TRAINING STAFF

MEET THE TRAINERS

JOE BUSATERI

Joe Busateri is a native of Milwaukee, WI who played for Milwaukee Vincent High. As a member of the team, Busateri shared in a city League championship and district titles. As an individual player, he was named, all area, all city, all metro and all state. He also earned all-star honors at the invitation only Blue Chip Basketball Camp. He held records for having the most points in a game with 45 and the most rebounds in a game with 28.

After graduating from Milwaukee Vincent High School in 1985, he was awarded a scholarship to Austin Peay State University. He served as the power forward for the Governors and was a two-year captain. He helped carry Austin Peay to an NCAA tournament bid, where they became one of the all-time upset teams by beating #3 seeded Illinois in the opening round. Joe was known as a smart, fundamentally sound player with a High basketball IQ. Joe Busateri has been a player, coach and always a student of the game.

Bringing hard work, enthusiasm and a passion to the development of player’s skills and knowledge of the game are the cornerstones of his coaching philosophy. Joe created the Wentzville Basketball Academy to teach youth how to make plays on and off the court. He has a burning desire to help bring out the best in young student-athletes. Joe wants to teach young basketball players the importance of being balanced on the court but more importantly he wants them to have a balanced lifestyle.

MIKE SLATER

Michael has served in a variety of roles throughout his coaching career. For the last 12 years he served as the head varsity coach at Nerinx Hall high school. During his tenure, Coach Slater led the Class 5 program to a record of 249 – 117, while playing in one of the toughest conferences in the state of Missouri. He guided the program to 12 consecutive winning seasons and the only two State Final Four appearances for basketball in school history.

Over the last 12 years, Coach Slater has helped multiple players take their playing careers to the collegiate level; ranging from Division I to Division III. Three of his former players were members of a Division III national championship team.

Coach Slater is a strong advocate for defensive intensity, discipline, and teamwork. Throughout his career those principles have been the foundation of his coaching philosophy. He is extremely excited about the opportunity to join the Wentzville Basketball Academy coaching staff and brings the same enthusiasm and approach to the program.

Coach Slater is a St. Louis native and is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia.