HEAD TRAINER WAYNE SLAPPY

In 1974, at age 22, Wayne became the youngest head basketball coach in the history of his alma mater, Weequahic High School. He taught in the Newark, NJ public school system for nineteen years. “Slap” (as his close friends and adult athletes refer to him) has coached, counseled and/or offered skills training to basketball players for more than 50 years. In addition to Michael Jordan, Lisa Leslie, Derek Fisher, Noelle Quinn, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and the late Kobe Bryant, Slappy has provided skills training, hoops IQ and mentorship to a host of professional athletes as well as helped hundreds of high school male and female athletes acquire collegiate scholarships. 

The parents in our program are especially delighted by the manner in which Coach Slappy uses basketball as a means of providing treasured life lessons that will endure long after their youngsters’ athletic prowess wanes.