Here at ASA, our coaching staff is made up of some of the most talented and seasoned coaches in New England! All of our coaches involved in ASA activites have been trained and registered to ensure the safety of the players who participate in our events.
Brendan Smith is the Owner and Director of A Step Ahead Incorporated (ASA). As Director of ASA Smith overseas all basketball operations including: summer camps boys / girls AAU teams, school vacation clinics and weekly skills classes. In addition to his duties at ASA, Smith has served boys' varsity basketball coach at Boston Latin School since the 2006-07 season. During his tenure, Smith has lead the Wolfpack to two DCL Championships, and five tournament births. Smith has previously coached men's college basketball at Mt. Ida College, and high school basketball at Newton North High School. Most recently, Smith successfully completed the requirements to become a MIAA/MSSAA certified coach. In 2010 Smith passed both the written and floor exams of referee school to join the referee fraternity and became a member of Board 27. He earned his undergraduate degree in Human Performance & Fitness at Umass Boston and received his Masters of Education degree from Cambridge College.
Alex Giangregorio a native of Holliston, Massachusetts, he attended Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Sport and Recreation Management. Alex started coaching basketball at a young age, coaching intramural leagues in town, while refereeing youth games on weekends. His love for basketball brought him to work for an up and coming Basketball Company “Manzer Academy” in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. His AAU coaching duties included: 6th grade boys, and 9th-10th grade girls. In addition to his work at Manzer, Alex has worked at various basketball camps including: ASA Hoops and the Red Auerbach Basketball School. After a year as the Freshmen Head Coach at Boston Latin School, two years as the Freshmen Head Coach at Framingham High School, Alex is now heading into his second year as the Head Varsity Assistant at Walpole High School.
Patrick is currently the Head Varsity Girls Coach at Watertown High School and the new ASA-Mass-WILDCATS girls program director. Prior to his position at Watertown High he coached the Cambridge School of Weston and Regis College. Patrick has a great deal of experience dealing with players of all levels and finds great satisfaction motivating student athletes. His success on the court speaks for itself leading Watertown High to two straight North Finals and was named the Boston Herald 2014-2015 Division 2 coach of the year.
Eric Brickley has many roles within the ASA program. He is the, VP of AAU Operations, Clinician at many of ASA’s holiday clinics, and AAU coach. In his first two years coaching in the AAU program he has led his teams to Final Four births in the Div 2 State Tournaments, earning him National Coach Honors. Outside of ASA he is an assistant scout at Boston Latin School and a coach in the youth Metro-West town travel league out of Milford, MA. He is also a certified High School referee with IAABO Board 208. Eric graduated UNH class of 95 with a BA in Psychology.
ASA is very excited to welcome Rudy Crichlow to it’s coaching staff. Rudy will team up with ASA owner Brendan Smith to Co-Direct the High School AAU division. In addition, his duties as Co-Director Rudy will also take on a role as the Prep / College placement advisor in addition to being our lead trainer and a summer camp Director. Rudy has an extensive basketball background having coached played basketball for more than more than 25 years. Over the past 6 years Rudy has been extremely successful on the AAU circuit winning more 60+ 1st place basketball championships throughout the nation. As a Pro Basketball Trainer of Reclaiming The Game, Inc. he trains players from 2nd to12th grade, college, and semi pro athletes. Rudy played basketball for Chowan University in North Carolina from 1995-1999.
Josh Bubar is the Assistant Head of School and boys varsity basketball coach at the Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School in Waltham, MA where he has been a teacher, coach and administrator for the past 13 years. Prior to coming to CH-CH, Josh was the varsity boys basketball basketball coach at St. Clements in Medford, MA, an assistant mens basketball coach at MIT, and freshman boys basketball coach at Arlington High School. Coach Bubar played his college basketball at Colby College under legendary coach Dick Whitmore and was a member of two ECAC championship teams during his years there.
Markus has been coaching Basketball and developing talent for over 10 years. Markus played his High school basketball at Cushing Academy where he earned most improved player honors as a senior. A series of injuries prevented Markus from competing at the collegiate level. Still wanting to be around the game, he founded the AAU / development program ICE Basketball, which ran successfully for over six years. In addition to coaching, Markus also trains players individually specializing in the fundamentals of the game. Markus is head of the middle school girls program at Beaver Country Day School in addition to assisting the Varsity team. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to an already great coaching staff at ASA.
