Rize Management is a full service sports and entertainment management firm based in Los Angeles. Rize Management was founded by Scott W. Nichols who has used his business and legal background to pursue his passion in sports and entertainment by giving his clients the highest quality service. With degrees in both law and business, Scott Nichols (CEO) founded Rize Management with the goal of making an agency that focused on the “Rize” of the player/entertainer, from pre-draft workout regimen to post career financial planning, as well as everything in between.

Rize Management works with the NBA and International basketball leagues and has in depth experience in negotiating and drafting both international and NBA contracts. Rize Management also works with entertainers in all areas, to obtain the most lucrative contracts both domestically and internationally.

Rize Management prides itself on its high level service while giving each player his own personal attention.  While most agencies are growing bigger by the day, the agents at Rize Management believe in targeting a smaller clientele that allows each agent to have face time with each player.  Many agencies will have interns or “runners” call GMs or scouts and attend NBA camps/workouts, but at Rize Management each agent will handle all business matters.  No agent is bigger than the player, and every player will be known around the NBA and associated with an agent and not an assistant or “runner.”  We look for many different opportunities for our players to maximize their earning potential.  Unlike most agencies we think “outside the box.”

Many agencies recruit over 15 to 20 players a year, Rize Management has made a concentrated effort to recruit only a few players a year. While Rize Management is a business, it does not want to lose its focus on each individual client.  Because we have a small recruiting class, every player will spend “quality time” with the agent.

After assisting you in accomplishing your goals, we at Rize Management will not relax because our work as your representative is never complete.  We are here to serve our clients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Scott Nichols is the CEO and founder of RIZE Management. Scott has worked several years in the basketball business and has developed extensive contacts with NBA scouts and personnel, as well as a network of overseas contacts. Scott, who is a lawyer, is a NBA/FIBA certified agent and member of the California Bar and has experience in negotiating contracts on many different levels. He previously worked at a major sports agency where he developed strong contacts in the sports industry and helped in the draft process for a number of athletes. He also learned the nuances of contract negotiations from some of the best in the industry. Scott has worked as a lawyer/law clerk at a major corporate law firm and movie studio where he was involved in sports, entertainment, and real estate transactional work. Throughout his work experience Scott has been heavily involved in drafting and reviewing contracts. Scott also has extensive experience in the business world, where he worked at an investment bank, a major record label, and helped negotiate commercial real estate contracts.

Scott is a people person and mastered his personal skills while teaching undergraduate courses at the University of California, Berkeley. He taught both at the Haas School of Business and in the Mass Communications departments at UC Berkeley. Scott earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications at UC Berkeley. He went on to earn his law degree from Boalt Hall School of Law at UC Berkeley. Scott not only has extensive basketball knowledge but has been involved in basketball since his days as a player at Westchester High School in Los Angeles, which is one of the most prominent high school basketball programs in the country. His passion lies in the game of basketball, and his educational background in law and business gives him the necessary tools to help basketball players maximize their career.

Dante is RIZE Management’s Recruiting Coordinator and also heads our marketing group. Dante’s passion for sports began with his work at the University of Arizona. There he began working with the Sports Marketing Association on the promotion of sports for the Wildcats. Several of the projects Dante involved himself with included the marketing and promoting of Arizona sports throughout the U of A community.

From there Dante attended graduate school at the University of Miami where he obtained his Masters Degree in Sports Management. The Sports Management program assisted with several projects in the Miami area, including the Miami Hurricanes, Miami Heat, Florida Panthers, Doral Open, and Alonzo Mourning’s ZoSummer Grove. After graduate school, Dante continued his work in sports by working with the sales and marketing department for the Staples Center. It is through these experiences that Dante has been able to develop relationships and experience for the sports field.

Eric Redd is the head trainer of RIZE Management and is one of the top athletic trainers in California. He is an experienced athletic movement coach who has trained high school, college, and professional athletes. He was a collegiate 800 meter runner but works primarily with basketball athletes. Eric is certified to train through NCCPT. His training is scientifically based and Eric holds Z-Health Joint and Mobility R-Phase, I-Phase and S-Phase certifications (www.zhealth.net). The training focuses on each athlete as an individual. Athletes are assessed and the following attributes are developed: strength, skill, sustenance (nutrition), suppleness, stamina, structure, spirit, style and speed. A plan is devised and these 9 S’s of fitness are developed separately or at the same time. Those skills can be enhanced by using; dynamic joint mobility drills, visual perceptual skill development, athletic vestibular training, correct athletic movement, fundamentals, lateral speed development, linear speed development, z-based plyometrics, and power generation.

Cutting edge training information is put into practice by implementing different training tools. These tools range from barbells, dumbells, kettlebells, speed equipment, bands, tubing, and most importantly the athlete’s own body. Basketball training is aimed at improving all skills necessary to the game. Special emphasis is placed on the needs of the particular player and the particular situation. Basketball training can include ball handling, shooting, footwork or those skills specific to NBA individual workouts. It must be pointed out that this is not cookie cutter training with a one size fits all mentality. Each athlete will be trained individually and not in large groups that provide little individual attention.

Coach Charles Sands is the Basketball Skills Coach of Rize Management who helps players improve in all areas of their basketball game. He works with each athlete to assess his weaknesses and strengths and designs an individualized basketball program for each player. He is a master teacher of the game of basketball and has played and coached at both the high school and college levels. After playing as a point guard at California State College, Los Angeles, he spent eight years as the varsity basketball coach at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles. Continuing his coaching career at West Los Angeles College, he established the basketball program and continued to coach there for thirty-two years, winning over 400 games. He was elected Coach of the Year several times and was ultimately elected to the Community College Coaches Hall of Fame.

With his earnest love of the game and of teaching, Coach Sands has shared his vast knowledge with his peers and players alike over the course of his impressive career. He is very familiar with all the NBA pre-draft basketball skills tests and has helped players hone in on their skills to master these drills. Coach Sands has worked with numerous NBA coaches and scouts and is looked at by many in the NBA for his evaluation of talent for the next level.

For the past twenty-five years Coach Sands has been the co-owner of Snow Valley Basketball School, one of the most prestigious teaching camps in America. Coaches and players from all over the country and the world have partaken of skills and techniques taught there. Many have gone on to successful careers at various levels of the game. With the high regard he has received, Coach Sands has been invited to travel, conduct coaching clinics, and teach basketball in many states in the U.S and in Europe.

Jason Williams is the Director of Public Relations and Video Coordinator for Rize Management. He has worked in the entertainment industry for several years at major television and movie studios. He has done PR work for numerous people in the entertainment and sports world. Jason has very strong contacts and connections with different news publications that we at RIZE use to promote all of our clients.

After graduating from Xavier University with a Bachelor Degree in Computer Science, Jason took his technical background and worked as an editor on several television shows. His expertise in video editing has gotten him involved in several basketball projects. He has a keen eye for a player’s strengths/weaknesses and can display a player’s best attributes through the media. Jason has used his skills in editing to help all Rize clients develop a media package that will best show off their strengths to scouts both in the NBA and overseas.