OUR Coaching Staff
Excellence. Inclusivity. Character.
OUR COACHING STAFF
Meet Our Head Coach
Mark Peters has been active in the field of sports and education development for over 15 years, focusing on mentoring young people through their involvement in basketball. Mark is a graduate of the University of California Riverside where he earned a full ride scholarship. He began as a walk-on player but was able to work hard enough to become a NCAA starter and ultimately he turned his college success into a professional basketball career. Mark played professional basketball in Spain, Germany, and China for 6 years. When his basketball career ended, Mark entered into the field of Education and Social Work. He worked as an Elementary School teacher and a Social Worker for mentally disabled adults. Mark also spent time coaching college ball. Mark is married with 5 children and raises them alongside his wife Esperanza on their ranch that consists of fruit trees and livestock. Esperanza is a competitive barrow racer and works in Education. Mark enjoys spending time with his family and watching his wife compete in rodeos.
As a result of his involvement with youth and sports, Mark began Swish Basketball Academy where he has & is currently committed to help players develop skills that they can utilize on and off the court. Many players that have participated in the program have become D1 or professional athletes.
Our Assistant Coaches
Keith Dean is a Gary Indiana native and played basketball at Robert Morris University. Keith played professional basketball overseas in Lebanon, Spain and Dubai. He enjoys coaching because he is able to be a role model and help develop children.
Julington attended Atlantic Coast High School in Jacksonville, Florida where he played basketball leading his team defensively year to year. He proceeded to Florida A&M University majoring in Business Administration. Julington enjoys coaching youth basketball to give back and help children develop.
Delauna “Lala” Thomas played basketball at the University of California Santa Barbara where she majored in Psychology and Brain Science. She is currently a graduate student at USC. Lala chooses to coach youth basketball because she enjoys mentoring children that she can mold to become great people. She is a former participant of Swish Academy and says basketball the program helped her build character.
Jianni Jackson played basketball at California State University, Northridge where she graduated and majored in Public Health. Jianni enjoys working with kids because she says it’s a very rewarding journey watching their growth through basketball that can trickle over to their life accomplishments outside of basketball.