Rosalyn Knox has been named the 2018-19 Grizzlies Youth Basketball Coach of the Year. Knox becomes the third-ever honoree, joining Randy Odom of Memphis Athletic Ministries (’16-’17) and Kevin Wieters of Grace Athletics (’17-’18).
An 11-year veteran of the United States Navy, Rosalyn, aka “Coach Roz,” currently serves as the Sports, Fitness & Aquatics Program Director for the Memphis Jewish Community Center. Within the past few years, Knox started a city-wide youth basketball league for girls, and has been coaching in the Memphis area for over two decades. Rosalyn’s coaching philosophy can be traced back to her military service, where common traits such as teamwork, leadership, communication and service are easily applicable to youth sports.
Knox is heavily involved with Grizzlies Youth Basketball initiatives as well. Her gym frequently serves as a host for Grizzlies Basketball Camps. In addition, her basketball league participates annually in Junior Grizzlies programs, and she regularly attends the Jr. NBA Coaches Forums.
Coach Roz grew up in Memphis, playing her high school ball at Memphis East before going on to play collegiately at Lane College in Jackson, about 86 miles away from FedExForum. Knox earned her M.B.A. in Health Care Management and her B.S. in Exercise Sports Sciences. She is a certified personal trainer and is also in the process of obtaining a USA Basketball Coaches License.
Rosalyn will now go on to serve as the Memphis Grizzlies’ nominee for National Jr. NBA Coach of the Year. The Jr. NBA and Positive Coaching Alliance will conduct a screening process to narrow the pool of nominees to eight semifinalists. From there, a panel of judges, along with a fan vote via social media, will decide the top three finalists and a National Jr. NBA Coach of the Year winner. The top three finalists will each be awarded with a financial grant to support their local youth basketball organizations and a free Positive Coaching Alliance training. The finalists will also receive a trip to Chicago where the Coach of the Year winner will be announced and honored on a national stage at the Jr. NBA Youth Basketball Leadership Conference on May 17, 2019.
To learn more about the Coach of the Year initiative and about Grizzlies Youth Basketball presented by Nike, visit Grizzlies.com/youth-basketball or follow @MemGrizzYouth on Facebook and Twitter