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William “Coach Billy” Council, a 32-year veteran of the New York City basketball circuit, has been tabbed by New Rochelle-based A-Game Sports to kickstart its new basketball program, which will include training and playing opportunities to athletes of all ages and experiences.
Council said that he’s already started implementing his plans for the basketball program, which is scheduled to ramp up in earnest beginning in January. They’re currently operating out of the Hallen School and Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in New Rochelle.
“We’ve been spending a lot of time developing the program, we sat down a few times and we came up with a plan to make it a success in Westchester,” he said. “We’re going to be doing some really exciting and fun things, so hopefully people will want to be a part of it.”
A Hartsdale resident, Council comes to New Rochelle after spending the past 19 years “instilling values, morals and discipline in today’s youth through the art of basketball.”
“I have ties to Westchester and the basketball community all over New York City,” he said. “I’ve lived here for 15 years and have coached kids that went to school around here since then.”
“Coach Billy remains connected and committed to the community to ensure that young men and women develop the foundational principles necessary to succeed both on and off of the court,” A-Game Sports co-founders Darin Feldman and Kevin Plein noted.
A-Game Sports continues to grow and thrive in New Rochelle since being founded by Plein and Feldman four years ago after the two left affluent positions on Wall Street to open their own sports empire in the area.
“They do a phenomenal job. They really have a base and foundation that we can expand on,” Council said. “They’re amazing, it’s one of the things that attracted me to them. They started out and are willing to take chances and not sit in the box.”
During his career as a coach, Council won the 2005 New York City Freshman Championship for the All Hollows boys basketball team; three AAU Division One National Championships and a BCI National Championship.
Once the program is fully functional, Council said that he hopes to continue expanding throughout Westchester, possibly building their own facility specializing in basketball training and development, though they’re just getting started, he notes.
“We’re just getting started (in Westchester), he said. “With basketball, you never want to just keep it in the box, you want to expand it and branch out as far as you can, whether it’s individual training or development. It’s endless when it comes down to developing programming.
“It’s an exciting time for all of us. We’re going to be doing some exciting things in Westchester, so hopefully, everyone that wants to be a part of it will jump on board and have a great time.”
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