Kerry H.

I’m the founder and director of the Dirt Bowl (dirtbowl.com), a youth basketball league based in the Bay Area that’s now celebrating its 25th season. Over the years, we’ve welcomed more than 10,000 kids to the court, focusing on 2nd–8th graders in the summer and 2nd–3rd graders in the winter. This age group is where I believe real impact happens—where you can instill confidence, discipline, and strong habits that last a lifetime.

In addition to running Dirt Bowl, I’ve spent 8 years coaching CYO basketball and served as the Athletic Director for Mt. Carmel CYO Basketball for 7 years. I also coached Little League baseball for 7 seasons, including three All-Star teams.

While I rarely coach high school athletes, I dedicate my professional life to coaching sales leaders and sales teams at major multinational companies. I also speak regularly at the University of San Francisco’s Master’s in Sports Management program, where I share insights on how sports organizations operate and how to lead effectively within them.

My passion—on and off the court—is developing people, building strong teams, and helping others grow into their potential.

I was a four-year varsity starter in high school basketball, earning Team MVP, All-District, All-Tournament (Junior and Senior years), and All-State Honorable Mention honors. I primarily played power forward and center, and received a basketball scholarship offer after graduation.

However, I chose to pursue college football, playing wide receiver, defensive back, and punt returner at Morehead State University. One highlight was the chance to catch passes from Phil Simms, who went on to become a Super Bowl-winning quarterback with the New York Giants. Unfortunately, a knee injury cut my playing career short, leading me to transfer to the University of Kentucky, where I focused on academics.

A fun footnote: I co-set a world record alongside Olympic Gold Medalist Jennifer Azzi for the "World’s Longest Consecutive Basketball Pass by a Youth Group."

I focus on working with 2nd to 8th grade players, a pivotal stage when they’re building foundational skills and preparing to compete at the high school level. My approach centers on teaching fundamentals and tailoring development to each individual player.

The process starts with a skills assessment and a conversation with the player about their strengths and areas for growth. From there, I develop a personalized plan that may focus on areas such as ball handling, shooting technique, rebounding, spacing, defense, teamwork, or the mental side of the game—depending on what the player needs most.

Every athlete is different, and my coaching reflects that. Over the years, I’ve coached hundreds of kids, and more than 10,000 have participated in my Dirt Bowl League in Marin. I love the teaching aspect of coaching—it’s a natural extension of my day job, where I train and coach sales professionals at large multinational companies.