where I was now and where I wanted to get to was huge. So, I begun to just work. I worked every day nonstop to get better. Learning the basics of the game was going to be a challenge, but I had a lot of confidence in myself. Eventually, I go to the skill set that I needed to play basketball and make the high school varsity team. I knew the next goal to conquer was college, but getting there was going to be the tough part since my high school career wasn’t so great. After talking to my AAU coach at the time, I realized that I was good enough to play at the Division 1 level and that I shouldn’t settle for Division 2 or Division 3 (not there is anything wrong with those levels) or I wouldn’t be living up to my full potential. I just needed a school and coach to get me a chance. I had to have a big summer with AAU to turn the head college coaches, and it ended up happening. I got the Division 1 attention that I wanted from a handful of schools. Ultimately, I accepted a Preferred Walk On spot at Cleveland State University. 

After some years into college, I just had lost all confidence in my abilities and felt like I did not belong on the basketball team. Tendonitis in my knees that would flare up and loss of all confidence prohibited me from being good at the sport. That’s when I made the decision that I regret to this day and step away from the team for good. That was a dark place mentally for myself and not having confidence really just got the best of me. Talking to my coaches and my teammates could have really prevented this from happening. I ended up training some of my former teammates, and they actually found some success from the skills training that we were doing. After they graduated, I stopped training and put basketball behind me for a little. 

I eventually went on to graduate from college and just entered the corporate world. I started going up to the rec center on campus, and the “basketball itch” started to come back. I knew my options playing pro were limited, so the next best thing to do was to start coaching. I had no idea where to start. I remembered that there was a guy I played against in leagues during my off-seasons of college, and he was coaching. That guy is Alex Cammock, who had just became the head coach at Lakewood Highschool. I reached out to him, and he brought me into the coaching world without hesitation, and that’s where this all began. Cammock really allowed me to find my own footing while still guiding me. My playing career definitely helped and all the great coaching I received from Highschool (Elyria High) and College (Cleveland State University). My two head coaches (Bob Walsh and Gary Waters) were masterminds of the game with over 80 years of basketball knowledge combined. I loved connecting to the boys and just trying to make sure that they got to accomplish all the goals that they wanted with basketball whether it just be to play in high school or make it to the next level. I wanted them to be good and have fun doing it. 

My first year went great, but the only problem was I didn’t have enough time with the boys because I was still working my corporate job. So, during my second year, I decided that I wanted to quit my job and fully jump into it. That’s exactly what I did. I worked at the school so I could have the same hours as the kids and be able to attend practices without a problem. I was able to do more player development (skills training), strength training, mentoring, building relationships with coaches and players. We ended up improving our record from the previous season (7-16) to the best record in school history (22-3) and conference champions. The years at Lakewood proved to be successful with sending more than 15 kids to college on scholarships and the fastest coaching staff to 50 wins in school history. 

During that time at Lakewood, Player development and Strength training really became a passion that I wanted to turn into a company. Devon Elliot is who I give all the credit to for coming up with the name Primeletics. I had a lot of fun but knew something was still missing for all of this which was the social media. That’s when one of my best friends Daniel Juchem (an expert in social media and marketing realm) would help me out, and I wanted him to jump in this thing and become my business partner to help run this company. Best decision ever made. 

To this day Danny’s creativity and vision is the reason why we have so much success. It’s truly fun growing a company with one of your best friends. 

Along the way, we met Chad LeMasters who has been a part of this building process with us. With the trio we have now, we feel like we can change the landscape of basketball. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has not been smooth at all. Finances are the first thing that jump out right away. When you’re starting a company from the ground up, you have to use all of your own money which is a struggle. It takes away from your personal life and you have to make a lot of sacrifices. 

Time is limited which stops you from seeing family, friends, and missing out on events because you’re always working. You do find a balance eventually, but the beginning is such a grind. 

Another thing is doubting yourself, some days you question why you are even doing this and if it’s really worth it, but you have to believe in yourself wholeheartedly. I think it’s normal to feel like this. You’re giving your all to something and really have to have faith in what you’re doing that it’ll work out in your favor. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
So, I do all of the following: Basketball Player Development- which is the on-court skills training of basketball players. 

Strength Coach- which is developing athletes in the weight room, help preventing injury, and/or helping rehab from an injury. 

Basketball Content Creator- helping teach the game of basketball to people across the world on social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. The goal is to be the coach that is free online, so you can still improve your game. 

I’m most proud of the basketball content creator because I feel like I can reach the masses. Popularity and fame are a part of trying to have a successful company, but that’s not the goal at all. The goal is to be one of the best Player Development Coaches ever and to instill confidence in boys and girls that play the game of basketball. 

I know my personality sets me apart from others. I don’t have an ego in this at all. Kids’ success does not make me or break. I’m not riding their coattails to try and be successful. Success will come from the work we do on the platform. Plus, I really care about everyone. Being able to mentor and talk to someone helps you really build the necessary relationship that you will need to be able to train them on the court. 

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love the diversity in Cleveland, I feel like it’s a great place to get started with a business and you can definitely grow it from the ground. 

I think the competition here is what I like the least. I just don’t like how two people in the same field automatically think that they’re enemies. If we help each other then we all would be really successful. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Instagram: @Primeletics_ and Coach_Lovett
• Facebook: Primeletics and Coach Lovett
• Twitter: Primeletics and Coach__Lovett
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@Primeletics
• Other: TikTok: Primeletics and CoachLovett_