Considered to be one of the best talent scouts, shooting instructors, skill development coaches and trainers in the business, Donovan Blythe has brought his basketball expertise to helping kids become superstars in their own right.
Donovan came to the United States from Jamaica, moving to Chicago as a 14-year-old. Although never having touched a basketball before, he quickly fell in love with the game. Through hours of study and physical training, he single-handedly turned himself into a college prospect in only two years, eventually attending Wisconsin-Parkside on a basketball scholarship and earning a BA in Business Management.
After college, he turned down opportunities to play professionally in Europe to move with his wife, Marguerite, to the Bay Area and run a group home for boys as full-time live-in counselors. Meanwhile, he continued his basketball interests through running his own highly successful camps and leagues. Donovan's NIKE Spring Basketball League attracted the top high school players in Northern California, including future NBA Hall of Famer Jason Kidd, who also traveled with one of his summer teams.
In 1991 Donovan was hired as a trainer, consultant and assistant coach at Emery High School in Emeryville in order to develop a raw 6-9 freshman named Darnell Robinson. By 1994 Robinson was a McDonald's All-American and considered, along with Rasheed Wallace, the best big man in the country. Robinson left high school as the all-time leading scorer in California prep history. Taking over the reighns from the head coach, Donovan coached Emery to it's only state title in 1994. Later that summer he took a team of California all-stars that included Baron Davis (Warriors/Clippers), Paul Pierce (Celtics) Tayshaun Price (Pistons) and the Collins twins (Stanford/NBA) and Robinson to the Boston Shootout, which they won.
Donovan has also worked as Prep Editor for Hoop Scoop magazine and coached at San Mateo High School and at the JC level. He retired from team coaching in order to train his daughter, Brittney, who is now at the University of Colorado on a basketball scholarship. With his daughter now in college, Donovan decided to come out of retirement to coach the girls varsity at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto. He led the Panthers to a 32-2 record and the Northern California D-V finals. Donovan was named Northern California Coach of the Year by NorCal Preps.
In addition to his duties at Eastside Prep, Donovan coaches his own AAU teams under Blythe's Basketball and continues to run camps and clinics as well as doing personal training of players from the third grade up to the college and professional levels.
In addition to his basketball exploits, Donovan was a certified agent, representing athletes in the NFL as well as the ABL and WNBA. He also founded the non-profit Second Chance Projects. This program services youth by promoting achievement in school and providing tutorial services, positive role models, heightened self-esteem, encouraging self-development, and emphasizing the benefits of sound work habits and a solid education. He focuses on these important building blocks through Bay Area Youth Home Facilities and Boys and Girls Clubs of America
