We started this business out of a passion for sports, travel, and creating life-changing experiences for young athletes. Watching kids light up as they play the game they love in incredible places like Europe inspired us to build something special. Our mission is to give student-athletes the chance to compete internationally in an Olympic-style event while exploring new cultures and growing as individuals. There is something powerful about seeing a young person gain confidence while representing their country in a foreign land. Our goal has always been to provide a first-class experience that blends high-level competition with unforgettable cultural exposure. With coaches who have played and coached in over seven European countries, our program is built on unmatched knowledge and experience. Alongside them, our staff brings decades of expertise in group travel and tourism, ensuring every trip is seamless and enriching. Above all, we are committed to helping kids have fun, build lifelong memories, and return home with a new perspective on the world.
The selection committee is made up of dedicated coaches, educators, enthusiast, and scouts. They conduct a thorough evaluation of each athlete to assess their suitability and alignment with the USA Gold Standards. This collaborative approach ensures that every candidate is given careful consideration fostering a strong and supportive environment for all participants.
Tom began his coaching career at North Alabama in 1982. With career stops at North Alabama, Louisiana-Monroe, Memphis, Southeast Missouri State, UAB, Central Florida, Texas-Pan Am, Paris JC, Jacksonville State and most recently Southern Miss, Tom was part of the winning handshake over 300 times. His teams won fifteen D-1 league championships and made eleven NCAA appearances, including a Sweet Sixteen in 1995, and coached in 4 NIT tournaments. He spent five years at Memphis during the mid-1990s, where he made his mark as one of the top recruiters in the nation. In 2007, he was the NCAA Independent Division Coach of the Year. He has worked with the Harlem Globetrotters for over 10 years.
As a player he was a three-time letter winner at Mississippi State, named to the SEC All-Academic Team and was an honorable mention Academic All-American. In 1979, he was third in the SEC in assists (107) and first in charges taken. He spent his freshman year at UNLV and was part of the school’s 1977 Final Four team.
Tom has coached in Europe and traveled extensively throughout Europe. He uccessfully outran the bulls in Pamplona and his favorite city is Venice.
As a player, Bernard was the Houston Chronicle Player of the Year in 1997 which is awarded to top player in the Greater Houston Area. He played in the Texas High School All Star Basketball Game and was touted as the best guard in the state of Texas. He had similar success at the Nike All American Camp where he was selected to the All Star game and considered one of the top 5 guards. He was a McDonald’s All-American Nominee and a Top 50 National Recruit which gained interest from every major program. He signed with The University of Texas –and eventually transferred and graduated from The University of Houston playing under Clyde Drexler.
As a coach, he has worked with over 50 collegiate athletes and 20 professional athletes. Bernard played professionally in China and has traveled and coached in Europe. He enjoyed Italy and Rome was by far his favorite city- mainly for the food.
A former standout at Old Bridge High School, made history as the first boys player to score 1,000 points, leading the Knights to their inaugural conference final-four appearance. His impressive high school career garnered attention from Division I and II programs, paving the way for his collegiate journey at East Stroudsburg University, where he played on two championship teams, including a remarkable 30-2 squad that advanced to the NCAA DII Sweet Sixteen. He concluded his college career at Ramapo College, securing another championship and competing in the NCAA tournament. After a professional stint in Spain, Sultan shifted his focus to training and coaching, bringing three years of experience from Old Bridge Hoops Academy. Now, through Leave No Doubt Training, he is committed to developing the next generation of, helping them reach their full potential both on and off the court.
With over 10 years of coaching experience as the boys varsity head coach at Hoboken High School from 2011 to 2014. Following that, Greg spent five years as a JV and assistant varsity coach at Ridgefield Memorial High School. In the 2019-2020 season, I joined the Paramus boys program as an assistant varsity coach. Since the inception of the Mustangz program in 2016, Greg has coached all age groups and experience training both boys and girls at the high school and middle school levels.
Chris was a multi-sport athlete growing up and played varsity high school basketball for two years. All of his children played competitive sports. They competed at a high level and Chris has seen the positive affects of international basketball through his professional basketball relationships.
He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a B.S. in Mathematical Sciences and M.S. in Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization. He believes the benefit of playing basketball in Europe along with the cultural experience will strengthen each athlete along their journey in life.
Greg is an experienced basketball evaluator and youth basketball mentor. He holds a strong passion for developing talent, as demonstrated by his annual work at youth basketball camps in Texas and Florida. He regularly attends the Nike Peach Jam to scout the next generation of NBA talent and is a strong advocate for international competition, having played on a team that toured China in high school. The tour had a profound impact on him and is something he encourages every young player to pursue. Greg has coached all age groups and experience training both boys and girls at the high school and middle school levels.
Bret is a basketball and sports superfan- he is more than just an enthusiast…he lives for sports. He has been involved with basketball for 30+ years. Bret played in high school and on his college club team. For his day job, Bret is a private investor and entrepreneur. He and his family are members of First Methodist Church.
Bret and Chris undersand the need to expand the athletes overall life and game experiences and together they founded USA Gold Student Athlete.
