Coach Tomora Young with Neveah Moore-Jefferson inside Fusion School of Basketball. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
On a frigid Tuesday night inside a converted Red Bank stair factory, coach Tomora Young is running 13-year-old Nevaeh Moore-Jefferson through a series of basketball drills: dribbling two balls at once; catch-and-shoot; and side-to-side rebounding while Young mimics an opponent’s contact with her forearm.
On Moore-Jefferson’s face is a sight you don’t often see when an athlete is going through the monotony of training drills: a smile.
“It’s always fun, and they’re helping me get better, and they don’t always make it stressful,” Moore-Jefferson said. “They actually have fun with you.”
Those words make her coach smile, too. Young, aka “Coach Teeigh,” is already well known in the greater Red Bank community for her dedication to helping kids. She’s also gained a reputation for hitting that elusive sweet spot for youth coaches: pushing athletes to improve while making sure they keep their love of the game.
The award recognizes coaches making a positive impact on and off the court in each of their respective communities. Those recognized are celebrated for their demonstrated qualities of commitment, dedication, integrity, character, mentorship and participation within community service initiatives, according to a press release.
Tomora Young, known to Red Bankers as Coach Teeigh. (Photo by Brian Donohue)
“This is my shy athlete – went from only shooting the ball like four times a game to now she’s shooting the ball at will and averaging about 20 points a game,” Young says of Moore-Jefferson during a break in the training.
Young was in her shoes once.
Born and raised in Red Bank, she played for Red Bank Middle School and then Red Bank Regional High School before beginning a stellar hoops career at Rutgers Univdersity. She is a member of both the Rutgers basketball and RBR athletics halls of fame.
“I basically wanted to give back to the community where I came from,” Young said. “A lot of people helped me as I grew up. So I wanted to be able to give back to our community in the same way.
Since 2010, she and fellow Red Bank native coach Amanda Frost have run Fusion School of Basketball, which has trained and run clinics and camps for 10,000 athletes. The school opened the facility in a former stair factory on the corner of Drs. James Parker Boulevard and South Bridge Avenue five years ago.
“It’s not something that’s even a job any more,” she said. “It’s what we love, so it’s like the best thing possible. “
This time of year, with the school sponsoring three travel teams and regular training and clinics it’s 12 and 13 hour days, seven day a week affair for Young and Frost.
As for the Junior Knicks award, Young will learn in the coming months whether she is chosen as one of three finalists.
Two finalists will each win $5,000 and the Coach of the Year will be awarded $20,000 and be entered as the Knicks representative in the Jr. NBA’s National Coach of the Year Program.
Neither she nor Frost had any idea the award existed until the parent of one Fusion player told them she had nominated them both for the award.
“We don’t do it for attention,” she said. “We do it for the kids.”
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331.
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Tomora Young, known to Red Bankers as Coach Teeigh. (Photo by Brian Donohue)
