Seacrest Country Day hires a pair of head coaches, including former NBA player Bimbo Coles

Seacrest Country Day announced a couple of electric hires to lead the Stingrays in boys' basketball and soccer.

Former NBA player Bimbo Coles will take over as head coach of the basketball team, while Division II soccer standout Jesse Brown was hired as the next head soccer coach, the school announced.

"They’re both great individuals and really good role models," athletic director Bill Carufe said.

Carufe, who was the boys' basketball coach, said that Coles began to express interest in helping out the basketball program a couple of months ago after his daughter started attending the school.

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"I watched him interact and I was really impressed," Carufe said. "I felt confident that he could take the program over and I could support him in other ways."

Carufe already had plans for Coles to join the staff next year but "decided to be aggressive" and, after the Stingrays' season ended, approached him about assuming the head coaching role.

"When a window of opportunity comes along, and you find the right person, you have of take advantage of it," he said.

Coles played collegiately at Virginia Tech and went on to play for several NBA teams during his 14 seasons in the league after being selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 1990 draft, including the Miami Heat under Pat Riley. He won a bronze medal playing for the U.S. men's team at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

After his playing career, Coles coached on the Heat staff under Riley for two seasons. He developed youth programs in his hometown of Greenbriar, Virginia and coached the Greenbriar East High varsity basketball team for four seasons.

“I am honored to be part of the Seacrest family and looking forward to making a difference in the lives of the student-athletes," Coles said. "I am thankful to Coach Carufe for trusting me and giving me the opportunity to do what I love."

Coles' grassroots experience at the youth level was particularly appealing, Carufe said.

"He is philosophically aligned with the values of both our basketball program and our school," he added.

Carufe will continue as the school's AD while remaining part of the basketball program in other capacities. Carufe took over the team six years ago after five consecutive losing seasons and guided the Stingrays to four seasons with winning records. This past season, they went 13-13 and beat St. John Neumann for the Class 2A-District 12 title.

“I am looking forward to supporting the basketball program in various roles and having more time to devote to advancing our athletic program," Carufe said.

Boys soccer coach David Pearson stepped down after serving as head coach of boys soccer for three seasons. Brown, who was hired as a teacher at Seacrest, served on Pearson's coaching staff this past season.

"Jesse is a fantastic coach and will do well with this group," Pearson said.  "I am looking forward to watching these kids and my son play and supporting Jesse as he builds a championship program."

Brown played soccer at Division II Castleton University in Vermont. He received a Master's Degree in sports business management at Sheffield Hallam University in England and coached in youth training programs for Sheffield Wednesday, an English professional soccer team.

After coming back stateside, Brown coached in MLS development programs and found success in head coaching roles. He won two state championships with The Trinity School in New York and the first state championship at Rabun Gap in Georgia. The latter team was nationally ranked and Brown was voted the 2021 4A State Coach of the Year.

"I am very excited to take over as head coach of the boys soccer program at Seacrest,” Brown said. “Working with David this year was a great experience and I am very appreciative for his guidance in the process.  We have a very strong nucleus of returning and young players within the soccer program. The future is bright.  We look forward to building on the program's recent successful seasons under David's leadership and taking the program to new heights."

Both changes represent Seacrest Country Day's rise as a burgeoning presence in Collier County high school athletics.

"I think it shows our commitment to go from good to great," Carufe said.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Seacrest Country Day hires Bimbo Coles as head basketball coach