Assistant Coaches

Corey Lord
Corey A. Lord returns to Gwynedd Mercy for his fourth year as an assistant basketball coach. His primary responsibilities include bench coaching, recruiting, and community relations.  In 2008-09, Lord played a role in Gwynedd’s successful season when they became the Colonial States Athletic Conference League Champs and a first-round bid to the NCAA tournament. Before joining the team, Lord established the AAU North Penn Basketball Program where he coached U-15 Boys. He has coached youth basketball since 1998 and leads the development and expansion of youth athletic programs for North Penn YMCA.  His company, CAL Sports Academy, offers young players the opportunity to develop and refine their skills in an individualized, unique format. 

As an Assistant to the Director of Basketball Operations at Gwynedd, he has been successful in securing corporate sponsorships to defray costs and increase participation, resulting in the growth of the program to 235 players in 2006. Founding the Building Champs Basketball Program, Lord recruits strong role models for clinic coaching and directs community outreach to broaden opportunities for at-risk and low income youth. Lord provides motivational presentations to classrooms and teams stressing "stay in school" and providing insight for balancing academics and athletics in high school and college environments.

As an athlete, Lord set and still holds the New York State High School Track Class record as a sophomore in the 500 meter. He also set and retains the 200 meter record for his alma mater, Alfred State College. During his tenure at Alfred, he qualified and competed in the NJCAA National Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 1994. Throughout his elementary and high school years, he represented Barbados, his native country, at the CARIFTA Games in Track & Field.  He competed in the U.S. National Scholastic Championships from 1988 through 1992.

Corey Lord received his Bachelor of Computer Information Science from Gwynedd Mercy College and is a committee member with the Alumni Association's Board of Directors. Lord can be reached here

Mike Sidebotham
Mike Sidebotham is entering his 2nd season as an assistant at Gwynedd Mercy.  In his first year, Coach Sidebotham was instrumental in the team’s championship season with game and practicing planning.  “Coach Mike Sidebotham is an enthusiastic and intense coach with a bright future in college athletics.  Mike is an asset to our coaching staff and is a passionate influence to our players”, commented Head Coach John Baron.   

Mike came to Gwynedd after being the head coach at Philadelphia Electrical and Technology Charter School for three years. At P.E.T., he cultivated an upstart Philadelphia Public League Program to a 15-9 record and a playoff appearance in just 3 short seasons. Mike played under legendary coach William "Speedy" Morris at La Salle with the likes of NBA players Rasul Butler, Victor Thomas, and Donnie Carr and graduated in 2001 with a degree in Communications.

Prior to college, Sidebotham was a two-year starter and captain at Wildwood Catholic High School. Mike is currently a Health and Physical Education teacher at Philadelphia Electrical and Technology Charter School and resides in Philadelphia with his wife Laura and sons Braden and newborn Connor. Sidebotham can be reached here

Ryan Haigh
Ryan Haigh is entering his 2nd season on the Griffins coaching staff.  Ryan, a 2006 Division II Holy Family University graduate, was a three-year starter and also was a two-time captain and all-conference player. Haigh enjoyed a stellar playing career where he totaled over 1,700 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists. As an aspiring young coach, Ryan has been associated with the with the Philadelphia Patriots AAU team, as well as working as a coach at Mike Krzyzewski's Duke University Basketball Camp and as a coach at former LaSalle and NBA player Tim Legler's Basketball Camp in Stone Harbor, NJ.

“Being recently removed from his playing days, Coach Haigh is a great eye and feel for the game.  Ryan is influential in connecting with our players and motivating them to achieve their personal and team goals,” said head coach John Baron.

Prior to college, Haigh attended Father Judge where he was named to the Philadelphia Catholic League First Team in 2002. Ryan is currently a health and Physical Education teacher at First Philadelphia Charter School. Haigh can be reached here

Jason Peterson
Newly hired assistant coach Jason Peterson is entering his first season at Gwynedd Mercy College. Peterson, a 2002 graduate of Neumann College with a degree in Communications, began his playing career at the Community College of Philadelphia and then onto Neumann where he played for coach Brian Nuggett. Jason ’s 2001 and 2002 Neumann teams earned them the school’s first ever playoff appearance and win, and set a school record for wins in a season (21).
Jason’s coaching career began soon after graduation in 2003 as an assistant coach at Delaware Valley College for 5 seasons. While coaching at Delaware Valley College, Jason’s primary responsibilities included recruiting, practice management, and bench coaching.   

 “Coach Peterson is a great addition to our coaching staff. His communication skills and recruiting style is of great benefit to our team, as his primary role will be getting out to the local high schools and evaluating talent for the future years,” said head Coach John Baron.

Jason continues to spend countless hours promoting and teaching fundamental basketball skills to youth of all ages within the Philadelphia region at summer camps and local YMCA’s.

Jason is single and currently works for Power 99FM and Clear Channel Radio Philadelphia as a Promotions Assistant and Broadcast Engineer. 

Dave Smith
Former Griffin Dave Smith makes the transition from player to coach as he will be the team’s graduate assistant. No stranger to success, Smith’s three years as a Griffin resulted in three-straight postseason appearances and a conference championship last season. Among those accolades from 2008-09, he was the named the CSAC Player of the Year after averaging 14.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks a game. He was also named the 2009 CSAC Tournament MVP, and a Mid-Atlantic All-Region Second-Team choice by D3hoops.com and a ECAC South Region All-Star. After transferring from Division I Lafayette, Smith tallied over 1,000 points and 500 rebounds as a Griffin.

 

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