Coaching Staff

Head Coach

Joe Bills

Joe Bills was named Head Coach of the Boy's Basketball Coach at Upper Arlington in 2023. He had previously served as an assistant coach for the Golden Bears since 2017. Prior to the 2017-2018 season, Bills spent four years as the head varsity coach at St. Francis DeSales High School, leading the Stallions to a Regional Runners-up finish in 2016 along with being named Metro Coach-of-the-Year by The Columbus Dispatch. Bills started his head coaching career at Lancaster Fisher Catholic, where he led the Irish from 2011 to 2013. As an assistant, Bills also spent three seasons at his alma mater, Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans, four seasons at Bluffton (SC) High School, and one season at New Albany High School.

As a player, Bills was a two-time state player-of-the-year while at Rosecrans and helped lead the Bishops to a 1997 State Runners-up finish and four Central Catholic League titles. In college, Bills started for three years at Wright State University, helping the Raiders knock off eventual National Champions Michigan State in 1999. Bills is a member of the Bishop Rosecrans Athletic Hall of Fame as well as the OHSBCA District 12 Hall of Fame, and in 2016, he became the first player in Rosecrans boys basketball history to have his jersey retired. He stands as the school's second all-time leading scorer for boys basketball.

Bills teaches English/Language Arts at Upper Arlington High School and resides in Canal Winchester with his wife, Megan, son, Harrison, and daughter, Annabelle.

Assistant Coach

Ryan Guthrie

Ryan began coaching at Upper Arlington in 2024. He previously coached basketball at Dublin Scioto, mainly as the head freshman coach and some years as varsity assistant. Before that he coached the 8th grade basketball team for over 10 years at St. Andrew in Upper Arlington, and a few years coaching 8th grade baseball there as well.

Ryan attended and graduated in 2003 from Bishop Watterson High School where he played basketball, baseball, and ran cross country. He attended and graduated in 2007 from The Ohio State University with a degree in Sports Management and has been working for The Ohio State Athletic Department now for more than 15 years.

Ryan lives in Northwest Columbus with his dog Bobby Cox.

Assistant Coach

Dwight Peterson

Dwight Peterson has spent years coaching basketball at the High School and Collegiate level. He has served as both a Head Coach and an Assistant Coach. He and his wife Bonnie have 4 married children and 11 grandchildren. He currently serves on the staff at the Captial Church in Upper Arlington.

Assistant Coach

Peter Fox

Coach Fox joined the Upper Arlington Basketball Program in 2025. Pete grew up in Lakewood, Ohio, where he started 3 years on the basketball court at St. Ignatius High School, helping lead the Wildcats to a state runner-up finish in 1998. He continued his playing career on an athletic scholarship at St. Francis University in Pennsylvania, where he led the conference in three-point shooting percentage during the 2000–2001 season.

Now in his 24th year with Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, Coach Fox works in Workplace Benefits, bringing the same discipline and leadership to his professional career that he showed on the court.

He lives in Upper Arlington with his wife, Allison, and their daughter, Carey.

Assistant Coach

Shane McCloskey

Shane McCloskey began with the Upper Arlington Basketball program in 2024 after six seasons as an assistant baseball coach at Upper Arlington. Prior to relocating from New Jersey, Shane coached basketball at the Freshman, JV, and Varsity levels for 15 years. Additionally, he worked camps, clinics, and exposure events for The Hoop Group, as well as, serving as a camp counselor at Eastern Invitational Basketball Camp, Pocono Invitational Basketball Camp, Bob Hurley Camps, and others.

Shane is a product of Kean University and is in his 23rd year as an Intervention Specialist and is currently the Intervention Department Chair at Upper Arlington High School. He resides in Columbus with his wife, Rebecca, and their son, Kaeden.

Assistant Coach

Jim Hartley

Coach Jim Hartley attended the University of Wisconsin before transferring to The Ohio State University, where he played varsity basketball and baseball.  After graduating from OSU, he spent 32 years with IBM in marketing. Coach Hartley has spent over 15 years as an assistant varsity coach for Golden Bear Basketball.

Coach Hartley has three children: Lance, Heather, and Trevor.

JV Head Coach

John Bills

John Bills is the Head Coach of the Junior Varsity Golden Bears. He is the younger brother of Head Coach Joe Bills and has several years coaching youth basketball in Central Ohio, most recently with St. Matthew’s in Gahanna, OH. John played football at Ohio Dominican University here in Columbus and resides in Gahanna, OH with his wife, Sarah and his children Olivia, Brendan and their dog Annie.

JV Assistant Coach

Kevin Sharick

Coach Kevin Sharick, a native of Dayton, Ohio, was a three-time Varsity Letterman and two-time Second Team All-League player at Kettering Fairmont High School. After high school, he joined the Wittenberg University Basketball program for one year, before transferring to The Ohio State University as a student, where he earned a degree in Special Education. Coach Sharick is the son of former long-time basketball coach (Centerville High School), Mike Shook and Stacey Shook, current elementary school teacher (Kettering City Schools).

Coach Sharick is currently a Math Intervention Specialist at Hastings Middle School, beginning his 8th year teaching and returning to his passion of coaching at Upper Arlington Basketball as a Junior Varsity Assistant. His coaching career began during his time in college, leading J.V. boys basketball teams during summer leagues and workouts at Fairmont High School.

Coach Sharick now lives with his girlfriend Heather and his son Kaden, in the Italian Village, Columbus, Ohio.

Freshman Head Coach

Joe Printy

Freshman Assistant Coach

John Mark Zirkle

John Mark Zirkle joined the Upper Arlington basketball program in 2025. John played varsity basketball in high school at Perkins High School in Sandusky Ohio, graduated 2019. He married his wife Sydney in 2023.