Today we’d like to introduce you to Trey Giles.
Hi Trey, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m originally from Columbus, Georgia, and grew up playing sports, particularly football. I wasn’t necessarily the most naturally talented athlete, but I worked extremely hard and earned a college scholarship. I played football collegiately at Mars Hill University for four years, earning my degree in Integrated Health Science, and completed my graduate year at Miles College. While at Miles, I was selected to play in the HBCU Legacy Bowl, becoming one of the first players—and one of the first three from Miles College—to participate in that game. I went on to sign a professional contract, but an injury ultimately derailed that path.
After returning home, I knew I wanted to stay involved in the sports performance space. That led me to start TG-13 Sports Performance, where I’ve been fortunate enough to work with athletes across all levels—from youth to professional. Through TG-13, we’ve helped over 25 athletes earn college scholarships while developing their athletic skills and performance.
Through that work, I saw a broader need in the community, which inspired me to launch Select Youth Empowerment—a program focused on mentorship, professional development, and resources for underserved youth. My journey into basketball began while working with my sister, who is now playing at South Carolina State University. I fell in love with coaching and dedicated myself to learning—attending clinics, reading literature, and listening to podcasts. I started working with her teammates and eventually her coach, which introduced me to the travel basketball world.
From there, I launched the Southeast Select Girls Travel Basketball Program under Select Youth Empowerment. We started with seven girls and one team, and over the last three years, I’ve grown the program to six teams and 53 players. Our program not only focuses on travel basketball and skill development, but also covers travel expenses for all athletes and provides professional development opportunities. Most recently, I’ve started a youth basketball league launching in January 2026 to further engage young athletes in my community.
In addition to my work in sports and youth development, I’m currently pursuing an MBA in Project Management at Liberty University and have earned a Graduate Certificate in Management and Leadership from Liberty as well.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a completely smooth road—there have been ups and downs—but I think those challenges are what prepare you for success. Toward the end of my playing career, I endured a couple of significant injuries that ultimately forced me to step away from pursuing a professional career. That was tough, but it taught me a lot about handling adversity. For me, the biggest lesson has been understanding that it’s not just about what happens to you—it’s about your response. Struggles will come, things won’t always go the way you planned, but how you respond to those moments is far more important than the setbacks themselves.
As far as the organization itself, in my performance business, there have been ups and downs as well. Things change, people change, and it’s really about building relationships and finding the right people who support your vision—people who are in it for the kids and committed to helping push the mission forward. That’s been one of the most important lessons in growing both TG-13 Sports Performance and Select Youth Empowerment.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I own and operate two business entities: one for-profit and one non-profit. My for-profit business, TG-13 Sports Performance, is an athletic performance company. Our mission is simple: to provide resources, education, and training that equip, inspire, and enhance athletic performance. We operate out of a state-of-the-art facility, the Columbus Athletic Club, and partner with top regional physical therapists, including Revive Physical Performance Therapy, to ensure athletes have access to the best training and rehabilitation support available.
On the non-profit side, Select Youth Empowerment and Southeast Select Girls Travel Basketball Program focus on developing athletes, providing exposure, and creating pathways to opportunity for youth—especially those from diverse and underserved backgrounds. Our travel basketball program is a flagship initiative where we specialize in development grounded in sports performance and health science principles. We quantify progress for each athlete, making their growth objective, specific, and measurable.
What really sets us apart is our attention to detail and the investment we make into every aspect of our programs. From covering travel expenses to providing professional development opportunities and unique life experiences, we make sure our athletes have every resource they need to succeed on and off the court.
Our brand is built around family. Everyone who comes through our programs becomes part of a network that supports one another. Whether it’s helping a teammate in need or celebrating achievements together, we aim to create lifelong connections. Ultimately, our goal is to provide opportunities, resources, and mentorship that allow our youth to reach the next level in sports and in life.
What does success mean to you?
I think success, for me, is really about setting goals and achieving them. It’s about having a vision, breaking that vision into measurable milestones, and working consistently to accomplish them. I also believe in dreaming big—if people don’t think your vision is a little “crazy,” then it probably isn’t big enough. There’s so much reward in pursuing something that feels ambitious or even impossible at first, and then creating systems and plans that allow you to make measurable progress and ultimately achieve it.
Contact Info:
- Website: Selectsoutheast.com tg13sp.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southeast.select and https://www.instagram.com/tg13sp
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AAesqpkEB/ and https://www.facebook.com/share/1Bi2S4TFxx/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trey-giles-88b907184
- Twitter: https://x.com/southeastselect and https://x.com/treygiles1
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@SoutheastSelect
