Men’s Basketball
Athletes of the Week: Calgary’s Diawara, Dalhousie’s Jordan honoured
Throughout the 2017-18 season, U SPORTS sits down with one key athlete, coach, and staff member of each U SPORTS athletic program in our new interview series “Getting to know…”
Name: Todd Jordan
School: UNBC
Sport: Men’s basketball
Position: Head coach
Seniority: Eight years
Previous school/position: Head coach, Women’s basketball at Quest University
Hometown: Prince George, B.C.
1. How did you first get involved in coaching? What was your path to your position as head coach of UNBC?
Since my playing days I knew I wanted to get into coaching at some level once I finished university. After completing my Commerce degree at UNBC, I completed my Education degree with the idea that I would become a high school teacher as well as a high school basketball coach. After finishing my playing career, I volunteered my time as an assistant coach at UNBC as well as coaching the senior boys’ basketball team at Duchess Park Secondary. I eventually took the women’s basketball head coach role at Quest University for one year before the job opened up at UNBC which I was fortunate enough to obtain.
2. Who are the people that have influenced you most as a coach?
I am regularly reading and attending clinics and trying to learn from different coaches and leaders in various professions. I have cherry picked ideas from too many people to count but there are definitely a couple of men who have had a big influence on my coaching style. I had the opportunity to mentor under Ken Shields for a few years after I initially took the position at UNBC and without a doubt, I have been heavily influenced by Ken’s vast knowledge of the game. I also had the opportunity to be an assistant coach under Mike Raimbault, the current Winnipeg coach, when he was at UNBC. Mike and I were both young coaches when we worked together, but Mike’s strengths at the time were what I would consider areas of weakness for myself. The year working with Mike allowed me to grow as a coach without a doubt.
3. How would you describe your coaching style?
I try to set high standards for the guys without acting like a dictator. I want the player-coach relationship with each of my guys to be heavily grounded on strong communication. It takes a lot of extra effort and time, but I think if you have good relationships with your players off the court and they know you care about them, that it makes it easier to develop the trust within the team and push them individually. It also helps to have those relationships as a foundation to fall back on when you go through rough patches as a team.
4. Which coach do you admire the most, and why?
Ken Shields and Dave Smart would probably be the two most relevant examples as they have both set the bar for excellence at the U SPORTS level in men’s basketball. I know Ken personally but have not had the chance to get to know Coach Smart. From what I understand of both men, they are both extremely knowledgeable, detail-focused, and unwavering in their expectations of their players. These are all areas I am striving to be excellent in in my own way.
5. What is the most “out-of-the-box” thing you’ve done as a coach?
Probably clip scenes from popular movies into our film sessions to make a point or break up the routine of the season. We have also played around with meditation as a recovery technique and sport psychology tool to help train, focus and managing emotions.
6. What is your greatest coaching moment or achievement?
There are three achievements which stand out for various reasons at different levels of competition:
- Co-coaching the AA B.C. Boys’ Provincial Champion Duchess Park team in 2006
- Wining the PacWest Men’s Basketball Championship at the CCAA level as UNBC’s coach in 2012
- Making our first Canada West playoff appearance in 2015
7. What’s the best advice you can give to an athlete and/or athlete’s parents?
Concentrate on the processes required for success and on improving them every day. Results often take time and there are no guarantees. I think if you focus on the process it helps keep you level and makes it a lot easier to deal with failure and the ups and downs that come with competitive athletics. It also prepares you for success after sports.
8. How have you changed as a coach over time. What principles/values, etc. have remained the same?
I think as you go through your career you become more and more confident as you see different situations multiple times. I have definitely become a better communicator with my players over my career and have been able to improve the processes I use to develop the type of team culture we want to have with our team at UNBC.
I have always believed that being a part of a basketball team should be about having a support network that goes beyond just basketball for each of the individuals on your team. I have tried to grow our team culture with this in mind and this is something that has remained the same over time
9. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not in coaching mode?
Shooting 115 at the local golf course. Golf really tests my belief in being process focused. Maybe once my coaching career ends, I will have the required time to get good enough to break 100.
10. What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you as a coach?
I sang “The 12 Days of Christmas” once in a promotional Christmas video we did when I was at Quest University. Luckily, I’m pretty sure all the video footage has since been destroyed.