Aaron grew up in and lives in Montclair, NJ, went to Montclair High School, and graduated from the University of Maryland. He’s a pickleball lover, 5.0/Pro tournament player, and co-founder of Montclair Pickleball.

Aaron grew up playing tennis, began teaching at 16, and eventually started an academy in Montclair called First Serve Tennis with his good friend Matt. He thought tennis would be his main passion, but was introduced to pickleball during his freshman year of college when he met and developed a friendship with future World No. 1 pickleball player Ben Johns (who convinced him to try it).

Aaron has now coached over 2000 pickleball and tennis players of all ages and levels, and frequently competes in tournaments. He loves sharing his passion for pickleball with others, and helping players improve their game while having a great time.

Matt graduated from College of the Holy Cross in 2021 where he played four years of Division I tennis and captained the team his junior and senior years. He is now another tennis player turned 5.0/Pro tournament pickleball player! Matt co-founded First Serve Tennis in 2020 with his good friend Aaron before the two of them fell in love with pickleball and created Montclair Pickleball.

During his career as a coach, he has taught tennis and pickleball to over 2000 players and has experience teaching both kids and adults. Matt takes an adaptive, goal oriented approach to his coaching strategies and is always looking to share his experience and spread his passion for the game. For Matt, the most important thing is helping his students accomplish their goals, no matter how big or small, while enjoying the game of pickleball.

David has lived in Verona, NJ for over 30 years! He is a high-level pickleball player, enthusiastic coach, and all-around lover of the game.

He played football for Cornell before playing professionally in Sweden, has spent years playing in adult leagues for sports such as squash, baseball, basketball, and tennis, and also won the NJ State Squash Championship!

David also spent years as a model, and is currently a professional photographer and videographer (which has led to his love of shooting pickleball players and events).

David works with both beginner and higher-level players, using his passion, experience, and coaching abilities to help players at any level take their game up a notch!

Adam lives in Montclair, NJ with his wife and three kids. He played college tennis and golf at Wesleyan University, but “pickleball stole his heart”. Adam competes in tournaments at the 4.0 level and has won medals, which he proudly displays in his room.

You may also find Adam performing on stage with his twin brother as part of the comedy duo, “Stone and Stone.”

The name “Adam Stone” is actually also the name of a professional pickleball player on tour. So this Adam may not be the best pickleball player named “Adam Stone,” but he is quite confident that he is the second best pickleball player named “Adam Stone” in the WORLD!

Adam looks forward to sharing his love of pickleball with you – and to hopefully giving you some laughs as well.

Lucia is from Verona, NJ and has been playing pickleball for over 5 years. She first played at JMU in 1995 when she & her friends wanted to try something new. She’s a tennis-lover turned pickleball-lover who still plays both regularly. She’s happily married to her Army husband and competes in tournaments at the 4.5+ level in addition to still playing USTA national tennis tournaments.

Lucia currently works as a Realtor and Real Estate Investor while also teaching pickleball. Her primary focus is for everyone to love pickleball and to connect people within the pickleball community.

Leo grew up in Montclair, NJ where he served as captain and first singles for Montclair High School’s varsity tennis team. He played college tennis for Bates College, and went on to coach tennis for First Serve Tennis. He later discovered pickleball through co-founders Aaron and Matt, quickly developed a love for the sport, and now competes in tournaments and plays at the 5.0 level. He currently coaches clinics for all levels.

Leo is a gifted athlete, an experienced and passionate coach, and is an amazing addition to the Montclair Pickleball coaching family.

Matt lives in Somerville, NJ, and is a massive sports fan. He picked up pickleball in 2023 and immediately fell in love with the sport after spending many years competing in tennis and soccer.

Matt has worked in sports media for the nearly a decade (including at large pickleball media company The Dink), covering major events across America.

He loves interacting with everyone in the pickleball community, especially those that are looking to up their games to the next level. Matt currently teaches clinics, leads guided drilling, and play with pros.

Lena was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, and started off her athletic career playing point guard for her national champion high school basketball team.

She moved to the States after a 5-year international modeling career and is currently a celebrity makeup artist (Justin Bieber, Kristen Bell, Michael B Jordan, Brooke Shields, Martina McBride, etc).

She lives in Verona with her husband David (pickleball coach) and their 2 kids.

Lena plays pickleball recreationally and loves helping introduce the game to new players and helping intermediate players get to the next level.

Julie LaBattaglia currently lives in Rutherford, NJ, and is a competitive singles and doubles player. She loves the game of pickleball, as well as helping others love it too.

Julie started off as a tennis player, and was introduced to tennis by the great Arthur Ashe during a summer clinic offered to NYC youth. After college, she became an educator in NYC/NJ for 25+ years in both public and private schools.

Julie promotes a healthy lifestyle and believes that self-motivation and an encouraging environment are the keys to athletic improvement at any age.

Patrick grew up and currently lives in Clifton, NJ. He grew up playing and watching tennis, tried pickleball in 2021 with his cousin, and got hooked.

He's been training with Montclair Pickleball since early 2023, and has grown his game to the 4.0+ level.

Patrick loves how pickleball can be social and competitive at the same time. He even met his girlfriend and now fiance at a pickleball open play!

Patrick currently helps coach clinics for beginner and intermediate players!

Joe grew up in Mt Olive, NJ and graduated from East Stroudsburg University where he was commissioned as an Officer in the United States Army. He was stationed in both Washington state and Texas before returning to NJ. Joe remained on active duty status and is currently working full time with the NJ Army National Guard. He has served for 28 years.

Joe lives in Verona, NJ with his spouse Lucia (pickleball coach) and has been playing pickleball for four years. He competes in tournaments, and believes the best thing about pickleball is anyone at any age with any ability can play the game.

Joe is always ready to provide encouragement and find the best in everyone.

Giovanna (Gia) currently lives in North Haledon with her husband and two sons who both played college tennis.  She grew up playing paddleball, racquetball and eventually discovered tennis.  She played competitively for USTA and coached tennis, which eventually led to her finding pickleball! Like many, she fell deeply in love with the game, and has played almost every day for the past 3 years.

Gia enjoys a healthy lifestyle through running, yoga, strength training, hiking, and pickleball, and believes that an active lifestyle is paramount to both mental and physical health. She loves coaching pickleball, and believes no matter your age, it’s never too late to start. 

Kimberly (also known as “Kimbo”), grew up in Baltimore and currently lives in Livingston, NJ with her husband and two children.

She was introduced to pickleball in 2020, and it was love at first sight (and now an addiction). She loves the sport for its social, multigenerational, and physical aspects. Kimbo also trains and competes in tournaments at the 4.0+ level.

Her focus as a coach is to make a profound impact on the experience players on the court with her have. She is happiest when her students can step on a court and feel good about their game, enabling them to grow to the next level, and have fun!

Michael, known by many as “Mike B”, grew up in Iowa and moved to New Jersey in 2022. He was a high-level tennis player, spent years coaching and training young players and eventually coached college tennis, then finally found and fell in love with pickleball.

Mike currently plays multiple days a week (with players including Montclair Pickleball founders Matt and Aaron), competes at the 5.0 and Pro level, and even won the competitive 5.0 Doubles APP New York City Open tournament in 2023 with co-founder Matt.

Mike loves to play, as well as help others achieve a high level.