- Alumni to Watch
Building on their experiences at Ravenscroft, they find passion and purpose in coaching and mentoring today’s student-athletes.
Ravenscroft’s long tradition of high-quality athletic programs is reflected in the many student-athletes who go on to play college sports. We talked with five alumni — Bo Andrews ’09, Quinn Billerman ’12, Justin Bradley ’09, Ebony Tanner ’99 and Michael Woodson ’07 — who have taken their talent, discipline and leadership to the next level as college coaches. Read on to learn about their current roles, their inspirations and influences, and their favorite memories from their time as Ravens.
- Tell us about your current coaching role. What do you enjoy most about it?
- What experiences did you have as an athlete that, looking back, you believe influenced your path to becoming a coach?
- What lesson that you learned from a Ravenscroft coach has resonated with you most in the years since graduation?
- What is your favorite memory of being involved in sports at Ravenscroft?
Tell us about your current coaching role. What do you enjoy most about it?
Bo Andrews ’09: I am currently the assistant men’s golf coach at the University of Tennessee. My job consists of mostly recruiting and player development. In terms of recruiting, it is my job to find a group of young players that can compete at a high level. Throughout the recruitment process, I am responsible for filtering those special talents that really seem to fit our program and culture — talented, mature and coachable. Player development is a tricky task because there is no insurance for malpractice. Nowadays, these elite players have swing coaches, trainers and sometimes their own mental coaches. I try my best to serve as a liaison, specifically for their swing instructors because they aren’t around constantly like I am. I do my best work in player development with the mental side of competing. You can get a lot out of a kid when you help them create self-belief. I’d say the part I enjoy most about coaching is seeing that light bulb go off in these young men’s heads. That light usually goes off when they start to understand that their hard work, positive self-talk and good decisions actually mean something.
Quinn Billerman ’12: Currently I am an offensive graduate assistant working with the quarterbacks at Duke University. Since I was hired in February, the best thing about coming to Duke is the people. Not only do I get to work with the best coaching staff in the country under Head Coach David Cutcliffe and Co-Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach Jeff Faris, but the student-athletes on this football team are awesome to coach and bring an energy and enthusiasm to the game every day.
Justin Bradley ’09: I am currently the associate head coach for the men’s basketball program at Dartmouth College. I enjoy building authentic relationships with the student-athletes and helping them navigate their social, academic and athletic college careers at Dartmouth. I also enjoy the pace of the profession and how each day is unique.
Ebony Tanner ’99: I am the head women’s basketball coach at Saint Augustine’s University here in Raleigh. I enjoy being able to make a daily impact on the lives of my student-athletes through a sport we share a common love for. Within a given day, I’m a motivational speaker, a counselor, an advocate, a tutor, a coach, a cheerleader and so forth. I am whatever they need me to be that day to help them on their journey in life, in the classroom and on the court.
Michael Woodson ’07: As head coach of the men’s tennis team at Baylor University, I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to impact young lives day in and day out. College coaches are tasked with so much more than coaching a particular sport. We have the critical responsibility of helping 18-22-year-olds transition from adolescence to adulthood. This is something I thoroughly enjoy and don’t take lightly. Watching our young men grow up into great fathers, husbands and men of faith is so rewarding and makes the day-to-day battles well worth it.
What experiences did you have as an athlete that, looking back, you believe influenced your path to becoming a coach?
What lesson that you learned from a Ravenscroft coach has resonated with you most in the years since graduation?
What is your favorite memory of being involved in sports at Ravenscroft?
Bo Andrews ’09
Quinn Billerman ’12
Justin Bradley ’09
Ebony Tanner ’99
Michael Woodson ’07