Coaches

  • Ryan Ciaccio, Pickleball Coach

    Ryan Ciaccio, Director

    Ryan grew up and lives in Hamilton, NJ. He graduated from Rider University in 2019 where he played Division 1 college tennis.

    While in college, Ryan found a newfound passion for pickleball, and has now been playing for over 6 years. He competes at the 4.5+ level, and loves drilling as much as playing.

    Ryan has been coaching ever since he first coached tennis at age 14, He now has over 3 years of experience teaching and leading pickleball programs.

    Ryan strives to create an enjoyable, but driven environment focused on the individual needs and abilities of each player he works with.

  • Rahul Datta Pickleball Coach

    Rahul Datta, Staff Pro

    Rahul is from Princeton, New Jersey and is a 5.0 tournament player who considers pickleball his number one passion.

    Rahul grew up playing competitive basketball from a young age, playing in showcases across the east coast. However, at the end of his senior year of high school he discovered pickleball and quickly fell in love with it, becoming fully dedicated to the game. He loves teaching and meeting new players and always enjoys expanding his network and friendships in the sport.

    Outside of pickleball, Rahul is an incoming junior at Rutgers Business School majoring in Business Analytics and Data Science and aspires to found his own startup one day.

  • Alex Szczepkowski, Pickleball Coach

    Joel Phillips, Staff Pro

    Joel was an early adopter of pickleball when he picked up a paddle 7 years ago. He has been playing at the 5.0+/pro level for the past 3 years, having medaled in many tournaments including a gold in 5.0 doubles at the 2023 New York City Open.

    Joel absolutely loves pickleball and is especially excited to help intermediate and advanced level players move up the ranks and improve their technique as well as matchplay strategy.

    Joel's favorite thing about pickleball is the people. "We are a growing group of amazing humans that come together to play the greatest game around.”

  • Matt Reed, Staff Pro

    Matt lives in Somerville, NJ, and is a massive sports fan. He picked up pickleball in 2023 and immediately fell in love with the sport after spending many years competing in tennis and soccer.

    Matt has worked in sports media for the nearly a decade (including at large pickleball media company The Dink), covering major events across America, as well as building out his own social media following.

    He loves interacting with the pickleball community, especially those that are looking to up their games to the next level. Matt currently coaches beginner and intermediate clinics.

  • Alex Szczepkowski Coach

    Alex Szczepkowski, Staff Pro

    Alex grew up in Marlton, NJ, and currently lives in Hammonton, NJ. He’s a 5.0+/pro level tournament player, and absolutely lives and breathes pickleball.

    In 2019, Alex discovered pickleball, and just like most people, was instantly hooked. He has now been teaching clinics and private/group lessons for 4+ years, and has helped 1000s of students.

    For Alex, there is no greater reward then a call or text from an excited student after successfully executing a new shot, or a picture of them after winning a medal.

  • Matthew Hartman, Pickleball Coach

    Matthew Hartman, Staff Pro

    Matt loves pickleball and has been playing and coaching for years. He currently lives in Cream Ridge, New Jersey, but plays and competes all over the place.

    Matt is an avid driller, and competes in tournaments at the 4.5+ and 5.0 level.

    Matt brings a ton of energy to the court, and passion for the amazing game of pickleball.