Meet Our Coaching Staff

Director

Boys 6th Grade Coach

Mike Ward

Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri and father of 3 boys. Graduate High School from Hogan Prep Academy and finished my senior year (25-2) ranked number 1 in state of Missouri. I moved to Washington State in 2004 and attended Pierce College & South Puget Sound Community College. At SPSCC, I was named the MVP, lead the team in scoring, rebounds and steals and selected All Conference team. After SPSCC, and having my first-born son, I accepted a full ride scholarship to Evergreen State College. At Evergreen, I was apart a Nationally rank team, lead the team in steals and help the team advance to a
Sweet Sixteen, for the second time in school history. After Evergreen, I extended my playing career by professional basketball for pro teams in Washington state, NBA D league tryouts and did overseas tour in China and Spain. In 2019-2020, I became the assistant coach of SPSCC and help lead the team to a Conference championship and NWACC
elite 8.
During my professional career, I felt compelled to give back to the community and started a youth program in 2010, mentoring, training and coaching. During the start of his youth program, I started working with the Boys & Girls Club, Lacey Youth Basketball, Lacey Park and Rec and Got Game, Get Game youth league. In 2016, I created West Academy. West Academy started with two teams and by the third year, the academy grew to 16 teams. For the past three years, West Academy has been one of the top
premiere programs in Washington state and ranked through Grassroots. West Academy has trained and mentored some of the top prospect from Thurston County. West Academy has been and will continue be a pillar to the Thurston County community and continue training, mentoring, and developing the youth of the next generations and helping guide the youth to graduate High School, attend college and/or be put the student athletes on the right path to
success.

  - Coach Mike

Boys 7th Grade Coach

Kurt Cavalier

Hello my name is Kurt Cavalier, I have 4 children, 2 of which play AAU basketball. My goal as a Coach is to develop. I want the team to develop, your child to develop individually and as a team player and hopefully I’ll develop more as a Coach and in reaching players. I’ve been volunteering my time as a Coach for 13 or more years and love each season a little more. Watching kids progress has become one of my joys! For me, AAU is about bringing individual skill and team unity/chemistry together for a dominate combination. The ultimate goal is to reach our goal as a team and to place high awareness on good habits and family values to be successful in life.

- Coach Kurt 

Boys 7th Grade Assistant Coach

Brandon Stephens

My name is Brandon Stephens. As an athlete I’ve been playing basketball since a young kid and having been lucky enough to play basketball into college and still playing as much as I can as an adult. I’ve been active in coaching youth sports for 15 years. With experience in both club level basketball and football. As a coach we teach classic fundamentals as foundation but understand the evolution the game has seen over the recent years and will continue to see in the future. My coaching style is a mixture of both player accountability and high expectations, while keeping positive energy and having fun. 

  - Coach B

Girls 8th Grade Coach

Corey Armstrong

Hello my name is Corey Armstrong, better known as coach Corey. I have been coaching for over 10 years at each level of basketball; which includes middle school girls, high school girls and most currently AAU. I have also played high school ball and on the military traveling team during my time serving our country. My overall objective for all players is to see them develop and get better during their time in our program. Regardless of the win or loss column, we want to see your kid get better and see a change out of the them of their overall skills development as an individual player and teammate. Lastly, to be successful not just with basketball but also with life and school and overall making good decisions. I have 3 girls myself, two of them are still currently playing and one is headed to play collegiate level soon.

  - Coach Corey

Girls 6th Grade Coach

Andre Williams

Hello! My name is Andre Williams, I am known in the coaching arena as Coach Andre or Coach Dre. I love the game of basketball and have been associated with the sport for over 40 years. I personally played organized basketball since I was 10 years old which includes high school and select teams. I am certified trainer and hold coaching certificates & licenses with the Armature Athletic Union, USA Basketball, and the Jr NBA. I love being a member of the WEST Academy Family and have been affiliated with the program for over eight years! 

I am a firm believer that basketball instills the necessary skills to develop young boys and girls on and off the court. I work collectively with the player and parents to establish attainable goals that drives discipline in order to create the complete academic athlete. I enjoy watching kids grow and gain confidence in themselves and working as selfless teammates. I am the father of 3 daughters. Sports have been critical in seeing two graduate college and one scheduled to graduate in 2024. 

My philosophy is simple: An athlete's character is more important than their talent! My goal is to create well-rounded players on the court, as well as in the community and classroom. I strive to enhance the basketball talents of my players, while developing their leadership skills, self discipline and worth ethic. 

  - Coach Andre

Girls 6th Grade Assistant Coach

Steffan Henderson

My name is Steffan Henderson and I'm a coach here at West Academy. I've spent most of my life in Dallas, Texas where I grew up and went to high school. I was a multi-sport athlete and earned a full scholarship to play Division 1 football. Sports have been the focal point of my life ever since I was a child. Because of this, I learned at a very young age that hard work, dedication and patience were the keys to success in sports and in life. Through my journey and passion for the game of basketball, I'm dedicated to helping young athletes develop skills on and off the court, as well as their character.  

  - Coach Steffan

Girls 6th Grade Assistant Coach

Chad Arko

Hello my name is Chad Arko and I am a father of 2 girls. I started coaching high school sports (baseball and football) in 1999 at Ferndale High School (WA), right after I finished my baseball collegiate career at Wenatchee Valley College (WA) and Azusa Pacific University (CA). I have coached high school basketball for 13 years at River Ridge High School and during that time we have won 6 league championships, 5 district championships, and 4 top five finishes in state along with a stretch of 11 straight years to the state tournament. Also at RRHS, I have been the head baseball coach for 22 years and we have sent 38 players off to play college baseball. Our teams Grade Point Average has been 3.0 or higher 15 times as well as winning the WIAA Distinguished Scholastic Award four times. As a coach, I love helping student-athletes through the process so they can turn failure into success. Performing well in the classroom will always be a priority with the athletes I coach, as well as promoting each athlete to be a good community citizen. In my 24 years of coaching, the most enjoyable moments are watching the relationships that are formed on and off the court/field that end up lasting a lifetime. GO WEST!

  - Coach Chad