Tremendous 24: Ramapo Gryphons Boys Basketball Coach & Fitness Trainer Cameron Vaughn

Fitness and sports go hand in hand. It’s simple: if you’re not in shape, you won’t be able to perform at your optimal level.  The next person in my Tremendous 24 series is not only a former athlete but also a coach at the high school level and is a personal fitness trainer who takes fitness very seriously.  He’s a true leader and the funniest guest I’ve ever had.

Ramapo Gryphons Men’s Basketball JV Head Coach Cameron Vaughn.

Vaughn is very outspoken. Born in Harlem, New York, it runs in his blood. We started the interview by laughing about him joking about how he gets in the studio rapping to open the video, which set the tone. Despite being born in Harlem, Vaughn mainly grew up in Rockland County in Spring Valley, New York, where he hung out with friends, went to local shops around town, and loved the game of basketball.

“I picked up a basketball as early as I could remember… Three, four years old…I’ve been in basketball leagues since I was like five, six years old…I fell in love with the game ever since and I’ve never fallen out of love with it. That’s the one thing that brings me true utter happiness, whether that’s watching it, playing it, coaching it, whatever the case may be.”

Despite playing basketball from an early age, Vaughn didn’t start watching basketball until 2011 at the age of 12 due to always wanting to be outside playing basketball. Having started to watch basketball in 2011, Vaughn idolized patterning his game after NBA star Kyrie Irving, whom he had watched since Irving was in high school, and Allen Iverson before that. Vaughn credited his older brothers, DJ and Rob, who first influenced him in fitness and athletics, including his coach, K Boy.

“Without them, I wouldn’t even know about fitness and athleticism, just stuff like that. Watching my oldest brother, who’s a marine, just watching him do pushups in the crib, doing pullups in the crib…My middle brother excels at sports all the time; it made me want to be better than them.”

Vaughn played baseball outside of basketball, stating he didn’t love the sport as much as basketball. However, from his freshman to junior season, he played multiple positions on the field, from pitching to left outfield. We then discussed his time at Pomona Middle School, where we first met when I was in seventh and eighth grade. He described middle school as a fun time, and the basketball and football teams went undefeated in his eighth-grade year.

Pomona Middle School

Vaughn and I reminisced about those basketball battles on the court during those days where I mentioned him, Lamont Edwards, and Anthony Simon, as some of the hardest guys I had to guard during my playing days due to their handle. Before high school, Vaughn played AAU for the Rocktown Monarchs and Rockland Rockets, where coach Trev (Rockets) and JR Inman (Monarchs) took his game to the next level.

“Coach Tre taught me you are not as good as you think you are…He cut me the first time. He coached my brother so he knew who I was…He knew my play style, and he cut me at first. I was like, wow, like that’s such a wakeup call.”

“JR Inman taught me a lot of technical stuff about the game…He gave me an offensive bag, essentially…He’s the one that really taught me about footwork, how to get to your spot, get to your shot…How to use your body, cause that was when I started developing some muscle, started lifting, this is like high school now…He taught me how to put the ball in the basket, get to your spot, and make the game as simple as possible.”

Vaughn didn’t only learn basketball from his coaches, but they also taught him valuable life lessons, such as taking accountability for what happens in his life and his actions. Eventually, Vaughn would attend Ramapo High School, where he played his high school ball. During his days playing for the Gryphons, Vaughn played his first two years on JV before moving to varsity in his final two seasons under coach Steve Loscher. During those two seasons, Vaughn and the Gryphons struggled to find consistency and chemistry, going 7-13 in his junior year in 2015-16 and 4-15 in his senior season in 2016-17.

After high school, Vaughn attended Rockland Community College, where he last played basketball competitively at the JUCO level for two years before transferring to finish college at SUNY Oneonta to change scenery and meet new people. Vaughn initially wanted to be an athletic trainer before switching to studying the human body.

“Studying the body always seemed interesting to me. The body has been the same for hundreds of years. Why not study and get to know it?”

SUNY Oneonta

Vaughn takes his health and fitness very seriously and wants to continue looking and feeling good as he ages. He mentioned there’s a balance to everything in life and wants to motivate his friends to be the best versions of themselves. 

“If I can touch one person, I did my job…The fact people reach out to me to better than themselves, I can give you that service makes me want to stay in it.”

In addition to being a personal trainer, Vaughn coaches the Ramapo Gryphons boys' JV basketball team. He first started as an assistant coach before becoming the head coach. It means a lot to Vaughn to give back to the community where he grew up, especially his alma mater.

“It means the world to me…I love each and every one of them because each and every one of them can also teach me something about myself. There’s something unique about every one of them that can help me better myself. If I can scratch your back and they scratch mine, that’s a healthy relationship…If I can influence the youth to be even better than I was, I’m doing something right.”

Vaughn hopes to help rebuild the basketball program and culture at the school back to its winning ways, wanting to help the team win a Section 1 title and produce more 1,000-point scorers. As we neared the end of the interview, we got into some quick hitters, starting with his life's pivotal moments. That’s where he mentioned meeting the athletic trainer during his freshman year of high school, where he first learned the therapeutic side of the human body; he had an identity crisis in 2018, along with losing his friend Zach.

“When he passed, I really realized how short life is…Him dying made me realize how life is short, too, and if there’s something I want to do, I got to do it. His passing taught me how important execution is.”

Vaughn explained the importance of fitness to him, saying, “If you look good, you feel good.” He also expressed his love for subjective fitness, which involves many routes and exercises. It helps one mentally and boosts self-esteem.

Outside of coaching and fitness, Vaughn still enjoys playing basketball to stay in shape and for pure love of the game. He also enjoys spending time with friends and listening to music. His favorite post-workout meal is chicken, burrito, or french fries. 

We then got into his top five music artists of all time, and he mentioned hip-hop moguls such as Drake, Mary J. Blige, Lil Wayne, Kanye, and Notorious B.I.G. His top five NBA players of all time are LeBron, Jordan, Kobe, Shaq, and Kareem in that order. After the start, bench, and cut segment, my first interview, we got into some of his goals in life. Some of them include wanting to have a beautiful family or ultimately opening up a gym and being able to help people at any level in terms of fitness.

I then asked Cameron Vaughn, the gregarious, charismatic, and humorous person he is, how he wanted to be remembered.

“I help people. I want people to know that I help you. If I love you, or even if I don’t love you, you can be a stranger…If there’s knowledge I can give or there’s something you can get from me…I just want to be remembered as the dude that changed people’s lives.”

From starting as an athlete to becoming a difference maker in the community as a coach and fitness trainer, giving back to others. Vaughn’s sense of humor, relatability, work ethic, passion for fitness, and unselfishness are why he embodies Greatness Within.