By Lois Elfman
(Source: Amsterdam News)
Among this year’s semi-finalists for the 2026 Hospital for Special Surgery Jr. Knicks Coach of the Year award are one woman from New York and one from New Jersey, whose passion for uplifting young people matches their passion for basketball.
Tamara Campbell, a dean specialist and girls varsity basketball coach at New Visions Charter High School for Advanced Math & Science II in the Bronx, began coaching basketball as a volunteer at a rec center while she was a student at Norfolk State University, an Historically Black College [or] University (HBCU) in Virginia. When she returned to New York after college, she continued coaching, building her skills toward her current position.
“Basketball brought me into my skill set with relationship-building — knowing how to communicate effectively and letting [the girls] know how to make good decisions,” said Campbell, who played high school basketball (New Dorp in Staten Island) and on a travel team. “My trials and tribulations allow me to come here and be a true mentor and coach for the kids.”
A junior varsity team will launch next year, but for now, Campbell hasn’t had that developmental base, so she works with some players from the basics. “It’s really truly teaching the game,” she said. “When it’s all said and done, and you see how they started and how they ended, that gives you the most joy.”
Tomora Young owns a basketball facility in Red Bank, New Jersey, where she grew up and honed her hoops skills. She played college basketball at Rutgers, coached by the legendary C. Vivian Stringer, and has been named to both the Rutgers University Basketball Hall of Fame and the Red Bank Athletics Hall of Fame. Young founded the Fusion School of Basketball in 2010 and has trained thousands of athletes.
“We do anything basketball — personal training, birthday parties, skills and drills, small groups,” said Young. “We don’t coach girls’ teams, but we coach boys’ teams and we train all of the girls in the area.”
The nomination for the Jr. Knicks honor means a great deal to Young. “I always get satisfied by the fact that the kids come back and they’re grateful for everything that I’ve been able to give them and teach them,” she said. She described playing for Stringer as an amazing experience. “She taught me so much about the game, so much about being a human being, how to treat people. Great insight.”