Apollo Academy Coaches
Eric Taylor
Founder/Executive Director
Eric Taylor, who created Apollo Academy in 2018, has coached athletes ranging from fourth through 12th grade since graduating in 2013 from Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, where he played four years for the men’s basketball team. As a senior, he finished second on the Saints in scoring and ranked second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in free-throw percentage (.936) and third in 3-point percentage (.466). Taylor, a Seattle native, played four seasons of varsity basketball at Ballard High, earning all-conference honors as a junior and senior. He was a first-team all-conference selection as a senior after he led the Beavers to their first playoff appearance in eight years.
Moussa Gloyd
Coach
Moussa Gloyd, a former college lacrosse standout, has coached at Apollo Academy since its inception. He is a design structural engineer at Magnusson Klemencic Associates. The Seattle native was a captain on the football team at Ballard High, where he also played basketball and lacrosse before graduating in 2009. Gloyd went on to play four years of lacrosse at the University of Portland — three as captain — and earned all-conference defenseman honors in 2013. He played one season of lacrosse at the University of Arizona while earning his MEng in civil engineering. Gloyd worked as a civil/structural engineer at PacifiCorp in Portland for four years before attending Arizona for graduate school. His hobbies include playing various sports and photography.
Julian Montante
Coach
Julian Montante, the varsity boys basketball head coach at Salmon Bay K-8 School, is a Seattle native. He was a multi-sport standout at Ballard High, from which he graduated in 2009, competing on the Beavers’ football, basketball and track teams. Montante, known for his speed and agility, was an all-conference selection in track, specializing in the triple jump and the 100-meter dash. In addition to coaching, he helps lead Apollo Academy’s speed and agility program. Montante, who has coached various sports since 2010, is a business banker with US Bank. He enjoys spending his off time traveling.
Danny Schmidt
Marketing Manger / Coach
Danny Schmidt, a Seattle native and Ballard High graduate, has reported on sports for various news outlets over the past eight years. The Central Washington University alum recently moved back to the Pacific Northwest after spending four and a half years in the Bay Area. Schmidt played baseball, basketball, tennis and soccer growing up. He serves as Apollo Academy’s Marketing Manager, specializing in content writing, social media, design and other administrative work.
Shawn Miguel
Coach
Bio Coming Soon…
Marques Williams
Coach
Bio Coming Soon…
Deonta Wingfield
Coach
Bio Coming Soon…
Mason Willmon
Coach
Bio Coming Soon…
Apollo Supporting Staff
Dr. Polo DeCano
Resilience Director
Polo DeCano, PHD, is a licensed mental health counselor associate who specializes in working with adolescents, late adolescents/emerging adults, adults, educators and athletes to cultivate and strengthen their resilience, manage their stress and optimize their performance in life. Dr. DeCano earned his m.a. In kinesiology with a focus on youth and moral development through sport and his doctoral work focuses on resilience and is through the school psychology program at the University of Washington.
Â
Dr. DeCano has developed multiple resilience courses and now has a resilience class now being taught at the University of Washington. Currently, Dr. DeCano teaches the team and athlete wellness course for the Center for Leadership in Athletics’ M.ED. For current and aspiring collegiate athletics coaches and is a facilitator for the center for child and family well-being be real mindfulness, self-compassion and resilience program.
Tim White
Social Media Manager
Tim White, a Seattle native, serves as social media manager for Apollo Academy. White, who attended Federal Way High and Washington State University, specializes in video. He competed in basketball, football and track and field. White works full time as a Nikon camera vendo at Best Buy.