Howard University Basketball School

Both Grant and Connaughton were drafted 19th and 41st overall in the 2015 National Basketball Association Draft. The occasion marked the first time since 1992 that Notre Dame had two players selected in the same draft. Grant is a current member of the New York Knicks, while Connaughton is on the Portland Trailblazers roster.

Prior to coming to Notre Dame at the start of the 2000-01 campaign, he spent four years as an assistant coach at Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y.

In his first season at Colgate, Balanis had the opportunity to coach and work with Adonal Foyle, a seven- year member of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. Foyle, the eighth overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, finished his career as the NCAA’s career shot-blocking leader.

Balanis played at Georgia Tech for Bobby Cremins from 1990-94, enrolling at the Atlanta, Georgia, school in the fall of 1989. He was part of teams that made four trips to the NCAA Championship and appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) once. The Ramblin’ Wreck reached the Sweet 16 twice in that five-year span and earned a berth in the 1990 Final Four held that year in Denver, Colo.

A native of Williamsburg, Virginia, Balanis excelled in the classroom while at Georgia Tech, earning Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Honor Roll recognition. The Boy Scouts of America also honored him for his outstanding character and citizenship when he was named “Peach of an Athlete” in 1993.

Following his graduation, Balanis went to Greece, where he played professionally for Aris Thessoliniki of the Greek First Division during the 1994-95 season.

He graduated from DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md., in 1988 after an outstanding prep career playing for legendary coach Morgan Wootten. Brey served as an assistant at DeMatha at the time Balanis was attending the school. Balanis helped the Stags to an 84-16 record and nine tournament titles during the course of his four seasons. He also set the school’s single-game assist mark when he had 14 in one game.
Balanis hails from a family with coaching roots at the collegiate level as his father, George, served as the head basketball coach at William & Mary from 1974-77.

Balanis graduated with honors from Georgia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in management. He and his wife, the former Liz Barker, were married in August 2002. She was a former standout tennis player at Wake Forest and served as the assistant women’s tennis coach at Notre Dame for six seasons. The couple has three sons, Andrew, Lukas and Theodore.

In 2019, Tyler Thornton joined the Howard University men’s basketball program as an assistant coach under Kenneth Blakeney.

During his second season, Thornton coached highly talented Makur Maker, who became the first 5-star recruit to commit to an Historically Black College or University (HBCU) since ESPN started ranking prospects in 2007.

In his first season, he coached Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) All-Time Leading Scorer Charles Williams where he earned All-MEAC honors. He also witnessed Wayne Bristol, Jr. winning 2019-20 MEAC Rookie of the Year.

Before his arrival at Howard, Thornton served as a graduate manager for the Marquette University men’s basketball team for two season (2014-16).

In 2014, Thornton graduated from Duke University. At Duke, Thornton played an instrumental role in the team’s Elite Eight trip in 2012-13 and its 26-9 overall record during the 2013-14 season. During the Elite Eight run in 2013, Thornton shot an impressive .392 (31-79) from beyond the arc and added 79 assists, which was good for second on the team. He was named a team captain for the 2013-14 campaign and started 25 of the team’s 35 outings.

In 2012-13, Thornton was one of 10 finalists for the Sports Illustrated College Athlete of the Year, which celebrates student-athletes who demonstrate excellent performance on the field and in the classroom, as well as sportsmanship and commitment to the community.

In high school, Thornton became Gonzaga College High School’s all-time career wins leader by leading them to four-straight seasons of at least 20 wins. He was also honored as the Washington D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year in 2010 and was named team MYP twice during his high school career.

Howard University men’s basketball has added former sports journalist Tramel Raggs as an assistant coach.

Raggs brings a range of skills to the coaching staff and will take on coaching and recruiting responsibilities while helping the program develop a storytelling strategy that will continue to build out the Dream Factory brand across our multiple communication platforms, including social media.

Raggs comes to Howard after a decade in sports journalism — most recently at The Washington Post.

“It’s always been my vision to have someone that could help grow the program by sharing our story in new and creative ways,” said Howard men’s basketball head coach Kenneth Blakeney. “College athletics is changing and having someone that can articulate the happenings within our program to the public in a creative manner is invaluable. Tramel’s experience at The Washington Post makes him the perfect addition to the coaching staff.”

During his six years at The Washington Post, Raggs helped cover the Washington Commanders, the Washington Nationals’ run to the World Series and basketball at the high school, college and professional levels.

