Royal Faculty Spotlight: Tarrik Mabon
Coach Tarrik Mabon: More Than Basketball
When you meet Coach Tarrik Mabon, it doesn’t take long to realize that basketball is simply the platform; people are the mission. As The First Academy’s Head Boys Varsity Basketball Coach and Director of Student Discipleship, Coach Mabon is a steady force of humility, connection, and Gospel-centered leadership who uses every opportunity on campus to point students toward something deeper than wins and losses.
A Calling Rooted in Connection
Coach Mabon’s story doesn’t begin on the court—it begins with connection. A Morehouse College graduate, he carries with him the legacy of community, accountability, and identity that shape leaders. His life’s work has followed that pattern ever since.
Before moving to Orlando, he served in Atlanta as a teacher, coach, and founder of Men of Mount Vernon—a ministry created at that school to encourage men to show up, lead well, and model Christlike character. It continues to this day. “I am here to do God’s work,” he says. “I share my testimony freely because it humanizes us as adults. Kids see us as employees or mom and dad. But when they hear what we’ve actually been through…connection happens.” And connection is where he thrives.
A Journey Directed by God
His transition to TFA is a story he still marvels at. Fresh off a state championship in Georgia at Mount Vernon and having just bought a house, he had no plans to leave. But after bringing his team to TFA’s Christmas Tournament—and leaving impressed by the atmosphere, intensity, and culture—Coach Mabon found himself unexpectedly on TFA’s radar. Two days after casually telling his wife he would only leave his current role if God made it unmistakably clear, Dr. Whitaker called with an invitation to interview.
“I went to God in prayer and asked Him to make it obvious. If it was supposed to be ours, TFA would offer.” God didn’t just open the door—He widened it. And for Coach Mabon, the clearest blessing of all was this: “At the end of the day, God was protecting my family and giving my kids a place where Christian values are lived out.”
A Heart for Students—Across Every Division
Coach Mabon’s impact touches Lower School, Middle School, Upper School, and Hybrid Home+School. Same mission, different approach. In his role as Director of Student Discipleship, he partners with teachers, meets with faculty, and builds or strengthens systems and programs that ensure students feel seen, valued, and safe. Some inititatives include the following:
- Lunch with Coach T – A space for students to feel seen, form connections, and seek guidance
- United in Royalty – Connecting Traditional College Prep and Hybrid Home+School student-athletes
- Student-Athlete Leadership Team – Building consistent leadership habits with our student-athletes
- Royal Leadership Academy – Working with the RLA team to assist in building Christ-centered student-leaders in our Upper School
- Middle School Mentorship Events – Addressing words and behaviors that can harm and celebrating the “wins” that foster spiritual growth
- Diversity Initiative (Micah 6:8) – Helping students live out Christ-like compassion, understanding, and humility.
Whether at a pep rally, chapel service, or in a quiet moment with a student needing guidance, he works with a singular goal: “We don’t want any family feeling like their child is unsafe. We put in the work to make sure our kids feel safe—spiritually, emotionally, and socially.”
Loving the Jesus Way
When a few TFA teachers battling breast cancer had reached the end of treatment, the Athletics Department— prompted by Coach T.—showed up with Crumbl cookies. Not an event. Not a program. No cameras. Just love. “I do things organically that I feel are needed—loving the Jesus way. I’m thankful the school enables me to do this.” This is who he is—someone who sees needs and fills them without a spotlight.
The Basketball Platform
Of course, he loves the game.“I’m a maniac when it comes to basketball,” he laughs, and his players know it. From intense practices to transformative events like the annual Basketball Retreat, Coach T. uses the sport to build something eternal. The retreat is where players hear testimonies, share openly, and are poured into by the coaching staff. “We try to create a transformational experience so they can really open up. We hope what happens there ushers in a new season—not just on the court but in their lives.”
And through it all, he reminds them, “All athletes want to be elite. I’m an elite mistake-maker. But God gave me this 100th chance.”
Why He Leads the Way He Does
Coach Mabon didn’t grow up with stability. He speaks openly about the brokenness of his childhood, which fuels the way he fathers his children and leads the students entrusted to him. “To have the family we have now… I can’t put it into words.” His wife works at the Hybrid Home+School as a teacher, and he is blessed to have his three boys at TFA. His past shapes his purpose. His testimony is his bridge to students. “My testimony is my entry ticket to connect with teenagers. God made this beautiful experience just for me.”
If there is one Scripture that captures his mission, it is Matthew 7:24-27—building a life on the rock. “We want to build a student experience that is rooted on the rock. Basketball is the platform. It allows me to do the real work.”
His vision is simple and profound: If TFA is going to be healthy in athletics, diversity, leadership, student life, and fine arts, then all of it must sit in a spiritually healthy bowl. That is Gospel unity.
A Coach, A Disciple-Maker, A Connector
Coach Mabon is more than a coach. He is a builder of culture, a champion of unity, and a man who wakes up every day ready to invest deeply in the next generation. “It’s more than just coaching. I have the freedom here to live out my mission.” And that mission, shaped by humility and authenticity, continues to make TFA stronger—one relationship at a time.