John McGuire has been coaching since 1999 and has coached basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, and track. He graduated from New Jersey City University with a degree in History and focus on Education (Graduated Cum Laude). Holds a Masters degree in Educational leadership (Administration) from Walden University (Graduated Cum Laude). John was an educator since 1996-2013 (Elizabeth middle school social studies). Hoops There It Is Basketball was created in 2006 as a summer camp. In 2008/2009 the clinic and AAU programs were formed. Coach McGuire has seen amazing growth in players, families, culture, and overall performance. He is proud of the community first approach and the active community membership. He believes Hoops There It Is (and now Peak Sports Academy) is a sports community where all are welcome. We demand the best of each player and family as we strive to be better everyday. Together we can achieve greatness, one player at a time. We are an active and caring community. Bringing the joy of sports back to the youth.

Coach Eckert is a graduate of Rutgers University obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Sports Management. He is a certified National Academy of Sport Medicine personal trainer and health and physical education certified. Coach Eckert is a strength and conditioning coach and teaches Sports Medicine at Governor Livingston High School. He has been the head Varsity Girls Basketball Coach at Governor Livingston for the last 5 years. He was named the NJ.com 2020 Union County Coach of the Year. Coach Eckert has over 10 years of experience working with D1, High School and youth athletes and carries with him a philosophy of Teach and Train. Helping athletes understand the ‘why’ behind exercises increases the motivation to execute them. He believes that athletes are at their ‘Peak’ when their physical strength, mobility and mindset are working together in sync. Chris resides in Cranford with his wife Kristin. In his spare time, Chris loves to exercise, play golf, and spend summer days/nights down in LBI with his wife.

Morgan has been coaching volleyball since 2013 in a variety of capacities and has a strong passion for the sport. Morgan played volleyball at Rowan University where she served as the team's captain and was All-Region and All-Conference. She is a middle school Health and Physical Education teacher, having earned a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Health and a master’s degree in Exercise Science with a concentration in Sports Administration and Coaching. In her free time, Morgan enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, and going to the beach. Can be reached at morgan.mende@peaksportsacademynj.com. We are super excited to have Morgan join the Peak team!

Coach Shaq graduated from Union High School and Kean University with a degree in Physical Education/Exercise Science. Shaq played basketball for Union High School , and is a recent graduate of Kean University with a degree in Physical Education/Exercise Science. He also recently earned a NCSF personal trainer certificate in May 2020. During his free time, Shaq enjoys playing basketball in various men’s leagues. He takes pride in being energetic, enthusiastic, engaging and positive when working with players.

Coach Joel graduated from Newark Tech High School and La Roche University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he played 4 years and scored over 1,100 points. He graduated college with a degree in Business and a minor in Marketing. After college, he continued to play basketball professionally in Europe, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Panama, and also playing as a national for Antigua & Barbuda. He is looking forward to giving back by sharing his love and knowledge of the game; his experiences playing in college and professionally; and to be part of a community that is focused on youth development.

Coach Kerr is currently playing professionally over seas in France! She graduated from Montclair High School as a member of the National Honors Society, the captain of the varsity basketball team for 3 years and a 1000+ point scorer. She continued her academic and athletic career at the University of New Haven where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and her Master’s degree in Taxation. She was also a Peer Business Tutor and an Academic Peer Mentor. Athletically, she started every game of her basketball career at the University, scoring 1,500 career points and grabbing 500+ rebounds. She was the captain of the team 3 of her 4 years at school. She then went on to play overseas in Melilla, Spain. She has coached at clinics and mentored both boys and girls for the last 7 years of her career; working and volunteering her time to enhance the youths’ basketball, physical, and mental skills. Her love for basketball has allowed her to travel and see different parts of the world. Coach Kerr wants to use her experience to leave a lasting impact on the youth.