2016-2017 ONL U13 Coach: Tarcisse Ruhamyandekwe

2016-08-08


Tarcisse Ruhamyandekwe will be the Head Coach of ONL U13 this coming season!

Years coaching: 9
Years with KYBA: 9

- Head Coach: KYBA House League- 2008-2012
- Assistant Coach: Kanata Cavaliers- 2013
- Assistant Coach: ONL U11- 2014
- Head Coach: ONL U11- 2015
- Head Coach: ONL U12- 2015

Coach Tarcisse has a track record of being one of the winningest head coaches in our association over the past few seasons. In 2014, he helped lead ONL U11 to a Gold Medal in Division 4 at the Ontario Cup. The following season, Ruhamyandekwe took over as Head Coach of the U11 program, taking home a Gold Medal at Division 3! Last year, he continued to improve on his past success, taking his U12 team up to Division 2, where they took home a Silver Medal.

In addition, Coach Tarcisse's squad took home a Division 1 Gold Medal at the Chris Paulin Memorial Tournament last season.

His philosophy is simple, yet effective. "Work hard, play easy." He believes the harder you train, the easier games will be- and that games are truly a reflection of how hard a team practices.

What will Tarcisse bring to the table in 2016-2017?
 
"U13 is usually one of the most challenging teams to coach for different reasons. Kids are transitioning from “small boys” to teenagers and basketball rules change drastically. The fair play (equal shifts) and man to man rules are not mandatory anymore. The transition can be very confusing and very challenging and certain players start losing confidence. It is my duty as a coach to make that transition as smooth as possible. I believe in the analogy of “Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.” I want to teach my players how to fish. Specifically I will be focusing on the following two aspects:
  1. Fundamental skills (physical and basketball). In the same spirit as Ontario Basketball, the long term development of an athlete should be based on mastering the fundamentals.
  2. Mental readiness. At this particular age, the psycho-social aspect of sport is as important as the sport itself.

We look forward to having such a fantastic coach on board for our program again next season!