Brian Robinson

Program Director Biography:

Brian Robinson is the program director.  Coach Robinson, or Coach “R” began The Winston-Salem Stealers, in 1996. Coach Robinson has a number of experiences in the world of girl’s basketball. Here is a brief resume’ of some of Coach Robinson’s basketball history and accomplishments outside of the Winston-Salem Stealers Club Program and the 292 Program:

High School Coaching (www.ladyvillainsbasketball.com)

• High School Career Record: 548-190 overall in twenty-six seasons as a head varsity high school coach.
• In twenty-two (22) seasons as a head girls coach at Bishop McGuinness, he has won eleven (11) state championships.
• Holds the NCHSAA Record for most consecutive state championships won with nine in a row from 2006-2014.
• Has won eleven state championships as a head coach (learn more HERE).
• The nine state consecutive state championships ranks second all-time in the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS).

College Coaching:

• In the summer of 2010, Robinson was offered and accepted an assistant coaching position at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida.
• Southeastern University is an NAIA School which, under NAIA Rules, allowed Robinson to continue his daily activities, including coaching the Varsity Lady Villains.
• Robinson’s role with Southeastern included “distance” scouting and pre / post-season skill development.
• The “distance” scouting translates to uploading video of Southeastern’s future opponents, then developing a tendency and scouting report for the team, and sending the report to team via email. The pre / post-season skill development aspect of Robinson’s job took place during the spring-fall months, and didn’t interfere with his activities with the Lady Villains.
• Robinson held the position for one year under head coach Dee Stokes, before Stokes left her position to be professor-only on campus at Southeastern.

Coaching Awards:

• Was named the Northwest 1A Conference Coach of the Year in 2005-06, 2008-09, 2013-14, 2010-20.
• Was named the Northwest Piedmont 1A Conference Coach of the Year in 2023-24.
• In 2009-10 Robinson was selected as the Associated Press’ State Coach of the Year.
• Is a three-time Runner-Up for the NCHSAA State Coach of the Year in 2005-06, 2006-07, and 2011-12 as voted on by the Associated Press in North Carolina.
• In 2007-08 and 2012-13, Robinson was the second runner-up for the AP State Coach of the Year.
• Was named Coach of the Year by the Greensboro News & Record in 2005-06, 2007-08 and 2011-12
• Named  Coach of the Year by Triad Sports in 2005-06 and 2009-10
• Named Coach of the Year by  NCPreps.com in 2006-07.
• Won the Homer Thompson Award “Eight Who Make A Difference” at the conclusion of the 05-06 Season.
• Was named the PACIS Coach of the Year in 2003-04.
• In 2013, Robinson was honored by the NCHSAA to be on their “100 Coaches to Remember”, in celebration of their 100th year anniversary of coaches in all high school sports in North Carolina. This honor was for all coaches, in every sport, for both genders in the history of the NCHSAA.
• In January 2014, Robinson was named as State Coach of the Year by the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) for the 2013 Year.
• In 2010, Robinson was one of four people named a “Living Legend” at the annual “Hang-the-Net” Contest at Hanes Hosiery Recreation Center. Robinson joined Kim Underwood from the Winston-Salem Journal, his former high school head coach Howard West, and former Detroit Lions Head Coach Jim Caldwell in receiving the “Living Legend” award.

USA Basketball (www.usabasketball.com)

• Robinson also was one of thirty coaches nationwide that took part in the 2005 USA Youth Development Festival held in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
• In 2007, Robinson was selected as Head Coach of the USA Basketball Blue Team that took the silver medal at the Youth Development Festival in Colorado.
• Robinson was nominated and selected as one of five high school coaches in the nation to serve on the USA Basketball Women’s Basketball Development Committee in 2009. This was a four-year commitment. The committee selected the 2009 U16 Team for USA Basketball which won the gold medal at the FIBA Tournament in Mexico City and qualified for the U17 FIBA Tournament in France for 2010.
• The 2011 and 2012 Teams that he helped select also won gold medals at the FIBA Tournaments in Mexico and Amsterdam.
• In 2010, Coach Robinson was a court coach with two-time gold medalists Ruthie Bolton at the U17 USA Basketball Trials in Colorado. The 2010 U17 Team won the Gold at the inaugural World Championships in France.
• In 2013, Robinson was selected as an assistant coach for the USA Basketball Women’s National Team. The team went 5-0 in Cancun, Mexico, and won the Gold Medal for the FIBA Americas Championships.
• Robinson was selected as an assistant coach again in 2014, this time for the U17 National Team. The team went 7-0 in Pilsen, Czech Republic and the FIBA World Championships.
• Coach Robinson attended the USA Basketball National Team Trials in Annapolis, Maryland at the Naval Academy in September of 2014.
• Coach Robinson was also the only varsity girls high school basketball coach to be a court coach at the USA Basketball East Regional Skills Clinic in October of 2015.
• In 2016, Robinson was selected to be on the three-team national board for USA Basketball’s Appeals Panel which handles nationwide appeals for coaching certification and approval of gold licenses.
• From 2017-2022 Robinson hworked for USA Basketball’s Youth Department at the U.S. Open Tournament, as a speaker in Dallas, Las Vegas and Chicago and working camps in Virginia at Emory & Henry and Lynchburg.
• In 2021, Robinson served as support staff for the USA Basketball U16 National Team in Indianapolis, Washington, DC and then in Guanajuato, Mexico.  The team won gold which was Coach Robnson’s third gold with USAB.
• In 2021, Robinson was selected as one of two high school coaches to be an international liaison at the Pre-Olympic Training Camp in Las Vegas.  Robinson was the team liaison for Team Nigeria during their stay in Vegas for the warm-up / friendly competition before the teams headed to the Olympics.
• In 2022, Robinson was appointed to a four-year term to select the U16 and U17 Women’s Junior National Teams; the 2022, 2023, and 2024 teams won Gold Medals.

Women’s Basketball Coaching Association (WBCA) High School All-American Selection Committee (www.wbca.org):

• In 2006-07 Robinson was named to the NCHSAA Women’s Basketball Sectional Tournament Committee.
• In 2007, Robinson was given a three year appointment to serve as the District 3 (North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, DC) Coordinator for the WBCA All-American Game’s Selection Committee.
• In 2008 and 2011, Robinson was named a chaperone for the WBCA’s High School All-American Game held in conjunction with the NCAA Women’s Final Four in Tampa, Florida (’08), Indianapolis, Indiana (’11) and Denver, Colorado (’12).
• In 2011-current, Robinson was selected to be the Chair for the WBCA HS All-American Game Selection Committee.

NBA / WNBA Experience:

• Worked with the NBA and WNBA in July of 2021 in Las Vegas at the Pre-Olympic Festival.
• Served as country liaison with the Nigerian National Team during the Pre-Olympic Festival.

Wheelchair Basketball (www.nwba.org):

• Head Coach of the Triad Trackers Wheelchair Basketball Team based out of Winston-Salem from 2013-2019.
• Led the Trackers to a third place finish in the conference tournament in Myrtle Beach in 2017.
• Helped the Trackers reach the national tournament in 2017 and 2018; the team’s first appearances in the national tournament.
• Brought the wheelchair conference tournament to Winston-Salem for the first time in program history in 2015.

Professional Organizations:

• Robinson is a member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA); this is a National Organization of Professional, College, High School and Club Coaches.
• Robinson is also a member of three other national associations and one state association: the National Federation of High School Coaches (NFHS).
• The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and at one time locally, the North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association (NCBCA).
• Robinson was selected to serve on the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s President’s Advisory Committee in August of 2008.
• Coach Robinson was the original club sponsor for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Bishop McGuinness in 2010.

Club Program:​

• Is the founder and president of 292 Real Basketball Report,LLC., in Winston-Salem.
• The 292 Program helps girl’s basketball players pursue their dream of playing basketball in college.
• Is the Founder and Director of Basketball Operations for the Winston-Salem Stealers’ Girls Club Program in Winston-Salem, an organization he founded in 1996.
• Handles the day-to-day operations of the programs, such as practice and tournament scheduling, club registration of the players and coaches, and web site maintenance.
• Helps instruct and groom the head and assistant coaches of the teams in the program, but, as of August of 2004, does not coach any of the Club Teams in the Stealers’ Program.​
• In 2014, Robinson’s club program was selected to be one of twelve organizations nationwide to be a USA Basketball Youth Pilot Program.
• Founded the Twin City Jazz boys basketball program in 2014.
• Head coached the Triad Trackers adult wheelchair basketball team based out of Winston-Salem (2013-2018).
• The Trackers were founded in 1988 and qualified for the wheelchair basketball nationals for the first two times in program history in 2017 and 2018.
• Robinson founded and runs the Teach The Game Program and CRC Programs.
• Over 190 girls have gone on to play in college from the program.

