Billy Clapper

Last updated
Billy Clapper
Current position
Record38–112 (.253)
Biographical details
Born (1982-12-25) December 25, 1982 (age 41)
Playing career
2001–2002 Mount Aloysius
2004–2005 Youngstown State
Position(s)Guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2005–2006 Penn State Altoona (asst.)
2006–2007 Indiana State (grad asst.)
2007–2009 Pitt Johnstown (asst.)
2009–2015Penn State Altoona
2015–present IMG Academy
Head coaching record
Overall38–112 (.253)

Billy Clapper (born December 25, 1982, in Altoona, Pennsylvania) is an American basketball coach at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He is a basketball camp clinician and skills instructor; having worked with numerous NBA players and overseas professional players. He was the head men's basketball coach at Penn State Altoona from 2009 to 2015.

Contents

Coaching career

After 10 seasons coaching at the college level, Clapper joined the basketball coaching staff at IMG Academy in 2015. This position has included being a coach for the post-graduate and varsity teams, delivering basketball camps, and offering skills instruction to players of all ages. A number of his players have been chosen in the NBA draft.

He was hired as the head coach of the Penn State Altoona Lions on September 16, 2009. [1] Clapper was relieved of his position on March 26, 2015, after six seasons as the head coach of the Lions, a member of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference and an NCAA Division III institution. The Lions had a combined 38–112 record during his six seasons. The Lions had seven all-conference selections: Zach Spitz (2010), Kirk Peters (2010, 2011),Matt Gehret (2013), and Durant Harvin (2013). He coached the school's only all-region selection, Kirk Peters (2011), and one AMCC defensive player of the year, Matt Gehret (2013). In the spring of 2015, senior forward Joel Redfoot was honored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches as a member of its All State/NABC Good Works Team at the NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis, Indiana.

His coaching career began as an assistant at Penn State Altoona under Alan Seretti in 2005–2006. The program had seven victories that season and the team was led by Tyler Franklin, the program's all-time scoring leader. During the 2006–2007 season, he was a member of the coaching staff at Indiana State University under Coach Royce Waltman. The Sycamores earned 13 victories on the season and had victories over three NCAA tournament participants: Butler, Creighton, and Purdue.

He joined the coaching staff of Bob Rukavina at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown prior to the 2008–2009 season and during the next two seasons he helped guide the Mountain Cats to a 47–16 record. [2] They were crowned WVIAC regular-season champions in 2008 and tournament champions in 2009. They advanced to the NCAA tournament during both seasons (2008 – second round and 2009 – first round). He coached two players that earned All-American honors– Chris Gilliam (2007) and Marcus Tullis (2008), whom went on to have professional basketball careers overseas.

The Basketball Tournament

In 2014, Clapper became Coach and General Manager of Sideline Cancer that plays annually in The Basketball Tournament. In the inaugural "winner takes all" $500,000 tournament took place in Philadelphia Sideline Cancer earned its first TBT victory over Team FOE and finished with a 1–1 record advancing to the 2nd round. The team playing in honor of The Greg and Cathy Griffith Family Foundation raises awareness to find a cure for pancreatic cancer. After the first TBT, Clapper moved solely into the General Manager role and has continued in that position.

The franchise is one of only a few of the original 32 TBT teams that remain today and is the only to participate in each of the tournaments. Over the years, the team has compiled a 14–9 record, earned 5 Sweet 16 berths (2014, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021), 2 Elite selections (2020, 2021), and a championship game appearance (2020). The team has been highlighted over the years by professional players, many whom have starred overseas. This list includes former NCAA scoring champion Marcus Keene, and Indiana Hoosiers guard Maurice Creek. The team has had five former NBA players participate Jamel Artis, Diante Garrett, CJ Miles, Daniel Santiago, and Diamond Stone.

Playing career

Clapper played high school basketball at Tussey Mountain HS (Saxton, Pennsylvania) until his senior season. He attended Hollidaysburg Area HS (Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania) during his senior year where he was a member of the basketball team. His high school career was full of team success as his teams won four league titles, a district title, and each year was state ranked.

