Meet Our Board
We are here to empower our youth to be their best! We are proud to bring you a group of caring and passionate coaches and administrators. Read the bios below to learn more about The Strong Center Board.
Danny Strong
Director, Founder
Email: [email protected] Danny Strong is a former NCSU and professional basketball player from Great Falls, SC. Coach Strong played for the NCSU Wolfpack until 1997 before playing professional in the European basketball leagues. He retired from professional play in May 2012 after playing for 15 years. During his professional career, he made four all-star appearances in the French National Basketball League, lead his team to victory in the 2005 French Cup Championship, he was the all-star MVP in the Portuguese National Basketball League, and served 9 years as team captain for various teams. His leadership on and off the court and commitment to the youth have been prevalent throughout his career. Coach’s fluency in French enabled him to orient new foreign and US team mates to the French culture and assist them with language translation. He also worked with multiple youth organizations and schools throughout Europe to encourage kids to do their best. Coach Strong returned to the Raleigh area May 2012 to graduate from NCSU with a BA in Sociology. Prior to being named the Varsity Coach at Fuquay Varina High School, he served as an assistant coach at Southeast Raleigh High School.
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Thomas Jones
Director, Founder, Basketball Operations
Email: [email protected] Coach Jones is a native of Henderson, NC where he attended Southern Vance High School and played basketball and football all four years. Coach Jones graduated from Winston- Salem State University where he received a Bachelor’s of Science in Management Information Systems. Coach Jones began his coaching career in 2008. Being a coach is something he is very passionate about and to show his dedication, he has earned the following certifications:
- NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching,
- NFHS Concussion Awareness,
- NFHS Sudden Cardiac Arrest Cert.
- Basic First Aid, CPR, and AED.
During his coaching career, he has served in many roles including:
- Head Flag Football and Basketball Coach for i9 Sports in Cary, NC;
- Assistant Track Coach for the Carolina All-stars in Fuquay-Varina, NC; and
- Head Basketball Coach for ages 7-12 at the Holly Springs Recreation Department. In 2012, he became one of the founding members of The Strong Center and serves as the Director of Basketball. Coach Jones is also the Assistant Varsity Basketball Coach for Fuquay-Varina High School. Coach Jones is employed with MCNC as a Network Engineer for the Core Engineering Network Deployment Team. Coach Jones’ motto is “you can’t get better by accident.”
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Stacey Smith
Director, Football CommissionerEmail: [email protected] Coach Smith is a native of High Point, NC where he attended Southwest Guilford High School. He brings a history of excellence in football and wrestling where he gained All-Conference in football and All-State honors in Wrestling by securing the 152 lbs. 1A-2A State Title in 1988. He went on to briefly wrestle for N.C. State University where he ultimately completed his degree in Civil Engineering. He continued to wrestle competitively in the spring and summer tournament circuits through college and assisted various local school programs sparking his interest to stay in youth athletics. Mr. Smith helps lead our football program and is past Commissioner of the East Wake Football League. He is President of the solid waste consulting firm Smith Gardner, Inc. in Raleigh. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in North Carolina among many other states. He resides in Fuquay-Varina with his wife, Jennifer, daughter Zoe, and son Dylan. He also is Emeritus Member on the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Land Surveyors, past Chair of the N.C. State University Engineering Advisory Board, and on the Research Council for the Environmental Research and Education Foundation. |
Holly Wheeler
Director, FounderEmail: [email protected] Holly Wheeler is a Harnett County native and Fuquay-Varina resident with a passion for developing young people in the community. After graduating from N.C. State University with a BS in Accounting, she entered the technology industry. Holly has lead teams and organizations within companies such as Verizon, Cisco, and Genesys that were responsible for supporting voice, data, and cloud services . She has championed STEM programs corporately with area youth, volunteers in her local church working with young people, and in 2012 co-founded The Strong Center with longtime college friend Danny Strong. With a shared passion for youth, sports, and community outreach she works tirelessly with the Strong Center family to serve kids and their families. |
Chad Moose
Director, Basketball CoachEmail: [email protected] Chad Moose is from Mooresville, NC where he attended Mooresville High School and lettered four (4) years in basketball, baseball, cross country and for two (2) years in football. He was an All Conference baseball selection and All State selection in cross country. He was named Athlete of the Year his senior year and went on to attend N.C. State University where he received a bachelor degree in Horticulture Science. He is the owner of Tobacco Road Lawn & Landscaping Inc. here in Fuquay-Varina that he began over 25 years ago.
Coach Moose is beginning his second year of coaching at the Strong Center and stresses fundamentals and effort. His Motto is: "What to do with a mistake - Recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it" |
Bryan Peterson
Director, B.M. Peterson Sports PerformanceEmail: [email protected]
Bryan Peterson is from Clinton, NC where he attended Clinton High School. Coach Peterson lead Clinton to two (2) State 2A Championships. He went on to play at NC State. As a Wolfpack Wide Receiver his accomplishments are still in the records as one of the best receivers of all time. While in the NFL he played for the Tennesee Titans. Today, he teaches at Holly Grove Middle School and helps young athletes see their dreams through B.M. Peterson Sports Performance. His accomplishments and contribution to football and our community are numerous.
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