Meet Our Trainers
Founder & Lead Trainer
Sarah Behn
Sarah Behn is the founder of Basketball By Behn and its lead trainer. Each year she works with around 500 players of every level, from first-timers and young kids just learning the game to high-level college athletes. Every session is built around the things that win games: shooting, scoring, basketball IQ, and a confident, competitive mindset.
With 27 years of coaching experience, including seven as a Division I head coach, Sarah tailors her training to each individual player and meets them wherever they are in their development. She is known for a relentless, fundamentals-first approach and for getting the most out of every athlete who walks into the gym.
As a player, Sarah was a two-sport All-American, the all-time leading scorer in Big East history, and a Boston College Hall of Famer. She draws on that experience in every session she runs.
Trainer
Bill Holden
Coach Bill Holden has been developing young athletes for decades, working with players at every level from youth up through Division I and II college basketball. He is known for his teaching, his ability to motivate, and the respect he earns from players and peers alike.
As a player, Bill was a standout at Holbrook High, where he is a Hall of Famer, before becoming the all-time leading scorer at Bentley University with 2,103 points. He was a three-time All-Northeast-10 selection, a two-time Division II All-New England honoree, and in 1990 was named both Bentley’s Outstanding Male Senior Athlete and the conference’s Division II Male Athlete of the Year. He was inducted into the Bentley Hall of Fame in 2000.
Bill brought that same competitiveness to a long coaching career. He served as an assistant at his alma mater Bentley, then at Harvard under Frank Sullivan and at Colgate, before becoming head boys varsity coach at Middlesex School and later Athletic Director for Holbrook Schools. That range of experience is what he brings to every player he trains.
Trainer
Lisa Downs
Coach Lisa Downs is one of the most accomplished girls’ basketball coaches in Massachusetts, with 15 years of experience and four state championships as a head coach. As Varsity Head Coach at Foxboro High School, she built one of the strongest programs in the state, capturing those four titles and earning MIAA Coach of the Year honors. A Foxborough native, Lisa played her college basketball at UMass Dartmouth, and she has long been part of the Behn basketball family through her work with Behn Basketball Camp. She motivates players to create a winning environment both on and off the court, and brings that championship-level experience and player-development focus to every athlete she trains.
Trainer
Brian Holden
Coach Brian Holden brings a standout playing and coaching résumé to his training. A 1990 graduate of Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree, where he is a Hall of Famer and the school’s second all-time leading scorer, Brian went on to star at Drexel University as a three-time All-America East guard, helping the Dragons to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in 1994 and 1995. He was later named to Drexel’s All-Millennium Team and inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame, and he played professionally in France, Spain, and Malta. As head coach at Archbishop Williams, Brian led the Bishops to the school’s first state championship in 69 years in 2023. He currently serves as the Boys’ Varsity Head Coach there, founded the Holden Hoop School for individual skill instruction, and is the younger brother of fellow Behn trainer Bill Holden.
Trainer
Dan Bathalon
Coach Dan Bathalon is a former standout guard out of high school in NH and then continued his playing career at Rivier University. Dan is passionate about basketball and has been coaching for decades. Dan has been a youth travel coach, a boys’ coach, a Director at Behn Basketball Camp and several other camps and he has worked as an AAU coach at Rise Above, Dana Barros, and the Behn Hurricanes. Coach Dan is known for his high-energy style of coaching and for his knowledge of teaching fundamentals. Coach Dan has coached collegiate scholarship players from the Hurricanes and has recently coached our high school teams in exposure tournaments in New England and in Kentucky. Dan also is a basketball trainer with his company called Ball Up 365.
Trainer
Derek Smith
Coach Derek Smith, a North Attleborough native and graduate of the Class of 2001, has been deeply involved in local basketball for more than a decade. A three-sport athlete in high school, he returned to his hometown to coach, serving as the North Attleboro High School Varsity Boys’ Head Coach from 2023–2025 after four years as the varsity assistant. His coaching résumé also includes two years as the Varsity Girls’ Assistant Coach at Ashland High School and three years in the same role at North Attleboro. On the AAU circuit, he has coached with BCRI, MetroWest Swarm, and Sims, gaining a wide range of experience across age groups and competition levels.
Trainer
Brandon Wooten
Coach Brandon Wooten played basketball at Norwell High School, graduating in 2008, before moving on to play Division II basketball at Assumption College, where he graduated in 2012. He coached as the head Boys’ JV coach and an assistant varsity coach at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School from 2022–2024, and is coaching the Xaverian Varsity Boys Basketball team this winter as an assistant. Since 2015, Brandon has also worked as a private and youth trainer at the Quincy YMCA, where he focuses on helping players sharpen their skills and build confidence.