DES MOINES, Iowa — The brand-new Iowa United basketball campus on Des Moines’ south side is getting national attention. This is after a basketball YouTuber, “All Hail Cullen” came to tour the facilities. 

Similar schools have popped up like this all across the country where student athletes are getting professional-style resources. 

Iowa United renovated a 73,000 square foot warehouse with basketball courts, a training center and locker rooms. They also have 12 staffers that teach and train the student athletes. 

“The ordinary high school isn’t really designed to develop their basketball players for the next level, like what they’re doing in these academies in Europe,” Iowa United founder Mark Scharnberg said. “We’re just taking that one step further and saying, you know what? We’re not only a prep school, but we’re an AAU program. We’re a yearlong development program.”

They will play in the Nike EYBL Scholastic League, one of the top leagues in the country. 

They also recruit kids from all over the country and world. 

“I definitely think it’ll help me prepare myself for the next level,” Jordan Sigmon who transferred to Iowa United from a Detroit high school. “Being away from home and the preparation here already, you know, recovery, lifting, workouts. I feel like it all just goes hand-in-hand with college.”

7-foot-center Arafan Diane also joined Iowa United. He is ranked #21 in the nation in ESPN’s Class of 2026 and top ranked for centers. He’s originally from Guinea but is now making Iowa home. 

The student athletes’ days can be 10+ hours long with blocks of schooling between training. 

“With this group of kids, what really works is just the amount of adults we have for each kid and holding them accountable,” Iowa United Head of School Sarah Scott said. “If a kid starts slipping, we catch it that day and that kid is right back in here.”

The structure makes a difference. 

“This is one of the solutions to our school system in the U.S. right now. Many of the kids that we have would be considered at-risk youth. Here, they have adults that are holding them accountable,” she said.

Meanwhile, Schonberg, who also has a medical manufacturing business, is investing about $150,000 per player per year. All 24 student athletes are on full scholarship.

“I took this on. I kind of did a leap of faith,” he said. “Some of the ways I’m looking at funding this is the school that we’re starting up, expanding that out to the public and offering it to Iowa kids.”

There also is a documentary crew filming Iowa United this week. So, Schonberg is hoping that gets picked up and could lead to some sponsorships down the line. 

Until then, Schonberg is pouring his heart and wallet into this.

The boys had their first practice on Tuesday, with classes starting next week. And then in the first few weeks of September, they’re expecting about 50 college coaches to be coming through the building. It’s a good start in leading these kids to their dreams.