Photo by Grant Campbell.
Alabama Flyers coach Steven Conger talks with the third grade Black Flyers team during a game in March 2023. The Alabama Flyers is a youth basketball development program in Mountain Brook for players in third to sixth grade.
Steven Conger was sitting on his couch watching the Disney film “Hercules” with his 18-month-old son, John-Vincent. For two years, Conger has been head coach of the Alabama Flyers, a nonprofit community basketball team in Mountain Brook for third to sixth grade boys, and now he was deep in thought about how to take his team to new heights and answer the question that he had been asked by parents and children alike: “Just what is a flyer?”
At the time, the team did not have a mascot, so he was never sure how to answer the question. And then, while watching the movie, he had an epiphany.
“In mythology, Hercules was a Greek warrior who was trying to become a true hero, and he was assisted by his childhood friend Pegasus, a flying horse,” Conger said. “I thought that fit extremely well with what we are doing with this program. We’re helping them achieve greatness.”
Established in 2017 by Christian Schweers, the goal of Alabama Flyers has always been to promote youth basketball in Mountain Brook. But Conger, who is also a varsity assistant coach at Mountain Brook High School, said his mission is to increase the Flyers’ visibility in the community and make people aware of the benefits of enrolling their boys into the program.
“Mountain Brook schools and athletes are always first class and top-notch, and I want to build them up to that level,” Conger said. “This community loves basketball, and this gives your son a competitive advantage by learning ahead of time. I like to call us the GFG League — Go Flyers Go.”
Led by Conger and several former Mountain Brook High School coaches and players, the Alabama Flyers have two teams per grade level, as well as what he calls a developmental league.
“It serves two types of people: the ones who need to work on their skills and need more attention, and players who are busy with other sports and need more time to practice,” Conger said. “They also get a free monthly subscription to 205Hoops, which includes a month of training in the package.”
Conger said the program’s only weakness has been visibility.
“I did an honest evaluation of our social media presence, and now we’ve started a website, we’re on Instagram and we’re going to have live action and photoshoots,” he said.
On Jan. 22, Alabama Flyers held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate its new membership with the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce. Conger said the membership will improve the Flyers’ brand recognition in the community,
“I felt that more families needed to be aware of our program and what we do,” he said. “Additionally, I want to strengthen community ties by providing volunteer opportunities for our high school students, especially in collaboration with Leadership Mountain Brook, which also has ties to the chamber.”
In March, the team will have a photoshoot presenting their new uniforms, sponsored by New Balance of Birmingham. The design for the uniforms, which Conger helped create, features a wing embossed on the back of the shirt along with the player’s name and number, a Greek design on the trim and a drawing of Pegasus on the shorts.
“This just ties a nice bow on it to make it all connect,” Conger said.
Through a partnership with Luceo Sports, the Flyers have an online “flight school” this year, Conger said, where players can learn about their system and terminology regardless of whether basketball is in season.
Conger said that although the Flyers are not affiliated with Mountain Brook Schools, he wants to exemplify the same character traits and skills taught at Mountain Brook High School: to play hard, be unselfish and have fun.
“The program is 100% process-driven,” Conger said. “Mountain Brook’s players are known for their hard work, relentless effort and intensity. We want that culture to trickle down into our program.”
Conger said he is confident that the Alabama Flyers teams will continue to grow and emulate those standards.
“Mountain Brook High School’s last state championship theme was ‘Rise Together,’ and that will be our theme this year,” Conger said.
For more information on enrollment, go to alabamaflyers.org or email Conger at
alabamaflyers@gmail.com.
