Percell Coles, who grew up in the heart of North Philadelphia around 24th and Allegheny Street, was brought up through basketball. Percell says, “Basketball served as instant therapy for me, it kept me out of the in-crowd and cleared my mind from everything bad happening around me.” Percell’s career began in high school at Simon Gratz where he played shooting guard under Coach Bill Elibie. “Coach Elibie wasn’t really a teacher of basketball more than he was a teacher of life. Coming from an urban area, Coach Elibie taught me how to come up in life through basketball.” At the time Simon Gratz was a top 5 team in the country. This is when Percell first began to create his influential reputation as a basketball player. 

After high school, Percell chose to continue his basketball career at Cleveland State University where he played under Coach Rollie Massimino. “Rollie was a similar coach to Coach Ellibie. He was a coach of life through basketball. He instilled a work ethic in me that has made me successful in basketball and outside of it too.” At CSU, Percell averaged 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist per game on 40% 3 point shooting which is why he was able to move on beyond college and play professional basketball for the Cleveland Cavaliers and later on overseas. 

After beginning his professional career with the Cavaliers and later getting cut, Percell went on to play professional basketball overseas. “I didn’t know what it would be like to play overseas but it was pretty cool. I was just happy to be able to continue my passion of playing [basketball].” During his time overseas and traveling the world, Percell got to meet amazing people, make connections with a diverse group of people, and experience many different cultures. Along with the social benefits he encountered overseas, Percell achieved career milestones. While in China, Percell averaged over 30 points per game and in Chile averaged 40 points per game with a career-high of 45. 

In the early 2010s, the FSS Boys Basketball team was at one of the lowest points in school history. The team, going 5 straight years without winning a single league game, was struggling. Athletic Director, Bill Klose, said, “When I took over, the program was struggling and I wanted to make a big change.” Bill began the hiring process for a new Head Coach. 

The man who would become the newest Varsity Head Coach was at that time playing professional basketball overseas in Brazil. As Percell’s career started to wind down, due to having a family, he began looking for jobs in the Philadelphia area. Bill, knowing of Percell because of his reputation in the Philadelphia area, reached out to him about a possible Middle School Coaching position.  “He was a big name in the public school system, and played for Simon Gratz which was a big name team at the time — everyone knew him. He was playing overseas when I was going through the hiring process but he reached out and said he wanted to coach. I hired him without even meeting him in person,” says Bill.

 Percell’s goals had always been to coach in college but when looking for jobs he said, “That opportunity never opened up. When Bill called me about the coaching position and [Friends] Select I knew I wanted to take it just because I wanted to be able to share my love of the game with other kids who loved it too.” Percell was one of three candidates Bill was looking to hire, but Bill stressed, “As soon as Percell reached out he immediately jumped to the top of my list. I knew he would be a good fit because our personalities worked very well together. We would have to work closely to rebuild this program and it was going to start as a team effort to bring young kids in for his team.” 

When Percell began his career as the Head Varsity Basketball Coach, he did not have any expectations for the team. “All I was looking for was to share my basketball mind. I wasn’t looking for a specific team, I just wanted to be around kids who loved the game.” Fortunately for Percell, that is what he got. The Class of 2018, the first team that he coached, was filled with players who just wanted to get better. “When I came in the first thing that I noticed was that these kids loved the game. They just wanted to get better and all they needed was someone to help them. They were extremely hard workers.” Percell, who has learned the value of hard work through his high school coach at Simon Gratz, Bill Elibie, and his college coach at Cleveland State University, Rollie Massimino, says, “It is very rare to find a group of guys whose work ethic the same as their skillset let alone a work ethic greater than their skill set but FSS has that and it is very special, you really don’t see that a lot.” 

The Class of 2018 was an extremely close group of guys; their closeness and tight bond are what welcomed Percell to FSS. Percell says, “Before you’re a basketball player you’re a human being. I’m a firm believer in getting to know who your players are before you learn who they are as a basketball player. I think that class of 2018 really made me feel like family within the FSS world just by creating such close bonds with me.” 

Denis Widdicombe ‘18 realizes how special their team was: “I can speak for everyone on this, that he has a significant impact on my class. He was much more than a coach for us. Yes, Percell taught us the game of basketball, but he also taught us what it meant to be a team and to work hard to achieve your goals. Every member of my class had an amazing bond with Percell. Something you rarely find with your coaches.”