His collegiate playing career began at Mount Aloysius College where he played his freshman season under Coach Bob Williams. He scored 19 points for the Mounties while appearing in 20 games including one start against Houghton College.

He then transferred to Youngstown State University where he became a manager for the men's basketball team. He spent two years in that role and would become a practice player during that time for the penguins. He earned a spot on Coach John Robic's team prior to his senior season. Clapper appeared in 6 contests for the penguins including starting on senior night against Butler University. He was a two-time Horizon League academic honor roll selection and was named the Tony Vivo hustle award winner upon completion of his senior season.

Billy Clapper Basketball

In 2005, he created his company Billy Clapper Basketball LLC. [3] and began teaching and instructing his own camps throughout the state of Pennsylvania. His website www.BillyClapperBasketball.com is a resource for player improvement drills and training innovation. His company produced the instructional basketball video, Ballhandling at its Best, [4] which demonstrates the ball handling workouts he used during his own playing career. In recent years Billy Clapper Basketball, has created additional basketball training content that is available to players and coaches exclusively online through its YouTube channel. [5]

In 2006, a college skills camp was offered that introduces teaching and training to participants that are to help boys and girls develop the skills to play basketball in college. In 2014, that camp was rebranded as "The College Skills School", each summer it offers players the opportunity to improve their basketball skills and learn team building, leadership, and motivational strategies through its school component.

In 2001, At the age of 17, he began his coaching and teaching career as a basketball camp instructor under Coach John Swogger. During his college years he traveled the eastern United States and instructed on camp staffs at college basketball camps, including Rhode Island, North Carolina State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, West Virginia, Dayton, Duquesne, Xavier, and Louisville. His ball handling and guard skills station became popular amongst boys and girls at these camps throughout the country.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Donovan</span> American professional basketball coach

William John Donovan Jr. is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Chicago Bulls of the NBA. Before moving to the NBA, he served as the head basketball coach at the University of Florida from 1996 to 2015, and led his Florida Gator teams to back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007, as well as an NCAA championship appearance in 2000.

Todd Alan Blackledge is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, leading them to a national championship. A member of the famed Class of 1983, he played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers and is largely considered a draft bust. Blackledge is a college football television broadcaster, working for ABC Sports from 1994 through 1998, for CBS Sports from 1999 to 2005, ESPN from 2006 through January 2023, and NBC since February 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Painter</span> American basketball coach (born 1970)

Matthew Curtis Painter is an American basketball coach and former player, who is the current and 19th head coach of the Purdue Boilermakers, serving in that role since 2005. He played college basketball at Purdue from 1989 to 1993. He was also the head coach of the Southern Illinois Salukis from 2003 to 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armen Gilliam</span> American basketball player (1964–2011)

Armen Louis Gilliam was an American professional basketball player who played 13 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1987 to 2000. He also played one season for the Pittsburgh Xplosion of the American Basketball Association. Gilliam returned to the court after retirement as the head basketball coach for the (NCAA) Division III Penn State Altoona Lions from 2002 to 2005.

Jeffery Douglas West is an American former professional basketball player who is an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) swingman from Villanova University, West was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the 1989 NBA draft. An athletic, well-rounded player who could score as well as defend, West was an "original" Timberwolf, being drafted by the team in its first year of existence. He was the last of the original roster to remain on the team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn State Nittany Lions</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Penn State University

The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The intercollegiate athletics logo was commissioned in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Jeffrey (American soccer)</span> American soccer coach

William "Bill" Jeffrey was the head coach of the United States national soccer team at the 1950 FIFA World Cup that famously beat England 1–0 in one of the greatest upsets in the history of soccer. He was the coach of Penn State for 26 seasons, winning ten national college championships. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed DeChellis</span> American basketball coach

Edward Richard DeChellis is an American college basketball coach and current head men's basketball coach at the United States Naval Academy. Previously he was the head coach at Penn State from 2003 to 2011 and at East Tennessee State from 1996 to 2003. At Penn State, DeChellis led the Nittany Lions to an NIT title in 2009 and an NCAA tournament berth in 2011. DeChellis' years at East Tennessee State yielded three conference division titles and one NCAA tournament berth. He was named the head coach at Navy in 2011, following the departure of Billy Lange.

