Week 1 (Philadelphia University) – Head Coach, Jim Reilly
Jimmy Reilly has been the top Assistant Coach at Philadelphia University under HerbMagee, Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Head Coach, since May 2007. Coach Reilly also serves as the athletics department’s coordinator of conference events, and is responsible for the Team’s’ strength and conditioning program, the guard development program, on-court instruction, and in-game defensive adjustments. During his time at Philadelphia University, the team made appeared in four NCAA Tournaments, won two Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference CACC titles, and claimed three CACC southern division crowns.
Prior to his position at Philadelphia University, Coach Reilly served as an assistant coach at Neumann University for two seasons, was an assistant boy’s varsity coach at West Catholic High School From September 2003 until May 2005, and was also the head JV coach—was in charge of scouting and assisted in running summer camps for boys and girls in 4th through 9th grade.
Coach Reilly attended Ursinus College where he led the team in assists during his junior and senior seasons, was a two-year team captain and the team’s MVP as senior. Coach Reilly graduated from Ursinus in 1999 with a B.S. in Communications and worked as an assistant basketball coach for two years post-graduation.
Week 2 (Chestnut Hill College)- Head Coach, Jesse Balcer:
Jesse Balcer has worked as the Head Coach of the Men’s Basketball Team at Chestnut Hill College since the program’s establishment in 2003. Under his direction the men’s basketball program was the College’s first to reach postseason play as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II and the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC), qualifying for an appearance in the CACC Quarterfinals following the 2008-2009 regular season. Coach Balcer was also the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Coach of the Year following a semifinals appearance in the 2004-2005 season.
Prior to being Head Coach at Chestnut Hill College, Coach Balcer worked as an Assistant Coach at Philadelphia University from 2000-2003. His coaching credentials also include assistant varsity and head junior varsity boys’ coach at Lower Moreland High School from 1998-2000 and Abington Friends High School where he also served as an assistant varsity coach, from 1997-1998. Balcer played at Abington Friends School and Philadelphia Textile, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He played on three nationally-ranked teams under, recently inducted Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Herb Magee, 2011. Balcer enjoyed a trip to the NCAA Elite-Eight in 1992 and was the first walk-on to be named team captain. Balcer was also a four-year starter at short stop on Textile’s baseball team and earned All ECAC honors in 1993-1994 and was Co-MVP of the baseball team in 1996.
Week 3 (St. Joseph’s University)- Head Coach, Jason Harrigan:
Coach Jason Harrigan made his coaching debut at Delaware Valley Charter High School, where he also served as a math teacher in 2010. Prior to Jason accepting the coaching position, Delaware Valley Charter had never won a playoff game and had never qualified for the state playoffs. From the beginning Jason made great strides in turning the program around and his team compete in the state playoffs 6 out of the 7 year he was Head Coach. Coach Harrigan also guided the Del Val Warriors to a record season in 2016 when the Warriors won the Philadelphia Public League (beating Constitution) and the City Championship (beating Neuman Goretti). For his team’s accomplishments, Harrigan was named Coach of the Year by The Philadelphia Daily News. Coach Jason Harrigan is currently the head coach at Cardinal O’Hara of the Philadelphia Catholic League.
Week #4 (Temple University) – Head Coach, Erick Woods:
Following his playing career, Coach Woods has had the opportunity to coach at a number of schools in the Philadelphia Area, with stops at Pennwood, Imhoptep Charter, Widener University, Bayard Rustin, and Delaware County Christian. Coach Woods currently Owner and Performance Enhancement Specialist at Excel Basketball. Coach Woods joins the PYB Staff bringing passion, energy, extensive playing and coaching experience, as a knowledge skills and strength coach.
Week #5 (Drexel University) – Head Coach, Stacey Smalls:
Stacey Smalls, is a Cheltenham, PA native who played for the Legendary Coach Dawn Staley from 1999-2003. Stacy finished her four-year career with the Temple women’s team as the program’s sixth all-time leading scorer, amassing 1,258 points; the all time leading three-point shooter with 154 career three-pointers; the fifth all-time assist leader (357 career assists); the ninth all time steals leader (187 career steals); as a junior was named Atlantic 10 Tournament MVP when she led the Owls to their first A10 title; and she was a three-time first team All-Big 5 selection and was inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame in 2011.
After her collegiate career, Coach Smalls worked as an assistant coach at LaSalle University from 2005-2010, where she coached the likes of Crista Rickets and Carlene Hightower, both of whom were inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame.
Coach Smalls currently teaches Health and Physical education for the School District of Philadelphia and officiates basketball at the High School and Collegiate levels. Smalls earned her BS in Sports Management ’03 from and MS in Education ’15 from Temple University.
Week #6 (La Salle University) – Head Coach, Sean Colson:
Sean Colson is a North Philadelphia native who spent 12 years playing in the NBA, the Continental Basketball Association and overseas. Before his professional career attended the University of Rhode Island, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Hagerstown Junior College. He started as an NBA player in 2000 for the Atlanta Hawks then finished the season as a Houston Rocket. Coach Colson also played with the Continental Basketball Association and overseas for in Italy, France, Turkey, Poland, Ukraine, Latvia, Lebanon, Kuwait, and Venezuela.
When his playing career came to an end, Coach Colson returned to Philadelphia to accept his first coaching position at Martin Luther King High School. During his long and successful playing career Coach Colson was been able to form his own ideas as to how to run a basketball program and has had great success as a leader and role model for his players. When asked what he most enjoys about coaching, Coach Colson stated, “The biggest thing I like is player development, I like watching a kid and helping him get better. That’s what it’s about, to me.”
By MaryKate O’Brien, Community Mobilization Coordinator