Head Coach Billy Clapper

WJC16@psu.edu

Coach Billy Clapper is in his first season as the head men’s basketball coach at Penn State Altoona. He began his coaching career at Penn State Altoona in 2005-2006 when he assisted Coach Alan Seretti and helped his former mentor lay the foundation for the program’s success.

Coach Clapper comes to Penn State Altoona after spending the past two seasons on the staff of Coach Bob Rukavina at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. The Mountain Cats had two of the best seasons in the school’s history during his tenure, as they combined to have a 47-16 record, won the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season (2008) and tournament (2009) championships, and advanced to the NCAA tournament both seasons. He also coached All-Americans Chris Gilliam (2008) and Marcus Tullis (2009), who have both gone on to professional basketball careers.

Prior to his time at UPJ, he coached one season at Indiana State University serving on the coaching staff of Coach Royce Waltman. The Sycamores earned victories over three teams that reached the 2007 NCAA tournament: Purdue, Butler, and Creighton. During his previous stint as an assistant at Penn State Altoona, he was instrumental in recruiting several of the student athletes who have taken the program to the top of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. In addition, he coached Tyler Franklin, Penn State Altoona’s all-time scoring leader who was honored twice as a two-time First Team AMCC selection.

As a player, he was a member of the men’s basketball team at Youngstown State University. He spent three seasons with the Penguins, where he was twice selected to the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll. Clapper also earned the Tony Vivo Hustle Award as a senior. He played his freshman season at Mount Aloysius College in Cresson, PA before transferring to Youngstown State.

Coach Clapper has supplemented his playing experience with extensive work at camps and clinics throughout the United States. He has spent the last ten years doing motivational speaking and instructing basketball skills at over 225 basketball camps. His passion in teaching the game and inspiring others has led him to start his own company, develop a basketball training video, and direct 30 of his own basketball camps in Pennsylvania. He has volunteered with the Keystone State Games, having served as the head coach of the Laurel Highlands region teams for 4 years.

A native of Saxton, PA, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Integrated Business Education from Youngstown State in 2005. In addition, he received his Associate’s degree in Business Administration from Mount Aloysius in 2005 and his Master’s degree in Educational Technology from Indiana State in 2007.

Assistant Coaches

Tim Keech

Keech spent eight years at the helm of Bellwood-Antis boys basketball before being named an assistant coach at Penn State Altoona, accumulating a career record of 118-83 with one Juniata Valley League championship and a District VI Class AA title. Prior to being the head coach of the Blue Devils, he was an assistant for five years under longtime coach Gene Yingling.

Keech, who works as an elementary school teacher in the Hollidaysburg Area School District, served as a student assistant coach in 1989 under Jim Baron at St. Francis College.

Mike Bailey

Bailey has 29 years of head basketball coaching experience at the high school

level, leading Delaware Valley H.S. (PA, 1979-1985), Bethel H.S. (VA, 1985-1994),

Tullahoma H.S. (TN, 1994-1997), Williamsport H.S. (PA, 1997-2004) and Phillipsburg

Osceola H.S. (PA, 2007-2008). In 1993, he coached Bethel H.S. boys basketball to a

28-3 season in which the team was Virginia AAA State champions; in 1999, he oversaw

a 29-2 season at Williamsport H.S., where the team was Pennsylvania AAAA State

champions. Both teams were ranked among the top 25 in USA Today.

Bailey was named the 1999 Big School PA Coach of the Year. Five of his former players have gone on to success in higher levels of basketball, including Allen Iverson (Georgetown University/NBA), Tony Rutland (Wake Forest/Asia) and Chevon Troutman (University of Pittsburgh/France). Bailey has been involved in various AAU basketball programs instructing youth in central Pennsylvania with the Moshannon Valley Warhawks and the PA Slam. He retired in 2009 as a school teacher.