(ACC) in Brandon has announced that it will be expanding play on the court by once again offering
basketball to both male and female college students in the upcoming
academic year. Basketball hasn’t been a part of the varsity program
since the mid 1980’s. Coaching staff is already in place and they’ve hit the ground running
recruiting potential players. Donovan Nemetchek will coach the women’s
team and Adam Hartman will coach the men’s team.
“Our students have been asking for a basketball program for a number of years and the timing was right,” said Larry Shannon, Athletics Director for Assiniboine Community College. “This next year is going to be very busy, we’re excited to be able to offer three major sports as part of our program.”
Nemetchek has coached basketball in the province for 22 years, for both high school and provincial teams. He was also a coach for the Triple Threat Basketball Camp. Donovan is a fully certified level 3 basketball coach, and has also been certified as a strength and conditioning coach. He is looking forward to building a program at ACC.
Hartman, a Virden native, played for the Brandon University Bobcats from 2002-08. As a captain and starting forward since 2005, he led his team to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) National Final while spending six straight weeks ranked as the best team in Canada. In the ‘07 and ‘08 seasons he earned the Canada West All-Star awards. Hartman began his coaching career in 2008 as an Assistant Coach with Brandon University. Since then he has spent two years with the Westman Regional Training Center and has spent time coaching his school team and various club teams. He currently teaches grade seven and eight at Oak Lake Community School.
News of the basketball program has been spreading throughout the region and resonating with potential students. Ben Ngeleka of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan applied to the Business Administration program at ACC after he heard there was going to be a men’s varsity basketball team.
“I’d love to play for the college,” said Ngeleka. “Getting an education at a reputable college like ACC and being able to play ball at a varsity level is a great combination.”
The varsity program for the 2010-11 academic year will also include women’s and men’s volleyball and women’s hockey.
Assiniboine Community College has been in operation for almost 50 years. In 2008-09 the college had over 2,600 students attending college on a full-time basis. The college offers 37 certificate and diploma programs, as well as apprenticeship programs. The main campus is located in Brandon and the Parkland Campus is in Dauphin. Winnipeg has been home to a permanent Practical Nursing site since 1998. Training sites in numerous rural communities extend program offerings throughout the province.
For more information, please contact:
Wanda Kurchaba
Communications & Marketing
Tel: 204.725-8717
communications@assiniboine.net