Coach Lauren Kendra is the Head Coach of Haddon Heights. She grew up in Bellmawr, NJ and attended Catholic School growing up. She got a late start in sports after she broke her arm doing gymnastics. Coach Kendra attended and played basketball at Gloucester Catholic under Lisa Gedeka.   

After high school, she went on to play soccer and basketball at Kings in Wilkes Barre, Pa because she connected with the basketball coach there. During her senior year she tore her ACL. She went on to earn her degree but ultimately she realized that her calling was coaching and teaching Biology.  

Coach Kendra got her start coaching middle school basketball and then went back to her Alma Mater as an Assistant Coach under Coach Gedeka. After a few years , Gedeka encouraged her to move on to be a head coach and she eventually won the job at Haddon Heights.  Coach Kendra was very fortunate to inherit a team with talent and was very successful in her early career. This year she is off to a fast start and has built a strong foundation for the next few years.  

https://twitter.com/3HSGirlsBball  

Music Credit: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nicholas_Mackin/A_Journey/04Nicholas_Mackin-Ellinor-A_Journey_II-A_Journey-SLC41_Soisloscerdos

SHOW LESSCoach Chrissie McGovern grew up in Franklinville, NJ She grew up playing different sports with her cousins. Eventually, she moved to Washington Township and attended Gloucester Catholic. She played basketball for Coach Lisa Gedeka. Initially she was set to continue her basketball career at University of the Sciences but at the last minute, she had second thoughts. She went to GCC and then Rowan where she played basketball.   

After graduating from Rowan and becoming a Phys. Ed Teacher, she was offered a job teaching and coaching in Brick Township. She stayed there for 4 years but wanted to work closer to home. She started teaching and coaching at Cherokee. The district moved staff around and she was moved to Shawnee under Coach Anderson. He stepped down and let he know that she would be the new Head Coach.  

Coach McGovern was fortunate to inherit a talented team and made it to teh SJ Group 4 Finals in her first two seasons. Last year, Shawnee caugh fire at the right time. As the number 14 seed they upset Clearview, Jackson Memorial and Lenape and returned to the SJ Group 4 Finals. They faced sister school and division rival Cherokee HS. There was not an empty seat in the house. Game was tight until the middle of the third quarter when Cherokee went on a little run and ended up beating Shawnee. It was an amazing run for a team that nobody but Shawnee thought would win.   

Coach McGovern is back to her winning ways with a new starting lineup after graduating 4 seniors. This year they are taking it one game at a time and focusing on tough defense and protecting the ball. With the help of her all female staff they look to go deep in the playoffs next year.  https://twitter.com/shawneeladybbal​ 

Music Credit: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nicholas_Mackin/A_Journey/04Nicholas_Mackin-Ellinor-A_Journey_II-A_Journey-SLC41_Soisloscerdos

Coach Mike Velardi is a first year Head Coach at Hammonton High School. This was a natural landing place for him. He was born and raised in Hammonton, NJ. He played Football, Baseball and Basketball growing up. In high school he focused on playing Football and Baseball once he got to high schhool. He attended school in town and graduated from Hammonton High School in the late 90's.   

After graduating high school, Coach Velardi stayed local and attended Stockton. Where he played baseball but later decided to focus on becoming a teacher.  Coach Velardi got his start coaching as a volunteer. He was in college at the time and substitute teaching to get experience and earn money. He decided that he liked coaching and after graduating from college he moved on to coaching middle school baskeball. The Head Coach job opened up when the coach moved on to take a job as an Assistant Principal in another district.  

Coach Velardi has overcome the challenges of Covid. With only ten player and no JV team this year, he coached the team to earn his first victory as Head Coach of the Hammonton High School Girls Basketball Team. I have no doubt that Coach Velardi will have a successful career and put this team on the map.  

https://twitter.com/HHSDevilsGBB 

Music Credit: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nicholas_Mackin/A_Journey/04Nicholas_Mackin-Ellinor-A_Journey_II-A_Journey-SLC41_Soisloscerdos

Coach Ron Powell grew up in Burlington Township and attended grade school and high school in town. He played basketball in high school. After high school, he attended Trenton State (now TCNJ). After two years he decided to transfer to East Stroudsburg where he persuded his degree in Physical Education.  

Coach Powell got his start in coaching as an assistant at Rancocas Valley. After one year, the head coach at the time moved on and Coach Powell became the new head coach at the age of 24. He went on to coach at RVHS for 15 and enjoyed success winning two NJSIAA State Championships.  

After a successful career at RVHS, Coach Powell stepped down to focus on earning his masters degree. Word go out that he was available and the Principal and Athletic Director of Cherokee offered him the Head Coach job. He initiallay turned them down but had a change of heart and accepted the job. Coach Powell coached the boys for 12 years and again experienced great success and won one NJSIAA State Championship.  

