3rd Grade Coach: 

Brian Sassano: Brian graduated from William Tennent High School and Temple University. Brian is in his fifth year of coaching basketball and is currently the head coach of the CRBA 3rd grade girls travel team. He is a student of the game and regularly attends youth, high-school, and college basketball games in the Philadelphia area. His favorite parts of coaching are player development and creating a strong team culture. Outside of basketball, Brian has extensive experience coaching soccer and is currently the travel soccer director at a local club.

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4th Grade Coaches: 

Julie Osbeck (formerly Sailer): Julie was an All-American scored 1,910 points in high school, which was the most points in Bucks County (girls) history. She was a 1,000 point scorer at The University of Delaware (NCAA Division I) and an Academic All-American. She has ten years of coaching experience at the middle school and high school levels. 

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Kathryn Pearson: Kathryn began playing basketball in the 4th grade, played for four years at Council Rock North and four years at Fairleigh Dickinson in North Jersey (NCAA Division III). She began coaching her 3rd grader in 2021 and loves teaching kids this age new skills, how to compete, and enjoyment for the game.

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5th Grade Coaches:

Danielle Oxley: Danielle graduated from Council Rock North in 2003 and continued her playing career at University of Hartford (NCAA Division I). She then coached at the high school level for six years, and has also been coaching youth basketball for both boys’ and girls’ teams over the past five years. She is currently the Women's Varsity Assistant for Council Rock North High School.

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Brett D'Andrea: Brett graduated from Holy Ghost Prep and Fairfield University. Brett is in his second year coaching of in the UMNB program and serves as an intramural age group program coordinator. Outside of basketball, Brett has years of experience coaching both soccer and baseball in the local community. 

 

6th Grade Coaches:

Heather Thompson (formally McGinty): Heather graduated from Neshaminy High School as the all-time leading scorer for both boys’ and girls’ basketball. She played for four years at Drexel University (NCAA Division I). She serves as the Assistant Coach for Rider University (NCAA Division I) basketball program and has dedicated her time to supporting the development of youth basketball for over 28 years, supporting clinics, CYO and AAU organizations.

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Lisa Boyle: Lisa was the four-year starting center for Temple University Women’s basketball (NCAA Division I). She went on to coach JV at Conwell Egan Catholic for two years. After having seven children, she started coaching at the AAU/Travel level, and has been coaching for the past 11 years.

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Richard Galup: Rich is a life long basketball lover. He is a graduate of Misericordia University (NCAA Division III) where he played hoops. Rich began coaching during his college years at summer camps and for the Keystone State Games. He most recently has been coaching his own daughters' teams from 2019 on. This is Rich's first year coaching with HEAT Hoops.

 

7th Grade Coaches:

Allen Kuiper: Allen is the Head Women's Basketball Coach at Cairn University (NCAA Division III). He has over eight years of high school and college coaching experience including The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), Saint Augustine's University, and Fayetteville Christian School. Allen played two seasons of college basketball at Rutgers University-Newark (NCAA Division III) where he was recognized on the Academic All-Conference Team. 

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Cherrissa Gibson: Cherrissa was a four-year starter at Bensalem High School and an 1,000 point scorer (and hall of fame member too!). She was a four-year starter at Elizabethtown College (NCAA Division III) with her team appearing in the Sweet 16 during her time there. Cherrissa has coached at Bristol High School, Donegal High School, and Bucks County Community College as well.  

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Mark Brady: Bio coming soon! 

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8th Grade Coaches:

Kari Cairone: Kari has been coaching AAU for 13 years and is co-director of the HEAT Hoops AAU program, as well as a board member of Upper Makefield Newtown Basketball intramural and HEAT travel programs. She played for four years at Lafayette College (NCAA Division I) where she served as captain.

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Hanna Rhoades: Hannah played her high school career first with Nazareth Academy and then finished at Abington Friends, making All-Friends First Team her senior year. She is a sophomore on the Arcadia University (NCAA Division III) basketball team. She scored 310 points as a freshman and thus far in her sophomore season is averaging 18.4 ppg. She leads all of Division III in 3-pointers made with 61 so far this season! She is excited to be coaching with her dad, Stephen Rhoades, who has been coaching for decades in the local area. 

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Stephen Rhoades: Steve spent numerous years coaching at the rec level with Torresdale Boys/Girls Club. He started and developed Philly Heat AAU and coached several girls' teams within the organization over the course of 10 years. Most recently, he helped coach girls' teams with the Rebels Basketball Academy at the high school level. 

 

9th Grade Coaches:

Mitchell Akright: Mitch is an experienced basketball coach with over 10 years of coaching experience. He is currently the basketball coordinator for St. Andrews School. He also coaches the A level Region teams for 8/7th grade girls and 6/5th grade girls. He has a passion for the sport and understanding of the technical, strategic, and tactical aspects of the game. He has led St. Andrews girls’ basketball recently to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia city playoffs and Region Championships. Building a strong positive winning team culture along with individual development are his top priorities.

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Julie Cruz: Julie is in her 5th season of coaching. She is always looking for ways to learn more about the game and regularly reads books about coaching, watches videos, and acquires new drills to introduce to the team. She spent her last two summers attending Point Guard College (PGC) basketball camps (as a coach) to observe. Her favorite part of coaching is player development, and she loves helping players improve in all aspects of the game.

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10th Grade Coaches:

This season, the team will be in excellent hands with some of the best talent and brightest high school basketball minds in Bucks County!  Seniors from our 2024 graduating AAU team will lead the 10th graders this season including: Frannie Boyle 6'0" center at CR North; Jenna Aponik 5'6" point guard at Germantown Academy; Kitty Randa 6'1" center at Hatboro-Horsham who will play at Kutztown University (NCAA Division II); and Mackenzie Kramer 5'10" center at Bensalem.

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11th Grade Coaches:

Kari Cairone: Kari has been coaching AAU for 13 years and is co-director of the HEAT Hoops AAU program, as well as a board member of Upper Makefield Newtown Basketball intramural and HEAT travel programs. She played for four years at Lafayette College (NCAA Division I) where she served as captain.

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Danielle Reckner: Danielle has many years of experience coaching basketball, field hockey, softball and soccer at both Council Rock and Central Bucks middle and high school levels. She has coached at Upper Makefield and Heat Hoops for six years. Danielle also played field hockey at St. Joseph's University (NCAA Division I).​

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Jason Metrick: Jason has been coaching youth basketball for a decade on both the boys’ and girls’ sides. He has been assisting with HEAT Hoops AAU for the past four years.

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We occasionally have openings for coaching positions, both volunteer and paid; Please inquire with Kari Cairone kmburger@yahoo.com