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Coaches
Coach Doyle Moncrief graduated from Hall High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1979. Coach Moncrief later attended the University of Central Arkansas where he played guard on the basketball team. In 1981, his Central Arkansas team made it to the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Championships. After college, Coach Moncrief coached the Arkansas Express, a mens post-college touring team. The Express played exhibition games against college teams, such as the University of Arkansas, Arkansas State, Lamar and Mississippi State. Several players from his teams have played professionally overseas. Coach Moncrief grew up in Arkansas competing with brother, Sidney, in all types of games from card games to court sports. Many of you may know that Sidney was a five-time all-star player formerly with the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA. The Moncrief brothers founded a basketball-training program called Back 2 Basics. Back 2 Basics teaches the basic fundamentals of basketball. Coach Moncrief has been coaching basketball since 1995. He has a gift for working with kids and transferring his knowledge to them. His advice is to “Keep praying and keep trying.” His favorite scripture is Proverbs 22:4, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Coach Moncrief’s coaching relationship with Dallas Thunder started in 2006. Coach Moncrief has coached our 14 & under girl’s team, as well as, the Varsity and Jr. Varsity boys teams, prior to being named Athletic Director in 2008. Dallas Thunder is very fortunate to have such a quality coach and Godly man working with our kids.
Coa Coach Meredith Hollis graduated from Hallsville High School in East Texas and earned her Interdisciplinary Studies degree at Dallas Christian College. While playing for DCC, she excelled at the point guard position and prided herself on “being the extension of the coach on the court.” In her junior year of college the Women’s Team made school history by qualifying and attending the NCCAA National Tournament in Florida!
Coach Jack Dubose graduated
from Suitland High School in Suitland, Maryland in 1979. From there, Coach
Dubose attended Bowie State University and finished his professional training
at Maryland Drafting Institute, Takoma Park, Maryland. He has coached boy’s
basketball teams with boys as young as six years old with local Upward Bound
programs. While his children attend McKinney Christian Academy, he was
assistant coach for the middle school girl’s team. He helped establish the
basketball program there while assisting head coach Dr. Lee Brock. From the
past three years he worked as assistant coach at American Heritage Academy,
Carrollton, under the leadership of Coach Bob Giesey, Athletic Director. Coach
Dubose has had the pleasure of working with boys and girls starting out at very
young ages and watched them grow into consistent players, as they have gotten
older. He has the ability to help them play with heart and maximize their
individual potential.
Coach Dubose grew up in the Washington,
D.C. area and has played on countless community and church teams, always
surprising the competition with his “half court” shot that always makes it in!
He has been a devoted Bible study teacher and encourager to children and
teenagers for over 15 years and has a certain ability to let them know that he
is in their corner. Many of the varsity players at AHA not only know him but
also look to him for advice on certain plays and most importantly ask for his
prayer support when life has put them in a situation that requires a serious
answer.
Coach Dubose has been
coaching basketball in this area since 1997. He has a gift for working with
kids and establishing a relationship with them, he always wants them to know
that hard and consistent work will pay off in the end. He will always have an
encouraging word and most of all will not let them quit on themselves.
Coach Jack Dubose’s joined
Dallas Thunder in 2008 and we are excited to have him in the Dallas Thunder
family.
Coach Eliot McClure graduated in 2009 with the Richardson Home School Group. He is currently attending Collin College, with the expectation of earning a degree in Fire Science, and serving as a career firefighter. He is one of our own! Eliot played for Thunder his Junior and Senior years. Eliot is a well rounded athlete, involved in gymnastics and various sports including soccer, baseball, and football, but his passion has always been Thunder Basketball!
Coach McClure led a very young U12 girl’s team last year to our State and National Tournaments.
He took this challenge with a smile and great confidence, which he instilled in his "girls", most of whom had never competed and some who never played. However, with the leadership of their coach, they accepted the challenge!
We are looking forward to watching Coach McClure challenge and inspire our U12 and U10 girls in the upcoming season.
His leadership skills have been very evident on and off the sports-field.
In high school he was a three year football captain, mentored and coached young boys in West Dallas, and was active in Youth and Government.
He plays piano and guitar, volunteers with preschool children, and has always sung in the choirs at Park Cities Presbyterian Church, where he is an active member.
He and his three sisters have been home schooled from the start, and two sisters are still playing for Thunder.
Eliot keeps active as a basketball referee and running his own lawn business, Transformations Landscaping.
Coach McClure strives to live a life pleasing to God first, Family second, School third, and Basketball forth.
He believes in hard work and instilling in each player a desire to be all they can be in their spiritual walk with God.
His favorite Scripture is Philippines 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
We are so excited to have Coach McClure join our team and we look forward to enjoying watching our young girls thrive under his leadership!
Coach Garrett Paynton graduated in 2009 with the Richardson Home
School Group.
He is working on his
Associates Degree at Collin College where he is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa,
maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or better.
Coach Paynton and his family moved here from Minnesota, where he enjoyed
playing homeschool basketball for the Rochester Defenders.
After his arrival in Dallas he jumped right
in with Thunder his Junior and Senior years and has not stopped!
He plays guitar and enjoys a game of golf in
his off time which is limited with his busy schedule.
Coach Paynton has continued working closely with Coach Moncrief as
an assistant coach for the Varsity Boys team.
He has always been willing to step in where needed. Last year at
Nationals he filled in for the U14 and U12 boys’ teams.
He inspired our U12 boys in a game where
they were down by over 20 points at half time. Coach would not give up and
these boys rose to the challenge set before them.
They came back and in overtime lost by only 3 points. The boys
walked off the court exhausted, but knew they left it all on the floor.
After the game Coach Paynton said, “I’m not
sure what I said at half-time, I just knew they had more to give.
They played so well and I’m so proud of
them.”
Coach Paynton is a leader on and off the court.
He is an intern at Victory Church located in
Parker, TX, where he volunteers for Kids Camp, is a part of the REC crew and a
Camp Counselor for the high school department.
He also enjoys being on the Worship Team and helping out at the church
whenever possible.
Coach Paynton works
for his mom and dad in their business Kwik Kerb.
He enjoys spending time with his 2 younger sisters and younger
brother, 2 of which are current Thunder players.
Coach Paynton’s favorite Bible verse is found in Proverbs 22:6,
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn
from it.”
The path in life may not
always be smooth or straight but if we always remember to keep God in our
sights and not forget Him, we will have a life full of God’s grace.
He is proud of his upbringing and strives to
“train-up” every player in the game of basketball as well as the “game” of
life!
We are so excited to have Coach Paynton
on our coaching staff this season and we look forward to seeing what he will
bring to us on and off the courts this year!
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