AACCs' New Women's Basketball Coach is Former Student

Anne Arundel Community College has named Lionel Makell of Shadyside as the new head coach of its women’s basketball team, the Pioneers. 

Makell attended AACC in the early '80s, and during his time there, was named Most Outstanding Male Athlete and was selected for the All-star Men’s Basketball team.

He has been coaching at Southern High School where, he also is a long-term substitute teacher for special education. Makell served as SHS's head coach for the girls’ varsity softball team in 2011-12 and in 2012-13, and was an assistant women’s varsity basketball coach and an assistant football coach, according to a press release.

Plans for his first year are underway, including networking with high school coaches, visiting open gyms, partnering with returning players and marketing the team through social media, according to the 

“I want to focus on recruiting young women who desire to be a part of a winning program, who understand that it’s going to take hard work, sacrifice, dedication and commitment to be part of this team,” Makell said.

Makell said his definition of success is “the continual achievement of predetermined goals, stabilized by balance and purified by belief.”

Some of Makell's  background, courtesy of AACC:

Markell earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1988 from Salisbury University where he was a member of the 1986 National Championship Runner-up Football Team. Since his graduation, he has been involved in coaching at a variety of levels. He was an assistant coach at Broadneck High School from 1989-1990, including the State Champion Broadneck Girls Basketball team in 1989.  He coached at the Blue-Star Basketball Camp sponsored by Lehigh University, Rutgers University and University of Delaware from 1989 to 1997. He worked with the Special Olympics three times, serving as the strength and conditioning coach for track and field athletes in 1991 and as the head bowling in 1995 and 1999. Since 2000, he has coached at basketball and football clinics for youth and high school students.