Hoops4Health Staff

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A Winnetka native and standout athlete at North Shore Country Day School, Brendan has been immersed in basketball from an early age. Inspired by his father—a former All-City player at Bowen High School and Division I athlete at Northern Illinois University—Brendan developed a lifelong passion for the game.  His journey has been shaped by resilience. Diagnosed with Diabetes Insipidus as a teen, Brendan faced severe health challenges during high school, including a life-threatening coma. After months of recovery, he returned to the court with renewed determination, earning All-Conference and All-Area honors and participating in two Chicagoland High School All-Star Games.  He continued his basketball pursuits at DePaul University, earning a spot as a walk-on before an injury sidelined him and later graduating from DePaul with a BA in Communications.  He remained active in the Sonny Parker College League, later competing in Summer Pro-Am leagues and training under renowned coaches. 

In 2010, Brendan founded Hoops4Health with a mission to develop youth athletes both on and off the court, while promoting the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.  Under his leadership, the program has grown into one of the Midwest’s largest and most respected, serving players of all ages and skill levels. Brendan has become a fixture in helping players achieve their dream of playing college basketball. Brendan has guided over 35 athletes through the college recruiting process, helping them find the right academic and athletic fit. His strong network of college coaches and experience leading Hoops4Health’s High School National Teams at top exposure events nationwide has made him a trusted mentor in the student-athlete journey.

North Shore Country Day High School Girls Varsity Basketball Head Coach

USA Basketball Gold Licensed Coach

Certified Ganon Baker Basketball Coach/Trainer

Certified 94 Feet Phil Handy Basketball Coach/Trainer

ASEP Certified in Coaching & Sports First Aid

CPR/AED Certified by the AHA

Email: brendan@hoops4health.com

Brett has had a passion for coaching for a long time and is great at building core fundamentals in kids. He has been a fixture at Hoops4Health for over 10 years and is excellent at developing players, motivating, and helping them reach their full potential. He has helped develop numerous players who have gone on to make their High School Varsity team, as well as playing on the College level. Prior to Hoops4Health, Brett held roles in various Park District programs working with kids in skill clinics and personal training. He strives to motivate and teach players how to play the game the right way and builds teams that are fundamentally and structurally sound. He has a great ability to connect with his players, motivate, and get the most out of them. Brett's passion for fitness and basketball led him to earning a Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology at Indiana University. 

Double Goal Coach Certification by the Positive Coaching Alliance​

CPR/AED Certified by the AHA

Email: brett@hoops4health.com

Email: ashley@hoops4health.com

Email: support@hoops4health.com

Coach Martin Freeman has been a fixture in youth basketball for over 20 years. He spent 15 years as a Physical Education teacher at North Shore Country Day School, where he also coached multiple middle school basketball teams.  Martin has coached local travel teams, trained, and worked camps and clinics throughout the North Shore. He is a leader of our Little Ballers programming and is instrumental in building a solid foundation for youth players. He focuses on building teamwork, defense, and understanding of the fundamentals. Martin is also our head referee/developer of our 3 on 3 League. Martin earned All-Conference and All-State honors in baseball during the 1986 and 1987 seasons. He was also a two-year varsity basketball player at Evanston High School, contributing to the team's successful run to the state tournament in 1986.

Coach Maietta believes in a no-nonsense approach to coaching based in the fundamentals and creating a culture whose cornerstones are character, accountability, and the joy of competing. Joe has been a fixture in youth basketball for over 20 years. Preparing and pushing student athletes beyond their own expectations is very rewarding for him as a coach. As a coach, Joe has helped guide more than 20 players to collegiate basketball programs, with roster placements across JUCO, NAIA Division II, NCAA Division III, and Division I levels. As an athlete, he was a two-time NCAA Division III National Champion in football at Augustana College and earned All-Conference honors twice as a quarterback at Morton West High School.  Joe was also a three-year varsity basketball starter, leading the team in rebounds all three seasons and earning All-Conference honors as a senior, along with recognition as the team's top scorer.

CPR/AED Certified by the AHA

Coach Adam Bulwa values hard work and fundamentals.  He believes that each player should have fun and enjoy the process of getting better.  He came through the Hoops4Health program as a player and is now passing along valuable knowledge of the game to the youth.  His story is an inspirational story in which he was cut twice from the New Trier team, but through hard work eventually made it as a senior. His basketball journey did not stop there. He played sparingly as a senior but continued to persevere. After great performances on the travel circuit he caught the eyes of many college coaches. He went on to play college basketball at North Park University, where he became an integral part of the team and eventually a starter. He is excited to help grow the game of the next generation of players. 

From a young age, Coach Nicholas has always a had a passion for basketball. Recently graduating from college, Nicholas has been a mainstay in multiple programs throughout Hoops4Health. His focus is teaching the fundamentals and team basketball. Nicholas played on many of our teams growing up and has come full circle to coach and give back to the next generation of players.  As a player, Nicholas had a great work ethic that led him to work his way up to our national teams. He competed against some of the top programs throughout the USA in various NCAA Live events throughout the country.  His goal is to teach dedication and hard work to each player. He believes these elements will allow the player to help reach their full potential. 

Coach Jordan brings a passion for player development, teamwork, and mentorship to Hoops4Health. With a strong background in basketball and years of experience both on the court and in leadership roles, Coach Jordan is committed to helping young athletes grow not just as players, but as individuals. Whether it’s building fundamentals, improving game IQ, or fostering confidence, he believes in meeting each athlete where they are and helping them reach their full potential through hard work, accountability, and respect. As a player, Jordan was a 4-year starter at Albion College (MI) where he was a 2x MIAA All-League player, scoring 1,110 career points and currently stands as the 15thall-time leading scorer in the school’s 100-year basketball history. Playing in every game in his collegiate career (103), he is the 2nd all-time leading rebounder in school history with 813 rebounds and finished his career with 215 assists. Additionally, during his senior year, Jordan led his team in points, assists, and rebounds.  As a coach, Jordan emphasizes a player-first philosophy that balances competition with character development. Coach Jordan understands that basketball is a game that can be used as a tool to teach life skills, build community, and instill values that last beyond the gym.

Adam has been involved with coaching over the past 20 years from youth level through high school. Adam was a 2-year varsity starter for Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, IL and went down state for 3-point contest in his senior year. He continued his playing career at Division III Aurora University where he was named All Conference and led his team to the school's first ever NCAA tournament victory in 2003. Adam also played briefly overseas in the KBL (Korean Basketball League). After concluding his playing career, Adam was hired as the Assistant Sophomore coach at Marmion High School for the 2008-09 season. He furthered his coaching career at Frances Xavier Warde School, where he has been Program Director for 4th through 6th grade boys' basketball for the past 7 seasons. Adam has also coached for other travel programs in the Chicago area such as Swish and Phoenix. He stresses the importance of fundamentals, preparation and teamwork as well as the value of hard work and competing to the best of your abilities.​ 

Coach Rashid Smith is a seasoned coach with over 20 years of coaching experience. Born in Alexandria, Louisiana, Smith played high school basketball at powerhouse Peabody Magnet High School where he earned All-State honors, a McDonald’s All-American nomination, a state championship, and Finals MVP during his senior season under Hall of Fame coach Charles Smith (no relation).  This led him to a full ride at Rice University, where as team captain he led the Rice Owls to its first postseason berth in 30 years while leading the Western Athletic Conference in steals, assists, assist-to-turnover ratio and three-point percentage from the point guard position. 

Those Rice connections led him to Chicago where he served as Director of RMG Hoops from 2005-2013. During that time, he has coached and mentored dozens of college players and high school standouts. In 2012, he took the reins of North Shore Country Day School as its Varsity head Coach leading the team to its first ever Final Four appearance and first Conference Championship. Smith has remained at the helm of that program, winning multiple Regional and Sectional titles during his tenure.   A standout moment in his career was organizing an East Coast college recruiting tour for a group of Independent School League All-Conference players, where they showcased their skills in front of more than 100 college coaches. The trip included visits to prestigious programs such as West Point, Lafayette, Dartmouth, Columbia, NYU, and nearly every school in the NESCAC conference.  Coach Smith continues training and coaching student athletes where his philosophy includes coaching the whole player.  Smith believes in ball movement, spacing and pacing, a style that has allowed his players to play with confidence and discipline. 

Coach Matt Swider focuses on teaching fundamentals and bringing energy every time on the court. He preaches defense and hard work as a backbone of being a successful team. Above all, Matt teaches the importance of sportsmanship and being a positive teammate. Matt is great at getting the most out of his players and growing their passion for the game. 

Coach Lazenby focuses his style of coaching and teaching the game of basketball on encouragement and positivity. He believes that no matter what an individual player's experience or skill level may be, that they have the ability to make an impact on their team. His teams will always play with a defense first mentality, and on offense, the aim will be to play with pace and move and share the basketball.  Outside of Hoops4Health, Michael is currently the assistant varsity coach at St. Viator High School.

With over 15 years of coaching experience, Coach J is known for her high standards, energetic leadership, and unwavering commitment to player development. She holds her athletes accountable for their attitude, effort, and teamwork—on and off the court—and instills the values of discipline, leadership, and resilience. Her coaching philosophy centers on “tough love”, encouraging players to focus on what they can control, work hard every practice, and to always push each other to improve while still having fun.  Coach J’s basketball journey began at age six and quickly became her lifelong passion. A four-year varsity player in high school, she earned a spot in the Junior Nationals, competing against top talent from across the country. It was there she learned the importance of academic, after being told by college coaches that her GPA was too low for a scholarship, despite her talent. That moment sparked a transformation.  She redshirted her first year of college to raise her grades and later earned a scholarship to Loyola University Chicago. Though she left early to support her family, she continued to play four full years of college basketball and earned an invite to the WNBA Combine.  Coach J chose to dedicate her career to youth development in the state that she loves, where she’s built a strong network and lasting impact. She served as Sports and League Supervisor at JCC-Flossmoor, coaching multiple boys and girls travel teams, and later led a Chicago charter high school varsity girls program. She is IHSA-certified (Illinois High School Association) and was recently honored as “Coach of the Year” in Northbrook for her leadership of her son’s basketball team.

