The RRC Polytech Students’ Association has announced the return of Red River Rebels basketball for the fall of 2026, marking the official relaunch of the institution’s men’s and women’s basketball programs after the program was discontinued in 2021.
The return of Rebels basketball is part of a broader varsity athletics revival being led by the RRC Polytech Students’ Association in partnership with RRC Polytech. The renewed model will bring back collegiate competition to campus and re-establish the Rebels brand within Manitoba’s post-secondary sport landscape.
As part of the relaunch, Ricardo Martinez has been introduced as the new head coach of the Rebels men’s basketball program for the 2026-27 season.
Martinez brings 30 years of coaching experience and a long history of athlete development at the school, club, and provincial levels. He is also the founder of Crossover Basketball Club and has built a strong reputation in Manitoba for leadership, mentorship, and community impact through basketball. His coaching background includes championship success and provincial medal finishes.
The women’s basketball program will be led by Buchi Mkanda, who has been named head coach for the 2026-27 season.
Mkanda brings 16 years of coaching experience and has developed a respected reputation in basketball development from the elementary level through to college competition. As the founder of Southside Basketball Academy, Mkanda has worked with athletes across multiple stages of the development pathway and has helped players move on to compete at the college and U SPORTS levels. He is a coach known for a hands-on style, with a strong emphasis on fundamentals, discipline, detail, and basketball IQ.
The return of the Rebels program represents a significant step forward for student-athletes at RRC Polytech and for the broader growth of collegiate basketball in Manitoba. The restored program is expected to provide new opportunities for athletes to compete at the post-secondary level while also rebuilding school spirit and campus engagement through varsity sport.
The revival also reconnects the institution with a program that had previously been part of Manitoba’s college basketball scene before varsity operations came to an end in 2021. With the return now set for this fall, attention will turn to roster building, program development, and preparation for the 2026-27 Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC) season.
The announcement of Martinez and Mkanda gives the returning Rebels programs experienced leadership on both sides and signals a serious commitment to building a strong and sustainable future for Red River basketball.
Source: https://www.instagram.com/our_rebels/ and https://ourrebels.ca/