COACHES
HEAD COACH & FOUNDER GEORGE JAMES III
Director of YKS Girls Basketball
BIO:
George James, III is the Founder and Director of YKS Girls Basketball. In addition to his work with YKS, Coach James is currently the Head Girls’ Varsity Coach for Green Run High School in Virginia Beach. In 2020, Coach James was named All-Beach District Girls’ Basketball Coach of the Year.
ASSISTANT COACH
JAMEL CONNOR
BIO:
Jamel Connor has been coaching youth basketball for more than a decade, working with players from ages 5 to 18 to achieve their best. For the past 7 years, he has been the Basketball Coordinator for the Virginia Beach Recreation League's Bayside Program. In this role he has overseen daily operations, and everything ranging from coaching clinics and team-building to one-on-one development sessions. Most recently, he has been the Assistant Coach of the Green Run Girls Basketball Team, where he has assisted Coach George James III. Coach Jamel Connor has been part of the AAU organization since 2015.
COACH ODETTA SHEPHERD (KJ)
BIO:
Odetta JohnsonShepherd, aka KJ, joined the YKS coaching staff in 2021. She is a proud Navy veteran who has been volunteering coaching since 1983. KJ played on the All-Navy Basketball team for five years and was selected as the PACFLT WNBA Player to participate with the Phoenix Mercury.
Coach KJ has been a licensed Real Estate Agent for over 18 years. She currently serves as the Green Run Junior Varsity Head Coach. KJ earned her Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Saint Leo University and two Bachelor’s Degrees from University of Maryland University College.