Our Founders
BattleCon was founded by former UConn women’s basketball standout Maria Conlon & Stacey Nasser. With their collective experience as players, coaches, and mentors, they came together to create an elite AAU basketball program designed to uplift and develop young female athletes.
Maria Conlon
Maria's love for the game of basketball started when she was nine years old. Attending a Catholic grammar school in the 90's there was no girls team so she was forced to play with boys. A starter on varsity by 6th grade she scored 1000 points. After that Maria went on to attend Seymour High School where she won two state championships, and was part of a state record 62 straight wins. In addition to the championships she was a four time all state selection, one time Gatorade State Player of the year and still holds records both at Seymour and the State of Connecticut for her 3 point shooting.
After high school Maria wanted to play with and for the best and went on to win 3 National Championships at Uconn. After that she took her career overseas to play professionally before coming back to coach SCSU to a Division 2 National title.
Maria also has a huge passion for business and runs a successful financial planning practice as well as a local gym that focuses on mental and physical health and wellness.
When Maria's daughter Layla turned six and became interested in basketball it sparked her interest to get back into coaching. Maria is now entering her third year as the head coach of Notre Dame girls basketball, one of the premiere programs in the state, where she was named the 2020 coach of the year. Through her love of basketball and more importantly the development of young female athletes in the state of CT she decided to launch this program. Her main objective is to facilitate an atmosphere where young athletes can learn all the different facets of becoming a leader both on and off the court.
Stacey Nasser
Stacey’s love of basketball started at 6 years old when she saw her first New York Knicks game on tv. From then on she played and observed the game every chance she got. In high school, she was senior captain of the Trumbull Eagles and also played for the CT Breeze AAU organization.
Knowing she couldn’t stay away from game she loved, Stacey became involved with the University of Connecticut’s storied women’s basketball program as a student manager, ultimately becoming a head manager her senior year, and earned a degree in Coaching and Administration.
Upon graduation, she was hired as a Graduate Extern/Video Coordinator for the Temple University Women’s Basketball program. After two years at Temple, she completed a master’s degree in Sport and Recreation Administration and was promoted to Director of Basketball Operations for the team, a position she held for six years.
Since 2016 Stacey has been the Associate Athletic Director at St Joseph High School in Trumbull. In this capacity she works with all of the athletic department’s 30 sport programs. Since 2020, Stacey has also been a regular contributor to The Untitled Podcast, a podcast showcasing women in sports. Being able to make an impact on young athletes is truly a rewarding experience.