Staff

Mike founded the East Side Escalades over 15 years ago with the goal of teaching basketball fundamentals and life lessons to NYC youth. Prior to Escalades, Mike started the Princeton Basketball Club in Priceton, NJ. Mike brings over 25 years of coaching experience to the program. Mike spent 37 years as a NYSE member before retiring in 2021 and currently teaches FINRA broker licensing exams. Born in the Bronx and living on the UES, NYC is home and Mike is passionate about giving back to the community.

Ryan has been a part of the East Side Escalades basketball program since 2021. Ryan attended Schreiber High School in Port Washington, NY, where he was captain of the boys basketball team and awarded Player of the Year for Nassau County. Ryan went on to graduate from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in 2019 with a Civil Engineering degree and was a four-year member and captain of the school's Men's Basketball team. Prior to joining Escalades, Ryan coached individual players on Long Island and NYC, helping them develop their skills in order to play at the highest level. Outside of Escalades, Ryan works for a real estate investment group with a focus on student housing. Ryan's goal is to help boys and girls of all ages and backgrounds come together through the game of basketball to reach their potential both on and off the court.

Ahmadou is an Ithaca College graduate from Harlem, NY. He has spent the last three years in youth development, working for the Department of Education, Manhattan Youth, and now the Escalades. Ahmadou stresses the importance of enthusiam, communication and hard work from his players, and brings a unique approach to the Escalades with fun, competitive drills. In his free time he likes to go to the gym, play chess, sudoku, and binge TV series. His two passions are coaching and studying the stock market. One of his goals this year is to run the NYC Marathon.

Gavin is a Miami University (Ohio) graduate from Denver, CO. Playing basketball since he was 5 years old, Gavin has worked and played alongside NBA, NCAA, and overseas professional basketball players. Gavin continues to develop players into better athletes and people. As in integral part of our high school boys program, Gavin uses his experience working with collegiate and professional basketball players to challenge our boys to reach their basketball potential. Gavin currently works in marketing for L'Oréal.