Wilmington, NC - Cape Fear Community College will play host to the third annual 2015 Wilmington Coaches Academy on September 19th at 12:00 pm. Hosted by Coach Ryan Mantlo, John Lattimore and the Sea Devil men's basketball team, the basketball clinic will include speakers from five current assistant or head NCAA Division 1 coaches, one former Division 1 head coach, and two highly respected clinicians. The full day event has grown over its three years to one of the best of such events in the state.
Over the past two years, speakers have included Wes Miller (Head Coach of UNC Greensboro), Rusty LaRue (Wake Forest), Hernando Planells (Duke women's), Mike Netti (ECU), Doug Esleek (Mercer), Rob Burke (Citadel), Andre Gray (UNCW), Barclay Radebaugh (Head Coach of Charleston Southern), Dale Layer (Head Coach of Liberty), and Ben Miller (Head Coach of UNC Pembroke).
This year's group of speakers is quite an impressive list. Starting at noon on Saturday the 19th, Lason Perkins will lead off the day. Coach Perkins is well known nationally for his prowess in X's and O's, having produced a number of instructional videos on the subject. He also served as the head coach at Chapel Hill High School, and coached Sea Devil great Anthony Vanhook.
Brett Carey will follow Perkins, beginning at 1:00 pm. Coach Carey currently coaches at UNC Asheville, after coaching stints at perennial powerhouse Oak Hill Academy and the University of South Carolina.
Jason Allison of Appalachian State University speaks in the third slot. Coach Allison came to Appalachian State after nine years at Virginia Military Institute.
In the final spot of the first session, Dick Bender of the College of Charleston is slotted to speak. Coach Bender came to the College of Charleston from Clemson, where he spent four years working for former UNCW head coach Brad Brownell. Bender has also served on staffs at Radford, Tulane and Indiana State.
After a dinner break, the clinic will resume with High Point University's head coach Scott Cherry. Coach Cherry is coming off a stellar 2014-15 campaign, earning Big South Coach of the Year honors while leading his program to a 23-10 finish. Cherry has also been a staff member at South Carolina, Western Kentucky and George Mason. Cherry was a player on the 1993 University of North Carolina National Championship team, coached by the legendary Dean Smith.
Dale Layer follows Coach Cherry, in the 7:00 pm slot. Coach Layer spent the past six years as the head coach at Liberty University, and has served in similar positions at Queens and Colorado State University. Coach Layer spent time at Colorado State and Marquette University as an assistant coach.
UNC Charlotte assistant coach Andre Gray speaks at 8:00 pm. Coach Gray is in his first season working for Coach Mark Price after a short stint at Winston Salem State, and spent the previous three years at UNC Wilmington under Buzz Peterson.
Ryan Goodson finishes out the evening. Goodson is an internationally reknown skills instructor, having worked closely with NBA players such as Stephen Curry and Antawn Jamison. Goodson has made a number of skill development MVPs, and has travelled as far as the Philippines, China, Russia, Canada and Puerto Rico to instruct players.
The clinic is free of charge, and space is limited. Contact CFCC assistant John Lattimore at jlattimore@cfcc.edu to reserve a spot.