SCHEDULE RELEASED: 2026 Male and Female Open Identification Camp Set for Canada Basketball Junior Academy - Manitoba

  

Basketball Manitoba is excited to partner once again with Canada Basketball's Michael Meeks, Manager of Youth Player Development, to bring the Canada Basketball Junior Academy program to Manitoba.  The Junior Academy is an early identification and development program developed by Canada Basketball to find potential National Team athletes across Canada.  The Junior Academy targets middle school-age talent and runs a training program focusing on the skills and concepts identified by Canada Basketball as fundamental to the Canadian National Team program.

The Canada Basketball Junior Academy in Manitoba will hold an Identification Camp Weekend on September 18-20, 2026, at the Sport Manitoba Courts.  This identification camp weekend is open to males and females born in 2012, 2013 and 2014.  A small group from each birth year will be selected to train in Winnipeg over 5 training weekends from September to early December.  Throughout these training sessions, the athletes will follow a curriculum provided by Canada Basketball, designed to prepare potential athletes to perform in the age-group National Team camps and competitions.  

PROGRAM COACHES

Canada Basketball's Michael Meeks and another Canada Basketball representative will be leading the Identification Camp. A team of experienced Manitoba coaches will lead the Junior Academy Manitoba Sessions.  

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Junior Academy is designed as an early identification and training program to complement the current club basketball system.  The training sessions are scheduled around the Peg City Showcase weekends to minimize club conflicts.  The Junior Academy will not compete in any leagues or exhibition games and is strictly a training model designed by Canada Basketball.

IDENTIFICATION CAMP

The camp fee is $20.00 per person to attend the ID sessions on September 18, 19, and 20. Selection decisions will begin during the first day of the identification sessions, and selected players will be invited back to attend the following session(s) as the weekend progresses. All players must first register below to attend the ID camp sessions.  

Female ID Schedule

DATE	TIME /	SESS #
SESSION #1 - ID CAMP
September 18 - Friday	5:30pm to 7:30pm	1
September 19 - Saturday	6:00pm to 8:00pm	2
September 20 - Sunday	4:00pm to 6:00pm	3
SESSION #2
October 9 - Friday	5:30pm to 7:30pm	4
October 10 - Saturday	2:00pm to 4:00pm	5
October 11 - Sunday	12:00pm to 2:00pm	6
SESSION #3
October 30, Friday	5:30pm to 7:30pm	7
October 31 - Saturday	2:00pm to 4:00pm	8
November 1 - Sunday	12:00pm to 2:00pm	9
SESSION #4
November 20 - Friday	5:30pm to 7:30pm	10
November 21 - Saturday	2:00pm to 4:00pm	11
November 22 - Sunday	12:00pm to 2:00pm	12
SESSION #5
December 4 - Friday	5:30pm to 7:30pm	13
December 5 - Saturday	2:00pm to 4:00pm	14
December 6 - Sunday	12:00pm to 2:00pm	15

Girls Junior Academy Coaches:

RANDY KUSANO - Current Basketball Manitoba High-Performance Coach Randy Kusano was the winningest coach in Manitoba's high school basketball history. A University of Manitoba graduate, Kusano is a current fully certified NCCP Level 3 coach with nearly 25 years of CIS coaching experience as an assistant with the Bison men’s and women's. Randy’s coaching career began with the University of Manitoba Junior Bisons in 1974 and continued until 1976. He has coached high school basketball for the past thirty-four years, thirty-two as head coach of the Varsity Boys program at Oak Park High School. Randy has also coached numerous Manitoba Provincial teams as head coach and as an assistant coach at the Canada Games, Western Canada Games, and National Championships.

ERIC SUNG - currently the head coach of the Varsity Girls team at Dakota Collegiate and has been since 2015. He also has Usport coaching experience as an assistant coach with the University of Manitoba Bison Women's program. Sung has been highly involved with basketball development in Manitoba for the past ten years. in 2022, he was the head coach of the 17U Girls Manitoba Provincial team. The year prior, Sung was the head coach of the 15U Girls Manitoba Provincial Team. He was also the assistant coach with the 17U Girls Provincial Team (2019), the head coach of the Boys 15U Provincial Team (2014-2015), and the boys Centre of Performance coach (2013 – 2019). Sung has additional head coaching experience with the Junior Varsity Boys at Maples Collegiate (2013), the Manitoba Summer Games team (2013), 18U Boys Chinese Universal Storm (2011-2013) and the Junior Bison Girls Basketball Program (2008-2010).

