Birmingham, AL - Rising Coaches is proud to announce its inaugural 2021 Rising Coaches Awards.  With 1,500 plus members of all levels, Rising Coaches is an inclusive membership-based community for basketball coaches. Rising Coaches assists by providing relationships, development and job opportunities. 

The Rising Coaches Lifetime Award has been awarded to Chris Hollender of Missouri, Heather Macy of Greensboro College, Trey Meyer of Battle Ground Academy, Jimmie Oakman of the Long Island Nets and Marlon Stewart of Oregon State. The award honors those who have given a lifetime of service to improving the coaching profession. 

“These coaches have dedicated hundreds of hours to giving back to our profession and have helped countless coaches in the process,” said Rising Coaches CEO Adam Gordon. “These coaches always look for new ways to impact others and never hesitate when called upon to give back to the community.”

The 2021 Rising Coaches Honors award recipients are Brian Burton of All Access Network, Brandt Danals from North Alabama, Menelik Fernandes from Fleming College, Aisha Foye of Kentucky, Eric Gracia from Penn State, Enrico Kufour, Caleb Kupa from Westtown School, Travis Lewis from Cleveland State, Ashton Pilz, Mark Schult from Centre College, Erin Sinnott from Minnesota, Tommy Strine from IUPUI and Ben Tanoff from Presbyterian. The Rising Coaches Honors Award is given to those who have gone above and beyond in their efforts to impact the coaching community. 

“These honorees have all spent time creating tools and resources that have helped countless coaches improve their craft or their journey through the coaching profession,” said Gordon.

In addition to the award winners, Rising Coaches has also given out over 100 Certificate of Recognition is given to members for their dedication to their craft and the coaching community over the past year (click for full list). The coaches have invested time into their own development and the development of others in the Rising Coaches Community.

Coaches must be active members of Rising Coaches to be eligible for any Rising Coaches award. Rising Coaches assists by providing relationships, development and job opportunities.  For more information or to become a member of Rising Coaches, visit www.risingcoaches.com