George Moses, is a Director with A Step Ahead and has responsibilities for: Corporate Operations, Boys and Girls AAU (Greater Boston and South), Nike Basketball/ASA Hoops Summer Camps and Player Training and Development (Including after school, holiday and specialty clinics). In addition to his role with ASA, Coach Moses serves as an Assistant Dean of Students within the Boston Public School, system giving him a unique perspective that we welcome here at ASA. Coach Moses is following in his father's footsteps by coaching his favorite sport, basketball, and as a Head Coach for several AAU teams, he has won tournaments but most importantly, developed player confidence, respect and responsibility, on and off the court. Moses thrives at mentoring and motivating young people and ASA is the perfect outlet for him to do both. In addition to his roles as a Director and educator, Moses is a fitness fanatic who is a Certified Group Exercise Instructor specializing in Spinning, functional training and kickboxing. ASA is happy to have George on board and looks forward to his contributions to enhance our product.
ASA Hoops is very excited to once again be directing the Walter McCarty Camps. Walter is a true team member and a great addition to the ASA family. Walter McCarty is currently an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics. McCarty played for the NBA's New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and the Los Angeles Clippers. McCarty played college basketball at the University of Kentucky where he was a part of the team that won the NCAA championship in 1996. He was selected by the Knicks with the 19th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft where he played McCarty played until October 1997, when he was traded to the Celtics. McCarty played in all 82 games that season, starting 64 of them, he established career highs in virtually every category during that season. Over the next few years, McCarty was one of Boston's top options off the bench, often making a key defensive play or three point shot. He became a fan favorite in Boston for his gutsy play, hustle, and penchant for making the big shot. He was also a favorite of former Hall of Fame player and current announcer Tommy Heinsohn, who often exclaimed, "I love Walter!" after some of McCarty's plays.
Daniel Kassner is in his second year with ASA and currently serving as the Director of Clinics and Summer Camps in New Hampshire. During the school year, Daniel works as a history teacher at Tewksbury Memorial High School. Throughout his career as an educator, Daniel has consistently been a part of the athletics programs at the different schools he has worked at. He was an assistant coach for the varsity basketball team at a small private school outside of Chicago, IL, and upon moving back to New England, worked as an assistant coach for the Rising Tide Herons in Plymouth, MA. Daniel has a vast amount of experience working with young people and considers coaching basketball to be one of his true passions alongside his work as a teacher. He brings an enormous amount of energy and passion to his coaching style, and is enthusiastic about teaching the game to players at all levels. Daniel hopes to continue to grow with the ASA program in New Hampshire and build a supportive and cooperative basketball environment in the Granite State.
Now in his 9th year, Tom Levett brings a wealth of basketball knowledge, skill development and coaching to his position as Co-Director of A Step Ahead Basketball Incorporated. Levett’s previous coaching experience was head coach of the Hingham High School girls' basketball, women’s basketball team at Wheelock College and head coach of Quabbin Regional High School. Off the court, Levett teaches physical education & wellness with Boston Public Schools and instructs private pitching lessons at the South Shore Baseball Club in Hingham, MA. He earned his Bachelor's degree in elementary education/sociology from Fitchburg State College where he played both basketball and baseball.
Mike Rubin is in his second year with ASA Hoops. He recently earned his bachelor’s degree in professional communication at Fitchburg State University. Mike Rubin has had a tremendous amount of success as a player at Bedford High School and Fitchburg State University. As a senior at Bedford (2009) he was named the MVP of the DCL-Small Division, Boston Herald All-Scholastic and lead his team to its first ever D3 North Sectional Title held at the Boston Garden. While at Fitchburg State University he helped the Falcons to their first ever conference championship being named the conference tournament MVP. Finally 2013 and 2014 he was named to the All-Conference 1st team, finishing his career at Fitchburg with 1,079 points, ranking him in the top 15 all-time scoring list
Currently in his second season with ASA Coach Green is leading our 10th grade Boys team. Scott holds a degree in physical education from the university of Rhode Island and has taught PE and worked in the Athletics program at Milton Academy since 2005. He has coached basketball at Milton Academy for the past 10 years serving as head coach at the JV, Freshmen and middle school levels during that time. Scott is an avid player and plays both pick up and in leagues in the Boston area. He is looking forward to coaching with ASA this spring.
Former point guard at Dartmouth College, Gilmore was named Ivy League Player of the Year and led Dartmouth to the 1993-94 and 1994-95 Ivy Championships along with an NCAA Tournament bid. She led the Big Green in assists and steals and ranks first all-time in career steals per game and season as well as second in all-time career assists. After her collegiate career Gilmore played semi-pro ball in Germany. She is currently teaching physical education in Weymouth and spends summers coaching basketball at various camps.