He also demonstrated an ability to connect with readers — and sports fans — by creatively using social media and video interviews to take sports fans behind the scenes and into the locker rooms, including at the NBA All Star game in 2020, when he spoke with players about the impact of Kobe Bryant’s death on the sporting world. Tramel’s work helped earn The Washington Post’s sports department recognition from the Associated Press Sports Editors.

Raggs was the first reporter to take an interest in covering the transformation of Howard’s basketball program under Blakeney.

“From the moment that I arrived in the District, ‘ve always felt welcomed and appreciated by the Howard community,” Raggs said. “There were tons of stories just waiting to be told and it was an honor to have Coach Blakeney’s full support and unprecedented access to the program to report on them while at The Post. Now as a member of the coaching staff, I’m excited to share what makes this program great, while also helping the team continue its upward trajectory on the court.”

Raggs brings a deep knowledge of the game of basketball and his relationships within the DMV’s talent-rich basketball community will help with the program’s vision of bringing the area’s best players to the Mecca.

Since joining Jan. 1, Raggs has been a steady presence at practices and games and launched the popular new Instagram series Coaches Corner — which features the program’s assistant coaches analyzing opponents.

In 2022, Howard University men’s basketball head coach Kenneth Blakeney named Daniel G. Marks as the program’s first-ever Chief Program Strategist.

In his role at Howard, Marks will focus on growth in all areas of the program, including basketball operations, community/alumni engagement, NIL issues and long-range development. This hire, and the creation of this position, is an important step in helping Howard stay forward thinking as new trends in college athletics continue to emerge.

Before Howard, Marks spent nine seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks. With the Bucks, Marks served as manager of prospect information, preparing collegiate scouting responsibilities for the general manager and assistant general manager, along with his own regional scouting at the NBA, G-League and NCAA levels.

As part of the Bucks’ front office that took the team from 15 wins in 2013-14 to the 2021 NBA Championship, Marks was involved with all areas of the Bucks basketball operations department, not just scouting but also salary cap analysis, intel gathering, draft prep and G League operations.

Before his arrival in Milwaukee, Marks came to the Bucks from Vanderbilt University, where he was varsity basketball manager for four years (2009-13). During that time, the team enjoyed unparalleled success: three consecutive NCAA appearances (2009-2012) for first time in school history; first SEC Tournament Championship (2012) since 1951 and three players selected in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Beyond his work in basketball, Marks founded Scouting and Scavenging (S+S) in early 2020, to encourage sports professionals – now from over 120 programs, pro to prep – to collect unused hotel toiletries from their travels for under-served communities. Featured in many media outlets, S+S has donated over 2,500 pounds of supplies, mostly via its partnership with the Newark (NJ) Food Relief Program, run by Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka (Howard ’94) and Chief of Staff Amiri “Middy” Baraka Jr. (Howard ’95).

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:
“I’ve gotten to work with Daniel through his charitable initiative, Scouting and Scavenging. For the last 3 years, Daniel has organized the local New Jersey basketball community to help distribute toiletries to Newark residents in our Food Relief Program. It has been a wonderful partnership, and I’m thrilled for Daniel to be joining my alma mater in this new role. Go Bison!” – Amiri “Middy” Baraka Jr; Chief of Staff to Mayor Ras J. Baraka (Newark, NJ) and 1995 Howard alum

“Daniel is very smart and extremely energetic. He will do an outstanding job in any aspect of the sports industry on which he focuses, including his new role at Howard.”– Rod Thorn; NBA Hall-of- Famer, former NBA GM and league executive and currently Senior Advisor to the President, Washington Wizards

“I’ve known Daniel for 12 years, and worked directly with him for 4 years during my tenure as GM of the Milwaukee Bucks. Daniel is a creative, outside-the-box thinker who will bring great enthusiasm and a tremendous work ethic to his new role. I’m extremely excited for him to embark on this opportunity at such an historic and well-respected university as Howard.” – John Hammond; Former Milwaukee Bucks GM and Current Orlando Magic GM

“In high school, I played for Frank Williams, one of the best players in Howard University history. Now, almost 40 years later, one of my colleagues with the Bucks, Daniel Marks, steps into a new role at Howard. Daniel’s knowledge of the game and willingness to do whatever is asked of him will serve him well as he joins Coach Blakeney’s staff.” – Milt Newton; Assistant GM, Milwaukee Bucks, Washington, DC native, and 1988 NCAA Champion (University of Kansas)