Coaches

Jason Hughes
Head of Basketball Operations
Current Head Coach of The Bolles School Boys Varsity Basketball

Jason is the founder of Blue Heat Basketball and the Blue Heat Basketball Academy.  He currently serves as the Director of Basketball Operations for the Academy.  Jason has run and coached Blue Heat for 10 years and has also worked with numerous players, grade school to high school, on an individual basis.

Outside of The Blue Heat, Jason is currently the going into his 6th year as Head Coach of The Bolles Boys Varsity Basketball Team. His Bolles teams have a combined record of 97-43 over the past 5 years with 2 District titles, 4 straight playoff appearances and one Elite Eight. For 2020-2021 season Jason was named as the Coach of the Year for 4A in the state of Florida by FABC.

As a player, Jason played competitive basketball for 20+ years. He is a local product of The Bolles School where he earned multiple All City designations. Jason was also part of an AAU travel team, Jacksonville Eagles, that won multiple state titles as well as one National Title.  The Eagles were ranked in the top 20 in the nation from 1990-1993. Jason was rated by the Metro Index as one of the Top 30 players in the state of Florida for the class of 1994.  His playing career continued at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Jason resides in the Ponte Vedra area with his wife, Emilee and three children, Jackson, Anna, and Haley Hughes.


Jim Yarbrough

Coach Jim Yarbrough has been building his coaching career and teaching catalog for 35 years. Coach Yarbrough was a collegiate head coach with a 230-177 record over 14 seasons at Valdosta State University and Southeastern Louisiana University. In nine seasons at SLU, Coach Yarbrough was the second-winningest men's basketball coach in SLU history, with the second-highest winning percentage in school history. His tenure included wins over Mississippi State, Penn State and Oregon State. At SLU, Yarbrough coached the Lions to five winning seasons and a school-record five winning campaigns in the Southland Conference, along with 11 players named to all-SLC teams.

Prior to his SLU career, Yarbrough led Valdosta State to multiple seasons in the NCAA Division II postseason tournament, including two seasons in which he was named both NCAA Division II South Region Coach of the Year and Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year. His 2003-04 Valdosta State team finished 25-4 and ranked No. 3 in the nation at the close of the season. Before beginning his college head coaching career at Valdosta State, he served six years as an assistant coach and associate head coach under John Kresse in the storied College of Charleston basketball program that compiled a 153-28 record and six conference championships during Yarbrough's years as a top assistant. He also coached at West Florida, The Bolles School and Bishop Moore Catholic High School.

Career Highlights:
• part of 3 Final Fours with 2 State Titles at The Bolles School 
• helped start a new program at UWF
• became Associate Head Coach at College of Charleston. Part of 3 NCAA Tournaments, 2 NIT's, 153 wins in 6 seasons and sent 1 player to the NBA
• turned Valdosta State into a Division II powerhouse. In 2002 and 2004 was South Region Coach of the Year and twice a finalist for national Coach of the Year.
• spent 9 years as a Division I HC at SLU. Second winningest coach in school history.
• was Central Florida 6A Coach of the Year in 2019

Coach Yarbrough has become a mentor, a developer of people and helps young athletes progress their basketball skills. "Coach Y" has a reputation as a Master Teacher of the game to all levels of basketball athletes.

He has a Bachelor's Degree from FSU and a Graduate Degree from The Citadel.

Sean Mullings

Sean was born in Kingston, Jamaica (West Indies).  His family migrated to the United States when he was six years old and made Brooklyn, NY their home.

Sean's first exposure to basketball was as a freshman at Xaverian High School, a perennial basketball powerhouse, in the Brooklyn-Queens Division of the Catholic High School Athletic Association.  The CHSAA featured some of the best high school players in the city, at that time. Some of the marquee players were: Kenny Anderson, Jamal Mashburn, Malik Sealy, Adrian Autry, Brian Reese, Jamal Faulkner, Derek Phelps, and Khalid Reeves, to name a few.  Sean was not selected to be a member of the Xaverian Freshman Basketball Team that eventually went on to win the CHSAA City Freshman Championship.  This setback inspired Sean to work harder and improve his game.  As a sophomore, Sean again tried out for the Junior Varsity Team and again was not selected to be a part of that team. The disappointment of not making the JV team further drove him to prove he had the ability to be a basketball player.  Sean became a "gym rat", he was the first one in the gym after school and the last one to leave in the evening.  When he was not playing basketball he was watching it on TV.  Sean's greatest disappointment came his junior year when he was the last person cut from the school's "Varsity B" Team.  Sean was told by the coach that he was good enough to be on the team but not good enough to unseat other players that have been a part of the school's program for two years. That was the last straw!  Sean decided then, that as a senior, he was not going to be good enough to play, he was going to be an impact player that could not be passed over.  As a senior, Sean was selected as a starter for the Varsity B Team and after a couple weeks he was invited up to be a part of the Varsity Team.  Sean ended up playing for both varsity teams that year.  Sean was ranked 75th, by Hoop Scoop, out of all seniors in New York City.  During his high school athletic career, Sean also earned varsity letters in two other sports.  Sean was a stand-out Middle Blocker for the Varsity Volleyball Team.  He competed and won a Bronze Medal, as a member of the 1987 New York City Scholastic Volleyball Team, at the Empire State Games.  Sean was also a member of the 1987 and 1988 New York City Junior Olympic Volleyball Team.  Sean was a three year letter-man in Track & Field; specializing in High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump, and Hurdles.

