The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) is proud to announce its 2020-21 participants in the annual Female Apprentice Coach Program (FACP) for the sport of Basketball:
Medicine Hat Rattlers, ACAC
Apprentice: Morgan Muir
Mentor: Clayton Nielsen
After five seasons with the Women’s Basketball program at Medicine Hat College, Morgan Muir is ready to transition from a student-athlete to a female apprentice coach with the Rattlers.
Muir will be mentored this season by her former head coach Clayton Nielsen in the CCAA’s FACP.
“As I approached the end of my collegiate career, I began considering other ways that I could stay involved in the game,” said Muir, who captained the Rattlers in her final season. “This led me to consider coaching my team and passing on the knowledge and experience that I have gained, to younger players coming through the program.”
Muir believes it is critical to develop strong female coaches as there are far too few of them at the top levels of sport in Canada. She notes that at the most recent ACAC Women’s Basketball Championships, only one of the eight head coaches was female.
“There needs to be more female voices and role models at this level, and I want to be a part of that,” said Muir.
In order to do so, she is keen on developing and building her coaching resume. This involves learning from experienced and successful coaches, while continuing to study the game of basketball.
“Morgan’s desire is to become a full-time basketball coach in the future and her participation in the CCAA Female Apprentice Coach Program will assist her in achieving her goal,” said Terry Ballard, Sport & Wellness Manager at Medicine Hat College. “Morgan is a role model for younger female basketball players in the community, acting as a coach and mentor herself, and with her continued development as a coach, would be in a position to continue that role.”
Muir will be given every opportunity possible to succeed and have a great experience with an athletic department that provides great support to its student-athletes and coaches. The Rattlers instill excellence in their student-athletes and take great pride in the work they put in on the court, in the classroom and in the community.
Muir, who is working toward completing her Education Degree, has twice been recognized as a CCAA Academic All-Canadian and a CCAA National Scholar Award recipient.
She’ll work closely with Nielsen, who has coached at the high school, post-secondary and provincial levels over the past 15 years. He has coached in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) for five seasons.
Nielsen is excited to have Muir remain with the Rattlers program and believes she will be a huge addition to the team. For her part, Muir is excited to work with the team’s point guards and share her knowledge and experience to help them grow and develop.
“There are many good, young female basketball players here in Medicine Hat and I feel Morgan will be a role model for them,” said Nielsen. “I am confident that I will be able to help her in her journey to improve as a coach and provide her with tools that will be beneficial for her to run her own program one day.”
The 2020-21 season is like none other in CCAA history and even though CCAA Championships have been cancelled, coach education and training – which is key to the CCAA’s FACP – is being further supplemented via the FACP Leadership Development Program. This Leadership Program is developed by former CCAA student-athlete and current CCAA Head Coach and Doctoral student Danielle Cyr, who will be facilitating the mentorship process.
Media Contact:
Rodney Wilson / rodney@ccaa.ca
Manager, Communications & Events
