Staff

Founder of School of Skills and has coached basketball for over 35 years. Coaching background includes: California State CrossRoads High School, Mira Costa High School, West Torrance High School, North Torrance High School, Bishop Montgomery High School and Los Angeles City College. Club Level: Los Angeles Rockfish, Beach Cities & private instruction.

Has played basketball for a total of 18 years. He started his career playing RBYB throughout elementary and middle school. Along with RBYB he also played club basketball for Total Impact and A.R.C. He then moved on to playing Varsity High School basketball and football for both Redondo Union High School and Peninsula High School. After High School, he continued to stay active in the game assistant coaching the Varsity Basketball Program at West Torrance High School. In 2012 he had a great opportunity and experience to coach in Osaka, Japan with Coach Kory for the annual Japan vs. Korea tournament. Has now been Coaching with S.O.S. for 5 years.

School of skills alumni Gary Stepter II has been playing basketball for 14 years. Gary joined School of Skills his 6th grade year and stayed with the program throughout middle school, while playing for prarie vista middle school in Hawthorne. Gary went on to play high school basketball at Leuzinger and transferred to Redondo Union his freshman year. Gary has been coaching at school of skills for 3yrs now.

Caleb has been playing baseketball for 12 years, while playing AAU for 2 years. As a sophomore he was named MVP of his high school team at Hawthorne High School. The following year as a junior, he was given the coaches award. Then as a senior, Caleb made all defensive team, all league player second team, while also being awarded team MVP. Caleb held the role as captain for 3 years throughout high school as well as being awarded the academic award for 3 years.

Jesse is a School of Skills alumni from the South Bay who has been playing basketball for 14 years. He joined the program from fifth to eighth grade while playing for Hermosa Valley Middle School, HBYB, and MBYB, and went on to play high school ball at Mira Costa before enduring multiple knee injuries. After graduating from the University of Oregon with a dual major in Sports Business and Finance and minor in Economics, Jesse carried on his knowledge and love for the game of basketball off the court by working for the National Basketball Association’s Social Responsibility Department in NYC. He began coaching SOS in 2010 and plans to pass on the skills and lessons leading upcoming players to achieve an unlimited future in basketball.

Anna Der is currently a senior at Palos Verdes High School. In the past, Anna has played for the F.O.R. Butterflies, the Palos Verdes Intermediate School Sea Kings, and the So Cal Mustangs club team, based out of Manhattan Beach, CA. She now plays for the California Storm AAU team out of Southern California, and hopes to one day to play at the collegiate level. She has had past experience working on the court as a coach at the Peninsula Sports Camp (2011-current).

Born and raised in the south bay. Grew up in Manhattan Beach. 19 years old. Played high school basketball at Mira Costa HS under head coach Jeff Amaral…As a senior, he averaged 15 points, 5.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game, leading Mira Costa to a 20-11 record. Named first team all-conference two years running and as a senior, earned a spot on the prestigious Southern California Coach’s Association All-Star Team. A four-year starter at the point for Mira Costa, averaged 17 points and 5 assists as a junior, including a team-high 22 points per game during his team’s deep run in the playoffs. Plays collegic basketball at Nova Southeastern University. Has been with School of Skills since 9 years old.

Adam "Munch" Winett began playing basketball at the age of five by joining the School of Skills program. School of Skills was imperative to my growth as a player and person on and off the court. Coach Kory and the coaching staff really showed me how to play the game the right way and taught me the fundamentals to which enhanced my game even more. Last season for Mira Costa, we made history by reaching the forth round of CIF playoffs. Next year I will be attending the university of Arizona class of 2017.

I first joined School of Skills when I was seven years old and remained in the program until I was fourteen. As an 8th grader, I traveled to Japan with Coach Kory and represented School of Skills in an annual basketball tournament between the Japanese and Koreans. Our team reached the championship game but unfortunately came up short. Additionally, I was awarded MVP of the tournament. In High School, I continued to play basketball for Cathedral High School and then transferred to Loyola High School where I played one year. Currently, I am attending Gonzaga University on an academic scholarship.

Chase picked up his first basketball at age four and hasn’t set it down since. He started his career by attending many camps and School of Skills workouts. He then began playing club for the Manhattan Beach Bulldogs where they won countless tournaments shocking many people. Chase was a four-year varsity player at Mira Costa and was highly recruited by many division one colleges until a severe ankle injury at Stanford University. He suffered from a few more serious injuries that limited his recruiting and athleticism. He still received many college offers, but decided to turn them down to attend Southern Methodist University where he is still deciding if he wants to play or not.

She coached as an assistant coach at University of Southern California, at University of Nevada. She was also a student athlete at University of Kentucky, and received a B.A. in education.

