Eric Polli

Senior Director and Founder

Coach Polli is a well-respected AAU and high school basketball coach, previously serving as the Head Boys Varsity Basketball coach at Austin Prep from 2015-2018. In his final season at Austin Prep, Polli’s team won a school record 18 games, making it to the D4 North Section Finals for the first time in school history. Coach Polli now serves on the Austin Prep staff as Assitant Coach. As Director of College Counseling, Polli has helped over 100+ student-athletes play collegiate basketball. I

Tyler Strange

Director of Basketball Operations and Program Development

Tyler Strange enters his first year with Mass Elite as the new Director of basketball and program development. Strange joined the program after spending the year at Wofford College as an Assistant coach. 

In Strange’s first season with the Terriers, Wofford posted a 19-13 overall record with a 10-8 Southern Conference mark. He helped lift the Terriers to a road win over the SEC’s Georgia and a No. 4 seed entering the Southern Conference Tournament. Two players earned All-SoCon honors, B.J. Mack on the second team and Max Klesmit on the third team.

At Montreat, Strange was hands-on with a multitude of tasks within the program, such as serving as head coach for Montreat’s junior varsity program, in addition to his coaching duties with the varsity, pre-practice preparation, preparing scouting reports and recruiting.
 
Strange made an immediate impact upon joining the Cavaliers’ coaching staff in 2018, helping Montreat land multiple national top-25 rankings, an Appalachian Athletic Conference finals appearance and reach the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship for just the third time in program history with a 23-8 record for the 2018-19 season. With Strange’s assistance in just his second year, the Cavaliers would notch a consecutive 20-win season at 24-9, a consecutive AAC finals appearance and the school’s fourth and second-straight NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship berth for the 2019-20 season.
 
Overall, Strange helped produce and coached seven All-Appalachian Athletic Conference selections during his three years at Montreat, including the 2020 AAC Player of the Year and NAIA Third Team All-American.

Additionally, Strange was a four-year member of the Gardner-Webb men’s basketball program as a student-athlete from 2011-15, having previously played under coach McAuley and assistant coach Paul Hemrick during their time coaching for the Runnin’ Bulldogs.
 
As a student-athlete, Strange was a four-year starter and point guard for Gardner-Webb, holding program records as the Runnin’ Bulldogs’ all-time leader in assists (651) – which also ranks second all-time in Big South history – and steals (207). A two-year captain, Strange enjoyed a decorated career at Gardner-Webb, leading the Runnin’ Bulldogs to 68 wins during his career (the second-highest total for an individual player in the school’s Division I era), while also being a part of squads that nabbed marquee wins over DePaul in 2012, Clemson in 2014 – most notably at the hands of a crucial late game-tying 3-pointer from Strange – and Purdue in 2014.
 
Having collected First Team All-Big South honors his senior year, while also being named the Cleveland Country Christian Athlete of the Year in 2015, he additionally set a record for most minutes played ever upon graduation from Gardner-Webb.
 
After college, Strange played at the professional level internationally for over two years in countries such as Montenegro, China, and Canada. He also coached at his high school alma mater, Notre Dame Prep, where he had the opportunity to coach three NCAA Division I athletes.
 
A native of Leominster, Massachusetts, Strange graduated from Gardner-Webb in the spring of 2015 with a degree in business administration.

Dylan Pella

Lead Associate Director, Boys Basketball

Jack O’Leary

Boys Club Coach/Associate Boys Director, Admissions

Years at Mass Elite: 1st Year

Hometown: North Reading, MA

Past coaching experience: 2 years of coaching North Reading Youth Basketball at the 5th-8th grade level

What do you love about working at Mass Elite? I love the work ethic of all staff and players and watching the rapid growth of players basketball skills

What do you enjoy outside of coaching? I like to still play basketball as much as possible and I love to golf as well

How do you enhance the student-athlete experience? Since I’m only 20 I still can relate to a lot of the older age groups so I try my best to give them my input of how they can grow as players and more importantly as students in this day and age and how they can prepare themselves for their future in and out of basketball by sharing my experiences over the past few years

Favorite Athlete? Ja Morant

Favorite sports team? Boston Celtics

Favorite Movie? Wolf of Wall Street

Favorite Color? Purple

Favorite Season? Summer

Tim Kelly ’16

Associate Director Boys Basketball, Operational Support

Years at Mass Elite: 3 years as a player. 2nd year as member of coaching staff. 

