Professional Staff
 
 

Co-owner and General Manager


 Bob's love for the game of basketball developed during his junior high school, high school and college days, when he was heavily involved at Omaha-area YMCA's as a scorekeeper, referee and coach.  In his early 20's, Bob was a varsity assistant coach at Lewis Central (Iowa) High School, and then took a job as the Athletic Director at Omaha's Jewish Community Center (JCC).  While at the JCC, Bob grew the basketball program from 120 participants to over 450, and he added soccer, flag football and lacrosse to the athletic department's program offerings.  Bob's ability to grow sports programming continued after he co-founded the Omaha Sports Academy (OSA) in spring 2008.  Since that time, he has built the largest select basketball club program in Omaha (30 winter teams, 20 summer teams), and has grown the No Frills Predator League from 100 teams to over 330.  Bob's coaching style is a demanding one, yet his passion for the game and love for his players shines through.  His players are among the most-prepared for the “next level”, whether that is high school or college.  A “student of the game,” Bob constantly educates himself by frequenting high school and college practices and the Oklahoma City Thunder training camp.

 

Jeff Epstein
Co-owner and Coach
 
Jeff is the "brains" behind the founding of OSA. In early 2008, Jeff had a vision for a state-of-the-art facility that could host premier basketball development and enjoyable basketball competition under one roof. Almost three years later, Jeff's vision is coming to fruition, as OSA hosts one of the largest youth basketball leagues in the Midwest, and OSA's player development program gets stronger every year. Jeff was born and raised in Omaha, and is President of Omaha Paper Stock Company. He and his wife, Laurie, are parents of four- Alec, Callie, Sophie and Lexi. 
 
 
Tom Sudyka
Co-owner
 
Tom has been involved in Omaha youth sports for several years, mainly through coaching his three sons' teams.  Tom is extensively involved in many community and charitable activities, and he is a long-time supporter of the Boys and Girls Club's sports teams (for whom his sons played) and the Midwest Stars Foundation summer basketball teams.  Tom is a partner with Lawson Kroeker Investment Management and has over 20 years of experience in investment management.   Tom and his wife, Kathy, are parents of three sons - Thomas, Jr., Stephen and David.

 

Phil Belin         

Co-Owner and Coach

Phil is originally from Los Angeles, and he played basketball at Princeton University during the late-1990's. During his tenure, the team played in two NCAA Tournaments (advancing to the second round one year) and one NIT (advancing to the quaterfinals). Phil moved to Omaha in 2003 and immediately, he began coaching youth in small-group and team environments. While his teams and players have enjoyed success on the court, Phil is even prouder of the enriching friendships that he has formed with players and their families, and it is in this latter aspect where Phil gains his reputation. As time goes on, Phil has become increasingly interested in the coaching and "business" side of the basketball, and it is those interests that led Phil to become involved with OSA. Another "student of the game," Phil enjoys picking the brains of other coaches in the "Princeton coaching tree" and he has observed training camps for both the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Phil is an attorney that focuses his practice in the area of business, corporate and employment law. He has practiced law for nearly ten years and is the founding principal of Belin Law Firm. He and his wife Marie, are the parents of three- Simon, James and Whitney.

 

Charles Thompson

Originally from Miami, Charles found his way to Omaha when he transferred to the University of Nebraska at Omaha part-way through his college basketball career. At UNO during 1996-1998, Charles enjoyed a successful career, garnering All-Northern Collegiate Conference (NCC) honors, and leading the team in scoring his sophomore year. Charles graduated from UNO with a Bachelor of Science degree in Organization Communication, with a minor in Business Administration.

 

Rachel Blum                                                                                                                                 Assistant General Manager

Rachel is responsible for a variety of tasks involving the OSA facility as a whole, including individual and team registrations, court rentals and scheduling and communications with customers. Rachel also manages the concessions area, including staffing and inventory. She has been with the OSA since July 2009 and has years of experience in education and with youth programming.