North American Academy-NAA

What will happen to the Grassroots program?

dont take this the wrong way; whats gunna happen with tristan thompson, wells jr, jermaine myers and corey joseph. will they transfer to this school???

i was just trying to get some idea in regards to salary not the exact amount. well maybe you know how much coaches in similars roles make in the us. i would be shocked if ro didn't get at least one of his guys to transfer in.

just looking at whos going there with ro only makes sense to me that those players would transfer as well. not that its a bad thing

Whats going to happen with the Centenial Job? They gotta look for a Coach again?

coach phillipe
are you gunna try and bring kids like miqueel,mikyle,duane,kenrick,troy,deshaun .....
to this school

and what if a player is good in canada and its coach emails you telling you that it wants the kid to come 2 this naa school, becuzz they feel the kid could suceed. would you guys come check the kid out?

First and foremost, congratulations to Coach Philippe for this opportunity. He certainly deserves the opportunity.Many of us coaches put in hard work for zero pay and it is great when one of our own can get paid just like our US counterparts. It is very clear that Coach Philippe loves to do this and coaches with passion, love and respect for the game.
What some people seem to not understand is this isn't about dollars and cents. I know that I love coaching the kids and don't regret putting in all of the time that I have voluntarily, neither do other volunteer coaches and Coach Philippe. It costs us coaches to do this and we don't regret it. I am bringing myself and fellow coaches into this because I know we all are in the same mindset as Coach Philippe. As he has coached over the years, the challanges get more exciting and he want's more. He jumped in and took a very storied program at West Hill and had an incredible season. He realized more and more that this is what he want's to do for a career but unfortunately, coaching high school and college basketball in Canada doesn't pay your mortgage. The opportunity arises for him to possible make a living doing this and naturally he jumped at it. It is just as important to love your job as it is to make money. How many people do you hear say "I hate my job but it pays the bills"? Coach Philippe sees a wonderful opportunity to give back to basketball and get paid doing something that he LOVES. He should be in no way critisized for that.The mere thought of having a career doing something I love is exciting in itself.
It doesn't matter that he has coached at West Hill for a year and left. This opportunity could have come up in 2/3 years and he would have taken it then. He has given his all when it comes to coaching at West Hill and owes nobody anything. He is not bailing out on his kids, in fact he is leaving the program in a great state for whoever is the next coach to take over. I am sure the knowledge the kids at West Hill received this season will stay with them for the rest of their lives. There is no price on the value of this.
I believe in all feedback is positive feedback, no matter if it is positive or negative.It is the way in which it is presented. I think that everybody is entitled to their opinion but this is certainly not proper to trash the ability or conduct of Coach Philippe. I agree with anybody that posts concerns for Coach Philippe in taking this giant step because it is a major decision. It is clear that people are looking out for him. You have posts expressing concerns regarding the affiliation with Ro and that is fair. I have no personal experiences or anything to comment when it comes to Ro but there have certainly been enough things written about him to make me think. If I was in Coach Philippe's shoes, I certainly would thouroughly look at this from every angle. There have been many accusations, whether it be wrong or right concerning Ro and that has to be taken seriously. Some negative posts about Ro are certainly individuals who have nothing but poor intentions but not all negative posts are like this. The same holds true for all the positive that Ro has done. Many people have come on here and sung his praises. Many, if not all of these positive stories are true. In ending, it is fair for people to express concerns. One thing that is way out of line to ask is how much money Coach Philippe will be making.
I want to finish by expressing my support and pride in knowing one of our own is moving up in the coaching fraternity. I am sure that Coach Philippe will not forget he is Candaian and will wear his nationality with pride. I think that this is a great opportunity and gives me the confidence to know that there are opportunities for us coaches. The door has been opened because of Coach Philippe and we should back him up. I wish you nothing but the best and keep us updated on here.

Great post "wcbasketball".

I too would like to wish Coach Philippe good luck & say that many Canadian basketball fans are routing for you and this new school to be successful so that future generations of Canadian players have more and better options to consider.

Like some of the others have suggested, my only concern for you Coach P is the reputation of some of the people that you are tying your wagon to. My father always told me; beware, where there's smoke, there's fire. However, I know you are an adult and can look after yourself. I do wish you good luck and hope for your success.

Coaches Russell, Thomas, and Phillippe: Wish you guys nothing but the best..good luck in Erie..hopefully you will come back and play in tournaments back here in T.O. (you know, like Applewood's...hahahahaha!!!!) All the best!

Great post WCBasketball, thank you!

