Sports Envoy Program
Basketball
Tommy “Tom” Davis is a former basketball player best known for playing for the University of Minnesota Gophers. Davis, a shooting guard, still holds the Gophers’ record of 15 consecutive field goals made in one game. He has spent time playing and coaching basketball in France but has since relocated back to Minneapolis to coach for the Gophers.
Basketball
Born in Haiti in 1981, Samuel Dalembert was drafted first round as a Center into the NBA from Seton Hall University by the Philadelphia 76ers. After playing 8 seasons with the 76ers, Dalembert went on to play for the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks, and New York Knicks, staying with each team for only one season. Over the course of his NBA career, Dalembert scored 180 points in the 24 playoff games he started. In his 13 NBA seasons, he started 694 games with an average 7.7 points per game. In 2015, Dalembert went to play for the pro-basketball league in China.
Basketball
As a manager of International Basketball Operations at the National Basketball Association (NBA), Martin Conlon conducts basketball grassroots events all over the world, organizing, coaching in, recruiting for, and creating curriculum for camps, clinics, or coaching seminars. He also maintains relationships with international basketball federations, clubs, and organizations.
Conlon has led the NBA Haier Academy camps in mainland China for the last three years, working in nine different cities and acting as the lead scout and championship coach of the reality TV show NBA Mengniu Basketball Disciple. In 2008, Conlon also led the first-ever “NBA Hoop School” program in India, working with local coaches in Bangalore, Mumbai, and New Delhi.
Prior to joining the NBA front office, Conlon enjoyed an extensive professional basketball career, most recently as the captain and player/coach of the Irish National Team. He played one season in Spain, another in Greece, and three in Italy. Conlon played in the NBA from 1991 to 1999, spending time on the rosters of Seattle, Charlotte, Milwaukee and Miami.
A member of the Westchester County Hall of Fame, Conlon is also a junior council member of New York’s Museum of Natural History, a junior board member of SEEDS (Sports for Education and Economic Development in Senegal) and a member of the Hawk Mountain conservancy.
As a player at Providence College – from which he holds a bachelor’s degree – Conlon played on the 1987 NCAA Final Four team. He returned to the tournament with Providence in 1989 and 1990.
Basketball
Cho began his career as an educator through the Teach For America program and taught in the South Bronx and Harlem for six years. He served as the boy’s basketball coach from 2004-06 at Future Leaders Institute, leading them to a New York City Charter School Championship.
From 2006-09, while living in Mozambique, Cho spent three years as a volunteer coach and instructor with the Mozambican National Basketball Federation. Cho worked to assist the under-20 and under-16 national team and for Desportivo do Maputo, one of the top senior men’s club teams in Mozambique. He also trained under-16 basketball coaches using the NBA/Nike Africa Coaches Guide for six consecutive weekends leading up to the under-16 national championship.
In August of 2008 Cho was the varsity boy’s basketball coach at the American International School of Mozambique, where he started and developed that program.
During his time in Africa, Cho served as a coach for the NBA-sponsored Basketball Without Borders Africa. He also led a variety of volunteer efforts, including rehabilitating basketball courts by partnering with Hoops 4 Hope and the U.S. Embassy and conducting basketball clinics with local basketball clubs.
Basketball
Erik Spoelstra is the Head Coach of the Miami HEAT. He was elevated to his current post on April 28, 2008 when HEAT President Pat Riley stepped down as Head Coach.
Known for his game preparation and superb attention to detail as the HEAT’s Assistant Coach/Director of Scouting, Spoelstra had the primary role of developing game plans for upcoming opponents for the past seven seasons. To that end, he coordinated the video staff and advance scouts while overseeing the development of scouting reports and videos.
Spoelstra has also built a strong reputation as a teacher over the years by heading the HEAT’s Individual Player Development Program. Erik has worked with many of the HEAT’s young players in areas of fundamentals, skill development and shooting. He also served as the head coach of the HEAT’s summer league squad for three seasons (2005-07).
Additionally, Spoelstra helped design and integrate a proprietary statistical database and scouting software for the HEAT. The HEAT continue to use the state-of-the-art statistical software to evaluate team productivity, individual player productivity and trends for both the HEAT and the team’s opponents.
Spoelstra originally joined the HEAT as the team’s video coordinator in 1995 where he spent two seasons preparing scouting tapes and developing the team’s information technology for the coaching staff. He served as Assistant Coach/Video Coordinator the following two seasons (1997-99). He was then promoted to Assistant Coach/Advance Scout and served in that role for two seasons (1999-01) before being elevated to Assistant Coach/Director of Scouting.
A 1992 graduate from the University of Portland with a degree in communications, Spoelstra was the starting point guard for four years for the Pilots and was named the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year. After college he spent two years as a player/coach for Tus Herten, a team in the professional sports league of Germany.
Spoelstra is the son of Jon Spoelstra, a long-time NBA executive who has guided the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets and New Jersey Nets. His grandfather, Watson, was a Detroit Tigers beat writer for many years.
A native of Portland, Spoelstra resides in Miami.
Basketball
Edwards was born in Baltimore, Maryland and graduated from Lake Clifton High School in 1998. He played collegiately at Central Connecticut State University and led the team to its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2000. Edwards has had a very international basketball career, playing for teams in Turkey, China, Spain, Croatia, Poland, and the US.
