A closer look into our coaching staff here at PHH starting with our Programming Directors

If you are interested in joining our team please click here for more information

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JARED ASHE

PHH City Programming Director

Coach J-Bone will begin his 6th season as a Full-Time Director this Fall where he leads the PHH City Program. Coach J is the Director of the Warriors Travel Program in the City and is the top coach and administrator for PHH City. Coach J is also involved in the day-to-day growth and direction of Play Hard Hoops in all areas.

He has been part of the PHH program over the past 7 years beginning as a Part-Time Coach where he quickly became a PHH Favorite. Jared has also spent the last six years as a coach at Mount Carmel HS coaching at all levels, from Freshmen B, Freshmen A, Sophomores, and now as the lead Varsity Assistant at the highly ranked program. He has had stellar success there including as Head of the Sophomore Team in 2019-2020, leading its squad to an undefeated 15-0 Catholic League championship and 27-7 overall record  after a 20-6 championship run with the MC freshmen team in 2018-2019. Their program has recently sent multiple players - Deandre Craig (Denver), Phillip Jones (St.Louis), Elijah Jointer (TSU), Matthew Hawkins (Augustana) among several others - to the college hoops level.

Ashe was a decorated college basketball and soccer player at Wesleyan University in Connecticut where he was a Division III All-American Soccer Player and Captain of both the basketball and soccer teams.  Upon graduation from Wesleyan he was hired by Lazard, an asset management firm, where he worked for almost 10 years between their New York and Chicago offices.

Fortunately, Jared decided to follow his passion and pursue a career in coaching/teaching. “Coach J” has been a tremendous addition to Play Hard Hoops where he shares the PHH Vision of teaching boys and girls the fundamentals of basketball while also being a great mentor who believes in teaching kids more than just basketball.

MADELEINE MCTAGUE

PHH Girls Programming Director/ PHH Assistant Director Suburbs 

Entering into her 4th year with Play Hard Hoops, Madeleine came to us eager to create an All-Girls program within PHH. She was a 4 year Varsity player at Maine East HS graduating in 2016. She moved on to play at her local Junior College for 2 years where she was a leading scorer as well as team captain before eventually playing down in Florida at an NAIA D1 University.

Prior to coaching for Play Hard Hoops, Madeleine was working full time for a martial arts company, but quickly realized that the basketball world is where her passion is, and where she belongs. She has always enjoyed working with kids and while she is involved in all facets of the program, her goal at PHH is to continue to lead the growth of Play Hard Hoops Girls into travel basketball, PHH leagues and skills classes. Madeleine loves helping each and every player reach their full potential and wants to continue being a role model to many young girls in the basketball community.

MICHAEL KAYE
Assistant Director City Programming/ Girls Warriors City Director

Coach Kaye is entering his 4th year coaching with Play Hard Hoops. During his stint with PHH he has coached weekly skills clinics, leagues, outdoor sessions, summer camps, and City Warriors travel teams. Moving forward he will be the Assistant Director in the city. In this role he will continue coaching all the mentioned programming, as well as co-directing the implementation of the city Warriors Girls travel program.

Coach Kaye brings international experience to our program. Throughout his high school career he represented his state in Australian national tournaments, playing against the best players in Australia and neighboring countries. He has since embarked on a career in education and coaching basketball players from K-12th grade.

Upon graduating with a Bachelor in Educational Studies from the University of Canberra, Australia, he moved to Chicago in 2017. Since living here he has taught physical education and assisted in directing the athletic program at Old St. Mary’s school in the South Loop. During his tenure at OSM he has been the liaison for all things basketball and the school has become a very respectable program within the CCYL. He has head coached middle school boys and girls teams, run clinics for 1st-3rd grade students, implemented alternative programming for students 4th-8th grade, and organized basketball events, including hosting an Australian high school in Chicago for alumni games. Coach Kaye still currently teaches at OSM and has recently accepted a coaching position at Mount Carmel High School, as freshman head coach.

DAVID ADELMAN

PHH Founder & Director

Adelman began PHH in 2009 after being a long time college and professional basketball coach. Upon graduating from the University of Pittsburgh as a student assistant while also assisting ESPN 1000 David Kaplan's Windy City Roundball Review Adelman was hired by Loyola University Chicago - then one of the youngest D1 assistants in the country.

Adelman served as a Division 1 assistant at Loyola & Duquesne University and then assisted at UW Stevens Point under Coach Jack Bennett where he helped the program to a 45-10 record in 2 years.

Adelman was then afforded an opportunity to be an Assistant Coach and General Manager of the Westchester Wildfire, a new franchise in the USBL (United States Basketball League) in 2001. He assisted former New York Knick John Starks in leading the Wildfire to back-to-back winning seasons and a 20-12 record and final four playoff appearance in its first year. Adelman also served as an assistant coach for the nationally ranked St Raymonds HS program in New York where he helped St Raymonds win the City Championship and finish third in the State in 2004.

Adelman has also coached Internationally in the prestigious World Maccabiah Games winning three gold medals (2 in the Pan American Games) and a Silver Medal in the 2009 World Maccabiah Games. Adelman also gained international coaching experience by taking a collection of professional basketball players to compete in Denmark against traditional powers: Hapoel Jerusalem, Eiffel Towers, Alba, Krka and Besiktas.

ANDREW BRAVERMAN

PHH Director of Operations

Andrew Braverman (Braves) joined PHH in April of 2024 after over a decade of working with youth sports programs and facilities around Chicagoland's North Shore and Northwest Suburbs. Braves previously held the position of General Manager at the Joy of the Game Sports Center and Berto Center in Deerfield, as well as the Athletico Center/North Shore Sports Center in Northbrook, in addition to his current role as an assistant varsity basketball coach at Wheeling High School.

Coach Braves has also worked with local AAU programs such as Rising Stars, Illinois Old School and All in Athletics, and is the former Vice President of Hi-Five Sports Clubs North Shore. In 2021, he founded the Chicagoland Feeder League (CFL) for boys programs feeder basketball teams in 3rd-5th grade, which will tip off in December '24 for its fourth season.

Prior to moving back to Chicago in 2010, Braves was a two-time award-winning radio sportscaster in Nashville, Tennessee and Denver, Colorado. He is originally from Northbrook, and is a graduate of Glenbrook North High School and Ohio University - Athens. He currently resides in Buffalo Grove with his wife, Sarah, and kids, Hailee and Miles.