Gatorade is honoring two of the country’s most devoted high school coaches — Archbishop Mitty’s Sue Phillips and Lake Hamilton’s Tommy Gilleran — with the 2019 Gatorade Coaching Excellence Award. Each year, Gatorade honors two coaches who have made a particularly impressive positive impact on the lives of their student-athletes and whose commitment to the coaching profession goes far beyond the game.
“We are proud to honor two individuals whose hard work and dedication to their players’ success extends far beyond the hardwood and turf,” said Jeff Kearney, Global Head of Sports Marketing for Gatorade. “For Sue and Tommy, coaching doesn’t stop at the final whistle, but continues through the lasting impact they have on young women and men.”
As Archbishop Mitty High School’s Women’s Basketball Head Coach, Phillips has created one of the top-ranked teams. Her record shows it with 22 league, 21 Central Coast Section (CCS), 12 NorCal and six California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state championships with a national title win in 2018. One of her current players, Haley Jones, is ranked as the No. 1 women’s basketball recruit.
Phillips’ success has been recognized before, as she has been named National Coach of the Year by Naismith and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
In 2014, Phillips served as the head coach for the USA Basketball U17 team and led the team to a gold medal in the World Championships.
“One thing you’ll notice about Sue is that she teaches values first and basketball second,” said Brian Eagleson, Archbishop Mitty High School Director of Athletic Programs. “She leads through example with encouragement and hard work. Everything she does is for her players.”
Phillips and Gilleran will be honored, along with the 2019 Gatorade Player of the Year nominees, at the Athlete of the Year Dinner in Los Angeles, California, tonight. The celebration will continue as the winners walk the red carpet at the 2019 ESPYS on July 10.
The Gatorade Coaching Excellence Award was established in 2016 to honor the best and most dedicated high school coaches across the country. Every athlete has had a coach inspire them along the way, and Gatorade aims to celebrate the truly remarkable impact that coaches have on high school athletes.
Watch a video Gatorade made about Phillips on Twitter.