Calgary Dinos head coach Dan Vanhooren during the second half of quarterfinal action against the Saint Mary's Huskies in the USports men's basketball national championship in Halifax on March 8, 2019. Vanhooren has been named head coach of Canada's under-19 men's basketball team. Vanhooren won the U Sports coach of the year award for the 2018-19 season after leading the Calgary Dinos to a 20-0 regular-season record and a spot in the national final, where they fell 83-49 to Carleton. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese
April 02, 2019 - 10:23 AM
TORONTO - Dan Vanhooren has been named head coach of Canada's under-19 men's basketball team.
Vanhooren won the U Sports coach of the year award for the 2018-19 season after leading the Calgary Dinos to a 20-0 regular-season record and a spot in the national final, where they fell 83-49 to Carleton.
The previous season, Vanhooren led Calgary to its first ever Canadian university men's basketball title.
Vanhooren, from Red Deer, Alta., has been Calgary's head coach since 2000.
Canada will defend its U19 World Cup title in June in Heraklion, Greece. The U19 team won Canada's first ever FIBA title at any level at the 2017 world championship in Cairo.
"I am honoured to take part and look forward to working with the Canada Basketball staff in pursuing the goals of the organization," Vanhooren said in a statement. "It is an exciting time in Canadian basketball with the number of players demonstrating such a high level of talent. Our U19 coaches and staff should be equally excited to face the responsibility of continuing to develop our talent with similar enthusiasm and energy to those who have come before our group."
Vanhooren takes over Canada's youth program from former Carleton head coach Dave Smart.
Smart succeeded Ryerson coach Roy Rana, who led the team to the 2017 World Cup title.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2019