James Spinner is the Elementary Director and Camp Regional Director entering his 5th year with ASA Hoops. Coach Spinner has become a critical part of the coaching staff leading and directing camps and clinics. In addition to his Director role, summer and school vacation programming Spinner is our5th-7th grade Boys SELECT Coach. A former point guard for Newton South High School, James is a true student of the game. His passion for teaching coupled with his knowledge of basketball makes him a perfect fit for ASA. James holds an undergraduate degree from Framingham State in Criminology and has been work in behavioral management for over 2 years.
Greg Maneikis is a Varsity Basketball Coach in Austin, TX where he has been teaching English for the past 5 years. Greg played three years of Varsity basketball at Boston Latin School, twice being named a first-team league all-star. As a senior captain, Greg led his team a share of the Dual County League title and the third round of the MIAA tournament, which remains the most successful run a Boston Lating basketball team has ever had in the history of the program. Greg specializes in skill development for high school players, with an emphasis on ball-handling ability. You can follow his coaching page on Instagram @movesbymaneikis
Chris Coates has an extensive basketball resume as both a player and a coach. Coates was Mr. NH Basketball, an All-American athlete in high school and college, and had a successful professional career playing in Australia, France, Hungary and Norway where he was 2004 MVP and leading scorer at 26 points per game. Coates also played for the XBA Dakota Lightning and the Adirondack Wildcats of the USBL summer pro league. Chris was a player/coach for a season in France and coached a handful of games in the pro ABA League for the Manchester Millrats and Boston Frenzy. He was recently inducted to the New England Basketball Hall of Fame, Little East Conference Hall of Fame and the Keene State College Hall of Fame.
David Pierce teaches history at Brockton High School. Pierce coached the Oliver Ames J.V. boy's basketball team in Easton, MA, for two years and has previously coached high school freshman at Boston Latin School and Fairfield Academy in Connecticut. In addition, he has coached AAU basketball for ASA and summer league basketball for Boston Latin School. Pierce has a Masters in Secondary Education from UMass Boston and is a graduate of Wheaton College.
Eric Adams, has served as the Operations Manager for the Dana Barros Basketball Camp for 15 years. He's a graduate of Mount Ida College Coach Adams comes with numerous coaching experiences. Prior to his current position as Assistant Women's Basketball Coach at Emmanuel College, Coach Adams was Assistant Men's Basketball Coach at Mt. Ida College, The Assistant Women's Basketball Coach at Regis College and Assistant Boys Basketball Coach at Canton and Xaverian Brothers High School. Coach Adams is currently the Asstistant/Head JV Girls Coach at Randolph High School. He is the founder and director of the New England Breakaway Basketball Camp and has been affiliated with the Bay State Summer Games for over 10 years. He recently guided the Southeast Girls' Scholastic Team to a Gold Medal Championship.
Jon grew up in upstate NY and was named High School Player of the Year in the Tri County Area 1978 and top scorer averaging 24.7 points per game in 1978 and led his team to championships in both 1977and 1978. Dalzell played college ball for Eastern New Mexico University 1978-1982 and was named All Conference in his senior year averaging 15.8 per game. Upon graduation he played professionally in the Euroleague for 16 years (1983-1999) for teams such as Hapoel Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem where he won the National Cup Title with Jerusalem in 1996 and in 1997. Third all-time leader in 3 point shooter in Israeli history and inducted into the Israeli Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. When is playing days were over Jon received his Coaching basketball degree from Wingate Institute for Sports in Israel. Jon has Coached youth teams and ran special basketball program for national youth team players in Herzliya, Israel in 1999-2000 and Coached the Israeli Air Force basketball team from 1992-1999. Basketball junkie that still plays 3 times a week.
Lara Tcherkezian has been involved with the Wildcat program since she was in 6th grade. After graduating from Belmont High School, Lara attended the University of Connecticut where she received her degree in Secondary Education. Lara is currently the coach of the ASA Wildcats 14U and 15U teams as well as the Assistant Director for ASA Wildcats Greater Boston. In addition to AAU, Lara is the JV head coach and Varsity assistant at Norfolk County Agricultural High School.
Chris Lydon, a native from Boston, Massachusetts, played under head coach Brendan Smith at the Boston Latin School, where he graduated in 2012. Upon graduating, he spent his first two years of college at UMass Lowell before transferring to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he walked-on to the Minutemen basketball team during his senior year. Throughout his time with the team, he earned an honorary position on the Honors’ Court, which is an award presented by the National Association of Basketball Coaches for his commitment on and off the court. Lydon graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the spring of 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from the Isenberg School of Business
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