Marzel P.

I am the Executive Director, of the East County Midnight Basketball League for the last eighteen years over these years, I have dedicated my life to making a difference in my community through basketball and across the county as a youth advocate, public speaker, counselor, coach, mentor and real life example of someone that succeeded in life despite all obstacles. I am also the Program Director at Project P.R.I.D.E. Recreation Center a youth year-round after school & recreation center that focuses on early intervention and prevention mentoring relationships to at risk youths, located in the unincorporated area of North Richmond which is subsidized by the County of Contra Costa Housing Authority. I coached at Deer Vally High School and I am the Executive Director of the East County Jr. Warriors Basketball League a program that serves over 200 boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 14.

I was a star basketball player in the mid-80s at Pittsburg High School on a team that advanced to the NorCal regional playoffs at the Oakland Coliseum in 1985. That year's tournament also featured future NBA players Todd Lichti, later a star at Stanford and a draft pick of the Denver Nuggets, Greg Foster and Gary "the glove" Payton of Skyline. After high school I played two years of junior college ball at Chabot College in Hayward and at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill before enrolling at the University of Oregon. Once in Oregon, I discovered a heart condition during a time when the sports world was becoming more aware of these types of issues, I was eventually rendered unfit to play at Oregon. Ultimately, with my condition under control, I enrolled in Huron University in South Dakota, a NAIA district-12 college, I took full advantage of this opportunity, and became one of the nation's top scorers and rebounders in 1989-91. I parlayed that success into a professional career that took me to Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Portugal, and the Middle East and South America. My basketball odyssey lasted eight years and include playing for 12 teams in that span.

My workouts consist of teaching drills that centers on keeping the skill development simple and building confidence through success. I will introduce ball handling and dribbling skills; jump stops and pivots; and a few rules of the game. I prefer to demonstrating skills, like ball handling/control, proper shooting form, defensive techniques, one-on-one guard & post moves, explosive training & position play will be emphasized in these personal sessions. Success comes through practice and repetition, application of skill through games, drills, and chalk talk.