THE TRUTH

Club Utah vs. Invictus

Club Utah Basketball Academy is a nonprofit organization, as it always has been. On June 3, 2023, we were shaken to learn that a key leader, former board member & Treasurer, Crystal Huang, had pled guilty to investor fraud related to her other company. You can read more about that here. At first, we chose to stand by her, believing her claim that the situation was a misunderstanding and that she had been wrongly accused. However, to uphold our commitment to transparency and preserve the trust of the parents we serve, we decided to thoroughly review our operations at Club Utah to ensure everything was being handled appropriately. Unfortunately, what we discovered was quite the opposite.

At the time, Crytal’s husband Tim Huang was still the company COO and a board member. As we started digging deeper into our operations and books, we were met with intense resistance from both Tim and Crystal. What began as an attempt to ensure the organization’s integrity soon escalated into a contentious battle for control. This resistance was compounded by the discovery of significant inconsistencies within our books. This pushed us to the difficult decision to vote and remove Tim Huang from the board and company on July 6th, 2023.

Unfortunately, Tim refused to honor his removal. He took several company assets including our gym, the lease agreement, and all operational resources to start his newly formed LLC called Club Utah Training. Now there were two “Club Utah’s” which created a lot of confusion for everyone. Confusion increased with claims that Tim was the sole owner of Club Utah all along, claims of investing over $150,000 in the company, and claims that there was always a for-profit & non-profit structure to Club Utah. However, this is not true.

Club Utah Basketball Academy has always been a 501-C non-profit, there is no ownership. Per our CPA, there was not a for-profit side to Club Utah. We have discovered that the supposed “investment” of $150,000 was actually a company SBA loan taken out by the Huangs without the knowledge or approval from the board despite telling board members and families that they had never taken a loan for the company.

The last 17 months have been heartbreaking, to say the least. In addition to our efforts in recovering company assets, we have also been working to verify financial integrity. During their time as board members, Tim was COO and Crystal was the Treasurer and in charge of the books despite her claim to the contrary. We discovered that the company was paying off several credit cards with supposed “company expenses”. Further investigation revealed that proper bookkeeping had not occurred and none of these expenses were itemized. Through our subpoenas, we discovered unauthorized charges to a Disneyland Cruise, Disney World, trips to Florida, and many other charges. These findings are currently being investigated by local authorities.

Tim has fully admitted to being removed from Club Utah Basketball Academy and yet he has refused to return any of the company assets he took. He continued to operate Club Utah Training with our assets and recently changed the name to Invictus Basketball Club. As the saying goes, the wheels of justice turn slowly. We are still working closely with local authorities to recover the assets they took and we are hopeful to have everything returned to us soon.

RISING UP

Seemingly overnight, all that we had worked so hard to build was taken from us. We tried to tell everyone what was going on and in response, we were hit with a defamation lawsuit aimed at silencing us and preventing us from sharing. Meanwhile, misleading narratives portrayed us as the villains. Coaching against former players and teams who viewed us as the “bad guys” was heart-wrenching. The hatred and anger directed toward us felt unfair as we silently carried the truth while enduring lies spread about us. One incident stands out: during a game, parents hurled insults at young eighth-graders—an unnecessary level of animosity. We’ve always stood for doing the right thing and holding people accountable, values we’ve instilled in our athletes. Ironically, those who preached accountability struggled to practice it when their turn came. 

Despite being dragged through the mud, we are incredibly proud of the resilience we’ve shown. We didn’t fight for ourselves; we fought for transparency, integrity, and the community we love. It hasn’t been easy, but we remained steadfast in our commitment to doing what’s right.

THE FUTURE

Now, it’s time to look forward. We are thrilled to share that we’re finalizing a deal for a new gym in American Fork/Pleasant Grove! This new space marks the start of an exciting chapter for Club Utah. We are also in the works of expanding our club to the Davis County, Weber County, and South Jordan areas. Alongside new sponsorships and partnerships, we’re dedicated to enhancing your experience and growing our Club Utah family.

Our coaching staff and leadership team are stronger than ever, fully committed to creating an environment where young athletes thrive both on and off the court. We believe in doing things the right way and are excited about the path ahead.

Thank you for standing by us. We know this has been a difficult journey for everyone involved. If you know someone who needs to hear our story, please share this message with them. We have always been committed to the truth, and we live by the principles we teach. We can’t wait to see you in the gym soon.

With gratitude and optimism,

William Carter, CJ Wilcox, Bryanna Hutchinson, and Craig Tucker

Club Utah Basketball Academy Leadership Team