BNB Announces Provincial Team Head Coaches

Coaching at the national level is not an easy task.

 From Day 1 of preparation through to potential Canada Basketball medal games, the duty as head coach of a Basketball New Brunswick under-15 or under-17 team is not for the faint of heart.

 ‘It’s easy to look at the age class national championships and think that’s all that’s involved with coaching a team for BNB,’ said its technical director, Neil Smith of Grand Digue. ‘The national tournament is a culmination of a lot of blood, sweat and tears that truly starts the day the coaches are named in January. From assistant coach selection, player development and selection, scheduling, making split second decisions and many more details in between, it can be exhausting.’

But it can also be incredibly rewarding.

 Which is why three of the four age class coaches are returning veterans to the BNB fold as head coach and a former assistant coach will climb the rung to handle the reins as head helmsman when all the training camp and Elite Development Programs begin in earnest.

 The following are capsules of the BNB coaches for 2020:

Boys Under-17

Kyle Woodworth

 Fredericton’s Kyle Woodworth is back for another season on the heels of last year’s remarkable success.

 Woodworth, who coaches at the New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association level with single-A powerhouse Harvey High Lakers, steered BNB to a bronze medal at the under-17 championship in front of a frenzied Richard J. Currie Center.

 Woodworth was named Sport New Brunswick’s Coach-of-the-Year for his efforts on the sidelines. His under-17 team earned SNB’s Team-of-the-Year.

 ‘Coach Woodworth had the type of summer you dream about, but it didn’t just happen without good reason,’ said Smith. ‘Kyle is the new wave coach. He is incredibly sound from a technical and communication point of view. He possesses the type of personality that he can go as far as he wants when it comes to coaching and managing 12 players and a staff. He is that good. If you can’t improve as a player under Kyle, you’re not really trying.’

Woodworth’s coaching staff will once again include Dominic Laviolette (Fredericton) and Joel Everett (Woodstock).

Boys Under-15

Jim Watters

 Many of the players who won a bronze medal for BNB’s under-17 team came up through the under-15 system under Miramichi’s Jim Watters.

 That’s a credit to the veteran coach and his approach.
 Watters returns for another season at the U15 level with BNB and Smith is happy to see him come back.

 ‘Jimmy is an old school coach, but one who understands you have to keep learning and studying and finding new ways to continue improving as a coach,’ said Smith. ‘He has an incredible passion for this age group. When you coach under-15s at a weekend tournament somewhere, let alone at a national event, there are times you never know what’s going to unfold because that age group can be so unpredictable. With Coach Watters, it’s about remaining on an even keel. But there can be some urging on his behalf if you’re not carrying your weight.’

 Watters is the head coach of the NBIAA’s Miramichi Valley High Pulamoo. He will be joined on the bench by Nate Horsman (Moncton) and Alex Loughery (Quispamsis).

Girls Under-17

Peter Kelly

 A brilliant strategist with a ton of national experience and success is back with the under-17 girls for the second straight summer as head coach.

 Peter Kelly of Fredericton will guide the program.

 He is an assistant coach with the USPORTS University of New Brunswick Reds’ women’s program after an impressive stint as an assistant with interscholastic powerhouse Fredericton High Black Kats and long affiliation with BNB.

 Kelly has appeared as an assistant coach at two Canada Summer Games and was an assistant at the under-17 level before taking over the head coaching reins last year.

 He has also attended a Canada Basketball age class development camp as a guest coach.

 ‘Peter is a coach that has done his homework, paid his dues and continued to improve with every passing season at whatever level he is involved with,’ said Smith. ‘His ability to spot tendencies in a moment’s notice is what can separate him from others. He is intense, but maintains composure even in the tightest of moments. He also uses his assistant coaches in a tremendous manner where it’s all hands on deck. That can be a rare trait in today’s game.’

Kelly will welcome back Saint John’s Peter Hickey as an assistant coach, along with two additional female assistants to be named at a later date.

Under-15

Bram Russell

 After two seasons as an assistant coach at the under-15 level, Fredericton’s Bram Russell has been named head coach of this summer’s program.

 Russell is an assistant coach with the NBIAA’s Fredericton High Black Kats varsity boys’ program and has been involved in numerous BNB programs from leading Jr. EDP to coaching at youth levels.

 He is a former player with the University of New Brunswick.

 ‘Bram applied for the job with confidence that he understands the pressures that come with coaching on the national stage and all the preparation that goes into that responsibility,’ said Smith. ‘He came into our interviews very well prepared and was able to relate to many scenarios after time served as an assistant. We like his game management skill-set and his preparation on and off the court. It’s a big step, but one we feel he is ready for.’
Russell will be joined by BNB’s Technical Director, Neil Smith (Grand Digue), along with two additional female assistant coaches to be named at a later date.

 The girls under-15s will join the under-17 program at Canada Basketball championships in Charlottetown in August.

 The boys’ nationals will be in Kingston, ON.