Canada Basketball Announces Coaching Staff for 2007

[By Ryan McNeill] - Toronto Raptors play-by-play announcer Leo Rautins will start his third year as the Head Coach of the Senior Men. Rautins coached the program at the FIBA Americas World Championship Qualifier in 2005 and a European exhibition tour in 2006 and will be joined on the bench by Dave Smart (head coach of Carlteon University), Michael Malone (assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers) and Wayne Yearwood (head coach at Dawson College Blues and let them to a CCAA National Championship this season).

While the additions of Malone and Smart were great choices, the move that really caught my attention was that of Malone as his father, Brandon, was the coach for the Toronto Raptors during the 1995-96 season. Michael is considered to be one of the top assistant coaches in the NBA and his addition to the national program should pay big dividends.

The head coach for the Development Men's National Team will be Chris O'Rourke (head coach for the University of Guelph and his assistants will be Darrell Glenn (head coach of Humber College) and Dave DeAveiro (head coach at the University of Ottawa).

Greg Francis will head the coaching staff for he Junior Men's National Team will be run by former national team member Greg Francis as they compete for a medal at the 2007 FIBA U19 World Championship. Francis was part of the 2006 Junior Men team which qualified for the U19 FIBA WC for the first time in the Canada Basketball's history. His assistants will be Craig Beaucamp (head coach at the University of Victoria) and Roy Rana (head coach of Eastern Commerce High School) and both assistants were part of last season's coaching staff.