Director:
Patrick O’Connor
Patrick O’Connor heads into his seventh year of coaching for the St. John’s basketball program. During the 2016-2017 season, he served as head coach for the freshmen team and as an assistant on the varsity staff. He transitioned into his current position as a full-time varsity assistant leading into the 2017-2018 season.
Before coming to St. John’s, O’Connor taught sixth- and eighth-grade math and assisted the varsity basketball team at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School in DC. Originally from Richmond, he attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA, where he majored in business administration with a minor in education policy. O’Connor was a four-year letter winner and two-time captain of the W&L men’s basketball team.
Patrick is the DMV City Director for the Pro Skills Basketball, a national organization focused on changing the culture of youth basketball and offering a positive, professional experience for players and families in the Washington, DC area.
Assistant Director: James Maerder
In addition to his responsibilities with DMV 3v3, James Maerder is in his second year as General Manager for Pro Skills Basketball—a national club basketball organization devoted to changing the culture of youth basketball—for the DMV area.
James started his coaching career at E.L. Haynes as the JV Head Coach for the 2015-16 season and a varsity assistant for the 2016-17 season, during which the team captured the first division championship in school history. James coached with St. John’s College High School from 2017-2021, primarily with the varsity group but also helping out with the freshman and JV levels. James then was an assistant coach with Catholic University for the 2021-2022 season.
James also served as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 2014-2020 and was briefly in private practice before committing full-time to coaching basketball. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee with majors in political science, history and sociology, and he earned his J.D. from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis.
origins of the dmv 3v3 league
Patrick on the purpose of the DMV 3v3 League:
This league was built with two main concepts in mind: fun and development. Players are more involved in every play, a coach is present at every basket to provide immediate feedback and monitor game play, and the elimination of zones, trapping, and pressing allows for players to prepare for half court man to man defense at the next level.
James on the purpose of the DMV 3v3 League:
Playing 3 on 3 focuses a player’s development on specific, important areas of the game of basketball that playing 5 on 5 tends to gloss over. 3 on 3 creates more opportunities for a player to improve simply by limiting the number of players on the court who may have the ball at any one time, which leads to higher rates of improvement with ball skills and the ability to guard the ball. This league’s purpose is to use 3 on 3 to teach and develop every player with the ultimate goal of preparing players for their school, AAU, CYO, or any other 5 on 5 league.
Questions? Please Contact Us at:
poconnor@stjohnschs.org
(804) 245-0930
jcmaerder@gmail.com
(423) 502-1348
The DMV 3v3 2019 Fall League—our first ever league—featured over 100 participants from all over the DMV to make up 6 teams in the 7-10 age group and 14 in the 11-14 age group. Thank you and congratulations to everyone involved for a successful fall league of fun and development!
Check out the slideshows below to see some action pictures from both age groups: