A total of 13 first-year aspiring female coaches will participate in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association’s (CCAA) Female Apprentice Coach Program (FACP) during the 2023-24 season.
The FACP, which is funded in part by Sport Canada, is designed to identify and support female graduating student-athletes who demonstrate the desire and skills for coaching by providing them opportunities to share in the coaching experience in the CCAA.
In CCAA Basketball, three female apprentice coaches will be featured this season.
At Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU), Maia Timmons will be mentored by Mark Forward with the Mystics in the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA).
Timmons played five seasons of varsity basketball in U Sports – four at Ottawa University before wrapping up her career at Dalhousie University.
She has also already begun to build an impressive coaching resume.
In 2019, Timmons took on the head coaching role with the U12 Girls Ontario Summer Development program in Ottawa.
“This first experience in a head coaching role helped me gain confidence in my ability to teach, inspire and connect with my players,” she said.
Timmons was an assistant coach with the Windsor Edge in the Maritime Women’s Basketball Association (MWBA) during her last season in U Sports. She also assisted Forward in the spring with the MWBA’s Halifax Hornets.
And, this past summer, Timmons assisted with Basketball Nova Scotia’s U16 girls’ team.
“These experiences have allowed me to learn from different coaches at different levels and I have seen notable growth in my ability to teach skills and convey concepts,” she said.
This season, Timmons believes her experience will allow her to support individual player development, scouting and game preparation as well as video analysis at MSVU.
“I also believe as a young female coach, I am an asset to support young female athletes navigate through this chapter of their lives,” she said.
Timmons will work closely with Forward, who is entering his 15th season with the Mystics. He has had the pleasure of knowing his apprentice coach for several years.
“Maia brings a combination of fun and expertise to the gym and classroom at all times,” said Forward. “She will be a great mentor to our players – she has the enthusiasm, maturity and drive to be a wonderful coach and she will be a coach players will want to play for.”
Timmons is an outstanding person who has the skill set, the life experience and passion to learn, according to June Lumsden, former Director of Athletics & Recreation at MSVU.
“Maia’s aspiration to be a coach and her love for the game of basketball and people is evident in her life choices and community work,” said Lumsden. “She has the intellect, compassion, enthusiasm and maturity to be a wonderful coach.”
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The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) enriches the academic experiences of student-athletes by providing leadership, programs and services that foster development through high-level competitive opportunities in intercollegiate sport.
Media Contact:
Rodney Wilson / rodney@ccaa.ca
Manager, Communications & Events
