Our Trainers
Javana Bernard
Javana Bernard graduated from Holy Cross High School in Waterbury, CT which she started playing organized basketball in the 9th grade working her way up to Varsity as the 6th man her senior season. She attended Fisher College in Boston, MA where she graduated in 2014 Suma Cum Laude with a BS: Business Management with a concentration in Accounting. Throughout her 4 year basketball career with the Fisher Falcons she was a 4 year starter eclipsing accolades that far exceeded her expectations. During her freshman year, Javana led Fisher College in Scoring with 13.6 points per game, had 313 total points, and was selected Second Team in the Sunrise Conference. Her sophomore year she led American Mideast Conference in scoring with 20.2 points per game and 606 total points, ranked 3rd in Steals with 67, concluding with an average of 2.23 steals per game. Javana was selected Second Team - American Mideast Conference. She ranked 6th in the Nation in NAIA Division II in scoring at 20.2 points per game. Ranked 8th in the Nation in NAIA Division II in 3pt field goals made with 88. In her Junior year of college she scored her 1000th point of her Career on January 4th, 2013. She was named Fisher College Co-Team Most Valuable Player (MVP) and ranked 4th in the Nation in NAIA Division II in scoring at 20.6 points per game.
Closing out her collegiate career at Fisher College, Javana had become one of the top record holders for the program. During her senior season, she received accolades such as being the Women’s All-Time leading Scorer with 1831 points, was selected Second Team - Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Conference, and ranked 1st in Steals in the Association of Independent Institutions Conference with 84 Total Steals (3.5 steals per game). Javana ranked 2nd in Scoring in A.I.I. Conference with 500 points (20.8 points per game), ranked 4th in Assists in the A.I.I. Conference with 73 total assists (3.00 assists per game), ranked 8th in the Nation in N.A.I.A. Division II in Scoring at 20.8 points per game, and ranked 15th in the Nation in N.A.I.A. Division II in Total Steals at 84.
Since graduating college, Javana has continues to be around the game and in 2019, she began teaching basketball with PGC Basketball. Winter of 2019, she landed her first coaching job as an Assistant Coach, coaching an 8th Grade Girls Travel basketball team in Wilton, CT for the 2019-2020 season.
Javana seeks to help young athletes find their confidence and love for the game. She seeks to help encourage, support and affirm all athletes of their abilities. Javana not only teaches the fundamentals of basketball, but skills her athletes can use in the real world.
Effrin Ellison Jr.
Effrin Ellison graduated from the late Sacred Heart High School in Waterbury, CT in 2009. He gained experience on the varsity team his freshmen year and began increasing his minutes on varsity during the end of his sophomore season. His senior season proved to be his most successful individually and collaboratively where he became a part of the All-City Team, honorable mention All-NVL, won the Class M State Championship, and played in the 34th Annual CHSCA All-Star Basketball Festival.
After graduating, Effrin walked on to the North Carolina Central University basketball team in Durham, NC where he competed against top Division 1 schools such as the University of North Carolina, University of Indiana, and countless others. His stay at NCCU lasted a year. He then transferred to Westchester Community College in Valhalla, NY. His season there helped him to earn a scholarship right in his hometown of Waterbury, CT at Post University where he played two seasons from 2012 to 2014.
Since graduating from Post University in 2014, Effrin has continued his education and has continued being around the game that he loves. Since 2018, Effrin has volunteered his time at Career Academy in Waterbury, CT, helping the varsity boys basketball team. In 2019, he enrolled at the University of Bridgeport where he received his Master’s Degree in Business Education. Now, as a certified educator, he teaches Business Education at Bristol Central High School. Through his experiences on and off the court, and now in the classroom, Effrin aspires to help the youth prepare for and navigate the obstacles that life may bring, all while helping them step into and realize the potential that each has been blessed with. Just as others did for him growing up, Effrin hopes to use basketball as a vehicle for the overall development of the youth that he encounters.
