The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association is proud to announce its 2017-18 participants for the Female Apprentice Coach Program from the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA):
Fanshawe Falcons
Apprentice: Danielle Carriere
Mentor: Bill Carriere
After a successful four-year basketball career in the NCAA, Danielle Carriere is set to transition into coaching – alongside her entire family at Fanshawe College.
The Saginaw Valley State University graduate will be mentored by her father, Falcons head coach Bill Carriere. Danielle joins the Fanshawe coaching staff which also includes her mother Theresa (strength and conditioning coach) and sister Nicole (assistant).
“I am thrilled to have been selected as an apprentice and I’m even more excited to join my family,” said Danielle. “With my dad as my mentor, the transition to coaching should go quite smoothly.”
Nathan McFadden, Manager of Athletics at Fanshawe, is excited to add another Carriere to the Falcons fold.
“Danielle was a top player at Saginaw Valley and she brings a tremendous amount of character and high-level experience to our program,” he said.
Danielle is currently enrolled in Teacher’s College through Western University, where she volunteered with the varsity women’s basketball team throughout the 2016-17 season.
“This gave me a preview of the caliber of athlete I can work with through Fanshawe, the OCAA, and the CCAA,” said Danielle. “I am confident that I will enjoy coaching at this level to help refine the skills and minds of high-level players.”
Danielle, who captained the NCAA Division II Cardinals for three seasons, also has experience working as a camp counselor with younger players while at SVSU.
“Given my history, I feel as though I will be able to contribute in a variety of ways at Fanshawe,” she said. “I have experience at all positions on the floor and have been coached by a number of talented and intelligent individuals that have shared their knowledge and insight with me as far as skills and strategy are concerned.”
Danielle also believes she can encourage student-athletes to respect the culture and intangibles of the game through attitude, effort, and enthusiasm.
She will work closely with her father Bill, Fanshawe’s head coach from 1987-94 and 2013 to present. He was named the CCAA Coach of the Year in 1994 and has received OCAA Coach of the Year honours on four occasions.
“Bill is a highly regarded coach within the OCAA and Ontario Basketball Association,” said McFadden. “His coaching expertise is extremely comprehensive in all aspects of development, which will service his apprentice coach very well.”
While Danielle will bring high-level basketball skill and IQ to the Falcons Program, the FACP experience will be equally beneficial to the aspiring coach.
“My dad is one of the most knowledgeable coaches I have worked with and I am looking forward to learning to see the game through the lens of a coach from him,” she said.
Georgian Grizzlies
Apprentice: Katharyn Avery
Mentor: Bradley Graham
Former OCAA Women’s Volleyball All-Star and team captain Katharyn Avery is set to return to the Georgian Grizzlies as an apprentice coach.
After suiting up at Georgian for five seasons, she’ll now be mentored by her former head coach Bradley Graham.
“During her time with the Grizzlies, Katharyn developed into a great mentor and role model for all Georgian student-athletes,” said Michele McConney, Manager of Athletics at Georgian College.
With younger players looking to fill the starting setter position in 2017-18, Avery believes she can contribute by sharing her knowledge of in-game tactics from an experienced setter’s mindset. She’ll also look to assist with improving the student-athletes’ physical, mental and tactical skills during practice and high-pressure situations.
“Drawing from my own experience, I will be able to work directly one-on-one with players, which is something I always wanted more of as a player,” said Avery. “Being someone who has been through many different roles on a varsity team, from second setter to starting setter and team captain, I will be able to talk with and understand each player on the team and the frustrations and pressures they may have in their own roles on the team.”
As an apprentice coach with a background in psychology, Avery also believes she will be able to assist with mental focus, thus improving performance both on and off the court.
Avery has already experienced working with Graham, who is also a camp director through Olympia Sports Camps.
Graham is a certified Level 5 coach and an NCCP Learning Facilitator with more than 25 years of coaching experience in the OCAA. He also previously participated in the FACP program as a mentor for Kim Stovold in 2010-11.
“Brad understands the program and will be able to identify opportunities for Katharyn to work with the team in training and competition situations,” said McConney.
At this stage of his coaching career, Graham feels this opportunity is a good fit for both himself and his apprentice.
“I believe that my experience, level of coaching, and my continued dedication to coaching education, not only for myself, but for others is a good model for others to look up to,” said Graham.
Ultimately, the goal is to develop a strong female leader in the OCAA and CCAA.
