Coach Scott Stapler
BIOGRAPHY
After 13 highly successful seasons as a college basketball coach, Scott Stapler returns home to become the President & CEO of the Alabama Basketball Academy (ABA). The Alabama Basketball Academy, founded in 2008 by his legendary father Coach Ronnie Stapler, specializes in skill development and teaching the game of basketball to players of all ages.
At ABA, Coach Scott Stapler works with both male and female players ages 7 through professional. Throughout the year, he works with individuals, age/skill based groups, and full teams. He is the General Manager of the ABA Club teams and Co-Coaching Director along with Coach Ronnie Stapler. With his years in college developing All-American and All-Conference players combined with recruiting and evaluating players from all over the world, Scott brings a wealth of knowledge and training to every workout session.
Prior to the Alabama Basketball Academy, Coach Stapler spent 12 seasons at the NCAA Division I level serving as an assistant coach at 3 different schools.
Most recently, Scott re-united with Coach Cliff Ellis for 2 seasons as an assistant at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC (Myrtle Beach). At CCU, Stapler coached the Chanticleers offense and worked with their perimeter players. He worked with All-Freshman standout forward, Anthony Breeze, 2-time All-Big South forward Joseph Harris, and helped develop All-Big South/Player of the Year shooting guard Jack Leasure. While at Coastal, Leasure became the most prolific 3-point shooter in Conference history and finished 5th All Time in NCAA Division I history.
Before joining the staff at Coastal, Stapler served as an assistant coach at Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, AL for Coach Duane Reboul – the schools all-time winningest coach. During the eight seasons at ‘Southern, he was part of the transition from NAIA where the Panthers were a National power to the NCAA Division I level that culminated with BSC’s Big South Conference Championship in 2003-2004. At ‘Southern, Stapler directed the team defense and worked with their post players. He also served as BSC’s recruiting coordinator. During that time, BSC produced All-Conference players every year. Stapler was instrumental in helping the Panthers successfully sign players from all over the world. During his tenure as an assistant, BSC signed players from Iceland, Lithuania, France, Germany, Belarus, Democratic Republic of Congo, U.S. Virgin Islands, Congo-Brazzaville, and across the United States. Over these successful seasons, Birmingham-Southern averaged nearly 20 wins per season and won the Big South Conference Championship in 2003-2004. He was also able to recruit top students to BSC where the average ACT score for incoming students was 27. In the summers, Coach Stapler directed the BSC Team Camps which exploded from only 4 teams before his arrival on the staff to nearly 200 his final year and became one of the best Team Camp’s in the southeast.
Scott started his NCAA Division I coaching career as an assistant coach on Billy Kennedy’s staff at Centenary College in Shreveport, LA from 1997-1999. In those two seasons, he helped turn the program around and recorded the first non-losing season in years. His duties on the staff included helping with the offense and coaching the post players. Stapler was helped develop Ronnie McCollum, one of the all-time greats in Centenary basketball history. He led all of NCAA Division I in scoring his junior and senior seasons as a Gent. While at Centenary, Stapler was able to strengthen recruiting ties in the famed Texas Junior College leagues and in the talent-rich state of Louisiana. He directed the summer basketball skill camps for Coach Kennedy.
Coach Stapler got his start as a college basketball coach as a Graduate Assistant for Coach Bill Peterson at the University of Alabama-Huntsville (UAH). Stapler was able to get valuable experience recruiting right out of college at UAH. On the court, he worked coaching the offense and with the Charger post players.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Over the course of his career, Coach Stapler has traveled extensively overseas to coach teams, conduct clinics, and recruit players. In 2000, he spent 10 days coaching U.S. college players for Athlete’s in Action in Lithuania. The team travelled throughout the Baltic Sea country playing professional teams. The tour culminated with the thrill of coaching against the Lithuanian Olympic team which would later win the Bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
Later in the fall of 2000, Stapler returned to Europe to assist in clinics at Nike’s Uptempo Semester youth clinics in Berlin, Germany and Paris, France. These clinics were organized by Nike and the Basketball Federations of each country to teach the best young basketball players in the National Team Programs.
In May of 2007, Stapler returned to Europe with Athlete’s in Action as a featured clinician. He was invited to speak to the National Basketball Federations of Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Kosovo. During these clinics, he spoke to hundreds of coaches, conducted practices with their National teams, and did television interviews on the National TV stations.
In August of 2010, Coach Stapler along with his father Coach Ronnie Stapler, and Bill Peterson (Assistant Coach with the Milwaukee Bucks) travelled to Spain to instruct at the first annual Big Man Camp for Athlete’s in Action. The camp attracted players from all over Europe. It was held at the Spanish Olympic Training Center in Sant Cugat, Spain just outside of Barcelona.
Stapler was a stand-out, All-State player for his father, Coach Ronnie Stapler at Grissom High School in Huntsville, AL. During his 3 years as a varsity player, the Tigers won the 1988 6A State Championship and reached the 1990 6A State Semi-finals. Scott set and still holds the record for the most 3 point baskets in a 6A State Tournament game as a senior with 6 against Jeff Davis High School. After high school, Stapler played one season at Walker College in Jasper, AL for Coach Glen Clem. He then signed to play point guard at Northwestern State University (LA) in Natchitoches, LA. Northwestern State is an NCAA Division I member of the Southland Conference.
Coach Stapler and his wife Amy are blessed with a son and a daughter.
Ronnie Stapler – BIO
Coach Ronnie Stapler’s Hall of Fame career spans the past 42 years. He was the Head Basketball Coach at Grissom High School in Huntsville, AL from 1970 until 2003. During that time, he built Grissom into the most powerful 6A school in the state of Alabama. His accomplishments include 2 State Championships, 5 Final Four appearances, 3 Elite Eight appearances, and over 600 wins. He was named Coach of the Year 11 times during his tenure at Grissom and coached 3 Alabama 6A Players of the Year and 2 Alabama Mr. Basketball winners. After leaving Grissom, Stapler then took the Head Coaching job at Guntersville High School from 2003-2008. During his time at Guntersville, he was named Coach of the Year 3 times. He led Guntersville to the Final Four in 2008 and to the Elite Eight in 2005.
Coach Stapler is known as one of the best teachers of playing in the post in the United States. He has sent over 70 former players to the college level due to his teaching – including players to the SEC and Big East Conferences. He has been the featured speaker at State and Federation clinics throughout the USA and Europe. He also owns and directs the Colonnade All-Star Exposure Camp in the summer. It has become the premier recruiting camp in the southeastern USA. It has attracted players from 12 states and 2 foreign countries. After retiring from coaching at Guntersville, Coach Stapler opened the Alabama Basketball Academy in Huntsville, AL. In less than 2 years, the Basketball Academy has become well known in coaching circles as one of the best places to send players to improve their skills. Stapler’s passion and knowledge of the game combine to make him a great teacher of the game.
