Craig T.

After my basketball playing career came to an end coaching/ teaching became a passion of mine. Being around basketball for over twenty years I came across many coaching styles and philosophies. I molded my philosophies to fit my personality. This led to my successful coaching career; not only measured in wins and losses. I started out on the college level as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Rockland Community College in addition to serving as the head women’s coach. Quite the challenge! After the first season I decided to focus on the women’s program entirely. I wanted to build the program from the ground up. The women’s team had never won more than four games in any one season. I have set goals for the team and myself each year. The first season we won six games. Season two we won eight games. Each year we improved our win /loss record sixteen year three and eighteen year four. Then came our amazing season we won twenty-one games; this lead to a regional championship and a trip to the National Tournament in Mississippi.

I knew that part time coaching and substitute teaching were not going to pay the bills. So I then decided to work on my master’s degree and pursue a full time coaching job and/or full time
teaching position, whichever came first. My teaching career began shortly after that. Shortly after my teaching career began I wanted to get back to coaching and budget my time and energy to do both. I took a coaching job at Clarkstown North High (junior varsity girl’s basketball position.) I also had success at the junior varsity level, winning a total of sixty games in five years at Clarkstown. My playing and coaching careers have led to many “life opportunities” that I would love to pass on to players through individual instruction.

Playing Experience:

High School: Captain and All-County player @ Suffern H.S. 1976.
Prep School: Captain and All-New England Prep@ Cheshire Academy Post-graduate 1977.
College (s) : “Walk on” player..non scholarship earned scholarship 2ndsemester@Daytona Beach Community College 1979.
“walk on” player second semester scholarship and the following year@St Thomas Aquinas College 1981-1983. Played on teams that had seven All-Americans. Our team records were 28-4 and 32-4.

One of the best basketball players I had the privilege of playing with was James “True”Carter. James scored 2,000 points and had 1,000 assists in his career. After college he went on to play for the Puerto Rican National Team in the Olympics against the “Dream Team” with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

Honors and awards:
captain and all county Suffern H.S.
Most valuable @Suffern H.S. 1976

Captain Cheshire Academy
All- New England Prep and most valuable player 1977

Most Improved Player Men’s Basketball St. Thomas Aquinas College 1981
Member of Nationally ranked team NAIA # 5 in country 1983
Played in National Tournament Kansas City MO. 1983

Depending on the athletes position or hopeful position I will gear my drills/skills to improve their basketball fundamentals. For example guards would work on ball handling skills, shooting, passing and defensive footwork. Each session will begin with a warmup and end with a cool down.