PhD Hoops USA Announces Coaching Staffs and Teams for 2024 Barbados Fast Break Tour
LOS ANGELES, CA – May 4, 2024 – PhD Hoops USA announces the teams, coaches and players who will represent the USA in the Junior and Senior Basketball divisions this July in Barbados. Both teams will be on tour in Barbados from July 12-18, 2024 and competing against the best players on the island! The group will experience both high-level basketball and cultural sightseeing before and after the competitions.
PhD Hoops USA (Senior Team)
HEAD COACH: Tom Palombo (Greensboro, NC)
PLAYERS
Adam Brazil (Mooresville, NC)
Julius Burch (Greensboro, NC)
Tyler Dearman (High Point, NC)
Robert Fry II (Indianapolis, IN)
Jackson Gowdy (Indianapolis, IN)
Dawayne LeGrand (Minneapolis, MN)
Gabe Proctor (Apex, NC)
Luke Proctor (Apex, NC)
Xavier Westbrook (Charlotte, NC)
Coach Tom Palombo, Head Coach (Greensboro, NC), is one of the most accomplished coaches in the nation. As a 33-year head coaching veteran at the collegiate level, he has spent the past 21 seasons as Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Guilford College (NC). Just this past season, his program reached the NCAA III Final Four for the 3rd time (’09, ’10 & ‘24). At Guilford, his teams have also been to the Elite Eight 7 times and to a total of 12 NCAA Tournaments. Throughout his career, he has won nearly 650 career games, earned multiple Coach of the Year honors (including the Basketball Times National Coach of the Year in 2010), has coached two NABC Division III National Player of the Year honorees and his teams have been ranked as high as No. 1 in the nation. Coach Palombo has served on several committees and has also produced three coaching videos for Championship Productions. He played both college basketball and baseball at Virginia Wesleyan College, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Journalism. In addition, he earned a Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis in Sport Management from Old Dominion University.
PhD Hoops USA (Junior Team)
HEAD COACH: Rob Fry (Miami, FL)
PLAYERS
Rich Garcia (Flagstaff, AZ)
Shay Heim (Delta, CO)
Cayden Horton (Miami, OK)
Samuel Huckaby (Cascade, ID)
Caleb Palombo (Greensboro, NC)
Austin Peckham (Forest Grove, OR)
Conner Powers (Opp, AL)
Caleb Pyrchalla (Owen, WI)
Tyler Thurston (Cascade, ID)
Jace Yedsena (Mahanoy City, PA)
Coach Rob Fry, Head Coach (Miami, FL), is coaching with PhD Hoops USA for his second consecutive summer. He has spent nearly two decades coaching basketball in different areas across the country, mostly as Head Coach and Program Director for both the Grand Park Premier (IN) and Arizona Premier (AZ). Additionally, he has served as the Head Girls Basketball Coach at Catalina High School in Tucson, Arizona. Coach Fry takes great pride in having assisted over 150 players achieve their goal of receiving a basketball scholarship, many of whom have gone on to play professionally in either the NBA or WNBA. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology while playing collegiately at Western Michigan University, followed by a short stint playing in the United States Basketball League (USBL).
TRIP LEADER - Richie Schueler (Los Angeles, CA)
Richie Schueler is the Founder of PhD Hoops USA and a College Basketball Analyst for both ESPN and Fox Sports. He spent 10 years as a college basketball coach at all NCAA levels, including St. Andrews University, where he served as Head Men’s Basketball Coach. He is a USA Basketball Gold Licensed Coach, a licensed FIBA-approved coach (International Basketball Federation), a longtime member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), an honorary member of the Hoop Historians and is actively involved in basketball camps, clinics, showcases around the United States. He played collegiately at the University of Evansville, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education. He earned his Master’s Degree in Health & Human Performance with a specialization in Sports Administration from Austin Peay State University.
Every PhD Hoops USA player goes through an extensive Player Profile process. Click here for more information on PhD Hoops USA and our Upcoming Tours or contact us at [email protected] or (310) 620-6639.
