SJ JAZZ COACHES & ALUMNI COACHES
Thank you for taking the time to visit our coach’s page. Over the years we have been blessed to have some of the most experienced, dedicated and talented coaches contribute to our organization’s success. We have found that it’s consistent coaching that builds programs, draws talent and creates a positive environment for our players and parents. After you look at this year’s coaching staff please take a few minutes of your time and check out our current coaches and former Alumni who have gone on to coach at the High School and College level.
Steve Horsley –Coach Horsley is the Assistant Director and Social Media Director for the South Jersey Jazz and the Basketball Development group. Coach Horsley is now entering his 19th year with the organization and has over 23 years of coaching experience. Steve has worked with players of all ages from 8 year old to college. He prides himself in developing talent and has a proven record of getting the most out of each athlete. This year Director Horsley will take on a new role within the organization. He will oversee our talented coaching staff and provide guidance to our younger coaches. Steve Horsley is considered an excellent communicator who understands the needs of both players and the coaches. Coach Horsley currently serves as the assistant varsity coach for the boys basketball team at Hammonton High School. He also has prior experience with the Hammonton freshman and Junior varsity programs, Folsom middle school program, Hammonton Bulldog travel basketball club and the Waterford Township Athletic Association.
Reese Bassett – Coach Bassett has been an SJ Jazz coach for 8 years. Recently, Coach Bassett served as the head coach for a highly successful 11th grade Jazz team, consisting of numerous players who received interest from college programs. He is an advocate of hard work and flourishes at teaching fundamental skills. This season coach Bassett will be monitoring our player practice sessions and also work with parents, coaches and team moms on Club Collections.
Matt O’Keefe – Coach O’Keefe is one of the program’s most passionate and energetic coaches. He has now been a member of the SJ Jazz organization for 10 years, spending two years as a player and 7 years in the coaching capacity. As a coach, he is known to stress defensive fundamentals, high energy and strong communication skills amongst all of his players. This season coach O’Keefe will be coaching one of our 11th grade 17u teams.
Ron Battle – Coach Battle had a great year in 2019. His 6th grade team continued playing after the AAU season and continued to win. They won 5 championships, 5 second place finishes and qualified for Nationals were they finished in Second place. Coach Battle who is a licensed surgical podiatrist and the current Commissioner and Co-Director of the Gateway Youth Basketball program is now entering his 9th season as a SJ Jazz coach. This season he will serve as the head coach of one of our 9th grade 15u teams.
Erik Green – Before joining the SJ Jazz coaching staff to head the 4th grade travel team in 2017, Coach Green was a four-year varsity standout at Overbrook High School who played one year of Semi-Pro basketball. He has acquired prior head coaching experience through the Pine Hill Youth Association. An alumni of the SJ Jazz who spent over five years as a player, Coach Green has a long history with the SJ Jazz organization. In fact, Coach Green was a pivotal member of the 2002 SJ Jazz 15U team that finished 8th place in the country after appearing in the AAU national tournament in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year coach Green will be coaching one of our 9th grade 15u teams.
Ed Coryell, Jr. – Coach Coryell, who has acquired roughly twenty-seven years of experience coaching basketball in the southern New Jersey region, enters his 9th season with the SJ Jazz. One of the organization’s most experienced and well-diversified coaches, Coach Coryell has experience coaching players ranging from eight-year-old boys and girls to varsity level seniors in high school. In this regard, Coach Coryell has proved his ability to develop talent and has seen many of his players go on to compete at the college level. Coach Coryell will be approaching this season with his typical level of passion and will be coaching one of our High School level teams.
Ray Jordan – Now entering his 8th season as a member of the SJ Jazz coaching staff, Coach Jordan brings with him an additional six years of AAU head coaching experience for Mainstream Basketball of Winslow Township. Coach Jordan is a certified basketball official who has played at both the high school and college levels. This season Coach Jordan will be coaching one of the South Jersey Jazz 7th grade teams.
Dan Ortiz – After spending six years coaching AAU boy’s basketball for the Mainstream Basketball program of Winslow Township, Coach Ortiz is now entering his 8th season as an SJ Jazz coach. He serves as the current director of the SJ Jazz youth mentoring program, which provides guidance and teaches life skills to youth in the local community. Coach Ortiz is a former member of the United States Army who currently works as a Minister and a Computer Tech. This season, Coach Ortiz will be assisting Coach Jordan (from time to time) with the SJ Jazz 7th grade team.
Anthony Caple – Coach Caple is entering his 3rd year with the S J Jazz. He is very passionate about coaching and takes being a positive role model to his players very serious. Coach Caple has played basketball at various levels. He spent 4 years playing in high school, two years playing while in the US Army at Fort Benning Ga, One year playing for the Zama Trojans in Japan and one year playing college basketball at Camden County College. His coaching experience coming from his time with the Hammonton Bulldogs Travel Program. Coach Caple is a US Army veteran and is currently employed by VCI Ambulance in Camden County. This year Coach Caple will be coaching one of the 10th grade 16u teams.
Terrance Wright – Coach Wright is entering his 5th year with the South Jersey Jazz Basketball Club. Coach Wright enjoys working with young players. He is a very strong fundamental skills instructor who prides himself in getting peak performance out of his athletes. He played high school ball at Girard College in Philadelphia and college basketball at Morgan State University. He has three years coaching experience at Girard College high school we’re he was head assistant coach of the Boys Junior Varsity and Varsity basketball teams. Coach Wright is a mental Health professional. He has spent 18 years working for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and is currently employed with the State of New Jersey. This year Coach Wright will be assistant coaching with one of the 8th grade 14u teams.