He stepped away from the game for five years and was approached by the Cherokee Principal. This time he was offered the job to become the Girls Head Coach  In 2017, the Lady Chiefs won the NJSIAA Group 4 South Title, eventually losing to Sayerville in the semi-finals. In 2018 he earned his 500th win as a coach. 2019-2020 was a historic year for the Lady Chiefs. They finished the season with a record of 30-1, the best record in team history, most wins in a season in team history and advanced the farthest in the playoffs in team history. The team claimed the NJSIAA Group 4 South Title and beat Montgomery in the Semi-Finals. Unfortunately, the season was cancelled soon after because of Covid.  

Coach Powell is doing the best he can to make this year as normal as possible. With the help of his Assistant Coaches, John McFadden and Erin Farrell, they have the team focused to play Cherokee Basketball.

Lady Chiefs Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/CherokeeLadyChiefsBasketball

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RonPowe66343474 

Music Credit: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nicholas_Mackin/A_Journey/04Nicholas_Mackin-Ellinor-A_Journey_II-A_Journey-SLC41_Soisloscerdos

Coach Bret Jenkins was born and raised in Mt. Laurel. He attended the local schools in Mt. Laurel and went to Lenape High School where he played Basketball and Baseball. He went on to play Basketball and Baseball at Ursinus.  

He got his first experience coaching when he was asked to help his younger brother's team. This led to him coaching JV on the boys side. After a few years the position for the Girls Head Coach opened up and he decided it was time to go for it. He experienced success in his very first year improving their record and took his team to the playoffs. Coach Jenkins knows how to get the most out of his players. Last year, his team tied for the Division Crown with Burlington Township.   

Coach Jenkins is off to a 2-0 start during this sortened season and will prepare his team to compete and have fun.  

https://twitter.com/Bret_Jenkins 

https://twitter.com/CHSGirlsBball 

Music Credit: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nicholas_Mackin/A_Journey/04Nicholas_Mackin-Ellinor-A_Journey_II-A_Journey-SLC41_Soisloscerdos

Coach Kristen Przybylski or Coach P as she is know in the basketball community was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Her family eventually moved to Barrington. Right before she started high school, her family moved to Voorhees and she attended Eastern Regional High School.  Growing up she played basketball and softball but eventually focused on playing basketball. After high school, she attended Camden County College and later moved on to Rowan University.  

Like many coaches, Coach P got her first taste of coaching as a volunteer under her high school coach who moved on to Cherry Hill East. She returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach at Eastern for sixteen years. She spent one year as an assistant at Haddon Heights before returning to Eastern as Head Coach.  

Coach P quickly won over her players and went 16-10 in her first year nearly upsetting Cherokee at home who was number one in South Jersey at the time. Coach P has her team focused and ready to compete this season and they look to build upon the success of last season.  

https://twitter.com/ECCRSDGirlsBB 

Music Credit: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nicholas_Mackin/A_Journey/04Nicholas_Mackin-Ellinor-A_Journey_II-A_Journey-SLC41_Soisloscerdos

Anthony Corrado is going into his 19th year as Head Coach for Rancocas Valley High School Girls Basketball. He was born South Philadelphia and moved to Stratford and attend Sterling High School. He played three sports growing up and moved on to play baseball at Rutgers Camden.  

Coach Corrado got his start in coaching as an assistant at the middle school he attended growing up. in 2000, he was named Head Coach at RVHS and has been there ever since. He coached some great teams through the years and coached his team to the finals of the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions in 2013.  

In 2020, Coach Corrado successfully organized the first SJ vs Shore Tournament featuring top teams from South Jersey battling it out against top teams from the Shore Conference. Every game was competitive and proved that South Jersey has the talent and coaching to hang with the best teams in the state.  Coach Corrado enters this season with a new attitude, focusing on playing strong defense and fast play to compete in every game. RV enters the season ranked No. 9 in the Courier Post's Mean 15 and No. 16 in the SJIBT Preseason Top 20.   

https://twitter.com/rv_girlsbball 

https://twitter.com/anthonycorrad22

Jason Handy is the current Head Coach for Winslow Township High School Girls Basketball. He grew up in Camden, NJ and his family moved to the Pine Hill/Lindenwold area just before his Freshman Year of High School. He attended and graduated from Overbrook High School. He played football, basketball and baseball. After graduating from high school he had aspirations of playing at FDU but a knee injury cut his playing career.   

Coach Handy got started with his coaching career under the guidance of his mentor Coach James Puderbach Jr. After years of learning, he developed his own style and eventually landed at PVI HS and coached with Lisa Steele. The head coach position opened up last season and Coach Handy was awarded the position.  

Coach Handy is building the program up by mentoring his capatins and players to work hard, have fun and be a family. In his first year the team finished just under .500 and made it to the second round of the playoffs. In his second year as head coach, Coach Handy is focused on competing every game and helping his players with academics. I have no doubt that Winslow High School will be a force to recon with for years to come.  

https://twitter.com/coachhandy 

https://twitter.com/winslowgirlsbb