NAAZIR RUSSELL, FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR
The Uptempo Academy Founder Naazir Russell is a former NBA coach, professional international basketball player, a university coach, and was a collegiate basketball player at the University of West Florida, where he earned a full basketball scholarship and graduate degree in Health Sciences. Coach Russell comes from an NBA family where five men have either played a's a professional and/or works in the organization. The Russell family has produced more NBA players than any other family in the world. These men are: Frank Russell (father) , Campy Russell (uncle and current commentator for the Cleveland Cavaliers); Walker Russell (uncle and current Director of Scouts for the New York Knicks), and Walker Russell, Jr (cousin). This fuels Coach Russell’s passion and sincere interest in sharing his knowledge of the sport with up and coming basketball players. Coach Russell has trained NBA professional basketball players who benefited from his expertise and include: Lebron James (Cleveland Cavaliers); Rasheed Wallace (Detroit Pistons); Daniel Gibson (Cleveland Cavaliers), among others. Coach Russell along with his experienced and competent staff is guaranteed to prepare each student athlete for the next level post high school graduation.
EDDIE ROBINSON, MEN'S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH
A native of Flint, Michigan known for his freakish athleticism, ability to score the basketball and jaw dropping vertical, Eddie Robinson, better known in basketball circles as “E-Rob”, began his collegiate career at Trinity Valley in Athens, Texas. After his freshman year, Robinson transferred to Brown Mackie College in Salina, Kansas, where he averaged 22.7 points per game, earning him first team All-American. Robinson would complete his collegiate career at the University of Central Oklahoma where he totaled 28 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. In 2017, Robinson was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame. Upon completion of his collegiate career, Robinson caught the attention of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets where he played from 1999-2001. After an impressive playoff performance with the Hornets in 2001, Robinson inked a five-year $32 million contract with the Chicago Bulls.
Since his NBA career, Robinson’s love of the game has kept him active in the basketball community, suiting up for the NBA’s G League, the National Basketball League of Canada, and most recently, Ice Cube’s Big3 league which features former NBA stars. In addition to playing, Robinson has served as head coach for tier 1 high school and prep school programs in Canada. Since 2017, he has operated an elite basketball training business with his young clients across North America experiencing unprecedented results. Robinson has also served as a coach at many prestigious developmental camps and has been active in several charity initiatives for under-privileged children and victims of bullying. Robinson splits his time between his wife's hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia and Houston, Texas. He is the proud father of four children, Jaalen, Santana, Giselle, and Louie.
GERALD YOUNG, MEN'S BASEBALL DIRECTOR
Director Gerald Young is a Honduran former professional baseball outfielder. He played all or parts of eight seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily as a center fielder. He is the first person born in Honduras to play Major League Baseball was drafted in the 5th round of the 1982 MLA amateur draft by the New York Mets and was later traded to the Houston Astros in 1984. Young made his major league debut with them on July 8, 1987. He showed promise by hitting .321 and stealing 26 bases for the Astros, finishing 5th in the National League Rookie of the Year voting despite playing less than half a season with the major league club. Young's best season in the major leagues came the following year, 1988, when he finished 2nd in the NL with 65 steals. His career expanded for nearly a decade, in which he also bring his baseball talent to teams such as the Tucson Toros, Colorado Rockies, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Seattle Mariners and the St. Louis Cardinals. We welcome Director Young and his professional experience to The Uptempo Academy as we train and develop student athletes to be prepared for the next level.
ELVIS RODRIGUEZ, MEN'S SOCCER DIRECTOR
Elvis RODRIGUEZ, Better known as DUFRAICHE, was born on June 11, 1977 in Nantes, France.
He began his training in a small club, ES BLAIN, which saw several of these players break into the world of football. Small football club but very good training club. Thanks to ES BLAIN, he was spotted by the best training club in France at the time when a certain, DIDIER DESCHAMPS, coach of the FRANCE team was trained, the FOOTBALL CLUB DE NANTES. Unfortunately for him, a serious right ankle injury ruined everything. AJ AUXERRE the other great training club of the 90s wanted to give him a chance but his ankle did not hold. He then played in various clubs RC ANCENIS, SOISSONS FC, OLYMPIQUE SAINT-QUENTINOIS to name a few, but his ankle never left him alone. He even came to the USA in BALTIMORE to relaunch his career but nothing worked. However, he started training young people when they left FC NANTES because he knew it was going to be complicated to return to his level. He was a youth educator in Blain, Saint-Quentin and Soissons before stopping everything and working in the entertainment world. In 2009 a friend offered him to resume football as a coach in a small club in the Bordeaux vineyards, at the penultimate level of French football at FC CANTONAL EN LUSSACAIS. He therefore became general coach and took charge of the first team and the U13s where he met with immediate success by raising the seniors to the upper division and the U13s at the regional level then to the regional U14s. To pass his coaching diploma, he goes to another Girondin club, the Coteaux Libournais in U18, where he brings up the team and unfortunately loses the final of the district cup. All these successes opened the doors to high level and he signed with the USJA CARQUEFOU FOOTBALL, national club, where he became coach of the U19s with two championships won and a regional cup and author of a great course in the Gambardella cup (cup de France of the U19) by eliminating FC NANTES. Subsequently, he takes responsibility for the reserve team. In 2015, he was also a trainer at the football league where he supervised future coaches who were graduating. Finally, another national club, SO CHOLET, makes him an offer he cannot refuse and becomes director of the club's academy and sports and administrative coordinator of the sports sections of high school and college. His duties at SO CHOLET do not stop there because he coaches the U17s and then the reserve team, some players at the end of their careers having played in Ligue 1 in France and Europe but also played in the European Cup. He also has young professional players in his training squad. He is also a consultant for the television of the French football federation. Elvis is a graduate of the State Certificate of Sports Educator and the UEFA A License .
ELISEO QUINTANILLA, MEN'S SOCCER ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Director Eliseo Quintanilla is a native of La libertad, El Salvador and brings world class experience as a professional soccer player. Beginning his career at the age of 16, he played and advanced on a number of international teams, which include Washington, D.C. United , Club Deportivo Aguila, San Salvador Futobol Club and his home country national team El Salvador. Playing in the position of midfielder and forward, Eliseo played a total of 13 years of professional soccer and participated in World Cup qualifying rounds to Japan and Korea in 2002, Germany in 2006, South Africa in 2010, and Heats to World Cup Brazil in 2014. Recently, he coached players at Texas United and is a licensed United States Coach with Grassroots 11v11. Eliseo looks forward to meeting the needs of each student athlete in the program through hard work, training, and international exposure using the game of soccer.
KIERAH RUSSELL, DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT AND S.T.E.A.M. PROGRAMS
Director of Academic Enrichment and a member of the Administrative Support Staff for the Uptempo Academy, Kierah Russell holds a Masters in Public Administration and Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and Sociology from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. Kierah is a former college professor for Lone Star College and Stephen F.Austin State University for of four years where she taught Political Science and Public Administration. Additionally, Mrs. Russell is a 2013 Teach for America Alum and taught at her placement school KIPP Polaris Academy for Boys in Houston, Texas for 4 years. She also earned the opportunity to work with the 81st Texas Legislature through the Texas Legislative Internship Program sponsored by then State Senator Rodney Ellis, who is a current Harris County Commissioner in the Houston area. With over ten years of collegiate experience as a former successful student, educator, and administrator, Kierah will provide each student-athlete with the academic support and enrichment needed to be successful in the classroom and smoothly transition to a 4-year college/university.