That is a perfect break down of the situation from a Coach's perspective and I couldn't have said it better myself. (I appreciate your opinion and it's great to see comradery and support from other Coaches...Thanks Respect and Coach Blue!)

I definitely go all-out, 110% in whatever I do, and my players will vouch for that. I gave it my best at West Hill, and I will give it my best at NAA.

It is a big decision, and I did not take it lightly. As far as Coach Ro goes, I know he is a controversial figure and people either love him or hate him. I know from my experience with him though that he is very passionate about basketball, player development, and exposure for his players and he truly cares. I can't change anyone's opinions about him though, everyone has their own opinion...

As far as players that will be coming to NAA, there will be a player list posted as a separate press release in the future. It only makes sense that Coaches and Players consider our H.S./Prep Program as they know that we will treat players fairly, and as Canadians they will be appreciated and respected (not viewed as 2nd Class).

Other answers:
-Grassroots Canada/Advantage OBA/AAU will continue on (try-outs are this weekend)
-Centennial College will be looking for a new Coach
-Can't make comment on players going to NAA (will be announced)
-Yes, we will definitely play Tournaments/Games in Canada and show Canadian basketball as much support as possible!
-Any players or Coaches that have further questions about NAA can reach me at nbphilippe@hotmail.com

Thanks again for everyone's posts. The support is great and we look forward to doing Toronto/Canada proud!

All the best Coach!

You have every right to make this move.

Your presence on this board has been very positive and I hope you continue to post and keep us up on going ons with this program.

Again good luck in all you undertake Nate!

P.S. Just to clarify something you posted I am a retired teacher for ten years now but I remain a teacher of the game. (and a learner at the same time!)

It's about time there will be a choice for the Canadian boys going south. It's been stated before but who else is better to look out for their best interests than a Canadian who truly understands. Lets' face it....most, if not all, of the Canadian kids will be coming from the GTA. I'd feel better as a parent sending my kid down to school run by a GTA coach.

It's not greed on their (coaches) part. It's ambition....that is not a dirty word...that is not something to dispise and ridicule...ambition is what makes the world go round...and it will make our homegrown boys do better on the big stage in the U.S.
If anyone has a hope in hell of going to the NBA, their shot just got that much better.
Go for it!

This is truly amazing, good luck to all these individuals! Another sign of Canadian Basketball's growth...I'm really excited for our present and our future...thanks to our past!

Coach Philippe

watupdawg asked you a question, but like ,yself, i am unaware of who you are besides the Coach Ignorant Coach that went off at the Vaughan Tournament and acting like your the s%^&, So Not knowing who you really are and you said that ypu have been involved since 1994, Well I could say the same thing but since 1992, So knowing the rest of the coaches involved, they do have Public credentials that have been established, Unlike Mr Wayne Dawkins who has Established himslf at West hill, please lighten us so we know..

Thanks

d peepz wanna know....ow much iz tuition....wordz on d streetz...26,000 LARGE minimum....is dat per yer...doez dat includ boardin....r dere full scholarshipz fo d ballaz....d peepz wanna know...bow wow wow...

Thanks for all the positivity and support guys! Much appreciated!

No doubt Canada is always in my heart wherever I go, and all of us will do our best to make you proud!

As far as the negative posts, no point wasting time on those. I can tell you that my first Coaching job in 1994 was as Head Coach of the Jewish Community Centre Maccabi Boy's basketball team in Ottawa and I have had the opportunity to Coach many young men and women since that time! All the players that I have coached, teammates and coaches that I have had are who I represent wherever I go...

As I said before, life is too short to dwell on the negative, when there are so many positive things out there! As WCBasketball described so well, just the thought of doing what you LOVE as a profession is very exciting, and I can't wait to get started!

Thanks again to everyone for the support! We'll do our best to make Canada and Toronto proud!

(ps. Coach Clement, I made an edit to that post. Thanks again for the kind words...)

[quote="minihotsauce"]coach phillipe
are you gunna try and bring kids like miqueel,mikyle,duane,kenrick,troy,deshaun .....
to this school

and what if a player is good in canada and its coach emails you telling you that it wants the kid to come 2 this naa school, becuzz they feel the kid could suceed. would you guys come check the kid out?[/quote]

can you answer my question coach phillipe?

Minihotsauce: Easy question to answer actually...as with all schools looking to recruit, they would be interested in considering anyone who has the talent to play at their school, but they cannot respond to every coach who claims he has a player worthy enough to play at a recruiter's school..best advice is to send tape/dvd and then if the coach is impressed they will come watch..of course since these guys are fairly close to canada and im sure they would be back here quite often i dont think it would be a problem for them to come check a player live especially if the source of the info is from someone they trust...

i cant figure out why y'all wanna know the guy's credentials..if you re interested in going to the school his credentials will certainly be advertsied prominently to recruit players to the school..what does it matter that we know his resume?

minihotsauce, yeah I answered your question in an earlier post...

