The ultimate gym rat, Reggie Kohn, is back in basketball as the head coach for The Master’s Academy.
Kohn, 46, left TMA in February 2025 — after 11 seasons with the Eagles — to take a sales job with AstroTurf, which supplies artificial grass for sports and recreational surfaces. After a year and a half away from coaching he returns to the hardwood with 491 wins and four state championships in a 21-year head coaching career.
The former Lake Howell and USF star guard didn’t say anything about wins or championships when asked what brought him back.
“I think missing the TMA community and that family. Being part of a community with them was a huge factor,” Kohn said. “I’m getting back to doing something I’m passionate about, something I’ve always done. It’s a new fresh start for me. I’m pretty excited.”
Another coaching change is in the works at Dr. Phillips after Ben Witherspoon vacated that position. Witherspoon, who coached DP’s 2021 state championship team, told the Sentinel that he is staying in the basketball business and weighing potential college and pro options.
He left DP after a 2022 state runner-up finish in his third year and served two seasons as a UCF assistant and one as a Mercer assistant before returning to the Panthers for a 15-13 season in 2025-26.
Dr. Phillips has not announced a new head coach.
TMA athletic director Todd Bellhorn said Master’s is very happy to have Kohn back.
“He’s a great coach, and an even better person,” Bellhorn said. “This is a positive for our school.”
Kohn worked at Orlando Christian Prep and Lake Howell before becoming the coach at TMA — the school his three children attend.
He compiled a 105-20 record with three final four appearances in four seasons at Lake Howell, and went 162-25 at Orlando Christian Prep with the four titles, one runner-up finish and one state semifinal loss. He followed his father as TMA’s coach and went 224-82 with six district titles. The Eagles were region champs and state runner-ups in Class 4A in 2018.
“Being at the school where my kids are is obviously important,” Kohn said. “And you miss it when you do something so long. It’s all you know.”
Alfredo “Noodles” Williams, who played for Kohn at Lake Howell, returns to an assistant coaching role after directing the program in an 8-19 season in 2025-26.
“Noodles has been with me for so long. I think without the relationship that he and I have this would never have happened,” Kohn said. “I’m definitely not coming in to step on him or take anything away. He runs a (basketball) training business that takes up a lot of time. We definitely talked about it. This situation is going to work well for both of us.”
Dr. Phillips state title coach Ben Witherspoon resigns
Varsity content editor Buddy Collings can be contacted by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.