Winners of OBA Trainer of the Year, presented by Spalding Training Aids

With so many quality coaches in Ontario it was great to read the submissions of a number of qualified candidates for this year’s OBA Trainer of the Year, presented by Spalding Training Aids.

This years’ winners receive a set of the new line of Spalding Training Aids, a series of basketball tools designed specifically for coaches and trainers to get the most out of their basketball prospects and for aspiring ballers who will do whatever it takes to take their game to the next level.

A special thank you to our partners at Spalding for making this award possible!

 

Female recipient: Julie Richards, coach of Goulbourn Basketball Association U14 Boys

Nomination: Our Bantam Boys team this year posed a considerable challenge for our coach, Julie Richards.  We had no players with prior competitive basketball experience, and many had not even played organized basketball before.  Julie crafted a season-long plan which she went on to execute with an absolute dedication to player development.  Beginning with teaching fundamentals, and then moving on to more advanced team concepts, every time the team was on the court was treated as an opportunity to improve.  In games, she challenged the players to ignore the score at all times, instead focusing only making good decisions, using proper form, and communicating and working together as a team.  She supported and nurtured players to step out of their comfort zones.  Using no set plays, but a team-first model, players were allowed to be creative and learn to make decisions and adjustments in real-time on the court.  In a few short months, we went from losing games by double digits, to beating those same teams by even larger margins, a true testament to the success of her approach.  Julie is a strong leader and fantastic coach and she is very deserving of the OBA Trainer of the Year award.

Runner-up: Kristine Silva

 

Male recipient: Peter Chapman, coach of London 86ers U16 Girls

Nomination: Peter Chapman is totally committed to our London 86’ers (u16) girl’s team. He has brought the team to the highest level (OBLX and OBA division 1) with his coaching skill. He spends hours scrutinizing opposing teams and then comes up with brilliant plays that often give us the win.

Peter keeps it fun while maintaining discipline. He is fair and plays every girl in every game. He pays attention to development of less skilled players. When he corrects the players, he is positive and constructive. He is always there, on time, at every practise and game.

Peter Chapman is well organized and sends out detailed practise outlines every week using google docs. I have seen how well he handles in-game injuries. He is completely professional, while calming the injured player and offering compassionate reassurance and appropriate first aid.

Peter is respectful to game officials and rarely loses his composure. This is important because it sets a very good example to both our young and impressionable players, and to us, the parents, who are so invested in our daughters’ sport. I feel extremely privileged to have Peter Chapman coaching my daughter. I think he is the perfect candidate for your OBA trainer of the year award.

Finalists

  • Derek McGrattan
  • Mike Hurley
  • Chris Mathew
  • Vik Fantin

 

TO PURCHASE SPALDING TRAINING AIDS PLEASE VISIT OUR OFFICIAL PARTNER NATIONAL SPORTS OR BUY ONLINE AT SPORT CHEK, OR AMAZON.CA.