The full list of players for the team will be released soon in a separate Press Release; "Can't make comment on players going to NAA (will be announced)"

What I can tell you is that if a player is interested in coming to NAA to further their development, exposure and training, or a Coach would like to assist their player in finding them a Prep/American H.S. where they can grow and get more opportunity, then they can contact myself, Coach Ro, Coach Nick or Anthony Otto (Director of Scouting) and we would absolutely come check them out and give them more info...

In the 1st post, and a couple since then our e-mails are listed.

Now the information is out and I've said all that I can say.
Again, I truly appreciate everyone's positive wishes and support and we will do our best to make Toronto/Canada proud.

If anyone has any further questions or comments, I can be reached at; nbphilippe@hotmail.com

Thanks for the support everyone, and enjoy March Madness!!

Coach Blue's viewpoint of NAA should clear up any further questions that anyone may have about NAA. Congrats to Coach Phillipe. NAA is a monumental movement in the development of Canadian basketball players. At this point you should no longer stoop or involve yourself in "negative" debates with ignorant people within this forum. Once again congrats and keep on improving Canadian basketball.

[quote="minihotsauce"][quote="minihotsauce"]coach phillipe
are you gunna try and bring kids like miqueel,mikyle,duane,kenrick,troy,deshaun .....
to this school

and what if a player is good in canada and its coach emails you telling you that it wants the kid to come 2 this naa school, becuzz they feel the kid could suceed. would you guys come check the kid out?[/quote]

can you answer my question coach phillipe?[/quote]

As "CoachBlue" stated there is a lot more involved that a coach saying take my player. How is coach suppose to answer your first question? You list a bunch of names that have absolutely no information on them. No last name, no current high school. Let's be honest, there are lot's of kids named Duane and Troy.
Keep in mind that there are only so many positions availiable on a basketball team. I also don't think it would be wise for Tristan to jump to another prep school especially after what transpired at St Benedicts. Players get a negative reputation if they jump from school to school. Tristan took a bit of a beating from the press and Coach Hurley and I think he is at a good place right now (Findley Prep). Tristan is a great kid and player who is now settled at a school. The best thing is for him to put all the negative stuff behind him and move on. He will be just fine. If he transfers once again, his character will be questioned.
I agree that it is pointless to get the full resume of Coach Philippe. He obviously is qualified for the position and deserves it. I am a little bothered that in some cases, people have chosen to attack and question him rather than support him and wish him well. He has been very positive for Canada Basketball. Is he perfect? Of course not! NOBODY is. So why are people attempting to point out every flaw and attack his qualifications and character? I just don't get it. One of our own is moving forward and opening the door for us and he get's knocked down by people here.
Coach Philippe has been very open and honest in answering questions and I agree when he decides not to answer some of the crazy questions thrown at him. How about some questions regarding how he plans to recruit and develop kids? When does he start his position? Does he plan on looking coast to coast in Canada for players? Will he field an all-Canadina squad or will he have American players on it also? You know, basketball questions. As a prep school in the US, there is not much for him to gain by participating in GTA high school tournaments yet he has already stated he will. This sounds to me like a payback and thank you to all of us in the GTA area by him. It sounds like positive exposure for us here.It sounds like a huge support and love for Canadian high school basketball so let's look at this from all angles. Give him some props.
This post is directed at some people not all as I have read some great posts of support along with people being protective of him making such a big step. Let's not eat one of our own.

wcbasketball,

If your in the business of scouting, you will know exactly who those kids are by there first names. It's the unknown kids that you will have to list their full info.

[quote="stevelogan92"]wcbasketball,

If your in the business of scouting, you will know exactly who those kids are by there first names. It's the unknown kids that you will have to list their full info.[/quote]

No matter what, a coach looking at a prospect will want a full name. I highly doubt that I could send an e-mail to a prep school coach and say "Hey, take a look at Alex here in Toronto". I will receive an e-mail right back asking "Alex who, there are lots of guys named Alex?" Last year that could have meant Hill or Arthur.People who are in the business of scouting see thousands of kids a year. When they write up a report and submit it to coaches, recruiters etc they have full names. Coaches receive tons of names of kids who may be a good fit for their school.It was just a point I was making where professionalism and proper communication are essential.

will d T. kidz hav to pay to go to diz skool?? 26,000 ++