During Percell’s first season with the team, he immediately made an impact and the culture of FSS Basketball immediately began to change. Denis says, “The difference between Percell and our previous coaches was the knowledge and leadership Percell possessed. He knew the game better than anyone I have ever met, so his knowledge of the game motivated us to be better players. Percell showed us the value of hard work. I came into high school not being the best basketball player. I knew I didn’t have the skillset, but Percell taught me how hardworking triumphs all other aspects of the game. You can shoot the ball great, but without hard work, you will not be a successful player.” 

After Percell’s first season at FSS, Bill says, “He came in and immediately put respect on our program. We began to gain respect from other schools in our league and around the area. During meetings, coaches would talk about the progress our team is making and complement Percell and his success with our program. His contributions changed our reputation big time.” 

Percell has continued over the last 4 years to change the narrative of FSS Basketball. Since his first year with the class of 2018, Percell, with the help of Bill, has formed a team with a high level of talent. In the 2018-19 basketball season the team made the notable additions of alumni Dean Wang ‘20 and Justin Labrusciano ‘20 and current star forward Christian Kirkland ‘23. The three stars helped lead the team to their first league win in 5 years against Moorestown Friends School and then another against Germantown Friends School. 

Percell says, “That league win just showed that there’s been progress you could see the team got better. We started to prove that we could play with these guys. I thought it was a huge confidence builder. It kinds of put that message out like ‘you’re not gonna come in here anymore and just win the game, you’re going to have to work to beat us.’” 

Bill also believes that Percell has changed the culture of basketball at FSS. He says, “It takes a long time to change a culture, and with the support of Michael and Percell, we’ve done it very successfully. It started with having the right person in that position and Percell is definitely the right person. Now every year we have 10-12 people applying to FSS to come be a part of the program we are building. It is amazing, we’ve never had something like this before.” 

Christian Kirkland ‘23, who left FSS to play one year at Roman Catholic High School, says that Percell has changed how seriously basketball is taken now at FSS. This was a major contributor to why he decided to return to FSS for the 2020-21 season. He says, “FSS basketball is now treated with respect within the Friends League and we are finally getting the attention we’ve worked for.”

Now heading into the 2021-22 academic school year, Percell and the team are aiming to achieve higher goals than just winning Friends League games, they want to win it all. Percell says, “I’m not leaving until we get that championship.” Percell believes the ceiling for the current group of guys is insanely high. With the amount of effort he is putting into developing this team, he believes they can reach their full potential. 

Bill notices the time and effort Percell dedicated to the team. “He gives up so much of his time, the season ended 2 months ago and he is still practicing 3 days a week with these kids without pay. I think he realizes these kids want to go play college ball and win games and he is willing to give up his time to put extra work in for this team. That is a special quality that I think not a lot of coaches have.” 

Christian also credits a lot of the team’s success to the attention and effort that Percell puts into the team. “My favorite aspect of him as a coach is his attention to detail and his player development workouts. He has helped the program grow by working with each individual on the team to help translate their work to the court.”

The team that Percell has built fits his own style of play. Percell says he likes to play fast-paced, gritty, and aggressive basketball. The team, mostly composed of quick aggressive guards, is the perfect fit. Bill says, “From what I’ve seen, Percell does not run a lot of set plays anymore because of the team he has. When I watch, I see a more European style of basketball where everyone is constantly moving trying to get open, and I love that. It is difficult to pull off but he is a great teacher for that kind of stuff.” 

Percell says, “Since the 2018 graduating class, the team has turned into a group of guys that have a very high skill set. Everyone can handle the ball, shoot the ball, and finish at the basket but our success is going to have to come from being physical and mentally tough.” Percell’s goal for this team in the upcoming years is to build that same bond with this team that he had with the class of 2018. “That family bond and physical mindset is the only thing holding this group of guys back. The first team I coached didn’t have very much skill but they played together, held each other accountable, and played their hardest every day. Once our team builds that chemistry we are going to be unbeatable.”

Percell believes that this is the most talented team he has coached so far: “The core is very young and the ceiling is very high. We have a lot of talent. We have Christian, who’s going to be a D1 player. Isaiah, who’s only in 8th grade, is going to be a D1 player. Quaye is a coach’s dream, a great leader, and a lights-out shooter.  We have other guys who are going to play college basketball and be very successful. So, this team could really be something special.” 

Percell credits Bill for all the success he has had at FSS so far: “Bill changed everything for me. He gave me this great opportunity and has really done everything he can to help out our team. Without him none of this would have happened, he has really bought into what we have going and has helped me out more than anyone realizes. I have so much gratitude for him and everything he’s done for this team.”