ERIN BABARSKIS, Director Bulls Elite Girls’ Basketball
Email: bullselite@gmail.com
PH: (630) 324-8235
Coach Erin has been with the Chicago Bulls/Sox Training Academy since January 2002. Since then she has coached all age levels from 5th grade girls to high school varsity. She is the Director of the Bulls Elite Program, which she began and developed in 2008. Since joining the Academy in 2002, she has been instrumental in the instruction and development of the Girls’ Program at the Academy. She is very passionate about the game and continues to learn and perfect her craft. She wants the girls to have as much fun and love the game as much as she does. She carries high expectations for her players, herself and the program.
Prior to coaching at the Academy she coached at Francis Parker High School where she helped lead the Lady Colonials to a 19-5 record. She has coached and participated in numerous camps, clinics and seminars throughout the Chicagoland area and is always looking to learn new things. She has coached a variety of All-Area, All-Conference athletes who have gone on to play at the collegiate level. She has lead her team to numerous championships and unexpected advancements on the National Exposure circuit.
She played two years of collegiate volleyball and basketball at Carthage College before transferring to DePaul University to complete her degree in Marketing & Management with a minor in Human Resources. She played high school basketball at Evergreen Park High School. Her club teams included; Illinois Hoopsters, Windy City and the Illinois Warriors. She currently works full-time as a corporate event planner.
CASEY BABARSKIS, Supervisor Basketball Operations, Co-Director Bulls Elite
Email: cbabarskis@bullssoxacademy.com
PH: (630) 324-8235
Coach Casey has been with the Chicago Bulls/Sox Training Academy since the summer of 1999, and has worked full-time at the Academy since 2002. Since then he has coached all age levels from 5 years old to high school varsity boys and girls at the Academy. He has been a coach with Bulls Elite since its inception in 2008.
His coaching career began in 1997 with the Lithuanian organization, Lithuanica where he coached a boys high school team to the final four of one of their tournaments. This is where his passion for coaching began. Since then he has taken advantage of many different experiences and opportunities. He has volunteered to coach a 7th grade boys team at St. Patricia’s school in Hickory Hills, coached his own summer camp at the Orland Park Park District, instructed basketball and other sports camps at the Hickory Hill Park District. Since joining the Academy in 1999 he has been an instrumental leader in developing and implementing curriculums for the camps and clinics that are held year round throughout the Chicagoland area.
He began his basketball career at St. Laurence High School on the Southwest side of Chicago. He played his collegiate basketball at Moraine Valley Community College and Trinity Christian College before transferring to Chicago State to complete his degree in PE/Recreational Management. After college, he played and coached for the Lithuanica organization and competed in the 1998 Lithuanian Olympics in Lithuania.
Coach Casey provides an overall fundamental workout for guards, forwards, and centers while also teaching in-game instinctive moves and counter moves. He is the current Assistant Coach at Mt. Assisi.
TIFFANY DECKINGA, Head Coach 5TH
Email: awsomealj15@hotmail.com
ALLY JAMES, Head Coach Crimson; Assistant Coach Black
Email: awsomealj15@hotmail.com
Phone: (708) 297-1559
Ally James has been around the game of basketball since she was little. She has experience coaching grade school thru high school boys and girls. In grade school, she played year round for the Windy City Basketball Club, recreation leagues, and for St. Damian Grammar School. She went on to attend Seton Academy, an all-girls Catholic high school, from 2001-2005. While at Seton, Ally played four years of Varsity basketball, earning back-to-back MVP awards along with GCAC All-Conference. During her high school days, she continued to play club basketball with Lady Lightning and the Illinois Bobcats. When she was not playing basketball, Ally helped run grade school basketball camps at Seton Academy. After high school, Ally went on to play four years of women's basketball at Millikin University. During her collegiate career, Ally won two "Big Blue" Awards for her role on the team, despite tearing her ACL her junior year. During the season of her junior year, Ally helped the team prepare for opponents by prepping the scouting report and scout team for practices. She utilized this to increase her knowledge of the game at a higher level. In the off season, Ally ran "Little Hoopsters", a basketball camp for kids from 3 years old to 8th grade. Ally and her teammates helped teach the fundamental skills of the game to players wanting to enhance their skills. In the summer, Ally came home to play in the Elmhurst Summer League, an NCAA certified basketball league with current and former college basketball athletes.
