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Young Brooklyn native ready for tough coaching gig
By Marc Raimondi July 18, 2009
To put it mildly, Adia Revell is facing an uphill climb.
Her task: to build a Division I junior college women’s basketball program – from scratch – in one of the toughest cities in the world. The Brooklyn native will welcome her first recruiting class to ASA Institute in her home borough this coming fall, just one year after the school started an athletic department.
“It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” the 25-year-old Revell said. “But I would have said that about my first year of playing Division I basketball and I would have said that about my first year transferring [colleges]. It was definitely a learning experience.”
Revell graduated from St. Michael Academy of Manhattan in 2001. When she went on to play at the University of Rhode Island, Revell became the first player from St. Mike’s and the Exodus AAU program to earn a Division I scholarship. She spent a year at URI before transferring to Columbia University’s Barnard College.
She was one of the Lions’ best players for two seasons before she graduated in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Last Sept. 20, Revell became one of the youngest college head coaches in the country, regardless of level.
Because she was hired so late in the process, Revell had to do all her recruiting from within ASA for its first season competing in NJCAA’s Region XV.
“It can never be worse than that,” she said with a laugh. “So, there’s only room for improvement.”
Revell has certainly been working hard trying to turn around the tough first season. She’s a mainstay at girls’ basketball events across New York City, always wearing a purple ASA Institute shirt. Unlike her JUCO peers, like Monroe in the Bronx and upstate Monroe, there really is no name recognition. Revell has to introduce ASA before she can even sell it to players.
She does have a few players signed for next season: Kennedy's Darleen McLeod, August Martin’s Patrice Lewis, A. Philip Randolph's Cristal Liriano and Bedford Academy’s Tiayana Logan with others to come. Her short-term goals are to put together a competitive roster and schedule and move girls on to four-year schools with scholarships. And, of course, to win.
While there’s plenty of talent in New York City, she faces plenty of pratfalls in her journey to make ASA a top destination for talent. Having both Monroes in her backyard isn’t the only disadvantage.
“She’s definitely trying hard – there’s no doubt about that,” South Shore HS girls’ basketball coach Anwar Gladden said. “But girls that she wants to get, you probably want to get those girls out of Brooklyn. She might get a kid that goes away and gets sent home, but still wants to play ball.”
Revell has a contingency plan. While the city will remain her bread and butter, she thinks ASA, which is having a graduation July 23 at Madison Square Garden that will feature a commencement speech by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, will be a prime destination for players from all over the country because of its location.
“It’s hard initially, because everyone’s telling [city girls] they need to get away,” Revell said. “No, you just need to be in the right environment. And you don’t have to go away to be in the right environment.”
She does have one advantage over most coaches. Revell is a tremendous role model: a girl from Bedford-Stuyvesant who is Ivy League-educated and was a phenomenal talent in her own right. In fact, she’s still playing around the city, notably the Tri-State Classic women’s league where she competed Friday night at Gauchos Gym.
“It’s important for girls to see someone who’s from where they come from,” Revell said.
The young coach qualifies as that and much more.
mraimondi@fiveborosports.com
Her task: to build a Division I junior college women’s basketball program – from scratch – in one of the toughest cities in the world. The Brooklyn native will welcome her first recruiting class to ASA Institute in her home borough this coming fall, just one year after the school started an athletic department.
“It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” the 25-year-old Revell said. “But I would have said that about my first year of playing Division I basketball and I would have said that about my first year transferring [colleges]. It was definitely a learning experience.”
Revell graduated from St. Michael Academy of Manhattan in 2001. When she went on to play at the University of Rhode Island, Revell became the first player from St. Mike’s and the Exodus AAU program to earn a Division I scholarship. She spent a year at URI before transferring to Columbia University’s Barnard College.
She was one of the Lions’ best players for two seasons before she graduated in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Last Sept. 20, Revell became one of the youngest college head coaches in the country, regardless of level.
Because she was hired so late in the process, Revell had to do all her recruiting from within ASA for its first season competing in NJCAA’s Region XV.
“It can never be worse than that,” she said with a laugh. “So, there’s only room for improvement.”
Revell has certainly been working hard trying to turn around the tough first season. She’s a mainstay at girls’ basketball events across New York City, always wearing a purple ASA Institute shirt. Unlike her JUCO peers, like Monroe in the Bronx and upstate Monroe, there really is no name recognition. Revell has to introduce ASA before she can even sell it to players.
She does have a few players signed for next season: Kennedy's Darleen McLeod, August Martin’s Patrice Lewis, A. Philip Randolph's Cristal Liriano and Bedford Academy’s Tiayana Logan with others to come. Her short-term goals are to put together a competitive roster and schedule and move girls on to four-year schools with scholarships. And, of course, to win.
While there’s plenty of talent in New York City, she faces plenty of pratfalls in her journey to make ASA a top destination for talent. Having both Monroes in her backyard isn’t the only disadvantage.
“She’s definitely trying hard – there’s no doubt about that,” South Shore HS girls’ basketball coach Anwar Gladden said. “But girls that she wants to get, you probably want to get those girls out of Brooklyn. She might get a kid that goes away and gets sent home, but still wants to play ball.”
Revell has a contingency plan. While the city will remain her bread and butter, she thinks ASA, which is having a graduation July 23 at Madison Square Garden that will feature a commencement speech by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, will be a prime destination for players from all over the country because of its location.
“It’s hard initially, because everyone’s telling [city girls] they need to get away,” Revell said. “No, you just need to be in the right environment. And you don’t have to go away to be in the right environment.”
She does have one advantage over most coaches. Revell is a tremendous role model: a girl from Bedford-Stuyvesant who is Ivy League-educated and was a phenomenal talent in her own right. In fact, she’s still playing around the city, notably the Tri-State Classic women’s league where she competed Friday night at Gauchos Gym.
“It’s important for girls to see someone who’s from where they come from,” Revell said.
The young coach qualifies as that and much more.
mraimondi@fiveborosports.com