“Our hope is that Katharyn will move into an assistant coach role with the team upon completion of the program,” said McConney.
Redeemer Royals
Apprentice: Charlene DeVries
Mentor: Brad Douwes
While Charlene DeVries’ collegiate playing career may be over, the former Redeemer University College student-athlete isn’t ready to give up on the game she loves.
Devries, who spent the last five seasons with the Royals Women’s Volleyball team, will be mentored by her former head coach Brad Douwes.
She will receive all the support needed at Redeemer as she transitions from player to coach.
“Our entire department staff is dedicated to welcoming Charlene and giving her every opportunity to experience all aspects of coaching at the collegiate level,” said Dave Mantel, Athletic Director at Redeemer.
Volleyball has been a huge part of DeVries’ life since elementary school. The sport has given her purpose and now, she wants to share her passion and give back.
“Looking back over the years, I can see how much that I have grown not only as a volleyball player but also as a human being and that is a result of great coaches and an amazing team,” said DeVries, who has some coaching experience – she recently helped coach a high school girls team.
This allowed her to see the sport from an entirely new perspective.
Now, she’ll get the opportunity to work alongside Douwes, the head coach of both the Women’s and Men’s Volleyball teams at Redeemer. Douwes coached DeVries the past three seasons.
“Over the past two years I have witnessed Charlene grow into a great young leader,” he said. “She has been a solid captain for our program and is someone current players have a great deal of respect for.”
Douwes has had the opportunity to attend several coaching clinics and courses over the last year and he has relished the chance to learn from other coaches. Now, he is eager to mentor an apprentice and help develop an up-and-coming coach.
“Challenging and growing with Charlene will be a positive experience for her and me both,” he said.
Douwes was recently hired as a technical director of the Ancaster Lions Volleyball Club and he also coached a high-performance team for the Ontario Volleyball Association in North Bay this summer.
With former CCAA All-Canadian Curtiss Straatsma already on his coaching staff, Douwes has seen first-hand the importance of having a female coach’s presence on a women’s team.
“I believe fully that this program is exactly what is needed to ensure that we are continuing to develop female coaches,” said Douwes. “I am very excited to have the opportunity to be a part of it.”
UTM Eagles
Apprentice: Ayah Abdeldayem
Mentor: Adam Hassen
Ayah Abdeldayem experienced the ups and downs of Cross-Country Running at the University of Toronto Mississauga for three years.
Now, the former Eagles runner will use those experiences to assist other student-athletes as she returns to UTM as an apprentice. Abdeldayem will be mentored by her former coach Adam Hassen.
“My experience on the UTM varsity team has been a rough but immensely enjoyable one,” said Abdeldayem, who battled injuries throughout her tenure with the Eagles. “I have gained a much greater appreciation for the sport of running and the skills and commitment to one’s self and to the team, necessary to become a successful athlete.”
Abdeldayem looks forward to instilling her passion for running in the younger generation of student-athletes. As a minority female, she will also look to foster diversity within sport.
“As a woman belonging to a minority, I feel that many minority groups are grossly underrepresented in the world of sport, particularly women,” she said.
Abdeldayem believes the Female Apprentice Coach Program will equip her with the skills and leadership qualities necessary to help encourage involvement of young women into the sport.
She’ll get to work closely with Hassen, who she’s already built a great rapport with at UTM.
During Abdeldayem’s final season last year, she assisted Hassen with the Eagles program while recovering from injury. She showed exceptional attention to detail and commitment to the team.
Because of this, her transition from runner to coach at UTM should be seamless.
“I’ve seen Ayah develop great rapport with student-athletes and her ability to work with all of them is tremendous,” said Hassen. “She understands the strict regimen of varsity sports and I’ve witnessed her tireless work ethic to strive for better results.”
At UTM, Abdeldayem was a recipient of the student leadership award for work she did as a female sport ambassador, promoting athletic opportunities to female students on campus.
“We encourage alumni to stay engaged with our programs and feel that Ayah has the leadership qualities and drive to become a great coach within our program,” said Dave Clancy, interim Athletic Director at UTM.
As for Hassen, he is a well-respected, hard-working head coach who has a great working relationship with his student-athletes and staff. Prior to taking the head coach role at UTM in 2014, Hassen competed for George Brown College, where he also gained experience as an assistant coach after graduation.
“Adam has shown great leadership with his ability to lead a new program from scratch,” said Clancy. “We feel that these leadership qualities, along with his technical coaching experience, will make him an ideal mentor coach.”
