Ganon Baker Staff - Steph Wood Director of Basketball Operations and Lead Trainer

Core Focus: Steph's passion is working with girls, but trains all players alike. She currently holds All—girl workouts and camps all over the country, delivers motivational speeches and school assemblies, personal training, and clinics. She also oversees operations and manages staff trainers.

Achievements: All State High School Player, Former College Player at DIII Chowan, All Decade Player in 2000, High School Coach with 4 Conference Titles, 2005 Virginia Commonwealth Conference Coach of the Year and 2006 Virginia Independent Schools Association State Coach of the Year.

I found my passion for basketball out of the overwhelming feeling I had to make my father proud of me. At the age of 6 he bought me my first goal and ball and told me if I wanted to be good I needed to practice. He played horse with me nearly 4 times a week. Often late at night when everyone else was asleep in the neighborhood. He taught me that being different was special and that it didn't matter that I was a girl, I had to be able to hang with the best boys in the neighborhood. It was my father that sat with me while we watched Larry Bird and Kevin McHale take on greats like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. We would turn on basketball on Saturdays and watch all day.

As an adult, it was my father who told me I was meant to be a coach and a teacher of the game. I was no longer "wasting my talents". I found a passion for teaching this game when I watched Wendy Larry coach in some game film at an ODU basketball camp when I was 12. I thought to myself, "Who cares about playing, I want to be her."

Steph Wood also writes articles for active.com and hoopgurlz.com check out this link to read her 6 tips for perimeter defense on the ball.
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