2024- The Year in Coaching
As we close the book on an incredible 2024, it's the perfect time to celebrate our achievements and look ahead to an even brighter future in 2025. This year was packed with milestones, big wins, and steps forward that wouldn't have been possible without the dedication of our amazing coaching team. Let’s dive into what we’ve accomplished and set the stage for an exciting year ahead!
Welcoming New Leadership to Propel SSB Forward
This year, we conducted a global search for the Head of Coaching and Player Development. After interviewing dozens of top-tier candidates, we couldn’t be more thrilled to have Daniel Shashar join our team in Vancouver all the way from Hapoel Jerusalem! Daniel brings over 30 years of experience in youth basketball, and his passion and vision for fun, efficient, and impactful practices align perfectly with SSB’s mission. His impact is already visible, and we encourage every coach to connect with Daniel to share insights, ideas, and challenges as we continue to elevate our programs.
Greg Faulkner
In April, we welcomed Greg Faulkner to the team. Greg’s background is second to none—playing for legendary coaches like Dave Smart (Carleton) and Steph Barrie (Queen’s), representing Team Ontario, and competing professionally in France for seven years. After returning to Canada, Greg took on coaching and player development roles at Queen’s University, and now he’s brought that expertise to SSB.
2024 SNOWBALL CHAMPIONS- McBride Eagles
Greg is also leading our special events, including the Snowball Championship 5x5, Pacific Rim 3x3 and Ontario University trips. Have an idea for a new tournament or event? Bring it to Greg—we’re excited to innovate!
Building Stronger Programs Through Teamwork
Our Academy, 3x3, and Skills programs thrived this year thanks to the strength of our coaching team and some fantastic new additions. Under Courtney Lemm’s leadership, we’ve seen the first Cobra Community Day, improved communication, exciting newsletters, better player recognition, and more tournament opportunities. The result? Happier players and even better developmental outcomes!
New Tools to Support Coaches
2024 was a big year for resources! Kevin Pribilsky launched private coaching pages on our website, packed with helpful tools and FAQs. Meanwhile, Eric D’Andrea led a complete overhaul of our coaching manual. The result is a comprehensive, high-quality guide available exclusively to our coaching team.
If you haven’t accessed these resources yet, reach out to Kevin for password access—they’re game-changing!
Advancing Player Development
This summer, we hosted our first-ever Euro Pro Camp led by Raoul Korner. Players had the opportunity to dive deep into modern basketball actions like Pick+Roll and off-ball screens, thanks to Raoul’s expertise. Events like these are fantastic opportunities for our top players and our coaches to continue their basketball development.
The path to USports
Our annual Ontario and Quebec recruiting trip once again proved invaluable for connecting players with opportunities. Congratulations to Dylan King (UVic), Lucas Butler (Queen’s) and Andre Novicic (Ottawa) for making USports rosters straight out of high school.
In 2024, our alumni continued to contribute to USports teams across Canada. We’re thrilled to see SSB grads still making an impact on USports rosters, including Mitchell Morgan 2020 (TWU), Tiernan McDougall 2020 (Bishops), Paolo Murphy 2023 (TRU), Mac Steenburgh 2023 (Waterloo), Jackson Bryson 2023 (UVic), Max Shimizu 2023 (McGill), and Will Hyland 2023 (McGill). It’s an incredible testament to the enduring strength of our program and the dedication of our players and coaches.
Our girls program has also continued to excel under the guidance of Head of Cobra Girls Novell Thomas and a strong team of coaches. They have helped hundreds of players develop, including several who have made the transition to rosters at CCAA and USports schools. In 2024, girls teams had a great trip to Quebec for the Slam Camp in gyms throughout Montreal packed with post secondary coaches. Four 2024 grads joined our growing list of women playing post-secondary basketball.
A Growing Family
2024 was a year of growth—on and off the court—for the SSB family! On July 12th, we celebrated a huge milestone with Eric D’Andrea’s marriage to Abby, adding a wonderful new member to the SSB family.
The next big addition came from Courtney Lemm and his wife with the birth of their second child! Tevis Toro and his wife are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their first kid, wondering if the baby will officially be a 2024 or 2025 addition. Stay tuned!
Les and I have entered a new chapter of life as all three of our kids have graduated high school and started their university journeys. With Finny and Lukey back in Ontario for school, Winter Break has taken on special significance, bringing all three kids home for eight cherished days.
Stepping Up Our Marketing Game
In 2024, we made strides in sharing SSB’s story with the broader basketball community. Luka Lizdek spearheaded our efforts to highlight our players’ journeys on Instagram and Facebook, and this is just the beginning! In 2025, we’re aiming for even greater growth in storytelling and outreach.
If you have content ideas or want to contribute, reach out to Luka. Coaches, your firsthand perspectives are invaluable, and together we can make our story resonate even louder.
Looking Ahead to 2025
The new year promises exciting developments, including integrating AI tools to streamline communication and organization. These innovations, combined with our relentless focus on player and coach development, position SSB for another transformative year.
Let’s Make 2025 Our Best Year Yet!
Coaches, your energy, dedication, and passion are what make Split Second Basketball exceptional. With Daniel in the role of Head of Coaching development and much work done by our team to create the best possible coaching system, we are in a great place to move forward. The most important thing YOU can do is to show up to the coaching seminars, engage in the process, ask clarifying questions and help us come together as a coaching team.
As we move into 2025, let’s keep pushing to improve, innovate, and inspire. Here’s to building on our successes and making 2025 unforgettable—let’s bring our best for the players, the community, and each other. Let’s get to work! 🏀
Eric Butler
UPCOMING SEMINARS
Monday January 13th: 6:30-8pm @ VTT [RECENTLY CHANGED]
Monday February 3rd: 630-800pm @ VTT
Sunday March 2nd: 630-800pm @ VTT