RaShawn Stores

{{Short description|American basketball coach and player (born 1991)}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = RaShawn Stores

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| current_title = Assistant coach

| current_team = NJIT

| current_conference = America East

| current_record =

| contract =

| birth_date = {{birth-date and age|April 5, 1991}}

| birth_place = The Bronx, New York City, U.S.

| death_date =

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| player_years1 = 2012–2016

| player_team1 = Manhattan

| coach_years1 = 2017–2019

| coach_team1 = Manhattan (assistant)

| coach_years2 = 2019–2022

| coach_team2 = Manhattan (associate HC)

| coach_years3 = 2022–2023

| coach_team3 = Manhattan (interim HC)

| coach_years4 = 2023–present

| coach_team4 = NJIT (assistant)

| overall_record = {{winning percentage|12|18|record=y}}

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships =

| awards = MAAC All-Rookie Team (2013)

| coaching_records =

}}

RaShawn Stores (born April 5, 1991) is an American basketball coach and player who is currently an assistant coach for the NJIT Highlanders basketball team. Stores was previously the interim head coach of the Manhattan Jaspers during the 2022–23 season. Stores also played basketball for Manhattan collegiately from 2012 to 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://gojaspers.com/staff-directory/rashawn-stores/186|title=RaShawn Stores - Interim Head Coach - Staff Directory|website=Manhattan College Athletics}}

Early life

RaShawn Stores was born on April 5, 1991, to Latrebia Stores. Stores was raised in the Bronx and attended All Hallows High School where he played basketball, where he played with future college teammate and fellow coach Michael Alvarado. Stores also played one year of basketball for the Robinson School in New Jersey before his collegiate career.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/17/sports/ncaabasketball/with-hustle-and-grit-manhattans-rashawn-stores-inspires-by-defying-the-odds.html|title=With Hustle and Grit, Manhattan’s RaShawn Stores Inspires by Defying the Odds|first=Tom|last=Pedulla|date=March 17, 2015|via=NYTimes.com}}

Playing career

Despite getting offers from colleges like the University of Massachusetts, University of Cincinnati, and St. Francis University, Stores chose to attend Manhattan College under coach Steve Masiello.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/18/sports/ncaabasketball/manhattan-doesnt-have-to-look-far-for-its-talent.html|title=Manhattan Doesn’t Have to Look Far for Its Talent|first=Matt|last=Krupnick|date=March 7, 2014|via=NYTimes.com}} Stores redshirt as a freshman and thus did not play any for his first year at Manhattan. In his first year of collegiate play at Manhattan, he was MAAC Rookie of the Week three times{{Cite web|url=https://gojaspers.com/news/2013/2/11/206355964|title=RaShawn Stores Earns Third MAAC Rookie of the Week Award|date=February 11, 2013|website=Go Jaspers}}and ultimately was named to the MAAC All-Rookie team.{{Cite web|url=https://maacsports.com/news/2013/3/4/206592065|title=MAAC Announces 2012-2013 MAAC Men's All-Rookie Team|date=March 4, 2013|website=MAAC Sports}} In his sophomore year, Stores averaged slightly fewer points per game but started eleven more games than the previous year. The next year, Stores averaged his highest points per game up to this point and improved as the season progressed, helping Manhattan win the MAAC Championship game and reaching the 2015 NCAA Division I Tournament.{{Cite web|url=https://www.riverdalepress.com/stories/jasper-leader-returning-for-fifth-season,57583?db_oem_id=12500|title=Jasper leader returning for fifth season|first=Sean|last=Brennan|date=August 5, 2015|website=The Riverdale Press}} In his senior and final year, Stores recorded his best stats from all his collegiate career and was nominated as a Lefty Driesell Defensive All-American.{{Cite web|url=https://gojaspers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/rashawn-stores/5055|title=RaShawn Stores - Men's Basketball|website=Manhattan College Athletics}}{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2016/02/19/meet-the-typical-nyc-kid-whos-now-manhattans-cornerstone/|title=Meet the ‘typical NYC kid’ who’s now Manhattan’s cornerstone|first=Howie|last=Kussoy|date=February 19, 2016|website=The New York Post}}

Coaching career

While playing his college basketball career at Manhattan, Stores was simultaneously working to achieve his bachelor's degree in business management which he received in 2015. After receiving his bachelor's, Stores then worked on receiving his master's degree in organizational leadership which he achieved in 2017. Following his completion of his bachelor's and master's degrees, Stores returned as a coach to the college he once played basketball for and began coaching for Manhattan under Masiello.{{Cite web|url=https://mcquad.org/2016/05/11/coach-on-the-court-now-coach-on-the-bench/|title=Coach on the Court, Now Coach on the Bench?|date=May 11, 2016|website=The Quadrangle}} In 2019, Stores was elevated to the role of associate head coach for Manhattan.{{Cite web|url=https://mcquad.org/2019/10/28/rashawn-stores-named-associate-head-coach-of-mens-basketball/|title=RaShawn Stores Named Associate Head Coach of Men’s Basketball|date=October 28, 2019|website=The Quadrangle}} Due to the unexpected sudden firing of Masiello, Stores was thrust into the role of the interim head coach just two weeks before the start of the 2022–23 Manhattan basketball season.{{Cite web|url=https://www.riverdalepress.com/stories/manhattan-college-fires-popular-head-coach-prompting-exodus,85730|title=Manhattan College fires popular head coach, prompting exodus: Steve Masiello was just two weeks away from the start of his 12th season as basketball coach|website=The Riverdale Press}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/31-years-old-rashawn-stores-guides-manhattan-17760582.php|title=At 31 years old, RaShawn Stores guides Manhattan basketball|first=Mark|last=Singelais|date=February 3, 2023|website=The Times Union}} Following his lone season as interim head coach for Manhattan, Stores became an assistant basketball coach for NJIT.{{Cite web|url=https://njithighlanders.com/news/2023/4/24/rashawn-stores-joins-njit-mens-basketball-coaching-staff.aspx|title=RaShawn Stores Joins NJIT Men's Basketball Coaching Staff|date=April 24, 2023|website=NJIT Highlanders}}