Participants Announced for Inaugural NABC Flight School

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NABC on Wednesday announced the cohorts of assistant men’s basketball coaches and athletic administrators who have been selected to participate in the inaugural NABC Flight School presented by Nike on May 21.

 

The invitation-only event, set to take place on the Nike Philip H. Knight Campus outside of Portland, will provide high-level programming targeted at ascending assistant coaches and athletic administrators. NABC Flight School will feature educational panel discussions, mock interviews, and opportunities to build connections between participants and influential head coaches, athletic directors, conference commissioners, and search firm representatives.

 

“Professional development is central to the NABC’s mission, and we’re excited to invest in the careers of this accomplished group of coaches and administrators at NABC Flight School,” said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. “Our goal for NABC Flight School is to help prepare this next generation of industry leaders to make an impact both on and off the court, and we thank our partners at Nike for collaborating on launching this premium new event.”

 

Participants for the inaugural NABC Flight School were identified in consultation with head coaches, conference offices, search firms, athletic administration associations, and other college sports stakeholders.

 

2026 NABC Flight School – Assistant Coach Cohort

R-Jay Barsh, Gonzaga

Neill Berry, Marquette

Chris Carrawell, Duke

TJ Cleveland, Texas A&M

Duffy Conroy, Tulsa

Emanuel Dildy, Duke

Courtney Eldridge, Temple

Mike Farrelly, Notre Dame

Cody Fueger, Kentucky

Armon Gates, Minnesota

Ryan Hamm, Cal State Fullerton

LaDontae Henton, Georgetown

Chretien Lukusa, Morgan State

Jackie Manuel, American

James Martelli, VCU

James Miller, Oklahoma State

Jonathan Mitchell, Mercer

Brock Morris, Oklahoma

Pat O’Connell, Towson

Khristian Smith, Miami (OH)

Kyle Smithpeters, Missouri

Mike Sotsky, Harvard

P.J. Thompson, Purdue

Nate Tomlinson, Colorado

Will Voigt, BYU

 

2026 NABC Flight School – Administrator Cohort

Kristen Brown, Nebraska

Ryan Clingan, St. Bonaventure

HJ Cohn, Oregon

Ken Dempsey, New Hampshire

Alfred Grigsby, Seattle

Tiffini Grimes, Purdue

Stephen Johnson, Seattle

Scott Sidwell, Colorado State