Ally graduated from Millikin University with a Bachelor's of Arts in Early Childhood Education. After graduation, she moved to the Dominican Republic to teach English at a bilingual school. During her two years in the Dominican Republic, she coached the junior high and high school boys basketball teams. When not coaching, Ally continued to play on the streets in the Dominican Republic. Now that she is back in the U.S., she is working to get her career settled and have the opportunity to coach at the high school level. Currently, she is teaching Bilingual Preschool, with Spanish being the language of instruction. Ally is in her first season with the Bulls Elite program, and hopes that it is the first of many seasons to come. As a coach, Ally hopes to instill passion and love for the game into her players while they prepare for the next level.
KELSEY JAMES, Head Coach Scarlet
BIO Coming Soon.
BIANCA KING, Head Coach Scarlet
BIO Coming Soon.
KATIE NOVAK, Assistant Coach 5th; Assistant Coach Scarlet
BIO Coming Soon.
LARRY STEWART, General Manager Basketball Operations
Email: lstewart@bullssoxacademy.com
PH: (630) 324-8238
Larry Stewart played basketball at Thornwood High School from 1983-1987, and went on to play basketball at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga from 1987-1991. In addition to playing college basketball, Coach Stewart also had brief stints playing for the CBA, USBL, and internationally during his professional career. Larry assisted in launching the Chicago Bulls/White Sox Training Academy in June of 2001 as Manager of Basketball Operations. He has coached and trained players on all levels, including grade school, high school, collegiate and professionals. Some of Coach Stewart's accomplishments include: University of Tennessee- Chattanooga - BA in Communications/Broadcasting Captain of University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Basketball United States Basketball League - 1992-1993 Continental Basketball Ass. - 1992 Former Chicago Bulls Coordinator of Player Marketing Former Radio Color Comentator - Chicago Rockets Member of National Association of Black Journalists Member of National Assocaition of Minorities in Cable Annual Participant for "Principal for a Day" - Chicago Public Schools Assistant Boys Varsity Basketball Coach - Julian High School Spokesperson and Advertising Model for "Just Say No" campaign Junior Achievement Volunteer
KARA SCHNIER, Assistant Coach Crimson
BIO Coming Soon….
KAELYN WITKOWSI, Head Coach Red – Assistant Coach Silver
Email: witkowski21@yahoo.com
PH: (630) 201-5115
Kaelyn Witkowski has been around Bulls Sox Academy since 2008. In 2008 she was a part of the first Bulls Elite team. She is the first graduate of the Bulls Elite program and continued her career at North Central College in Naperville. As she went through college she continued working at the Academy coaching summer camps, where she focused on instructing young athlete’s on proper technique and playing the game. As her career has continued, Kaelyn has coached the Naperville North High School Varsity and freshman teams during the summer, where they played at Glenbard South High School. At North Central College she was a coach at the annual summer camp and assisted with the North Central Hoop Troop, which was a youth program at North Central College to help develop young males and females to become well-rounded basketball players. In 2011 Kaelyn coached the 6th and 7th grade Bulls Elite teams. She lead the 6th grade team to multiple tournament championships and th 7th grade team to a successful season. Kaelyn has continued to coach Bulls Elite teams because she loves the competitiveness of the tournaments and the young age of the girls where she has the opportunity to watch them develop as athletes, and individuals. She continues to coach at the Academy year round by coaching and assisting teams in the fall and winter and coaching various camps throughout the year.
