How National Recognition, International Research, and Seventeen Years of Innovation Are Shaping the Next Chapter of the CKA SAVE Project

By Dr. Keith Adams, Ed.D., CMAA
President & Founder, CKA SAVE Project
2026 Drake Group Education Fund Exceptional Service Award Recipient

There are moments in an organization's journey when independent milestones begin pointing in the same direction.

For the CKA SAVE Project, 2026 has become one of those defining years.

In April 2026, I was deeply honored to receive the Drake Group Education Fund Exceptional Service Award, recognizing more than three decades of service dedicated to educational leadership and the academic success of students and student-athletes.

Then, in August 2026, I learned that my 2018 doctoral dissertation, Finding the Balance Between Academic and Sport Motivation: A Study of NCAA Division I Student-Athletes, had been cited in a peer-reviewed article published in the Turkish Journal of Education. Researchers at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University in Türkiye referenced my work while examining how parental involvement influences adolescent athletes' ability to successfully balance academics and athletics.

Receiving a national award and discovering that my research had become part of an international scholarly conversation were both incredibly meaningful.

Yet, as I reflected on these milestones, I realized they were not the story.

They were evidence of something much larger.

They reinforced my belief that the educational philosophy behind the CKA SAVE Project—a philosophy we have been developing since 2009—is becoming increasingly relevant in today's educational landscape.

As we begin the 2026–2027 school year, our focus is not on celebrating recognition. Our focus is on expanding a comprehensive Educational Management model that prepares students and student-athletes for success in school, in athletics, in their careers, and in life.

One Question Changed Everything

When I began my doctoral research, I wasn't trying to predict the future of college athletics.

I simply wanted to answer a question that had followed me throughout my career as a teacher, coach, athletic administrator, and educational leader.

What truly motivates students and student-athletes to succeed?

That question led me to study the relationship between academic motivation and athletic motivation among NCAA Division I student-athletes.

Although the research was completed in 2018, its conclusions remain remarkably relevant today.

College athletics has changed dramatically.

• NIL opportunities have transformed recruiting.
• The Transfer Portal has reshaped roster management.
• Revenue sharing, collective bargaining discussions, artificial intelligence, and personal branding have introduced challenges that few could have imagined a decade ago.

Yet one thing has not changed.

Students still need intentional support systems.

That realization became the foundation for everything we have built through the CKA SAVE Project.

From Research to an Educational Philosophy

Research should never end with publication.

It should improve lives.

Over the past seventeen years, the CKA SAVE Project has worked to transform educational research into practical solutions that schools, families, coaches, and student-athletes can actually use.

That work has resulted in the development of our SDS Framework—Structure, Discipline, and Support—which serves as the foundation for every CKA initiative.

• Our Academic Monitoring Grid.
• Academic Skills Assessments.
• The Academic Baseball Card.
• The CKA Virtual Internship Program.
• The Odd Coaches Podcast.
• National research initiatives.
• Leadership development programs.

Every project reflects one central belief:

Student success is intentional.

When students are surrounded by coordinated systems of support, they are better equipped to navigate academic challenges, athletic competition, career planning, and personal growth.

That philosophy is what I now describe as Educational Management.

Why Educational Management Matters

Today's students face greater expectations than ever before.

They are expected to:

• Excel academically.
• Compete athletically.
• Lead socially.
• Build professional networks.
• Develop career-ready skills.
• Manage financial opportunities.
• Navigate rapidly changing technology.

Yet the systems designed to support them often remain disconnected.

• Schools focus on academics.
• Coaches focus on performance.
• Parents focus on opportunity.
• Employers focus on workforce readiness.

Rarely are these efforts intentionally aligned around the long-term development of the student.

Educational Management seeks to bridge those gaps.

It is not another tutoring program.

It is not another recruiting service.

It is a comprehensive framework that coordinates academic, athletic, personal, and professional development so students receive the structured support necessary to succeed in every stage of life.

The Focus of the 2026–2027 School Year

This school year represents an important transition for the CKA SAVE Project.

Our primary organizational focus is expanding Educational Management from a guiding philosophy into a scalable model that can support students, schools, athletic departments, and families across the country.

One major step in that expansion is the continued development of the CKA Career Launch Academy, which is designed to help students strengthen leadership, communication, executive functioning, research, and career readiness before entering college or the workforce.

Looking further ahead, we are laying the groundwork for the CKA Post Graduate Basketball Academy (PGA), with its inaugural class scheduled to begin on August 1, 2028.

The PGA will represent the next evolution of our Educational Management philosophy by providing student-athletes with a structured gap year that integrates academic preparation, athletic development, leadership training, and professional readiness before collegiate competition begins.

The Career Launch Academy and the Post Graduate Basketball Academy are not separate initiatives.

They are complementary components of one comprehensive educational vision.

Validation Is a Beginning, Not an Ending

When I received the Drake Group award in April, I felt grateful.

When I learned about the Turkish citation in August, I felt humbled.

But neither milestone changed our mission.

Instead, they strengthened my conviction that the work we began seventeen years ago is becoming increasingly relevant.

• Independent recognition from educational leaders.
• Independent validation through international research.
• Continued interest from schools, families, coaches, and student-athletes.

Together, they suggest that Educational Management is addressing a need that extends far beyond any single organization.

That is encouraging.

It is also a responsibility.

Looking Ahead

The future of education will require stronger partnerships between schools, colleges, athletic departments, families, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders.

Students deserve more than isolated programs.

They deserve coordinated systems designed to prepare them for lifelong success.

That is the future I believe Educational Management can help create.

As the CKA SAVE Project enters the 2026–2027 school year, our commitment remains unchanged.

• We will continue conducting meaningful research.
• We will continue developing innovative educational programs.
• We will continue building partnerships that expand opportunities for students and student-athletes.
• And we will continue transforming research into practice—because the ultimate measure of educational leadership is not the recognition we receive, but the lives we help change.

The awards are appreciated.

The citations are humbling.

The recognition is encouraging.

But the mission is what matters most.

The next chapter of the CKA SAVE Project is not about celebrating where we have been.

It is about building where education needs to go next.

Building Better Students. Developing Better Athletes. Creating Better Futures.

One Goal: Balance. One Result: Success.