Coaching Experience

GERMAN WOMENS NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM: FIBA, Germany 11/2020-Present

Head Coach

NEW YORK LIBERTY: WNBA, Brooklyn, NY 01/2020-01/2022

Head Coach

MINNESOTA LYNX: WNBA, Minneapolis, MN 04/2017-01/2020

Assistant Coach

Formulating scouting reports on upcoming opponents – including team film preparation and on-court teaching of opponent-specific defensive strategies and game plans.

Providing nuanced individual skill development for players at every position.

Assisting head coach in decisions regarding team transactions, roster building, and player acquisition by means of trades and free agency.

Providing feedback on the construction and continued refinement of team offensive and defensive schemes, particularly in regards to pick and roll offense.

Extensive scouting of college and international prospects in preparation for the WNBA draft.

PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER DEVELOPMENT COACH, USA 05/2014-04/2017

Hopkins Basketball/Independent Player Development Coach (NBA, WNBA, & NCAA Players)

Particular emphasis was placed on passing, pick and roll reads, efficient perimeter and post moves and footwork, proper shot mechanics, and advanced offensive move progressions.  
Created individualized curriculum designed specifically to maximize player effectiveness within the context of his or her team’s particular goals and philosophies.
Cultivated growth-focused mindsets in players by teaching them ways to more constructively cope with and learn from failures, mistakes, and setbacks.
Emphasized a holistic approach to individual player development, stressing the importance of diet, weight lifting, cardio, cross-training, and daily rehab, prehab, and recovery.

UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY, Orem, UT 10/2013-05/2014

Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach

Assisted in the formulation of team strategies, game and practice preparation, and team offensive and defensive philosophies. Conducted team and individual film sessions.
Supported and advised players academically, athletically, and personally, specializing in daily individual workouts and film sessions with players at all positions.
All work with players emphasized the cultivation of a growth-minded psychological attunement and approach to personal improvement, and a healthy response to setbacks and mistakes.

TULSA SHOCK: WNBA, Tulsa, OK 05/2013-09/2013

Player Development Coach

Designed and conducted pre and post-practice skill-work sessions with players, using individualized film-edits as tools to both aid and guide the content of each player’s unique needs and points of emphasis. Specialized in individual skill-development with both guards and post players.
Focused on maximizing the social cohesiveness of the players and coaching staff by promoting values of teamwork, empathy, and selflessness amongst members of the team, providing continual emotional and motivational support, and encouraging positive psychological practices such as social perspective-taking in order to minimize unhelpful thinking and action.
Acted as primary liaison between the league office, the front office, and the Tulsa coaching staff, while also serving as video coordinator, using Synergy Sports software to create film edits for Shock players and coaches.
Coordinated and oversaw team, staff, and player flights, travel, hotel accommodations, and living arrangements, and communicated with staff members of Tulsa-area facilities as well as with the other WNBA organizations in arranging practice times and gym reservations.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PROGRAM, Cambridge, MA 09/2012-05/2013

Graduate Intern

Organized and played on “scout” teams in preparation for opposing teams, managed pregame setup and postgame cleanup, ran score clock, assisted coaching staff and players with day-to-day operations.

JAM ON IT BASKETBALL ACADEMY, Reno, NV 02/2012 – 06/2012

HS Boys Program Director/Head Coach

Designed and led bi-weekly program-wide practices as well as separate bi-weekly team-specific practices in preparation for large and small-scale AAU basketball tournaments. Organized teams, recruited players to the program, and managed the behaviors and strategies of other coaches within the program.

WASHOE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT, Reno/Sparks, NV 08/2010-06/2012

Reed High School; Head Boys JV Basketball Coach/Lead Asst. Girls Varsity Coach

- Won the 4A Nevada State Championship as the lead assistant coach with the Reed High School varsity girls basketball team in 2012, in addition to winning the 4A Northern Nevada Regional Title in both 2011 and 2012 with a record of 40-1 in league play over two years as lead assistant.   
- In both head and assistant roles, focus was placed on maintaining a fun, yet highly disciplined, focused, and competitive atmosphere most conducive to the cultivation of learning and teamwork, emphasizing the importance of qualities such as punctuality, hard work, and personal responsibility both on and off of the court.
- Formulated daily practice curriculum, including drills, conditioning, individual skill work, team strategies, and unique “scout team” activities conducted to prepare for each opposing team and its players, specifically. Managed each individual’s development as a player, student, and person, mentoring moral development within the context of athletics.

Suggested, and helped to create a mandatory study hall for all basketball players to stress the importance of dedication to schoolwork, and to ensure that each player had a dedicated venue in which they could receive individualized help with their academics.

Assistant Freshman Boys Basketball Coach 08/2008-08/2010

- Assisting in running practice activities and drills, as well as advising the head coach on in-game tactics, substitutions, etc.

Designed and conducted all individual and team offensive skill work, and assisted in daily on and off-court coaching duties in partnership with head coach.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-BERKELEY, Berkeley, CA Graduate School of Education (4.0 GPA) M.Ed., Cultural Studies of Sports in Education, May 2016 Areas of Concentration: Social/Sports Psychology, Moral Development, Coaching Studies

Thesis Topic: Analysis of the Coaching Practices of Stanford Head Coach Tara VanDerveer