With only one year of high school basketball under his belt, Sean went on to play collegiate basketball for the NCAA Division I, Long Island University.  He played for the Blackbirds for two seasons before transferring to LIU - C.W. Post (NCAA Division II) for his junior & senior campaign, as a Pioneer.  While at C.W. Post, Sean played for New York State Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Tom Galeazzi.  Sean's junior year, C.W. Post achieved a record of 26-5 while advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Sean went on to continue his basketball career overseas in England. In 2000, Sean earned a B.S. in Public Accountancy from LIU-C.W. Post.  In 2005, Sean completed his MBA (Global Management) from the University of Phoenix.  

Kelly Stevenson

Kelly brings a wealth of experience to the Blue Heat as a successful college coach and player, as well as one of the most heralded high school athletes from the First Coast in recent years.  Kelly is currently the Head Girls Varsity Coach at The Bolles School.

Kelly led the Bolles 2013-14 squad to the program's first district title since 1997 and a region semifinal berth. In her tenure, the Bulldogs have made the playoffs in five of the last eight seasons. 

Prior to Bolles, Kelly served a one year stint as the director of women's basketball operations at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, helping the 49ers win the Atlantic 10 Conference title in the 2005-06 season. Prior to UNC Charlotte, she served as an assistant coach at Furman University for the 2004-05 season, helping that program to 18 wins.

Kelly is a 2004 graduate of the University of Florida, where she earned a bachelor's degree in exercise and sports sciences. As a member of the Gators women's basketball team, she was a three-time Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll selection and was named to the SEC Good Works team for her community service. As a junior, she was named team tri-captain.

Unfortunately, due to two knee injuries, Kelly was limited to just two seasons of action on the court for the Gators after transferring from Jacksonville University in 2000. Stevenson was the first-ever player to sign with the JU women's basketball team as the program began its inaugural season in 1999.

Locally, Kelly graduated from Nease High School in 1999, where she guided the Panthers to the Class 5A state title as a senior. She was named Most Valuable Player of the state tournament and to the 5A All-State team that season as well. Kelly also earned USA Today All-USA Honorable Mention, was named the 1999 Florida Times-Union Player-of-the-Year, and won the "Jasper" award for Amateur Women's Basketball Player of the Year at the Florida Sports Awards, joining her Nease teammates as a member of the top Amateur Women's Team.


Steve Rydzewski


Steve Rydzewski graduated from The Bolles School in 1994 and was a three year Varsity letterman.  During this time Steve was named to various All City and First Coast teams, culminating in being named First Team All Jacksonville,  Second Team All-State and McDonalds All American (State of Florida) in 1994. 

With over Twenty Five Division I scholarship offers, Steve chose to continue his basketball career at Presbyterian College where he was named South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the year in 1995 and was a member of the 1995-96 South Atlantic Conference Championship team.

Steve is currently the Head Boys JV coach and Varsity Assistant at The Bolles School.

Steve is married to Susan Rydzewski and has a son, Will Rydzewski, who will be playing Blue Heat as well.

Scott Cooper


As a player:

·         5^th All Time leading scorer in Wolfson High School history

Steve Printy



Current Head Boys Coach for Palmer Catholic Academy
2015 Catholic School League and Tournament Champions

Bob Mitchell



Adrian Wilkinson

Former player for Jacksonville University Dolphins
Asst Varsity Boys Coach at The Bolles School

Elle Mitchell

Elle is a local through and through. As a player, Elle played locally for Nease High School and won local, region, and state honors. She continued playing at Florida State University. She also played at the University of Georgia where she was a stand-out forward for her intramural and club basketball teams and won several tournaments with both teams, even going all the way to the club Final Four three times and winning MVP two of those times. She coached basketball for Upward for over five years before joining the Blue Heat family. Elle comes from a basketball family. Her dad, Todd Mitchell, was a stand out forward for Terry Parker High School and played for Coastal Carolina. 

Rick Wicker

Rick played basketball at Berea Community High School in Kentucky and is an assistant coach for Palm Valley Academy.