PhD Hoops USA Announces Teams for 2025 Barbados Fast Break Tour
LOS ANGELES, CA – May 29, 2025 – PhD Hoops USA announces the teams, coaches and players who will represent the USA in the Boys (U23 & U19) Basketball divisions at the Barbados Basketball Festival. Both teams will be on tour in Barbados from July 1-7, 2025 and competing in the Barbados Basketball Festival, the first of its kind on the island! The group will experience both high-level basketball and cultural sightseeing before and after the event.
PhD Hoops USA
(U23 Boys Team)
PLAYERS
Luca Davis (Sacramento, CA)
Kade Harrick (San Clemente, CA)
Drew Martin (Prairie Village, KS)
Jackson Mayes (Hockley, TX)
Kevin McNicholas (Columbia, NJ)
Connor Miller (Houston, TX)
Kirkland Miller (Leetonia, OH)
Angel Smith (Bridgeton, NJ)
Isaiah Smith (Tucson, AZ)
Cortavion Wilder (Warrenton, GA)
Coach Matt O’Brien, Head Coach (Winfield, KS), has proven to be one of the best college basketball coaches in the nation. Currently, he is the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Southwestern College (KS) and is the all-time winningest coach in program history. He has coached Southwestern to 20+ win seasons in 9 of the last 11 years, 16 straight winning seasons, several conference championships and numerous National Tournament appearances. In addition to his coaching responsibilities, he also serves as the Director of Athletics. Coach O’Brien was awarded the Kansas Basketball Coaches College Coach of the Year in 2019. He has coached numerous All-Americans and will have coached on all 4 of our unique PhD Hoops USA trip experiences by summer’s end. He graduated from Friends University with both a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education and a Master’s Degree in Management.Â
Coach Cody Ripato, Assistant Coach (Longview, TX), has the unique distinction of being both a successful player (2019) and assistant coach (2024) for PhD Hoops USA. He is currently the Assistant Coach at LeTourneau University (TX) after recently completing his 5-year collegiate playing career. Over the last few years, he has kickstarted his coaching career by serving on staff at several PGC Basketball Camps and coaching on the AAU circuit with the Bulls Basketball Club. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from William Patterson University of New Jersey with his Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Management.
PhD Hoops USA
(U19 Boys Team)
PLAYERS
Chase Barnes (Vail, AZ)
Myckel Davis (Cleveland, OH)
Christian Fowler (Converse, TX)
JT Haney (Dothan, AL)
Gregory Latimore II (West Palm Beach, FL)
Ethan McClanahan (Grundy, VA)
Moses McDowell (Daleville, AL)
Josiah Peterson (Enterprise, AL)
Kamaury Thompson (Tupelo, MS)
Sam Wheeler (Oxford, KS)
Coach Rob Fry, Head Coach (Miami, FL), is coaching with PhD Hoops USA for his 3rd consecutive summer. He has spent nearly two decades coaching basketball in different areas across the country, mostly as Head Coach and Program Director for both the Grand Park Premier (IN) and Arizona Premier (AZ). Additionally, he has served as the Head Girls Basketball Coach at Catalina High School in Tucson, Arizona. Coach Fry takes great pride in having assisted over 150 players achieve their goal of receiving a basketball scholarship, many of whom have gone on to play professionally in either the NBA or WNBA. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology while playing collegiately at Western Michigan University, followed by a short stint playing in the United States Basketball League (USBL).
TRIP LEADER - Richie Schueler (Los Angeles, CA)
Richie Schueler is the Founder of PhD Hoops USA and has also served as a College Basketball Analyst at ESPN for the past 12 years. He spent a decade as a college basketball coach at all NCAA levels, including St. Andrews University, where he was the Head Men’s Basketball Coach. He has been a USA Basketball Gold Licensed Coach, a licensed FIBA-approved coach (International Basketball Federation), a longtime member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), an honorary member of the Hoop Historians and is actively involved in basketball camps, clinics and showcases around the United States. He played collegiately at the University of Evansville, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education. He earned his Master’s Degree in Health & Human Performance with a specialization in Sports Administration from Austin Peay State University.
Every PhD Hoops USA player goes through an extensive Player Profile process. Click here for more information on PhD Hoops USA and our Upcoming Tours or contact us at travel@mg.phdhoops.com or (310) 620-6639.