KELLI SINNOCK - Coach Kelli Sinnock brings over 20 years of coaching experience to the program. She was the 15u female Provincial Team head coach this past summer. She has been the Varsity Girls basketball coach at Sanford Collegiate since 2007. In the last 2 years, she has led the Sabres to 2 Provincial 3A Silver Medals.   In 2021, she helped develop the Rural TAP program and has been the head coach for TAP South.  

She has also had a variety of other coaching experiences, including coaching junior high basketball, Jr. Bisons, and Legion Athletic camps in the early stages of her career. She is an active member of the basketball community and Zone IV athletics.  She has led the Sabres to multiple AAA Zone Championships and  AAA Provincial appearances, including Provincial Finalists in 2009, Bronze Medalists in 2010, and other notable performances throughout the year

LESLIE DUHAMEL - played basketball for the University of Waterloo at the USport level for four years. Leslie is an award-winning Physical Education teacher with 17 years of experience.  She believes in engaging youth in sports early by making it fun and engaging and creating practice plans focusing on skill development and understanding of the game.  Leslie coaches at her school at least four basketball teams a year and has even taken some to the provincial championships.

Since 2019, Leslie has been the Head Coach of the 2010 Junior Bisons Boys Gold Basketball club team. She has also been working hard to promote girls' basketball in the province, starting grassroots female basketball programs at the Lindenwoods Community Centre for Novice players and more Experienced basketball players aged 8-12. 

EMERSON MARTIN - a passionate and dedicated basketball coach with a strong background as both a player and mentor. A graduate of Dakota Collegiate and a former player at the University of Manitoba, Emerson brings high-level playing experience, deep knowledge of the game, and a team-first mentality. Her coaching journey began with the Junior Bison program. Emerson is committed to developing well-rounded players, emphasizing skill development, basketball IQ, and confidence both on and off the court.

BREANNE SCOTT - has been instrumental in rebuilding the girls' basketball program at John Taylor Collegiate. Her team has won two tournaments this season and finished second in their latest, earning #2 in the provincial AAA rankings. Coach Scott focuses her attention on basketball and developing a strong, community-based culture for the school. She cares deeply about the well-being of her players and consistently works hard to develop her young athletes into well-rounded individuals and leaders. Building on this impressive accomplishment, she is also a dedicated and hardworking teacher for all her students. She was the Head Coach of the 14U Women's Manitoba Provincial Team in 2025.

Male ID Schedule

DATE	TIME	SESS #
SESSION #1 - ID CAMP
September 18 - Friday	7:45pm to 9:45pm	1
September 19 - Saturday	4:00pm to 6:00pm	2
September 20 - Sunday	2:00pm to 4:00pm	3
SESSION #2
October 9 - Friday	7:45pm to 9:45pm	4
October 10 - Saturday	4:00pm to 6:00pm	5
October 11 - Sunday	2:00pm to 4:00pm	6
SESSION #3
October 30, Friday	7:45pm to 9:45pm	7
October 31 - Saturday	4:00pm to 6:00pm	8
November 1 - Sunday	2:00pm to 4:00pm	9
SESSION #4
November 20 - Friday	7:45pm to 9:45pm	10
November 21 - Saturday	4:00pm to 6:00pm	11
November 22 - Sunday	2:00pm to 4:00pm	12
SESSION #5
December 4 - Friday	7:45pm to 9:45pm	13
December 5 - Saturday	4:00pm to 6:00pm	14
December 6 - Sunday	2:00pm to 4:00pm	15

Male Junior Academy Coaches:

DAN BECKER - The current Technical Director of Basketball Manitoba is a four-time alumnus of Team Canada, representing the Red & White in the FISU games and 2 Jones Cups. Dan is a former NCAA Division 1 basketball player and a 12-year professional player. Dan is an NCCP Level 4 Coach who won Gold with the 17U Manitoba Provincial Team in 2014 and has over 20 years of experience coaching in programs ranging from grassroots to university. He has been the Basketball Manitoba Technical Director and High-Performance Coach since 2010.  