The Penn State Lady Lions basketball team represents Pennsylvania State University and plays its home games in the Bryce Jordan Center. In 2013, the Lady Lions became just the 12th program in NCAA Division I history to reach 850 wins. Penn State has won 8 regular season Big Ten titles and the first 2 Big Ten tournament titles in 1995 and 1996. Prior to joining the Big Ten, the Lady Lions competed in the Atlantic 10 conference. The Lady Lions have 25 NCAA tournament appearances as of 2014, the most in the Big Ten. The team's best post-season finish came in 2000 when the Lady Lions reached the Final Four before losing to eventual champion UConn. The Lady Lions captured the WNIT title in 1998 defeating Baylor 59–56 in Waco, Texas. Notable alumni include WBCA First Team All-Americans Suzie McConnell, Susan Robinson, Helen Darling, and Kelly Mazzante. ESPN correspondent Lisa Salters is the shortest player in Lady Lions history at 5'-2".

Bruce Parkhill is a former head college men's basketball coach whose stops included William & Mary (1977–1983) and Penn State (1983–1995).

Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School is the midsized, suburban public high school for the Hollidaysburg Area School District. The Senior High School is located at 1510 North Montgomery Street in Hollidaysburg, Blair County. The high school serves the populations living in Hollidaysburg, Duncansville, Newry, and a small portion of Altoona (Eldorado).

The Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team representing the Pennsylvania State University. They play home games at the 15,261-seat Bryce Jordan Center, moving there from Rec Hall during the 1995–96 season. Their student cheering section is known as the Legion of Blue.

The Penn State Nittany Lions women's volleyball program has had a long tradition, founded in 1976 by Tom Tait, long-time coach of the Penn State men's team, who coached the women's team from 1976 to 1979 and was named a USA Volleyball All-Time great coach in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talor Battle</span> American basketball player/coach

Talor Battle is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for Ohio State. In college, he played for Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball team, and then re-joined the Nittany Lions program as an assistant coach during the 2020–2021 season. He is from Albany, New York, and attended Bishop Maginn High School. On May 10, 2021 it was announced that Battle would join Northwestern as an assistant basketball coach, joining the team alongside his half-brother Boo Buie, who was playing for Northwestern at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micah Shrewsberry</span> American basketball coach (born 1976)

Micah Shrewsberry is an American basketball coach and former college basketball player who is the head coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolyn Kieger</span> American basketball player and coach

Carolyn Kieger is the head women's college basketball coach for the Pennsylvania State University Lady Lions basketball team. Formerly, she was the head coach for her alma mater, the Marquette Golden Eagles, from 2014 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcus Keene</span> American basketball player

Marcus Johnny Rashaan Keene is an American basketball player for Maroussi of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the FIBA Europe Cup (FEC). He gained national prominence in 2016–17 season as a redshirt junior while at Central Michigan University, having been profiled by Sports Illustrated, the NCAA, and ESPN because of his prolific scoring ability. Keene is a 5'9" point guard who averaged 30.0 points per game his junior year at Central Michigan, the highest average in NCAA Division I men's basketball that season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017–18 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2017–18 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, which was the Jayhawks' 120th basketball season. The Jayhawks, were members of the Big 12 Conference and played their home games at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas. They were led by 15th year Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamar Stevens</span> American basketball player

Lamar Brandon Stevens is an American professional basketball player for the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Ball (soccer)</span> American soccer player (born 1995)

Elizabeth Rose Ball is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for the Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for Penn State and has previously played for the Portland Thorns and Utah Royals.

References

  1. ↑ "Penn State Altoona - Athletics". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  2. ↑ "Asst. Coach Billy Clapper". Archived from the original on 2009-08-14. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  3. ↑ BillyClapperBasketball.com
  4. ↑ Ballhandling At Its Best Archived March 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ "Billy Clapper Basketball - YouTube". YouTube .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.