Chris King of the Lakeland Rustlers has been named the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year.
King was honoured during the 2022 CCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship, hosted by Vancouver Island University (VIU) in Nanaimo, BC.
“Chris has been a great mentor to the young women at Lakeland College, using basketball to prepare these student-athletes on how to win in life,” said Mai Nguyen, CCAA Women’s Basketball Convenor. “I look forward to watching Chris and his team compete this week at the CCAA Championship.”
King guided the Rustlers to the top of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) North Division standings with a perfect 16-0 record. Lakeland defeated NAIT in the Conference Championships final to earn its place at the CCAA Championship.
A strong core from the 2019-20 roster has returned this year along with many first-year players. That team from two years ago qualified for the CCAA Championships for the first time – a tournament that was eventually cancelled due to COVID-19. King’s players have worked hard to get back to the spot they were two years ago, which has required a lot of resolve, mentoring, passion and effort.
King is also heavily engaged with the holistic success of his student-athletes. His players are engaged in numerous community activities, including coaching club basketball, Rustler basketball camps and the CCAA/ACAC ‘Make Some Noise for Mental Health’ initiative.
In addition to his coaching duties at Lakeland, King is part owner of Golden Ticket Sports, which specializes in coaching and player development in the sport of basketball, predominantly in Saskatchewan. He also runs a basketball academy in Lloydminster, AB, working with both the Public and Catholic School divisions.
King has previously coached with the Saskatchewan and Alberta provincial and Canada Games youth teams. He coordinates Rustlers Youth Basketball club programming in the community as well.
King’s goal as a coach is to create tremendous student-athletes who will carry over their success in the classroom and on the court to their future professions, as they become leaders in their respective communities.
“Chris has worked extremely hard over the last number of years to not only build a team, but a women’s basketball program,” said Alan Rogan, Director of Recreation & Athletics at Lakeland College. “He is passionate about the sport and invests a significant amount of time into the program and all the student-athletes who are a part of it.”
Other nominees for the CCAA Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year award were Andrew Gini of the Okanagan Coyotes (Pacific Western Athletic Association), Christopher Rao of the Niagara Knights (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association), George Germanos of the Champlain Saint-Lambert Cavaliers (Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec) and Mark Forward of the MSVU Mystics (Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association).
The CCAA Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year recipient receive a customized ring provided by Jostens Canada, the Official Ring Supplier of the CCAA.
Media Contact:
Rodney Wilson / rodney@ccaa.ca
Manager, Communications & Events
