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MEN'S BASKETBALL

 

Palo Verde Men Basketball Head Coach:
MARCUS PHILLIPS JR
 
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PALO VERDE HIGH SCHOOL
BOYS BASKETBALL HEAD COACH
MARCUS PHILLIPS JR. 
 
MARCUS PHILLIPS JR. -- HEAD COACH
BRIAN WASHINGTON -- VARSITY ASSISTANT HEAD COACH
Palo Verde Men’s Basketball is led by a young, hungry, and ambitious coaching staff that is ready to establish a new standard for Panther Basketball.
Head Coach Marcus Phillips Jr. and Varsity Assistant Head Coach Brian Washington bring backgrounds that include NCAA Division I athletics, collegiate basketball, education, strength and conditioning, leadership, mentorship, and community service. More importantly, both coaches understand what it means to grow up and compete in Las Vegas and want to use those experiences to pour back into the next generation of student-athletes.
This staff embraces being young. We bring energy, relatability, work ethic, and a willingness to build alongside our players every day. We are hungry, we have something to prove, and we believe Palo Verde has an opportunity to compete immediately in a very winnable 4A bracket.
Our expectations extend beyond simply being competitive. The goal is to build a program capable of competing for championships while developing disciplined students, accountable teammates, confident leaders, and prepared young men.
 
MARCUS PHILLIPS JR. -- HEAD COACH 26 YEARS OLD
Marcus Phillips Jr. is a Las Vegas native, educator, former NCAA Division I student-athlete, and Head Coach of Palo Verde Men’s Basketball.
Coach Phillips competed as a Division I football student-athlete at UNLV, Southern Utah University, and Northern Arizona University. During his collegiate career, he became a three-year starter and two-time team captain while earning multiple academic honors. He later earned his master's degree in Strategic Leadership Administration and has built his professional career around education, athletics, mentorship, and youth development.
Before taking over at Palo Verde, Phillips served as Assistant Head Varsity Basketball Coach and Head of Strength & Conditioning at Cimarron-Memorial High School. During the 2025–26 Fall League, he also served as interim head coach and posted a 9-1 record. His coaching experience additionally includes Las Vegas Factors AAU and Perazen Prep Academy.
Outside of basketball, Phillips is President and Founder of TDOAT Beyond the Game, a Las Vegas-based youth development nonprofit focused on creating greater access, mentorship, education, wellness, athletics, leadership opportunities, and real-world exposure for young people.
 

 

 

 

 
 
BRIAN WASHINGTON -- VARSITY ASSISTANT HEAD COACH 26 YEARS OLD
Brian Washington brings extensive basketball experience to Palo Verde as the program's Varsity Assistant Head Coach.
A 2018 Cimarron-Memorial High School graduate, Washington was a four-year varsity starter and earned 4A Northwest MVP honors during his high school career.
He continued his career at Navarro Junior College from 2019–2021, where he became an NJCAA Basketball All-American, finished as the school's all-time leader in blocked shots with 97, ranked fourth all-time with 417 rebounds, and earned All-Academic honors twice.
Washington then advanced to NCAA Division I basketball at California State University, Bakersfield from 2021–2023, earning two additional All-Academic Team selections while completing his bachelor's degree in Earth Science.
His path from Las Vegas high school basketball to junior college and eventually NCAA Division I basketball gives Palo Verde players a coach who has personally experienced the process many of them aspire to follow. Coach Phillips' original coaching materials also highlighted Washington's junior-college and Division I background as a major addition to the staff.
 
OUR COACHING PHILOSOPHY
"Basketball is bigger than basketball".
We believe high school athletics should be used as a vehicle to develop disciplined students, accountable teammates, confident leaders, and prepared young men.
Our program is built around:
  • Discipline and Accountability — doing what is expected even when nobody is watching.
  • Player Development — intentionally developing skill, strength, conditioning, basketball IQ, and confidence.
  • Education — understanding that being a student comes before being an athlete.
  • Brotherhood — building relationships and learning to compete for something bigger than yourself.
  • Exposure and Opportunity — helping players understand pathways to college, careers, and opportunities beyond Palo Verde.
  • Competition — preparing every day with the expectation that Palo Verde can compete with anyone in our classification.
We want our players to learn how to compete, communicate, handle adversity, prioritize their education, lead others, and represent something bigger than themselves.
 
THE STANDARD
We understand that building something special takes time, but we are not approaching this like a program that needs to wait years before expecting success.
We see opportunity in front of us.
We have a young coaching staff.
We have energy.
We are hungry.
We are willing to work.
And we have a lot to prove.
In a competitive but very winnable 4A landscape, our objective is to develop this program into one that consistently expects to compete for playoff appearances, league success, and ultimately championships.
 
Nothing Easy.

 

CONTACT
Marcus Phillips Jr.
Head Coach — Palo Verde Men’s Basketball