Jeff Mlinar builds Social Media Empire
By Bill Collmer, Hornell Sun Senior Sports Writer
ALBANY- Jeff Mlinar has built an Empire, the founder of Empire State Takeover, empirestatetakeover.com is the premier source for high school girls’ basketball coverage in all of New York State.
The Beginning
“The birth of Empire State Takeover came from an idea while involved with a different organization. Fresh out of college, I coordinated the “college prospect division” (high school boys’ summer league) for King of Kings, which was an organization in Utica known for high-level men’s & women’s summer leagues. The number one question I received while out looking for players for this league was if we also had a girls’ one. The thought didn’t really take off, but I wanted to go forward with it. Plus, I already knew I was moving to Albany at that time – from Herkimer originally and the King of Kings base was Utica – so I decided to branch out and give it a shot. It started just with the invitational summer leagues, a boys one & a girls one, in 2015-2016. From there, I went forward with just women’s basketball to put the full focus on that side and expand offerings with showcases, etc.,” Jeff Mlinar said
Mlinar came up with the name because he wanted to put a location tag on it but didn’t completely localize it but it also highlighted the dedicated focus. However, things have changed since 2015 with the inclusion of Northern Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Western Massachusetts. The Takeover part just sounded right.
Mlinar lives in the Albany area. Halfmoon, basically in the heart of the Capital District.
Mlinar covers regular season, Sectional and State Championship games with updates throughout the game on X and Facebook.
“I’ve made it to as many as 250+ games in a single winter, but I’d estimate approximately 200-225 in the average season. Works out to an average of maybe four days in my home section (Section 2), two days hitting the road per week,” Mlinar said
“I also do AAU tournaments. I Just made it back home from Spooky Nook in the Lancaster, PA area, which hosted a large event on the April evaluation period weekend that just wrapped up. From AAU tournaments to practices to other showcases, college elite camps, group workouts, and so on – I try to do it all pretty much. Best way to get the most complete view of players is watch in all sorts of different environments,” Mlinar added
Mlinar also hosts Showcases across the state.
“As of now, I run six showcases per year. Generally speaking, it’s one in the Rochester area, one in Scranton, PA, and one in the Albany area in both the spring & fall. On top of that, I run a combine for 7th/8th graders which is an intro to the showcase format each spring, typically in the Albany area. Those are all ‘open’ registration events. I also run much smaller, invitational sessions on various weeknights in August for the most advanced players. I’ve done a few of them in Rochester in past years, but these are generally based in Albany as well, Mlinar said.
It’s no longer just a hobby; it has turned into his full-time job.
“I’ve thankfully found a way to make this my day job, night job, and everything in between. That may not have been the plan initially, but between the showcases, the work with college coaches, social media & website coverage, it’s turned into a full-time situation and then some. The website subscriber content has been a lifeline especially in the winter months when I’m not running my own events. I did that with a blog for the first handful of years, all free, and transitioned to a subscriber/premium content format at the beginning of the 2021-22 season. Subscriber base fluctuates but has peaked at 300 and is right around that number now. Website viewership also fluctuates – this basketball season was around 25,000 – and social media is now in the hundreds of thousands monthly,” Mlinar added
Mlinar did a little bit of coaching at the High school level right out of college, and that was the path he thought he would take, but this took off and he found a different passion when it came to the evaluation side of things and providing exposure for those with the desire to play in college.
“I’m from a small town and didn’t grow up in environments of people that had experience with the recruitment process – I guess that impacted me in a way to provide in that kind of role for others,” Mlinar said.
Just like coaching this endeavor is rewarding for Mlinar.
“Watching the growth of athletes that have made sacrifices and been committed to the long-term process is incredibly rewarding. It’s the light at the end of the tunnel and finding a way to make some sort of an impact along the way, whether it’s big or small, is why I do it. I imagine life would be less strenuous without the travel & late nights, and no question I’d make more money sitting in an office somewhere, but you can’t put a dollar amount on seeing the fruits of these young athletes’ labor,” Mlinar said.
Several local girls have been featured on Mlinar’s website, social media and competed at his Showcases. Including Hornell senior Jordyn Dyring, Hornell Junior Raegan Evingham, Fillmore Freshman Emalyn Mucher and Keshequa Junior Braelyn Isaman will be competing in the Spring Showcase.
“Well-rounded half-court offensive weapons are a real commodity in High School and college alike. You need them to win a high-level, Raegan Evingham already possesses the skill set, instincts, and physical tools to check that important box. She’s one of the most promising 2027’s. She’s already on the radar of schools at various levels, and that’s set to trend forward,” Mlinar said.
Mucher is only a freshman and already has an offer from Division one St. Bonaventure.
“Her local D1 already extended an offer and trust me where there’s smoke, there’s fire. 5’8″ guard with basketball athleticism, tremendous feel & instincts, all the skill tools. If you aren’t familiar with her name yet, it won’t take long. Special talent building in the shadows of section Five,” Mlinar said.
Isaman just keeps getting better and better and has a strong work ethic.
“Isaman is an ultra-competitive point guard that raises the temperature when she steps on the court. Downhill driven with a nose for the rim, feisty defender, elite motor and conditioning, a natural leader and a culture builder. A buzz name in the 2027 class that puts butts in seats.” Mlinar said.
If you’re looking for information on a talented high school girls basketball player, there’s a good chance you’ll find her at www.empirestatetakeover.com