Basketball Coach, Teacher, Personal Trainer and Mentor. Coach Ryan has over 24 years of basketball experience with over 18 years as a collegiate, high school, and AAU basketball coach. His extensive coaching and training experience has taken his teams to 9 CIF playoffs and 1 CIF championship. Coach Ryan was twice named coach of the year in the highly competitive Ocean Basketball League while sending dozens of male and female student athletes to play for Division I Universities, the European Leagues, and other professional leagues. Serval of Coach Ryan’s assistant coaches have gone on to become head high school coaches at local high schools. Coach Ryan is currently serving as the Associate Athletic Director of Nativity Catholic School where he has created a well-balanced, competitive athletic program for all student athletes. In addition, while also serving as the Head Boys Basketball Coach, he has led his teams to four playoff appearances in as many years. With 18 years of both diverse and progressive experience, Coach Ryan remains committed to teaching all the skills required of student athletes to compete at any level.cHe is a perpetual student of the game he loves, and an outstanding communicator and teacher of the game. A firm believer in the philosophy that enthusiasm is contagious, Coach Ryan’s level of activity and fervor in the gym is personification of the School of Skills credo. He, his teams, and the players he trains will never be outworked and will always facilitate the development of the skills necessary for success both on the court and in life. The School of Skills is delighted to add Coach Ryan to their ranks.

Elisha grew up in Los Angeles, CA and attended Hawthorne High School playing on the girls varisty team for 3 years. She then went on to complete 3 years at California Baptist University D1 NAIA, but then turned D2 NCAA. She then continued to play basketball and took her skills to Concordia Univerisity, Irvine D1 NAIA in her senior year. She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology.

Sebastian grew up in Florida. He began playing basketball at age 14 when he was in the eighth grade. Standing 6’7” and 215lbs. he soon realized that this was a great sport for him. He moved to Redondo Beach and began attending Redondo Union High School in his freshman year. He was recruited to the varsity team in his freshman year and played Center/Forward. Now he cannot see his life without basketball. This year Redondo Union won the CIF Southern Section Championship, and CA State Division II Championship. Sebastian was voted and received a scholarship for being one of the most outstanding players. He was selected to be on the first and second all-team CIF. The first selection was by CIF and the second was by the coaching staff. Sebastian played First String Center and Power Forward for the varsity team. Sebastian’s career goal is to become a mechanical engineer or a male nurse. He will begin attending Los Angeles Harbor College in the Fall of 2013 to later transfer to a University in Florida.

Cherie Hughes is from Redondo Beach, California. She graduated from Redondo Union High School and went on to attend Azusa Pacific University obtaining her B.A. in Public Relations. She also won a NAIA National Championship in 2011. After graduating she went on to play professional show basketball around the United States with the Harlem Ambassadors. Currently she coaches JV at Redondo Union High and at The School of Skills in Manhattan Beach.

Chris has played basketball for a total of 12 years. In middle school he went on to get 3rd place at AAU Nationals in Texas, and soon went on to attend high school at both Redondo Union and Mira Costa. As a Sophomore he made the RUHS Varsity basketball team, and as a Senior lead the team as Captain. Currently Chris is attending California State Dominguez Hills University, and majoring in Cellular and Molecular Biology as a Pre-Med student and is pursuing a dual degree MD/MBA. Chris has transferred his on-court skills into leadership and is also the current Associated Students Inc. CEO & President at CSUDH. Chris plans to be continuously around the game of basketball by helping his little brother Jacob and all the other players currently in the School Of Skills basketball program.

When I was 5 years old I started playing basketball and joined School of Skills. At the age of 9, I won the AAU National Championship in Orlando, FL and 4 California State AAU championships. I decided to go to Redondo Union High School and made the varsity team my freshman year. This past season I won the CIF Division 2A championship, Division 2 Southern Section Regional Championship and Division 2 California State Championship. I was awarded CIF Division 2A Player of the Year, 1st Team Division 2 All State, and 3rd Team All State Overall. For the fall of 2014 I will be attending the University of Colorado at Mesa on a full athletic basketball scholarship where I will be majoring in Kinesiology.

Kelvin “Special K” Hildreth, former 10 year member of the Harlem Globetrotters. Special K started his basketball career at John Muir High School in Pasadena. Upon completing high school, “K”, as we call him, continued his basketball at El Camino College where he was a valuable member of a State Championship winning team. He then earned a scholarship to play basketball at Mississippi State University. After enjoying a great deal of success while at State, Special K graduated and signed a contract to play professionally in Italy. The Globetrotters spotted this “special” talent and invited him to join. Upon finishing his playing days with the Trotters, Special K decided to venture into coaching and teaching the sport of basketball at all levels. From elementary, middle school, high school, and professionals, he’s taught the sport to players of all caliber exceptionally.

Former WNBA player, Lisa Willis comes from a rich basketball background. During her time as a highly sought after high school basketball player at Narbonne HS, Willis collected 2 national championships, 2 state championships, CIF sophomore player of the year, and many more acknowledgements. As a student-athlete at UCLA, Willis made her mark in the record book; 3-point shooting record, 3 consecutive seasons of 100+ steals, PAC10 tournament MVP, and more. Before graduating, Willis was selected to play on the USA Team where she collected a gold medal. A year later, Willis was the 1st round, 5th draft pick for the Los Angeles Sparks in 2006 where she played 2 seasons before being traded to the New York Liberty; she played 2 seasons there as well. As a professional basketball player, Willis spent her WNBA offseasons playing in European countries such as Russia, Greece, Turkey and Latvia. In 2010 Willis retired from the game due to a knee injury. However, she feels that her relationship with basketball will continue with the children that she trains and coaches. Willis has since complete dedicated her time to developing basketball players to keep the game at a high level.