Bronx native Victor Hall, who has coached local youth basketball since the early 1980s, was recently honored as the Jr. Knicks Coach of the Year. The award, which includes a $20,000 prize, was presented courtside at Madison Square Garden by Knicks star Mikal Bridges.
Sponsored by the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), the award recognizes Hall as the Knicks’ nominee for the Jr. NBA’s National Coach of the Year program. It celebrates coaches who serve as mentors in their communities, demonstrating dedication and strong character.
Hall was selected from an initial pool of 15 nominees, several of whom were also from the Bronx. The list was later narrowed to three finalists, all either Bronx natives or coaches with deep ties to the borough.
Hall was invited on Feb. 26 to see the Knicks play the Philadelphia 76ers, and as a video crew started filming him courtside before the game for what he thought was the last round of interviews, Bridges tapped him on the shoulder to present the good news and oversized check.
“I’m never speechless, but this is it, man,” Hall said on camera. “This will benefit so many youngsters,” he said, before telling Bridges, “Do your thing tonight — please.” The Knicks won 110 to 105.
The recognition came as “a big surprise,” Hall told the Bronx Times in a March 6 interview.
He explained that his start in coaching was somewhat accidental. In 1977, he had fouled out of a local men’s tournament when one of the referees came to the bench and asked to speak with the coach. The team didn’t have a coach, but Hall was there, so he offered himself up.
“To call me coach, it sounded so good,” he said, and the title stuck. Hall began holding tryouts for youth from New York City and surrounding areas and got them playing in tournaments all over the city. Many kids had not traveled to other boroughs, so it was a big experience for them, said Hall.
Since his teenage years, Hall knew he had a knack for working with people and deescalating conflict. In adulthood, when he attended formal mediation training through a nonprofit, “I learned the terminology I’d been saying all my life,” he said.
With the nonprofit, Hall worked in schools to prevent many fights and suspensions. “I carried that training right into my coaching,” he said.
Hall worked hard to instill strong character in his players, many of whom are still in touch with him today. While most have gone on to successful careers in accounting, acting, education and more, a few made it to international and college basketball teams and even the NBA.
Over the years, Hall coached every age group, from third and fourth graders to high schoolers to young adults. He even helped train Knicks power forward Precious Achiuwa, who grew up in Queens and the Bronx, during Achiuwa’s high school years.
For Hall, the mentorship side was equally important as the athletics side. “Basketball was always the hook to get them in, and then teach life skills,” he said.
Today, Hall teaches tennis and leads the Keep Youth Dreams Alive (KYDA) Foundation, which he established in 1994 to support and empower young athletes on KYDA teams.
Since the news of the award broke, many current and former players have reached out to offer congratulations, said Hall. He said the recognition is meaningful on many levels, as a lifelong Knicks fan, role model and influential coach who led two different teams in tournaments that culminated on the MSG court.
“I’m still thanking people,” Hall said. “This award is for us.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
