LANGLEY, British Columbia –Trinity Western University
Director of Athletics Murray Hall announced Thursday that
Basketball Manitoba High Performance coach and current Red River
College head coach Cheryl Jean-Paul will lead the TWU women’s
basketball team into the future as the new head coach of the
Spartans.
"I am extremely excited and humbled to be joining the Spartan
athletics coaching staff, and the Trinity Western University
family, as the new head coach for the women's basketball
program,” commented Jean-Paul on her choice to join TWU.
“The vision of the athletic department and the intentional
approach to the complete athlete is something that I value and look
forward to developing within our basketball community. I have felt
more than welcomed by the vibrant and youthful coaching and support
staff and anticipate a great working environment.”
With over ten years of coaching experience Jean-Paul brings a
wealth of basketball experience to TWU, which includes three years
as head coach at Red River College where she won a MCAC conference
title in 2009 with the Rebels, three consecutive conference
championships and a provincial bronze medal with River East
Collegiate’s junior varsity team, and two years as an
assistant coach with the University of Manitoba Bisons
women’s team.
“Trinity Western's stock rose when Cheryl accepted our
proposal to join a great staff who already know how to develop
student athletes holistically,” said TWU’s Murray Hall.
“Cheryl shares our vision for developing complete champions
on and off the court - she will turn our basketball program around
and into a perennial contender – it is just a matter of
time.”
She has also been the head coach for Manitoba’s 2009 Canada
Games U17 girl’s team, Manitoba’s 2011 Western Canada
Games U15 midget girl’s team, and the women’s head
coach for the Manitoba Region of the Centre for Performance
program.
“This is great news! With so many recent hires being male, of
female teams, we have lost the experience of so many of our female
players. Cheryl has taken this experience as a player and combined
it with her dedicated study of the game to become an excellent
coach. She has so much to offer young women not only from the
basketball the perspective, but from being a positive role model.
Given time I know she will succeed,” said Basketball
Canada’s Manager of Coaching Education and Development Mike
MacKay.
Jean-Paul, who is a Level III NCCP certified coach as well as a
Master Learning Facilitator for the NCCP Intro to Competition
basketball coaching course, has been recognized for her coaching
abilities by being awarded the Jim Bulloch award by the Manitoba
Basketball Coaches Association as well as being a Finalist for the
Coaching Manitoba High Performance Coach of the Year award.
"Cheryl has been a great coaching ambassador for us in
Manitoba! Her tireless commitment to the game in Manitoba
across all levels of the game will be missed greatly! We are
very excited on her move out west to TWU and wish her nothing but
success - except of course when her team competes against any
Manitoba school!,” commented Basketball Manitoba Executive
Director Adam Wedlake.
In 2009, the native of Winnipeg, travelled to Zambia and Rwanda to
observe and to help their national sporting organizations in
developing their programming and their pursuit of athletic
excellence and traveled to Baker Lake, Nunavut to provide clinician
work and guest-speak at the BLYAA awards banquet. She has also been
a clinician at a number of clinics including Basketball Manitoba
Super Coaches Clinic, University of Manitoba Elite 60 Camp,
University of Manitoba Women’s Spring Camp, University of
Manitoba Mini-University basketball camp, St. John’s
Ravenscourt Sports Camp and Athletes in Action Spring Break
clinic.
"Cheryl is a fantastic person and a fabulous leader. In my mind,
she is a "blue-chip"; someone that can bring TWU to a National
Championship,” commented CIS silver medalist Windsor Lancers
women’s basketball head coach Chantal Vallée.
As a five year player with the University of Manitoba Jean-Paul
earned all-star and MVP honours (1999-2000) with the Bisons, a CIS
silver medal and a GPAC conference championship in 1998. Jean-Paul
scored over 1000 points in her five year career and was among the
perennial conference leaders in free throw percentage and steals.
In 1999, she was involved in Athletes in Action European tour team
that toured Switzerland & Slovakia.
“I would especially like to thank Basketball Manitoba,
Basketball Canada and Red River College for the support and
opportunities that have been provided for my coaching development
in helping me prepare to take on this role. I look forward to
working with the athletes who have been representing the Spartan
program and plan to continue bringing in quality student-athletes
who will proudly wear the Spartan colours,” added
Jean-Paul.
Jean-Paul, who graduated from Manitoba in 2005 with a Bachelor of
Science degree, is also a level two basketball official who has
over eight years of officiating experience including refereeing in
the CIS, the Manitoba provincial championships and at the national
level for the midget girls’ championships.
Jean-Paul, replaces former head coach Kerby Court after a three
year term with the Spartans.
Trinity Western University, in Langley, B.C., is a provincially
chartered, independent Christian liberal arts and sciences
university, enrolling approximately 4000 students. TWU offers 42
undergraduate majors, ranging from biotechnology, education,
theatre and music, to psychology, communications and biblical
studies. TWU's 16 graduate degree programs include nursing,
counseling psychology, business, theology, linguistics, and
leadership, and interdisciplinary degrees in English, philosophy
and history. TWU holds Canada Research Chairs in Dead Sea Scroll
Studies, Developmental Genetics and Disease, and Interpretation,
Religion & Culture.
Source:
Trinity Western Sports Info