MEET THE COACHES
B.J. IVEY
CO-DIRECTOR
Before serving as the Director of Basketball Operations at Florida Gulf Coast University, B.J. Ivey served in Sarasota County Schools as a teacher and coach at Riverview High School. During his 13 years as head coach at Riverview High School his teams won 270 games, 8 district titles and made 3 region finals appearances. B.J. was named "Boys Basketball Coach of the Year" by the Sarasota-Bradenton Herald Tribune in 2011, 2012, & 2016. Ivey also led The Rams to their only appearance in the State Finals in 2016. Ivey's programs produced 5 Sarasota and Manatee County "Player of the Year" winners and during this span he spent 8 years coaching Nike Team Florida in Nike's prestigious Elite Youth Basketball League. BJ Ivey also coached Adidas Team Florida, which went on to win the Adidas Gold Gauntlet league championship. All in all, he's had the opportunity to coach over 40 players that went on to play Division 1 Basketball in his time as a head coach.
During the 2022-2023 school year, BJ accepted the Boys Basketball Coaching position for the Sarasota High School Sailors. Under his leadership, they were able to turn their record around from a previous 5-21 season to ending the 2022-2023 season as District Runner-Up with a 21-7 record. The Sailors continued to improve in 2023-2024, having a 24-3 season and winning the District Championship. BJ was named the FACA District 16, 7A Coach of the Year and Overall Coach of the Year.
As a teacher, B.J. Ivey was named the 2017 Sarasota County Teacher of the Year. He was also awarded the Shine Award by Governor Rick Scott for greatly impacting the lives of students in the classroom. The Baltimore Orioles recognized Ivey as their 2018 Community Hero and in 2020 he was inducted into the Southwest Florida Fellowship of Christian Athletes Hall of Fame. In 2023, B.J. was presented with the Ripple Effect Award by Sarasota County Schools, an award that recognizes and celebrates the lasting impact he has on students, staff, athletes and peers.
B.J. was also a standout player at Riverview High School and graduated in 2000 before going on to play at the University of South Carolina – Aiken. Some of the player accolades and honors he earned along the way were:
- MVP of Riverview High's J.V. Basketball team in 1997
- Record for most points in a game at Bayshore's J.V. Holiday Classic with 37 pts vs. Venice High
- 3-Time Varsity Letterman at Riverview High
- Captain of Riverview Varsity Basketball Team (2000)
- District Champions 1997, 1998 and 2000
- WWSB Channel 40 Athlete of the Week in 2000
- 1999 Suncoast Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team
- FACA State North-South All Star Classic Team
- Suncoast Conference All Freshman Team (MCC)
- 2-Time Varsity Basketball Letterman at USC-Aiken
BILL IVEY
CO-DIRECTOR
Bill Ivey was a highly successful high school, junior college, and four-year college coach for more than a decade. Following his coaching career, he held his own nationwide football and basketball coaching clinics: The Sunshine Football & Basketball Clinic in Orlando, FL., The Great Smokies Clinic in Gatlinburg, TN., The Rockies Clinic in Estes Park, CO., The Fun & Fun Clinic in San Diego, CA., The Alaskan Clinic in Anchorage, and the Yellowstone Clinic located in Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Bill's clinics featured some of the top coaches in the nation, including:
- Dean Smith (North Carolina)
- Denny Crum (Louisville)
- Jim Boeheim (Syracuse)
- Tim Floyd (University of Southern California)
- Larry Brown (Detroit Pistions)
- Lou Carnesecca (St. Johns)
- "Red" Auerbach (Celtics)
- Roy Williams (North Carolina)
- Lute Olson (Arizona)
- Mike Shanahan (Denver Broncos)
- Steve Spurrier (University of South Carolina)
- Tom Osborne (Nebraska)
- Lou Holtz (Notre Dame)
- Vince Dooley (Georgia)
- Bill Synder (Kansas State)
- Grant Teaff (Baylor)
- Lavell Edwards (BYU)
- Wade Phillips (Dallas Cowboys)
- Bill Foster (Duke)
- Dale Brown (LSU)
For more than seven years Bill was also the director of "Prince Presents The World of Coaching." where he held coaching clinics at the Four Seasons Resort in Dallas, Texas, University of Texas-Austin, Princeton University, Northwestern University (Evanston), Georgia Tech University and Fairfield University.
Bill was named as Today Newspaper's "All Space Coach of the Year" in 1974 and was given a Key to the City of Jackson Hole by its Chamber of Commerce for his outstanding work as a coach, clinician and mentor to youth basketball across the area and the nation. He currently serves as director of sponsor relations and sponsorship programs for Suncoast Basketball.
MARK WADE
COACH/ CLINICIAN/LEAGUE COMMISSIONER
Coach Mark Wade is a former professional basketball player who was drafted by the New York Knicks in 1986 and afterwards played professional basketball in Belgium for 14 years. Coach Wade earned Player of the Year in his 3rd season overseas. Upon returning back to the U.S., he coached college basketball as an assistant coach at Saginaw Valley State and then as Director of Operations at Eastern Michigan University. Coach Wade grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, where he attended Boston Tech High School and was a two-time All-Scholastic Player and two-time City Champion. He was also named Mr. Basketball in the state of Massachusetts during his senior year and in college he was was a two-time Big Ten Champion. You can find his trading card on ebay!
WILLIE MCCLOUD
COACH/ CLINICIAN/ LEAGUE COMMISSIONER
Coach Willie grew up in the Washington D.C. area and fell in love with the game of basketball at a young age. He attended DuVal Senior High School and played center. He was an undersized center at 6'4", but having a 48 inch vertical leap helped him even out the playing field. Allegany Community College came calling and he played two years there as a small forward/power forward from 1985-1987. Coach Willie's work ethic was stellar even back then and earned him a scholarship to the University of Connecticut, where he played under the famous Jim Calhoun from 1987-1989. They won the N.I.T in 1988 and Coach Willie was named "Defensive Player of the Year" in 1989. Before joining Suncoast, Coach Willie had previously coached at Rainer Beach High School as a Varsity Assistant and the Freshman Boys Coach, he served as the Head Boys Coach at Imagine School of North Port, Head Boys Coach for Suncoast School of Innovative Studies, Middle School, and as the Varsity Assistant and Freshman Boys Coach at Fort Myers High. YOu can usually find him at the Boys and Girls Club sharing his love and passion for the game!
VINCE CHERRY
COACH/ CLINICIAN/ LEAGUE COMMISSIONER
Coach Vince is a Sarasota native and has been involved with basketball since a young age. Coach Vince played his high school career under Coach BJ at Riverview High School where they won the District Championship twice. He began working at Suncoast under Bill Ivey in 2012 and currently oversees the Cardinal Mooney gymnasium. Coach Vince started coaching with the boys basketball team at Cardinal Mooney in 2017, and in 2021, he was named head boy's varisty coach. During his first year as head coach, he led the team to a 23-5 season! You can also find Coach Vince out on the football field where he continues to put his coaching talents to good use.