Tyrone Pitts – the Camden County basketball legend is entering his first season as a South Jersey Jazz Coach. While playing High School basketball at Overbrook High school in Pine Hill, New Jersey under legendary head coach Bill Lange, Tyrone became one of the greatest scorers in Overbrook High School basketball history scoring 1263 points. After having a great high school career on the court and in the classroom Tyrone received offers to play college basketball. Because of his high scores on the SAT, and his outstanding basketball abilities he was solicited and offered scholarships to play basketball at many Universities. He elected to stay close to home and accepted a full scholarship from one of the top Ivy League universities in the nation, the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The South Jersey basketball Legend finished his Penn career with 1301 points and he was inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame. His basketball plaque is mounted on the wall of one of the most famous basketball facilities in the United States the Palestra. After his high flying All Ivy League College days at Penn were over, he embarked upon a highly successful 7 year professional career in several overseas leagues. Basketball offered this young talented player an opportunity to see the world as he played professionally in nine countries. Tyrone played in Australia, Uruguay, Argentina, Poland, Israel, Philippines, Hong Kong, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. When the seven years of professional basketball were done he decided to returned home to the Philadelphia, South Jersey area. He immediately was offered and he accepted college assistant coaching positions at two major D1 Universities Cornell and LaSalle. He was fortunate to coach 5 years at Cornell and 2 years at LaSalle University. While coaching was his passion there came a point in his life that he had to make a decision to continue his coaching career or use his University of Pennsylvania Ivy League Wharton School of business degree. Everything worked out in his favor as he made the right choice and created a very successful business. The company that he created KL Pitts construction is now the largest minority General contracting business in the state of new Jersey. Being an Ivy League graduate he understands the value of education. To this day coach Pitts takes great pride in mentoring student athletes and he’s always available to talk to young adults. We are very privileged and honored to have him on our South Jersey Jazz coaching staff. He currently Lives in Lawnside New Jersey with his wife and 4 children. This year, Coach Pitts will be coaching our 4th – 5th grade 10u – 11u team.
Brian Kuzmick – is entering his first season as a head coach with the South Jersey Jazz Basketball Club. Coach Kuzmick has a very strong basketball background. He has over 18 years of high school and college playing and coaching experience. Coach Kuzmick had an outstanding 4 year playing career at Archbishop Wood High School in Pennsylvania from 1992 – 1996. After High School he continued his playing career in college at Penn State Abington from 1996 to 1998. As a student of the game he challenged himself and accepted a high school assistant coaching position at Archbishop Wood were he coached from 2002 until 2006. After gaining high school coaching experience he was offered the head coaching position at Saint Hubert Catholic High School in Pennsylvania from 2006 until 2015. As he moved from Pennsylvania to New Jersey and started his family he still continued to coach basketball. He has been coaching for the Kingsway Youth Association as a head coach for one of their middle school teams from 2016 to present. Coach Kuzmick is an outstanding fundamentalist who loves to teach and develop basketball players. The South Jersey Jazz directors feel that he is a very good fit for our program. Coach Kuzmick will bring a tremendous amount of basketball knowledge, playing and coaching experience to the South Jersey Jazz. Everyone has been impressed with his coaching style and his teaching skills. The entire coaching staff are certain that he is a very good fit for our program. In 2020, Coach Kuzmick will be coaching one of our 11th grade 17u teams.
*Current Coaches, Former Coaches and Alumni who have gone on to coach in High School and College.
Keith Herron- Eastern University men’s assistant
Rose Katz- Arcadia University women’s head coach
Chris Gulla- Rutgers University Camden men’s assistant and Philadelphia University men’s assistant
Alex Smart- Rutgers University Camden men’s assistant
Brian Kuzmick – Archbishop Wood & St. Hubert – Head Coach
Steve Horsley- Hammonton HS head coach boys JV & assistant boys Varsity
Anthony Bertino- St Joe’s HS Hammonton boys JV head coach & assistant boys Varsity
Arthur Ellis- Eastern HS head coach boy’s JV & assistant boys Varsity
Don Deleo- Maple Shade HS head coach boys Varsity
Ed Coryell- Audubon HS boys head coach freshman
Jason Burd-Audubon HS boys assistant coach freshman
Joe McLocklin- Collingswood HS head coach boys varsity
Tim Gallagher- St. Joe’s Hammonton head coach boys varsity
Tim Cermignano- Gloucester Catholic HS head coach girls varsity
Kyle Sareyka Gloucester Christian head coach boys varsity
Don Lewis- Scared Heart HS assistant coach boys’ varsity
Tony Quigley- St. Joe’s Hammonton HS boys head coach JV
Matt Lewis- Buena HS boys head coach summer league
Matt O’Keefe- Paul VI Head coach Freshman and assistant Varsity coach. Albright University – Assistant Coach
Mark Dickson assistant coach Gateway HS Varsity
Luke Dickson Head Coach Gateway HS Varsity
Colin Devlin assistant coach Palmyra HS, Assistant coach Haddonfield HS
Tyrone Pitts – Asst Coach Cornell University & LaSalle University
Edward Holloway- Bridgton Christian Academy HS – Cumberland County College
Brian Bouchard – Asst Coach Mens Rowan University
Jeb Howley- Haddon Township HS -Assistant coach JV & Varsity.
Alumni who Played Professional basketball in the NBA or Overseas.
Keith Herron- Villanova University NBA Detroit Pistons & Portland Trail Blazers
Tim Legler- LaSalle University NBA Golden State Warriors
Ricky Crews- Monmouth University & Holy Family University, Professional European League
Bobby Harris- American International University & Chinese Professional League
Alsine Santillis- Chestnut Hill University Italian Professional League
Lemere Tally- Gwen Mercy College & Italian Professional League
Aaron Walton Moss- Cabrini College & Iceland Professional League
Tyrone Pitts – University of Pennsylvania – Seven overseas leagues in seven years