There are plenty of Maritime Women’s Basketball Association connections with Basketball New Brunswick’s coaching assignments for this summer’s Canada Basketball competition and other travelling programs.
This year is a Canada Summer Games designation as the country’s top young under-17 players converge upon St. John’s, NL, for the national showcase.
A familiar MWBA face who patrolled the sidelines with the MWBA’s Port City Fog of Saint John returns to BNB to guide the under-15 girls’ program.
Madeline Belding of Saint John’s Port City Fog will return as head coach of BNB’s under-15 team. Belding is a BNB veteran, entering her third year as head coach of the age class squad, but has been an assistant with a number of provincial teams. She is also an assistant coach with the Atlantic University Sport’s University of New Brunswick Reds under head coach Erin McAleenan.
Belding has previous USPORTS experience with University of Windsor Lancers and University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.
Former Fredericton Freeze associate coach Colleen Daly is the head coach of BNB’s under-16 girls’ program.
This will be the second summer Daly guides the provincial age class squad. Daly is also an assistant with UNB. She is a former head coach of the New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Leo Hayes High Lions of Fredericton.
A familiar MWBA face returns to the sidelines for BNB’s under-17 boys’ program.
Jim Watters, who is an assistant with the MWBA’s Miramichi Hericanes, will guide the under-17 boys’ team.
With over 10 years of BNB coaching experience and the long-time head coach at Miramichi Valley High School, Watters was an assistant coach at the 2022 Canada Summer Games and brings over 20 years of experience to the role. He is a former NBIAA coach of the year.
There is a Freeze connection with the under-17 girls’ team off to the Canada Summer Games.
Bram Russell returns to coach the girls and will also make a return to his home province of Newfoundland for the Summer Games.
The father of Freeze stalwart Bailey Russell coached BNB’s under-17s last season and will mark his eighth summer working with provincial age class teams.
– Madeline Belding, far left, is back with BNB this summer. (DWinston Photo)