Hometown:  Burlington

Past coaching experience: Director of Burlington Recreation Youth Basketball

What do you love about working at Mass Elite? There are a lot of programs that say they’re a family but nothing lives up to that the way Mass Elite does. So my answer would be the “family” feel of the program.

What do you enjoy outside of coaching? Hanging out with my friends and family, staying active, watching sports and movies, playing 2k and playing Madden

How do you enhance the student-athlete experience? By bringing a high level of energy and effort as a coach so that my players will feed off of that and bring the same energy and effort on the court.

Favorite Athlete? Derrick Henry

Favorite sports team? Boston Celtics/ New England Patriots

Favorite Movie?  The Departed

Favorite Color? Red

Favorite Season? Summer

Claude Hendel-Laurole ’14

Boys Club Coach

Years at Mass Elite: Mass Elite Alumni (‘14). First year coaching with the program. 

Hometown:  Lowell, MA

Past coaching experience: 3 years as the Head Boys JV basketball team and 2 years as an assistant coach for the Varsity Basketball team at Innovation Academy. I also coached 2 seasons with ASA Hoops.

What do you love about working at Mass Elite? I love that I am a part of a family. Being a former player with the program and now a coach, Mass Elite really embraces us. 

What do you enjoy outside of coaching? Outside of coaching I still enjoy playing basketball in numerous men’s leagues around Massachusetts or just pick up with friends. Also picked up new hobbies like snowboarding in the winter. 

How do you enhance the student-athlete experience? I will enhance the student-athlete experience by always pushing them to reach their maximum potential, but also be a mentor to them. 

Favorite Athlete? James Harden

Favorite sports team? Whatever team James Harden is playing for. 

Favorite Movie?  Rush Hour 1 

Favorite Color? Red and Black 

Favorite Season? Summer

JD Neal

Boys Club Coach

Coach Neal joined Mass Elite in the Fall of 2015, throughout his tenure coaching student-athletes from grades 3-12. Coach Neal previously served as Associate Head Varsity Coach at Austin Prep (also coaching the JV team) from 2015-2018. Most recently, he served as the Varsity Assistant Boys Coach at Manchester-Essex HS.

Kevin Pham

Boys Club Coach

Kevin was born and raised in Massachusetts and is currently a graduate student at Merrimack College, looking to receive his Master’s in Exercise Science with a focus in strength and conditioning. Kevin played 2 years of varsity at Hamilton-Wenham HS and played with Bay State Blizzard and UBT Meerkats during his four years of high school. He continues to play recreationally and currently coaches high school and collegiate athletes within a wide variety of sports looking to improve speed, power, and strength.

Knox Lendall

Boys Club Coach/Associate Boys Director, Communications

Coach Lendall enters his first spring season coaching for Mass Elite Basketball.Coach Lendall played Division 3 basketball at Wells College between 2018-2020 before recurring leg injury ended his playing career. This past spring, Lendall coached Mass Elite 7th grade boys, HS boys, and assisted on our top HS teams. In addition to being a Club Coach, Lendall is also our Associate Director of Basketball Communications and Associate Director of Social Media.
Coach Lendall is currently a senior at Northeastern University where he is the Head Coach and President for their nationally ranked Men’s Club Basketball Team. In addition to coaching, Coach Lendall is one of our top Lights Out Basketball skill trainers. Coach Lendall does private workouts with elementary school players up to college players, and privately trains multiple New England College Men’s players and Lasell University Women’s commits..

Cedric Robinson

Boys Club Coach

Scott Wick

Boys Club Coach

Bio coming soon.

Matt Mulcahy

Boys Club Coach

Coach Mulcahy enters his 1st season at Mass Elite, and is also currently entering his 3rd season on the Varsity Boys Staff at Austin Prep School in Reading, while also serving as the Head Coach of the Freshmen team. In addition to his duties as Freshmen coach, Coach Mulcahy is heavily involved in day to day operations of the Varsity program.

Edwin Carrasquillo

Boys Club Coach

Coach Edwin Carrasquillo enters his 1st season coaching at Mass Elite Basketball

Ben Wadden

Club Team Coach

Joining us for his first season, Coach Ben is a promising up-and-coming member of the basketball community with much to offer our players and program. He has been around the game his whole life, playing for a variety of New England based AAU clubs as well as for the Varsity team at Groton-Dunstable Regional High School. In addition, he remains an active, IAABO certified basketball referee for competition up to the varsity level.

Jack Wadden

Club Team Coach

Matthew McKenna

Club Team Coach

Bio coming soon.