After 13 seasons behind the bench of Providence Pilots basketball teams, Joel Coursey will be taking a step away from coaching and into administration.
The long-time bench boss was forced into serving as both Providence College’s interim Athletic Director and women’s basketball coach this season when Russell Willms left for Canadian Mennonite University in August.
Coursey chose to take the job as full-time athletic director, admitting it was “bittersweet,” to be leaving the basketball team he has molded.
“It’s time for a new chapter in my life,” Coursey said.
“I have an opportunity to grow the whole program, not just the women’s basketball program, and that’s exciting on the work side. On a personal side, I’m at a different point in my life, and I’m excited to achieve some of those priorities.”
With 13 years of weekends spent on the road, Coursey said he’s looking forward to spending more time with family and friends, quipping he’s going to sign up for beer league hockey.
Coursey introduced what he called “system basketball,” to the women’s team, running three different “lines,” of players and subbing them all out after short hockey-style shifts on the court. That style earned him the Basketball Manitoba coach of the year award last season.
One of the first priorities the new athletic director had was be to replace himself as the program’s women’s basketball coach. He did just that, naming Providence alumnus and men’s basketball assistant coach Kendall Perpall as his replacement March 28.
Before the hiring, Coursey said a high priority when choosing a candidate will be continuing the team’s system.
“The way that we play is exciting to watch, I think we’ve grown our fanbase because of our style of play over the years,” Coursey said.
“It’s a very unique place to be. Most people they move on from coaching and they don’t have that impact and that investment in the future, and I inherently do as athletic director.”
The school also has to nab a new cross-country coach, after their initial hire, Caleb De Jong, picked up a full-time gig elsewhere.
Providence is hoping to be the first school in the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference to have a cross-country team, adding a new sport to the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference line-up.
“We’re trying to grow the sports that are already in Manitoba at the MCAC level,” Coursey said.
Joel Coursey has become Providence College’s full-time athletic director after 13 years coaching the school’s women’s basketball team. (Cassidy Dankochik Carillon Archives)
Joel Coursey has become Providence College’s full-time athletic director after 13 years coaching the school’s women’s basketball team. (Cassidy Dankochik Carillon Archives)
“The value of cross-country is that everybody’s interested and it’s just a matter of time I think.”
Providence became the first Manitoba school to host a Canadian Colleges Athletic Association national championship this season, and will be hosting again next year when the women’s volleyball nationals comes to Niverville.
“Fortunately I won’t be doing two jobs, so that will help,” Coursey said.
The program is dreaming big, hoping to find success at the national level. The school’s women’s soccer team has already struck, nabbing a National Christian Colleges Athletic Association division two championship in 2023.
“We’re pursuing being a leading member of the CCAA and the NCCAA, and in order to do that, we need to win locally in Manitoba, win the MCAC and we need to win games when we make it to nationals,” Coursey said.
“Hosting incredible events like the CCAA national championships helps demonstrate the quality of Providence on a national stage and I think we did an excellent job hosting the men’s volleyball tournament and we’ll do another excellent job hosting the women’s volleyball tournament.”
The Pilots hosted their year-end athletics banquet March 27.
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