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16
Aug
The Harrogate basketball coach who played with Michael Jordan
In sports, few people can say they've played alongside one of the greatest of all time.
Lionel Messi – or Cristiano Ronaldo, whatever your preference – has only played with a limited number of world-class athletes.
The same can be said of Tom Brady, Serena Williams, Tiger Woods; the list goes on.
But living in Harrogate, a secondary school basketball coach can say exactly that.
Voise Winters coaches at Ashville College, having previously spent 16 years in professional basketball across America and Europe. During his playing days, he shared the court with Michael Jordan twice.
Born in Chicago, the 62-year-old grew up around basketball, which was one of the main sports in the city.
His six-foot-eight frame instantly lent itself to the sport. Playing as a small forward, his position demanded a strong balance of defensive and attacking duties.
He told the Stray Ferret how he came to be noticed as a future NBA star:
When I was in high school, I had a very good coach who saw the potential in me. It inspired me to carry on. At 17-years-old, I started to become noticed in the media for my performances. I was averaging over 40 points a game.
After high school, I went to a division one university – Bradley University in Illinois – and was lucky enough to be drafted for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Winters made four NBA appearances for the 76ers in 1985, before moving to Europe the following year. He subsequently played for 17 different teams across France, Spain, Israel, Switzerland, Turkey and England, retiring in 2001.
He said that his proudest moments were winning the national invitational championships in his freshman year, playing in the NBA, and winning the championship for TAU Cerámica in 1999.
Winters added that he played alongside Michael Jordan – and against the likes of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird – in the 1985 Push Excel rookies vs veterans game. Winters scored 19 points.
In 1990, he again got the opportunity to play with Jordan, when the basketball legend came to play in an exhibition match for his then-side, Tours Métropole Basket.
Winters told us what it was like to share the court with icons of the game:
It wasn’t the Michael Jordan we knew in later years, as he was a rookie, but it was still a privilege. I’ve never been starstruck by people. It’s amazing to play with stars, but I always thought players like that gave you more respect if you didn’t act starstruck around them.
Photo: Basketball England.
After retiring from professional basketball, Winters decided he wanted to become a coach. He coached junior basketball teams in Notre Dame and Leeds before agreeing to join Ashville College in 2018.
Since joining Ashville, Winters has guided his two teams towards success. His Year 7-8 squad made it to the final of the Jr. NBA League at the end of last season, in what was their best-ever season. The squad had a 78% winning strike rate in all competitions.
His under-18s squad also made it to the national semi-finals. Winters described both achievements as his proudest moments as a coach.
Ashville's Year 7-8 squad at the Junior NBA final.
Ashville's under-18s squad ranked in the nation's top 16 teams in 2023.
But why does he do it, and what is the secret to success? Winters said:
I wanted to be a coach because I love the game and being around young people. I love seeing kids develop and giving them the belief that they can do it.
I never turn any kid away. Every place I’ve coached at, I’ve always incorporated girls into my teams. One year, I had 15/16 different nationalities in my Notre Dame team. We have people from Hong Kong, China, and the US at Ashville.
The secret is showing kids you have belief in them. Push them out of their comfort zone, but encourage them. Nowadays, kids need that. I think they also need a teacher who’s passionate about their sport.
The under-16s squad lifted the Yorkshire County Cup in 2022.
Winters said that the aim is to win a championship with one of his junior sides, while establishing basketball as one of the main sports in the school.
Reminiscing on his career, the coach said that he was lucky to play a sport that brings people together. He continued that basketball isn’t a sport that has star players and that everyone has to work together to achieve.
With a mentality and philosophy like that, Harrogate’s next generation of basketballers is in safe hands.
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