He was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the 2nd round (58th pick) in the 2002 NBA draft. However, in the same year, the Yakima Sun Kings of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) selected Edwards as the top pick in the third round (17th overall).
In the season of 2003-2004 he played as Center for RB Montecatini Terme in the Italian LegaDue. He returned to the Sioux Falls Skyforce in 2005 and won the 2005 CBA championship with the team. Later that year, he joined Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Basketball League. With Fenerbahçe, he averaged 12.5 points and 7.1 rebounds. For the 2010-2011 season he signed with the Zagreb club KK Cedevita, where he averaged 12.9 points per game and helped the team enter the Eurocup Basketball 2010–11 Final four.
In October 2014, Edwards was appointed an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets. Late September of 2016, Edwards was appointed an assistant coach of the Greensboro Swarm, a new NBA Development League franchise. He served as an assistant there for three seasons.
Basketball
Doug Overton is a retired former American basketball player. Prior to beginning his 11 seasons with the NBA, Overton spent a season with the Illawarra Hawks of the Australian NBL. He credits his time with the Illawarra Hawks as a big stepping stone for his career in the NBA.
He was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the 2nd round (40th overall) of the 1991 NBA draft. Overton played for the Washington Bullets, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, New Jersey Nets, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers. In his NBA career, Overton played in 499 games and scored a total of 2,253 points. As well as earned the First-team All-MAAC three times.
In May 2006, Overton was named assistant men’s basketball coach at Saint Joseph’s University. He became an assistant coach for the NBA’s New Jersey Nets in 2008. He was also named Nets Player Development Coach prior to the 2010–11 season. Now coaches Lincoln University men’s basketball in Oxford, Pennsylvania.
Basketball
Derrick Alston is a former basketball player who currently works as the head coach for the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League.
Alston, a forward/center from Duquesne University, started his professional career when he was picked during the second round by the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1994 NBA Draft, he was selected 33rd overall. He played for the Philadelphia 76ers for two seasons. Then playing 2 games for the Atlanta Hawks in late 1996 before taking his game overseas.
Joining the New Zealand Breakers mid-season 2007-08, Alston made an immediate impact. Statistically, he reached the top 20 in the league for FG%, shooting at 56.0%, and offensive rebounds, while averaging 13.8 ppg and being instrumental in helping the Breakers reach the playoffs for the first time in club history.
In 2012, after his retirement, Alston joined the staff of the Houston Rockets and served as their Player Development Coach for two seasons 2012-2015 before beginning his coaching position for the Westchester Knicks.
Basketball
During a distinguished NBA career, All Star small forward Cedric Z. Ceballos played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat.
After achieving fame for winning the 1992 NBA Slam Dunk Contest with a remarkable blindfolded jam, Ceballos’ career highlights include leading the NBA in field goal percentage (57.6) in 1992-93 en route to an appearance in the NBA Finals with the Suns. With a 21.7 points per game average in 1994-95, he led the Lakers in scoring and made the Western Conference the All-Star team. During the 1995-96 season, Ceballos again led the Lakers with a 21.2 average, notching the Lakers’ first 50-point game in over 20 years.
Since retiring from the hardwood, Ceballos has worked with the Phoenix Suns as their in-arena emcee and host of a weekly webcast, “Nothin’ but Net.” In addition to his basketball skills, Ceballos earned notoriety as a musician, working on the album B-Ball’s Best Kept Secret, a 1994 record featuring tracks of an array of early 1990s NBA players. He is featured on multiple tracks performing with hip-hop star Warren G on “Flow On” and later on the track “Ya Don’t Stop” also featuring fellow NBA All-Star Dana Barros and rappers Grand Puba, Sadat X, AG and Diamond D. He has also hosted a morning music program for Phoenix, Arizona rhythm & blues radio station MEGA 104.3 FM.
Cedric Ceballos is an alumni of Ventura College and Cal State Fullerton. His daughter, Cyndee, recently signed to play basketball for Seattle University.
Basketball
Alex English was born January 5, 1954 in Columbia, South Carolina. English stayed true to his homegrown roots, starring at local Dreher High School before moving on to play collegiately at the University of South Carolina.
Following his career at South Carolina, English was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 23rd overall pick in the 1976 NBA Draft. During his time in Milwaukee, English learned the game as a backup as the team tried to rebuild following Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s departure. English was traded to the Indiana Pacers in 1978, where he began to show flashes of his scoring ability, averaging 16 points per game. Midway through the 1979-80 season, he was traded once more to the Denver Nuggets where he would solidify his reputation as a prolific scorer. From 1980-1990, his entire tenure with the Nuggets, English averaged 26 points per game, earned 8 All-Star bids, became a 3-time All-NBA Second Team selection, led the league in scoring in 1983 and became the franchises’ all-time leading scorer. To add to the list of impressive feats, English led the Nuggets in scoring in 55% of the games he played for Denver. Following this decade with the Nuggets, he signed with the Dallas Mavericks in 1990, where he would play for one season before finishing his NBA career.
After being away from the game for a few years, English got into coaching, spending one season each with the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks as an assistant coach prior to joining the Toronto Raptors organization. There, he would spend 2004 – 2011 as the Director of Player Development and as an assistant coach. In the summer of 2011, English finished with the Raptors and spent one season with the Sacramento Kings.