22 foundation with great students and a great school community. Next up? Making Park’s athletics program the best of the best. “I want to have a consistent number of sports and compete for championships. I believe we are one of the best academic institutions in Western New York. Why can’t we be the best athletically?” Battle strongly believes that athletic success comes when student-athletes are competing to the best of their ability in the classroom and on the field or court. Success for Park, he says, is students making a difference in their community, having success in the classroom, and winning championships on the court or field. And he’s all in to bring that comprehensive success to Park. “I really believe sports teach us so much about life. I try to help our students by using myself as an example. I tell them areas where I struggled so they can avoid the growing pains I had. I tell them being an athlete, there are many sacrifices that you have to encounter. Sports take up a lot of time and if you are not organized you can struggle. As a former college basketball coach, you wear so many hats and academic advising is one of them,” he said. A 2005 graduate of The University at Buffalo, Battle was a four-year starter on the men’s basketball team. He received much recognition for his performance both in and out of the classroom. In 2005, he was recognized as MAC Player of the Year and Associated Press Honorable Mention AllAmerican. He went on to tally 1,414 points, 458 assists, and 170 steals, earned 2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American honors and was a three-time All-MAC Academic performer before going on to a pro career in Estonia, France, Sweden, the NBA Developmental League, and the American Basketball Association. In 2007, he returned to his alma mater to begin his coaching career. In 2010, he was inducted into the UB Sports Hall of Fame. Over the last 15, years Battle has been a coach and mentor to countless young athletes at the Division I level, most recently at Middle Tennessee University. Battle holds a master’s degree in sports administration from Canisius College and a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Buffalo. Though he’s been at Park for less than a year, Battle already understands what a special place Park is and the importance of this school in the Western New York community. “What separates Park from everyone is the preparation for college and the real world. This school allows students to really find themselves through all the opportunities they are given,” he says. “The students have real relationships with their teachers, the teachers are allowed to build a rapport with students, and they have real conversations to help our young people grow. Not only are they teaching but they are mentoring, which you don’t get at other schools.”
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