Vincent Minjares

Informed by a blend of academic expertise and international experience, Vincent maintains a faithful commitment to healthy, inclusive and empowering learning environments in sport. Inspired by experiences as a player, coach and coach developer himself, Vincent has cultivated a career intent on helping people, programs and institutions deliver on the promise of sport for education and human development. Importantly, Vincent believes strongly in the power of the coach, including the critical role they play in satisfying young people’s basic needs for safety, connection, autonomy and growth.

Vincent holds a Ph.D in Coaching & Pedagogy from AUT University (Auckland, NZ), where he received a Vice Chancellor Doctoral Fellowship. Vincent also holds an M.A. in Education from U.C. Berkeley, within the Cultural Studies of Sport and Education (CSSE) program, and a B.A. in Economics from Claremont McKenna College. Vincent’s research interests focus on the application of theories of learning and human development to key issues in sports, education and society. Vincent’s doctoral work investigated the complexity of teaching and learning in a high school boys’ basketball team while his master’s work explored how coaches can leverage sport learning to cultivate academic competence in students. Through an academic-industry collaboration in New Zealand, Vincent was appointed the Lead Trainer for Good Sports, a national train-the-trainer program driving adult behavior change in youth and junior sports.

Professionally, Vincent has held diverse learning and development roles in sport across the United States and New Zealand. Vincent began as a basketball skills trainer in Southern California. Following graduate study in Berkeley, Vincent served the Athletic Study Centre (ASC) as Director of Academic Development, a role responsible for the design and delivery of academic support services for student-athletes in an NCAA Division 1 sport setting. In addition, Vincent served as a member of the Chancellor’s task force on Academics and Athletics as well as a Special Advisor to Intercollegiate Athletics. In New Zealand, Vincent served as the Development Officer for North Harbour Basketball Association, a regional sport organization and the country’s largest basketball club. In this role, Vincent also served Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ) as a Regional Coach Developer, Special Advisor (Wellbeing and Transition) and a member of the Coach Leadership Group.

Vincent brings extensive experience as a coach and player. Vincent played NCAA Div. III basketball for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Claremont, CA) and attended Damien High School (La Verne, CA) where he became a three-year varsity letterman. Vincent first coached high school and junior college basketball in Southern California before returning to coaching in New Zealand at the club, high school, national representative and international representative levels. Vincent also directly managed many player development and pathways programs that have included workshop facilitation and mentoring for junior club, representative, national team and semi-professional players.