Graduation and Degrees:

• Robinson graduated from Appalachian State University in 1994, with a degree in Business Administration.

Professional Speaking:

• Also in 2007, Robinson received an invite to, and then spoke at, the Georgia Tech Women’s Basketball Coaches Clinic in Atlanta, Georgia.
• In 2008 at both the University of Florida’s Women’s Basketball Coaching Clinic (after working elite camp there in 2008).
• Also in 2008, Robinson spoke at the first annual Duke Women’s Basketball Clinic.
• Coach Robinson has spoken at the first annual Westchester Country Day School Coaching Clinic in 2012.
• Spoke at the first annual Triad Basketball Officials Association Clinic in Greensboro also in 2012.
• In 2013 and 2014, Robinson spoke at the North Carolina Coaches Association Coaching Clinic in Greensboro.
• In 2015, Robinson was a speaker at the first-ever USA Basketball Youth Development Coaching Academy which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada and was the first girls high school coach to speak at any USA Basketball Coaching Academy.
• In 2015, Robinson spoke at the Emory & Henry Coaching Clinic in VA.
• In 2016, Robinson spoke at the Catholic Middle School Coaching Symposium at Immaculate Heart of Mary in High Point, NC.
• From 2017-2022, Robinson has spoke at USA Basketball Coach Academies in Dallas, Chicago and Las Vegas.

Publisher:

• In June of 2008, Robinson authored “My Foundation of Coaching”, a book that covers his experiences as a basketball coach, the roles that coaches play in the lives of young people, his beliefs and values as a person, and how everything happens for a reason.
• Click on the Greensboro News & Record  Link to watch his interview following the 2007-2008 Season.
• Robinson also published an article in “A System of Success: 2009 State Championship Basketball Playbook”, a national high school publication. He also has entries in the 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 State Championship Basketball Playbooks published by Dan Ninham. In 2014, Robinson’s club program was selected to be one of twelve organizations nationwide to be a USA Basketball Youth Pilot Program.  In August of 2015, Coach R became the first high school girls basketball coach to speak at the first-ever USA Basketball Youth Coaching Academy which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Published “A Decade of Dominance” in 2012 chronicling the Lady Villains first ten years under Coach Robinson.
• Coach Robinson’s published a manual and DVD set on “Building & Sustaining A Successful Basketball Program” in 2017.

Coach Robinson’s Coaching Tree:

1. Bradley Shore – Former Head Girls Basketball Coach at Forbush HS; was Coach Robinson’s varsity boys assistant at Starmount HS.
2. Craig Clark – Former Head Boys Basketball Coach at Winston-Salem Christian; was Coach Robinson’s varsity girls assistant at Bishop McGuinness.
3. Megan Buckland – Former Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at Presbyterian College; played for Coach Robinson at Bishop McGuinness.
4. Brittany Cox – Former Head Girls Basketball Coach at West Forsyth HS; played for Coach Robinson at Bishop McGuinness.
5. Rebecca Role – Former Head Girls Basketball Coach at Parkland HS; part of Coach Robinson’s club program.
6. Katheryn Lyons – Former Head Girls Basketball Coach at Westchester Academy; played for Coach Robinson at Bishop McGuinness.
7. Calvin Davis – Former Head Girls Basketball Coach at Winston-Salem Prep Academy; part of Coach Robinson’s club program.
8. Andrew Porter – Head Girls Basketball Coach at A.L. Brown HS; played for Coach Robinson at Starmount HS.
9. T.J. Eggers – Head Girls Basketball Coach at R.J. Reynolds HS; was Coach Robinson’s varsity girls assistant at Bishop McGuinness.
10. Amanda (Cross) Brown – Former Assistant Girls Basketball Coach at North Raleigh Christian; played for Coach Robinson at Bishop McGuinness.
11. Gina Simmons – Former Assistant Girls Basketball Coach at West Forsyth; played for Coach Robinson at Bishop McGuinness.
12. Jeffrey Hague – Coach at Forbush MS; coached with Coach Robinson at Starmount High School.
13. Sammi (Goldsmith)-Chambers- Current Head Coach at Allen Academy in College Station, Texas.
14. Casey Brown – Head JV Coach at Forbush High School in 2024-25.