STEPHEN TACKIE - The current head coach of the Sturgeon Heights Huskies varsity boys basketball program, Stephen is a 2-time Silver Medal winner at the 17U boys level with Team Manitoba at the 2012 National Championships and 2013 Canada Games.  Stephen is an NCCP Learning Facilitator, Evaluator, and a past Center For Performance (CP) coach.  Stephen has extensive experience coaching youth development programs throughout North America, including with the Point Guard College camp program and past year's Provincial Teams.  

SUKHVIR SINGH - Suk has been involved in basketball as a player and a coach for the past 30 years. Coach Singh played his high school basketball with the Kelvin Clippers and then went on to play for 5 years at the University of Winnipeg.  Sukhvir began his coaching career as an Assistant Coach with the Red River Rebels College program. After two seasons, he was promoted to the Head Coaching position. He led the Rebels to 7 straight MCAC Championships.  Coach Singh was an assistant coach with the University of Manitoba from 2015-2017, where he helped guide the program to back-to-back CanWest Final 4 appearances.  In 2015, Sukhvir Singh Co-Founded the Attack Basketball program, where he is the Head Coach and Program Director.  Suk has represented Manitoba as both a player and the head coach of the 17U Male Provincial Team.  

PATRICK MART - Patrick has been involved in basketball for over two decades as both a coach and a player. He is currently a teacher and coach at River Heights School.

As a coach, Patrick has contributed extensively to the basketball community. At Sturgeon Heights Collegiate, he served as the head coach of the junior varsity boys’ team and as an assistant coach for the varsity boys’ team. He has also been an assistant coach for the 17U Manitoba Provincial Team on multiple occasions. He has been the 15U Manitoba Provincial Team head coach for the past 2 summers.  He remains dedicated to fostering emerging talent in Manitoba and helping young athletes achieve their goals.

KEENAN BENARROCH  - Has been involved in basketball for nearly a decade, both as a player and a coach. He played for the University of Manitoba Bisons from 2014 to 2017.

Keenan served as an assistant coach for the University of Manitoba Men’s Basketball team during the 2017-2018 season. He then joined the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Women’s Basketball team as an Assistant Coach from 2019 to 2023. In the 2021-2022 season, Keenan played a key role in helping the team achieve a perfect 20-0 record, securing both the OUA and U SPORTS National Championships. In 2021, he was the Head Coach for the Downtown Toronto Centre for Performance and served as an Apprentice Coach with the Ontario 15U Provincial Girls team.

Currently, Keenan is pursuing a Bachelor of Education at the University of Manitoba while coaching the Churchill Junior High Boys team. He finished the summer as the 14U male head coach.

PAUL GRANT - Paul has over 15 years of coaching experience, primarily with the Junior Bisons program, where he has guided players from grade 5 through grade 12. His coaching journey includes leading the Junior Varsity Boys Basketball team at Grant Park High School during the 2022-2023 season and, more recently, taking on the Junior Varsity Boys Basketball Coach role at Sisler High School in 2024. Paul’s coaching philosophy centers on developing well-rounded athletes through skill development, teamwork, and character building. He has successfully mentored many athletes who have advanced to higher competitive levels and is recognized for his positive impact on youth sports. Passionate about mentoring young athletes, Paul is excited to contribute to the continued success of the Sisler High School JV Boys Basketball team.

PROGRAM FEE

Those selected for the program will pay a $350.00 program fee.  The program includes 14 sessions of on-court training from September through early December, a Canada Basketball Junior Academy gear package and player insurance.  This program is KidSport funding eligible, with details found HERE.

IDENTIFICATION CAMP REGISTRATION FORM

Can't see the below registration form?  CLICK HERE to view it in a new window.  

MAP TO SPORT MANITOBA COURTS - 145 PACIFIC AVENUE

QUESTIONS

• Questions about the program can be sent to Dan Becker at dan@basketballmanitoba.ca.
• Questions on the registration process or fees can go to Tiara Preece at tiara@basketballmanitoba.ca.