A Chicago native, Coach Steff grew up playing basketball, football, and baseball. He attended Mount Carmel High School, where he was shaped by legendary football coach Frank Lenti. Under Coach Lenti’s guidance, Steff learned that success goes beyond championships.  He was taught that the values of trust, loyalty, respect and family are much greater than winning.  He brings those values into his coaching philosophy, emphasizing defensive intensity, offensive freedom, and selfless team play. With over 20 years of coaching experience, Coach Steff began his career as a varsity assistant at South Gate High School in Los Angeles, later coaching across all levels of the program. He also served as an assistant at Los Angeles Harbor College before returning to Chicago, where he now focuses on individual skills training for youth athletes. His greatest reward is helping young players grow, both as athletes and as people.

Coach Williams has over 15 years' experience coaching at the grassroots level. Coach Williams has coached, trained, and assisted in the development of several players who have gone on to play at the collegiate and professional levels. Coach Williams values work ethic and discipline on and off the basketball court, believing that success is synonymous with those traits. Coach Williams is a former Division 1 athlete and briefly played semi-pro basketball before joining the coaching ranks.

Coach Devin Thompson believes basketball is the truest essence of competition and teamwork. In addition, basketball is a great tool to teach young men about life and manhood. There are not many classes available to students that can take the theoretical, as well as the practical and experience success and failure, then learn from it. It is through sports that a young man can experience the triumphs and tribulations present in everyday adulthood. This training prepares players to handle difficult situations as well as those that require persistence, patience, self-discipline and hard work.  Coach Devin has over 10 years of coaching experience on different levels from 14U AAU to now coaching high school basketball on the varsity level for the last 4 years as Romeoville assistant coach. Coach Devin has had the opportunity to coach/mentor multiple collegiate athletes and plans to continue that throughout the rest of his career. 

Coach Devin believes a team that stresses defense tends to get more wins. Aggressive on the ball pressure is important to causing turnovers equal to transition baskets on offense. Offensively, Coach is all about “sharing the sugar, " spacing, and teaching kids how to read and react to the defense and always looking for the best shot. Coach Devin's philosophy is "If you treat the game right, the game of basketball will treat you right."

Coach Jeremy has coached with Hoops4Health for over 10 Years. He has helped develop hundreds of players over the years. He has also been instrumental in helping high school players with the recruiting process and has had numerous players go on to play college basketball. He believes in teaching game situations and building basketball IQ. As well, he teaches about work ethic and understanding how to play with a high motor. Jeremy believes defense wins games and is great at developing a defensive mindset in his players. Jeremy has vast knowledge of the game and has played at D1 college level as well professionally. His sons have been a part of the Hoops4Health program since early childhood and have both emerged as standout athletes. Jeremy Jr. is a McDonald’s All-American and Michigan State recruit, while Jeremiah played Division I basketball at Oklahoma and was recently selected 7th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans.

Keegan's focus is to build a positive and empowering environment for his players. This occurs by challenging his players to constantly improve their weaknesses and grow from their mistakes. He believes this occurs by building confidence through communication and skill development. He builds players through small sided games, constant read and react drills, and relevant skills that will actually translate to a real game scenario. His focus is on pushing the ball in transition and play free, but in the half court encouraging players to be patient and develop the ability to read and play off one another through various actions. Defensively his focus is on his players growing into better one on one defenders by heavy pressure, communication, and energy. He encourages players to learn how to play in a team first environment, improve their basketball IQ, and find enjoyment in their own development. Keegan is the current Head Sophomore Boys Basketball Coach at Plainfield South High School. Keegan played collegiate basketball at Benedictine University, where he contributed to two conference championship titles. A four-year varsity starter at Minooka High School, he earned multiple athletic honors throughout his high school career.

Coach Evans is a faith-driven leader who prioritizes the growth and development of youth athletes—both as players and as individuals. His coaching philosophy centers on fundamentals, skill development, and decision-making that translates directly to game performance. He emphasizes accountability, communication, and respect, with a strong belief in personal development as a foundation for success. One of his favorite quotes is: “An amateur practices until they get it right; a professional practices until they can’t get it wrong.” – Julie Andrews

A Joliet native, Khaleel competed in basketball and track at Joliet West High School from 2011 to 2015. He currently serves as Head Sophomore Boys Basketball Coach at Joliet Catholic Academy. After high school, he spent 3.5 years in the military, traveling the world while staying connected to the sport. Post military, he played one year of semi-pro basketball and one year at North Central College.  Coach Evans is also a certified NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) trainer, offering sport-specific fitness instruction and personal training focused on strength, agility, and overall wellness. His mission is to help young athletes reach their full potential—physically, mentally, and spiritually.