Athletic Director/ High School Boys Coach/ 10U Boys Coach
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 Thunder boys and girls teams at every age level, and is currently the Varsity boys and 10U boys coach. Also, he was named Athletic Director in 2008. Dallas Thunder is very fortunate to have such a quality coach and Godly man working with our kids.
Tammy Arnold
18U/16U Girls Coach
Tammy Arnold, founder of Girlz Hoopz Training, has a life long passion and love for sports. Growing up in Texarkana, Arkansas, Arnold discovered early on that she possessed a passion for basketball. Her love for the sport gave her the drive to not only learn to be a better player but to become a leader on her team.
Arnold has acquired many awards during her high school and college years. Some of these awards include: Runner Up-MVP for player of the year; Two time All-Conference; Two time All-Region; Leading Scorer; and New Comer of the Year at Southern Arkansas University. In addition, Arnold has played semi professional ball for the Dallas Diesel and Houston Stealth leagues.
These, however, are not Arnold’s greatest achievements. Arnold’s greatest accomplishments have been on the courts with her athletes. Arnold’s passion has positioned her to direct basketball strength and conditioning camps at Dallas Christian College. In addition, in 2009-2010, Arnold had the privilege of serving as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Beijing Ducks for the Chinese Basketball Association. She was afforded the opportunity to coach male and female players and the youth division. Most recently, Arnold was recruited as a Strength and Conditioning Coach with Coach Sidney Moncrief at the Back 2 Basics Camp in Vail, CO.
She is a silent storm. Off the courts, she is a mentor, friend and confidante. On the courts, she holds the same roles but with a different force. Coach, or Coach Tammy, as she is called, transforms into an entirely different person. Her laid back and playful personality bows down to passion and drive, the very passion and drive that have broken down gender barriers between herself and her players.
When athletes see her, they do not see a woman who has achieved a name of her own. They see skill, talent, and wisdom and it is that combination that challenges them to become better players and people.
Arnold is a coach who exercises genuine concern for each individual player. Her commitment to their futures on and off the courts has helped to build up the strength of her teams. Her legacy will be that of a life changer and difference maker.
I know I can’t change the world, but I can definitely make a difference in the lives of enough people so that they can go out and make a difference of their own. Her favorite scripture is I Corinthians 12:12.
C
Matthew Marchbanks
14U/12U Boys Coach
Coach Matthew Marchbanks graduated from high school in 2005 with North Texas Home Educator’s Network. In 2006-2007, Matthew attended Northlake College in Irving, Texas, where he was a member of the baseball team. He transferred to Hardin Simmons University in Abilene in 2008, and was graduated in 2010 with a degree in Communications.
Coach Matt played Dallas Thunder basketball in their first year of existence. He also played baseball and/or basketball for HSAA Dallas, THESA Riders Ft. Worth, Kings Warriors Ft. Worth, Team Addidas Hoops Colleyville (AAU), and Branch West, Orange County, CA (AAU). He played baseball for the National Home School All Star Team in Winter Haven, FL in 2005. While in high school, Coach Matt competed in both the state and national homeschool basketball tournaments, and the Homeschool Baseball World Series in Atlanta, GA. He won various all- tournament, all-state, all-American and MPV awards for both baseball and basketball.
Matthew has been a part-time personal baseball and basketball skills coach since 2007. He conducted children’s sports camps in Athens, Greece for the International Sports Federation in 2004, during the Olympics. He also coached a 10 and under Dallas Thunder boys team for the national tournament in 2008.
Joining the Thunder in 2011-2012 as the middle school boys coach fulfills a long-time dream. Coach Matt has a passion for sports, and is a serious student of the game of basketball. His Christian faith guides him in this, as in life.
Matt’s favorite scripture is Proverbs 3: 5-6.
Eliot McClure
14U/12U Girls Coach
Coach Eliot McClure graduated in 2009 with the Richardson Home School Group. He is currently attending
CollinCollege, 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 during 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 our U12 girl’s team last year and they performed very well, including in the state and national tournaments.
Coach McClure continues to grow as a coach and will this season lead our U14 girls as well as our U12 girls.
Eliot is looking forward to this challenge and is very excited about what God has in store for our middle school girls during the upcoming 2011-2012 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.
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!
Kim Rasbury
10U Girls Coach
Joining the Thunder coaching staff to work with the newly forming 10u girls team will be Kim Rasbury
Kim’s athletic, coaching, and teaching experiences make her a great fit for the Thunder organization. As a basketball player at Mesquite High School, she was named District 9-5A Sophomore of the Year, as well as District MVP at the end of her senior year (also winning a district championship that season). Kim was also named MVP of the Dallas Dr. Pepper tournament during her junior year. She played multiple sports through high school, and her basketball success continued at East Texas State University (now Texas A&M Commerce) where she started for 3 seasons and was named Defensive Player of the Year in addition to receiving multiple awards for her academic performance throughout her college career (earning degrees in Biology and Kinesiology).
As a coach, Kim has shown her versatility and leadership qualities in multiple sports over the years. Returning to Mesquite High School after college, she taught Biology and took over the varsity softball program, leading the Skeeters deep into the state playoffs in her 2
nd year in that role. Kim also coached basketball and volleyball during her years at MHS. More recently, during the 2010-11 school year, she coached middle school basketball at Heritage Christian Academy in Rockwall, TX, helping her team achieve an undefeated record while also teaching elementary science.
Aside from the single year at HCA, Kim has spent much of the past 9 years as a home-school parent, teaching her three children and supporting them in their extra-curricular activities.
She has also spent multiple seasons coaching in the Upward basketball ministry at her church.
An important scripture in Kim's life is Psalm 103:1-5...
