June 18, 2025
Wildwood Middle High Hires Adiener Feliciano As New Head Basketball Coach
By Kyle Coppola
Wildwood Middle High Hires Adiener Feliciano As New Head Basketball Coach
Wildwood Middle High School has named Adiener Feliciano as its new head varsity boys basketball coach, ushering in a new era for the state championship-caliber program.
Feliciano, a former coach and math teacher at Dunnellon High School, brings a winning pedigree and a clear vision for success.
“I am honored and excited to step into the role of head basketball coach of Wildwood Middle High,” Feliciano said. “My vision for this program is simple: to build a championship-caliber program grounded on discipline, hard work, and an unshakable commitment to excellence.”
(Coach Feliciano “right” is no stranger to success. He helped lead Williston to an FHSAA State Championship in 2024 as an assistant coach.)
The Wildcats are coming off a strong 20-8 season that included a return to the FHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament. Feliciano takes over for former head coach Richard Jackson, who helped restore Wildwood as a competitive program last year.
“We aren’t coming to simply participate, we are coming to compete, develop, and dominate,” Feliciano said. “It will take sweat, sacrifice, and a culture where everyone is held to the highest standard on the court, in the classroom, and in life.”
(Wildwood Middle High put out this graphic about coach Feliciano’s expectations. Photo – Wildwood Middle High.)
A graduate of Belleview High School, Feliciano continued his education at the College of Central Florida. His coaching and teaching experience, paired with a deep commitment to student-athlete development, make him a strong fit for the Wildwood program. Coach Feliciano most recently coached as an assistant coach at Williston High School helping Williston make it to the FHSAA Regional Finals last year ultimately losing to Hawthorne High who would end up as FHSAA Rural State Champions. He’s also worked for Dunnellon High as a math teacher and coached basketball at Dunnellon High.
“I would like to thank Principal Rocker and the entire Wildwood community for believing in me and trusting me with this opportunity,” Feliciano added. “I’m ready to build something special with our student-athletes, and I look forward to establishing a powerhouse program right here in Central Florida at a tradition-rich school.”
With high expectations and a new leader at the helm, Wildwood basketball enters an exciting new chapter. We are excited to welcome him to Sumter County and wish him the best of luck as he prepares for the season in a few months time.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
