2023 Coaches
Ross Callaghan – 17U Head Coach
Coach Callaghan is entering his 7th year with NOVA Cavaliers and 4th as a head coach. Coach Callaghan played 3 years of varsity basketball for Langley high school in McLean, VA where he earned Second Team All-Conference honor his senior year. He currently works at Freddie Mac in McLean.
- Seventh year as NOVA Cavaliers AAU Coach
- George C. Marshall HS Boys Varsity Assistant Coach
- Three year letter winner at Langley HS
- Two year starter
- Second Team All-Conference Player
- District All-Tournament Player
Nate Shafer – 17U Assistant Coach
Coach Shafer is entering his 2nd year with NOVA Cavaliers as an assistant basketball coach. Shafer was one of the most decorative players in NOVA Cavs basketball history, where he led the organization into many prominent finishes in several high profile AAU events. He played 3 years of varsity basketball for Langley high school in McLean, VA where he earned Conference Player of the year and VHSL All-State team. Shafer went on and played basketball at Swarthmore College, where he was named 2020 D3 NABC All-American and leading catalyst on the #1 team in the nation.
Shafer is currently playing oversea at Ireland (Dublin).
- Second year as NOVA Cavaliers AAU Coach
- 2017 Liberty District Player of the Year
- 2016 and 2017 Liberty District Defensive Player of the Year
- 2017 VHSL All-State Team Selection
- Three year letter winner at Langley HS
Ricky Peters – 17U Assistant Coach
Coach Peters is entering his 2nd year with NOVA Cavaliers AAU Basketball as an assistant. He was a former basketball player at Fairfax HS and named All-District (Patriot) twice during his playing career. Peters is currently a college student at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Dale Howell – 17U Head Coach
Coaching Experience:
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- Current Varsity Assistant Coach, Oakton High School
- Current Business Teacher, Oakton High School
- 5 year NOVA Cavs Coach
- Over 15 years of head coaching experience with Chantilly Youth Association
- Head coach of over 50 squads, with 10+ titles over that span
- Emphasis on skill development and fast-paced style of play
Connor Cunningham – 16U Head Coach
Tyler Young – 16U Head Coach
Coach Young is starting his third season with the NOVA Cavs. He has many years of experience coaching Travel League and AAU Basketball around the local Northern VA area.
Coach Young believes passionately in teaching fundamental defense. He is committed to teach young players about playing basketball with heart and strong effort, which will bring positive life lessons through sports experience.
Joe Corish – 15U Head Coach
Joe grew up on Arlington, Virginia, having attended and played varsity basketball for Bishop O’Connell High School. He began coaching both girls and boys travel and AAU basketball teams in 2001 including Vienna and Chantilly travel teams at all ages. In 2002 he formed two boys AAU teams and has coached them in local and national tournaments throughout the past decade. Between 2013 and 2015 he was the head coach of the boys varsity high school team at Trinity Christian High School in Fairfax, Virginia. Joe practices law for Bean, Kinney & Korman, P.C. in Arlington, Virginia, focusing on commercial lending, real estate and corporate matters by day. His primary goals during the AAU season are to teach players how to play together as a team, continue to develop their individual skills, and stretch them to play beyond their comfort zone so they get the most improvement as possible out of the season. He wants players to learn to compete to their best ability and with their best effort at all times, and love doing so.
Shannon Byrnes – 14U Head Coach
5th year as NOVA Cavaliers AAU Head Coach (winning multiple tournament championships)
13U NOVA Cavs Shots Up Summer League Champions (Playing Up in 14U)
Back to Back FCYBL Division 1 Travel Champions (6th and 7th Grade)
2022 FCYBL Division 1 Most Valuable Coach (7th Grade)
11U NOVA Cavs RYC Summer League Coach of the Year
16 plus years coaching at South Lakes High School:
• 5 years as Varsity Assistant Coach
• 5 years as Junior Varsity Head Coach
• 4 years as Freshman Head Coach
• 2 years as Freshman Assistant Coach
2 seasons Nova 94 AAU Assistant Coach – 9U D2 National Champions, Orlando
South Lakes, Virginia Tech, Marymount University Graduate
Current 6th Grade Teacher at Navy Elementary and South Lakes High School Fall/Spring/Summer League Coach
Adrien Bermudez – 14U Head Coach
As A Coach:
– Herndon Select FCYBL Head Coach 5th Grade 2019
– NOVA94 Assistant Coach – Goldberg Teams 2017-2020
– NOVA94 Orange Head Coach c/o 2027 2020-2022
– CYA Elite AAU Head Coach c/o 2027 2018-2022
– CYA AAU Program Director 2018-Present
– Katherine Johnson MS Basketball Head Coach 2021-2022
– Mt Vernon HS JV Assistant Coach – 2022
– Centreville HS JV Head Coach – 2022-Present
As A Player:
– 3 year Starter at PG for HS Varsity at La Salle (Highly Ranked Private School Program in the Philippines)
– Won a few individual awards as a 4 year Varsity HS player
– Recruited by 3 universities in Manila after HS
– Played 1 conference in a Commercial/Semi-Pro league (Manila)
– Played in a few city leagues in Los Angeles
Ray Baltazar – 13U Head Coach
Bio and Photo coming soon!

Darren Davis – 12U Head Coach
Basketball has been an integral part of Darren’s life for more than three decades. With his father as his first coach, a path of success on the hardwood was destined from day one.
In 2012-2013, Davis was named Head Freshman Basketball Coach at Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Virginia. In 2011, Darren earned his first championship as a coach with a U13 Division II Title, while also garnering ‘Coach of the Year’ from his peers. Now in his second season coaching with the NOVA Cavs.
As a promising athlete in Northern Virginia, Davis was fortunate to have been surrounded by several great coaches, including, but not limited to, Win Palmer, Jimmy Fitzpatrick and Brian Bobo; all from Flint Hill,Cliff Cooks and Shirvan Joseph from the Stars. The coaches from his past have shaped him into the coach he is today, not just as an athlete, but as a son, brother, coach, and member of his community.
Coach Davis graduated from Radford University in 2009. In 2005 he was one of the founding members of the Radford University Club Basketball team and also was a practice player for the Women’s Varsity Basketball team. Prior to attending Radford University, Davis played Varsity basketball at James Madison High School from 2003-2005 and was the starting point guard in 2004.
Rob Ochsendorf – 12U Head Coach
Rob has been coaching youth sports in Northern Virginia for over a decade. He has coached youth AAU basketball for three seasons in tournaments in the DMV area and beyond. He believes strongly in a developmental and positive coaching philosophy, helping his players to learn, develop, and mature in their approach to the game. He promotes a strong collaborative philosophy and his players will learn defensive fundamentals and key offensive principles in preparation for success in high school basketball. Rob was a standout varsity player in high school basketball, soccer, and football in WV, with all-state selections in both soccer and football.
Taylor Davis – 11U Head Coach
Bio and Photo coming soon.