Home of The Monks

Christopher Woodside comes to the Monk Leadership Academy with a diverse background in sports leadership and coaching. Chris started his basketball coaching career, at 18 years old, like so many other coaches as a volunteer coaching recreation, travel and AAU basketball during his college years. Once he graduated with his Master’s from UConn he then jumped into working at the high school level.

Chris’s first high school job was as the Head JV Coach and Assistant Varsity Coach for the Boys teams at Calais High School in 2013. In 2014, Chris took over the role of Head Coach for the Calais Varsity Boys. During the following season the team was able to successfully win their conference championship and continue to become Class C State Champions. Overall, Chris’s record in his two years as head coach with Calais was 28-14.

Chris then pursued an opportunity at Schreiner University where he served as the Men's Basketball Head JV Coach and Assistant Men's Basketball Coach. During this time the Schreiner University Men's Basketball team went from finishing last place the season before to finishing first in the conference and won their first ever Conference Championship. Chris oversaw the recruiting efforts, game planning, scheduling, video breakdowns, and all other management aspects of the JV program. While at Schreiner Chris also served as the Leadership Coach for the Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, and Baseball teams. 

Upon returning to Maine in 2017, Chris became the John Bapst High School Girls Varsity Basketball Head Coach, where his teams made the tournament each year and won at least one playoff game each season. Overall, in three seasons with the Crusaders the teams had a 33-27 record. 

In 2020, while finishing his Educational Doctorate Degree in Sports Leadership Chris transitioned into the Assistant Coach role for the Women's Basketball Team at Saint Joseph's College of Maine where he is a professor of Sports Management and Co-Facilitator of the Monk Leadership Academy, teaching students and athletes valuable skills in leadership and athletics alike. 

Chris's passion for sports and helping athletes succeed has extended into multiple speaking engagements, a 2-year partnership with Iowa Wesleyan Women's Basketball as their Leadership Coach, and many summers as a PGC Basketball Instructor. Chris can offer video breakdown and analysis in order to prepare athletes for upcoming games, lessons in leadership that will help individuals define and expand on their role within the team, and a knowledge of conditioning and game strategy needed for success on the court.