Wes Dunning grew up in Laurel, MD playing basketball in the Prince George’s County Boys & Girls Club league falling in love with the game while playing amongst some of the best youth competition in the area and getting introduced to the joys of development from some of the best coaches and mentors that a young athlete could ask for!
After having much success locally, Wes was recruited to play for some of the top AAU programs in the area at the time and was fortunate to play for some teams that introduced him to competition on a national level where they would place amongst some of the highest ranks in the country!
For high school, the Dunning family decided to send Wes to Gonzaga College high school, where he was able to compete in the WCAC, which is known is one of the best basketball conferences in the country. During his the spring of his 10th grade year, as a skinny sophomore, Gonzaga brought in a strength & conditioning coach named Blair O’Donovan who would change the quality of the athletes’ training as well as their approach to development. In 2008, Wes’s senior year, Gonzaga had their best season in school history finishing with a 34-1 record, Washington Catholic Athletic Conference(WCAC) championship, Washington D.C. City Title, #1 local ranking in the Washington Post and consensus top 5 ranking in the country!
After success at Gonzaga, Wes would go on to play at the college level. He attended Hampton University where he played at the Division 1 level from 2009-2013 enjoying a lot of success including a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) tournament championship and birth in the NCAA March Madness “Big Dance” Tournament! Wes interned with the Strength & Conditioning staff at Hampton during his senior year which continued to spark his interest in the Sports Performance side of the game. Shortly after his playing career ended, Wes began coach and training basketball players on the court and then re-united with Blair when he joined the staff at Healthy Baller in 2015!
After experiencing firsthand how proper training elevated his own game, Wes committed to helping others achieve similar, and even better, breakthroughs. Since 2013, he’s developed a unique training methodology that seamlessly integrates on-court skills with athletic performance.
Today, Wes delivers elite level performance training for a variety of athletes with Healthy Baller located in Rockville, MD as well as high quality Basketball Skill development in the DMV area. His services reach even further as he is available online and can travel for in person training sessions, camps or clinics!
Donald Carey
Professional Basketball Player
The same intentionality Coach Wes brings to our on court sessions is how he approaches our strength sessions. We focus on the deficiencies of my body & movement patterns. Majority of what we do in our strength sessions is sport specific , whether is jumping patterns , mobility, strength or agility. What I like most about the strength sessions is that they are tailored to my body specifically. Coach Wes is very good at adjusting strength training based on daily load of my on court work as well!
Ian Krishnan
Professional Basketball Player
I’ve known Coach Wes since playing with the District Basketball Club AAU Program during my high school days and from then to now, he has been a big help in improving my performance on the court. He has an ability to break down advanced techniques and explain/demonstrate them in a way that allows me to feel confident in expanding my game.
As a shooter, Coach Wes has worked with me on footwork, pick up speed, core stability, and more… all of which have directly translated to my production on the court. Having a coach who has played at a high level and can easily do everything he is having you work on is important and his background knowledge on the game makes me comfortable applying what he is teaching.
Adrien Stevens
Division 1 Basketball Player- Marquette University
Everything I have done with Wes can best be described as intentional. Whether that’s in the court or in the weight room, all of the work we have done together has been intentionally curated to get me better at specifically what I need to improve on. That’s what has helped me get to where I am, the constant installment of intentionality that goes beyond just when I’m with him, but I carry it with me everywhere I go.
On the court specifically, workouts consisted of things that directly translated to the game. I remember times in high school where Wes and I would watch film from a previous game then go on the court trying to perfect a certain movement. The weight room paired up perfectly with this. The stuff we would do in the weight room is what allowed me to move on the court more efficiently and do the stuff we would talk about while watching film. The two are closely related.
Working with Wes has allowed me to take my athleticism and my ability to make plays on the court to the next level, but also, more importantly, I know I have taken strides in my personal growth by having him as someone I trust and rely on.
Matt Gray
College Basketball Player- Davis & Elkins
I’ve been training with Coach Wes for the past 3 years, and the impact on my game has been huge. He pushed me to refine my skills, increase my confidence, and elevate my basketball IQ. Every session is highly intentional, focused, and tailored to what I need to compete at the highest level. The growth I’ve seen on the court speaks for itself, and I’m grateful to have him in my corner as not just a coach, but a mentor as well.
Lyla Coogen
Division 1 Basketball Commit- Richmond University
Wes Dunning is an exceptional trainer who immediately identified my weaknesses as an athlete. He crafted a plan that focuses on lowering my center of gravity and maximizing all my muscles to enhance my strength while also reinforcing my weak joints. His basketball insights is pretty spot-on; he quickly assesses what I need to improve, and each session introduces something new that elevates my game, for example using my body more efficiently.
I’m a tall female so I am not the best at staying low, but he has helped continue to work on it so when I do a move I can be more efficient. He has also helped me develop my read and react ability. To make sure I’m playing less like a robot when I have the ball. On top of that getting my shot off faster has also been a goal that he has been helping me focus on which as a shooter I will need for the next level.
I could go on and on, but Beyond the physical aspects, Wes has significantly boosted my mental game, helping me play with confidence. He’s not just a trainer; he is someone who invests in your overall athletic development. I highly recommend Wes to anyone looking to take their performance to the next level as I continue to work with him to get ready for my next level division 1 basketball!
Caroline Orza
College Basketball Player- Haverford University
I have worked with Wes pretty much every summer/offseason since I was a junior in high school. When we work out on the court, Wes pays a lot of attention to the little details and holds me to a very high standard, sometimes even higher than I myself thought possible. Every time we’ve worked out together, I have always felt like the workout flows incredibly well, from the detail-focused warmups to breakdowns to piecing it all together on the move. It is obvious every time we work out that Wes knows a lot about basketball and has an incredible vision and belief in me and what I am capable of. The adjustments and details that Wes notices have often paid dividends for me in my college career.
Athletes training with Wes gain more than just skills—they develop a genuine commitment to excellence that extends beyond the court and weight room
