The Reading Rebels, a minor league professional basketball team and member of The Basketball League, proudly announces its 2022 coaching staff.
The combined experience and caliber of Kenneth “Snip” Esterly, Head Coach, and Joe Linderman and Kelsey Stasyszyn, Assistant Coaches, will surely develop the players of Reading’s new basketball team and build a culture for success into and beyond the inaugural season. The Rebels are here to stay!
Snip Esterly’s ability to “keep everyone on the same wavelength” will prove to be instrumental in the Rebels development, while Joe Linderman being “dedicated, respectful, and demanding” will keep the team accountable. Kelsey Stasyszyn completes the staff matching the same intensity with mental mastery saying, “leaders must build trust and foster respect”.
Snip Esterly:
Snip Esterly has winning in his veins, and he hopes to bring this culture to the Rebels. With over 40 years of experience coaching locally, he is certainly familiar with the talent in the area. Starting at Central Catholic and working through the ranks, Snip has seen and done essentially all roles of a coaching staff before ultimately becoming a head coach for over 30 years and earning the credential of winningest basketball coach in Berks County history. Esterly has an ability to simplify the game for his players and relate to them while maintaining a level of respect needed. He attributes this to his ability to “keep everyone on the same wavelength”
“Passion” is the word to describe Snip Esterly as it is something that has never lacked. He says coaching these players is a great “opportunity” with the tremendous talent they show and experiencing this league is “going to be neat”. “Between me, Kelsey, and Joe, we’re going to make a fantastic coaching staff”
Joe Linderman:
Joe Linderman has always been a basketball man. A two-time All-Berks County Selection in High School. Named the “Pennsylvania Small School Player of the Year” in 1996. A four-year starter at Division 1 Drexel. The American East Conference “Rookie of the Year” in 1997 and a three-time All-Conference selection. Joe finished at Drexel as the 4th leading scorer with 1,840 point and went on to play pro in Portugal. Coming back to the states he has coached for Alvernia for 5 years; seeing 3 MAC Conference Championships over that time. Joe continues to make a local impact as the owner of Berks Baseball Association training individuals over the past 12 years. 
Joe is a great fit for the Rebels as he describes himself as “dedicated, respectful, and demanding”. His proven skills and consistent passion for the game of basketball shine through and are surely reflective. Joe says, “I’ve always had this dream and passion of mine to coach at this high level, but when my daughter says, ‘dad you’re going to be a professional basketball coach’ it made me feel like a kid with a dream come true.”
Kelsey Stasyszyn:
Kelsey Stasyszyn is a skilled leader fueled by a history and passion of basketball. The genes run through her family as her brother has played high levels of basketball, her father was not only a local coach, but also a representative for USA basketball, and her family owns Unleashed Potential, a top skill development organization in Central PA going on 8 years now. These genes certainly don’t stop with Kelsey as she won two district championships through High School and was a two-sport athlete at division 2 Shippensburg University. In her minimal downtime going through school, Kelsey began her career coaching Middle School basketball for 2 years. Post-graduation she assisted her family training company for 7 years as a USA Basketball Certified Skills and Development Trainer before taking over as the Carlisle girls Varsity Head Coach for the past two years. 
Kelsey says her favorite quote is “nobody is built like you, you design yourself” as it embodies who she is and what she strives for, she doesn’t care what anyone thinks as she embraces the fact that she is one of one. She goes on to say, “leaders must build trust and foster respect”. This foundation is instrumental in the development of the Rebels and Kelsey helps the team reach new levels of potential through her daily fostering.
Reading Rebels are focused on promoting community, leadership, integrity, and discipline. The ultimate goal of the team is to create positive change within the community and empower and develop youth to their full potential. It is the team’s mission to add to the ongoing investment and opportunity to rebuild the City of Reading.
For more information about the Reading Rebels, contact Noah Pratz, Director of Communications, at (570) 982-0336, and visit readingrebels.net.
