MEET ZINYOR BABIKER
THE FAMOUS EVERETT
Coach Zee, the visionary behind Soccer Player Academy in Knoxville, champions the growth and skill development of young soccer talents. He stands by the principle that all players deserve the chance to hone their skills and embrace the game they cherish. With a robust background that spans over 25 years in both coaching and playing, Coach Zee brings a profound understanding of soccer's intricacies and effective strategies for achieving personal milestones.
Within Soccer Player Academy, Coach Zee provides an array of tailored services designed to enhance player performance. This includes individualized training sessions, comprehensive team coaching, and in-depth tactics and strategy workshops, among others. He is dedicated to fostering a sense of self-belief in players, guiding them to unlock their potential and achieve their aspirations in soccer.
Mariana Diaz
COACH
I was born in Guadalajara, Mexico but came to the states at age 8. Knoxville has been my home town for the past 14 years of my life. I attended Halls High school, played until my junior year as I decided not to play my senior year. I dedicated my senior year towards my development at IFA, and played with the boys college prep team as I began to look at my college options.
I accepted my offer at LMU under Sean Fraser.
My experience at LMU has been quite the ride. I was given the opportunity to be a 5 year captain, and have had the honor to lead the program all my five years. I have received the United Soccer Coaches All Scholar South Region Team of 2019 award, the First Team All-Conference in 2018-2019, and have have won the 2018/19 SAC conference tournament and the 2019/20 SAC conference tournament championships. During these years, I have been apart of a program that has been ranked at a national level through out multiple seasons and have played with exceptional players from different parts of the world.
The sport has given me immense amounts of learning experiences about life, the game, and myself. Soccer has given me moments and relationships I cherish daily. I plan to continue my education, as I pursue my Masters in Business Analytics, while being an assistant coach at Lincoln Memorial University
Over the past year, I have had experience in session planning, recruiting, and leading training sessions with LMU and Soccer Player Academy.
Coach Everett Hauser
THE STORY EVERETT
Coach Zee's journey in soccer began at Inter Futbol Academy (I.F.A.), serving as the Director of Coaching. There, he nurtured and guided players from the grassroots level up to collegiate athletes, significantly boosting I.F.A.'s profile through strategic player recruitment. His role expanded as he took on the position of Assistant Director of Player Development, where he was pivotal in achieving player aspirations.
His collaboration with Chievo Verona, a renowned Serie A player development club in Italy, strengthened international ties and enhanced the program's prestige. Coach Zee's leadership saw his United Red Boys team excel, maintaining an unbeaten streak for eighteen months and securing the title of Knoxville, TN's top team for two consecutive years. Under his guidance, 97 players from I.F.A. progressed to college-level soccer.
His success continued at Northwest Middle School, where he led the team to an undefeated season, only to be narrowly defeated in the finals during his inaugural year.
In 2017, Coach Zee moved to the Knoxville Football Club Crush (K.F.C. Crush), taking charge of the 01s, 04s boys and girls, and the 06s boys teams as a player development coach. His expertise has consistently led these groups to the state tournament annually, further establishing his reputation as a key figure in youth soccer development.
