May 28—Eighteen years ago, John Coffee talked to the Dayton Daily News about coaching the Dayton Lady HoopStars.
Coffee, who died on Monday, May 25, at 80 at Hospice of Dayton after a battle with cancer, had coached the Amateur Athletic Union program’s teams for years by that point, leading it to six national championships and two national runner-up finishes between 1996 and 2005, while helping mold some of the greatest girls basketball players the area has ever produced.
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“Girls like to play for us because they know that we will do everything within our power to prepare them to reach their goals,” Coffee said then.
“Winners want to play with other winners,” he added, “and college is expensive. With us, you have a fighting chance to play major college ball.”
That 2008 team included Beavercreek forward Mikaela Ruef, who would help lead Stanford to the Final Four six years later. Coffee also coached Chaminade-Julienne’s Tamika Williams-Jeter and Beavercreek’s Alison Bales, who starred at Connecticut and Duke, respectively, with the HoopStars earlier in his tenure.
“His pride and joy were Tamika and Alison,” said longtime local girls basketball writer Jim Dabbelt, of The Dabbelt Report.
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Recently, during his cancer battle, Coffee crossed paths with Bales, who’s now a surgeon in Dayton, at the hospital, Dabbelt said, and shared a photo of the two of them with Williams-Jeter.
“When I got that picture sent to me,” Dabbelt said, “it made me think that right there capped off an incredible career.”
“John was a great avenue for these kids, not only on the basketball court, but in life,” Dabbelt said. “He was the most positive person I’ve ever met.”
Social media was full this week of tributes to Coffee. On Monday, the official Dayton Lady HoopStars account described Coffee as “a passionate promoter of girls basketball for almost 50 years.”
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On Facebook, Alter graduate Maddie Bazelak described Coffee as a “true legend” and “a coach who believed in you and always made you feel valued. A coach who supported you in life, genuinely cared and always wanted what was best for you. A coach who celebrated your accomplishments and made you love the game.”
Marsha Frese, an assistant coach at Georgia Tech, wrote on X, “Saddened by the passing of John Coffee. One of the first grassroots directors/coaches of the legendary Dayton Lady HoopStars, John was never in it for the money — he was in it for the young women he served.
“John loved helping players grow, earn opportunities at the next level, and stayed in touch with so many of his former players for decades. John was a true connector of people who impacted so many.”
Coffee got his start in basketball as a player at Jefferson Township High School in Dayton. He graduated in 1965, according to his obituary, and then served in the U.S. Army for two years.
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Coffee worked for General Motors Delphi for more than 30 years. He used vacation time to coach the HoopStars, he said in 1998.
“He was a dedicated millwright who lived a life defined by hard work, loyalty and service,” his obituary read, “But his real passion was for basketball coaching as his love for the game was present throughout his adult life.
“For many years, Coach Coffee could be found in a gymnasium, on the sidelines, or talking basketball with anyone willing to listen. Coach Coffee loved the coaching position that he proudly filled for over 47 years.
“His love for the AAU girls teams he coached and mentored continued for more than half of his life. He poured his heart and soul into this and never grew tired of watching his players achieve confidence and discipline that would follow them after they left the basketball court. Coaching was never just a hobby to him — it was part of who he was. His favorite saying, ‘It’s a lifestyle,’ perfectly captured the way he approached basketball and life itself: with commitment, heart and purpose.”
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In 1996, when the Dayton Lady HoopStars won their first national championship, Coffee was an assistant coach to head coach Craig Poppaw. Their 15-and-under team, featuring Williams-Jeter, then a rising junior, won a tournament with 81 teams.
Two years later, Coffee was the head coach in the summer of 1998 when the team won the 17-and-under title. That was the same year Williams won the national player of the year award as a senior at Chaminade Julienne.
“All our girls left their egos and press clippings at the gym door and played an unselfish brand of basketball,” Coffee said.
“John is very laid back and is more of a motivator than anything else,” Williams-Jeter said then. “He wants us to put our hearts and minds into it.”
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Coffee continued coaching in recent years with Team Ohio with Tuck Conner.
Coffee is survived by four sisters, according to his obituary — Ida, Anna, Patti and Deb — along with nieces, nephews, and extended family members. His nephew Wes Coffee played for the Dayton Flyers from 1988-1992. His niece Jocelyn, Wes’ sister, played at Austin Peay. Both graduated from Dixie High School.
“My uncle was like a personal coach for me and Wes,” Jocelyn said in 1991.
Another member of the Coffee family, Shannon, played at Stanford from 2015-19 after graduating from Centerville.
A visitation for Coffee will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, June 5, at Rogers Funeral Home in New Lebanon. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 6, at the funeral home, and a burial will follow at Trissel Cemetery.
