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 Mike Clarke - Head Coach
In addition to Coach Clarke’s tenure at Laurentian, he has amassed a great deal of experience in elite-level women's basketball. Mike made the move to Northern Ontario after four highly successful seasons at Langara College in Vancouver. He guided the Lady Falcons to an overall record of 106-36 (.750), 1 Provincial Championship, 2 CCAA National Championship appearances and earned BCCAA Coach of the Year honors in 2000. Mike has also been very active in Elite Development Programs. He was the Assistant Coach of the BC U-19 Provincial Team that captured gold at the 2001 Canada Games, and in 2002 Head Coached the BC U-17 Team (Silver Medal 2002 National Juvenile Championships). In addition, Mike has coached at the Basketball Canada Centre for Performance in BC (2001-2002) and Ontario (2003, 2004). An NCCP Level III certified coach who is currently pursuing Level IV, Mike holds a Bachelor of Physical Education Degree from UBC. As a player, Mike was a five-year starter for the Thunderbirds where he scored over 2000pts and graduated as the school's fifth all-time leading scorer. He was a member of Canada's National Junior Team which placed 6th at the 1987 Junior World Championships. Mike currently resides in Sudbury with his wife, Janice, daughter Shannon and son Patrick.Assistant Coach: Caitlin Blackadder
Assistant Coach: Scott MacWhirter
Assistant Coach: Bill Gordon
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Mike Clarke enters his sixth season as the Laurentian Lady Vees Head
Coach with a veteran team and a great deal of optimism. After two years of
building experience and stockpiling strong recruits the Lady Vees are poised
to return to the CIS Top Ten and challenge for the OUA Championship.
Caitlin
Blackadder, who returns for a third year as a Lady Vees Assistant Coach has
been a familiar face around the Ben Avery Gymnasium for many years. Caitie,
who graduated from LU in 2005 with an honors degree in geology, was a five
year starter and captain of the Lady Vees. One of the most intense and
hardest working players in the OUA, Caitlin will be remembered by teammates,
opponents and fans for her tough defence and fearless drives to the basket.
As an assistant coach, she has a lot to offer to a new generation of “Blue
and Gold”. Coach Clarke is very excited to have her on staff "In all my
time in basketball as both a player and a coach, Caitie stands out as one of
the toughest and hardest working players I have been around. Basketball
aside, she is one of the most energetic people I have ever met. She has a
good understanding of the technical aspects of the game and helps us
greatly, particularly teaching the younger players what it takes to get the
most out of their talent." Caitlin lives in Sudbury and pursuing a career in
geology with CVRD INCO Limited.
Scott
Macwhirter returns for his second year on Lady Vees coaching staff. A fourth
year Concurrent Sport and Physical Health Education student, Scott helped
the women’s team as an Apprentice Coach last season. This year he has made
the jump to Assistant Coach. A native of Sundridge Ontario, Scott graduated
from Almaguin Highlands Secondary School in 2005. As a member of the
Highlanders he was two time athlete of the year and was basketball and
volleyball MVP. In four years of senior basketball Scott led the team to
three consecutive OFSAA appearances, highlighted by a fourth place finish in
2004. “Scott possesses an understanding of the game far beyond his years, a
great memory and an untouchable work ethic” according to Coach Clarke. “He
aspires to be a CIS Head Coach and I have no doubt he will one day achieve
his goal. I am very happy to have him as a member of our coaching staff”.
Scott will graduate from Laurentian as a certified Math and Phys-Ed teacher
in 2010. He has completed his NCCP Level II certification, and is currently
pursuing Level III.
The
Lady Vees basketball team is excited with the addition of Bill Gordon to the
coaching staff. Bill brings a diverse and extensive coaching resume to the
team. A Sudbury native, Bill began coaching at the Post-secondary level in
1994 when he served as Assistant Coach as the Cambrian College Men’s
basketball team. He then moved on to Brandon University, where he was the
Assistant Coach from 1994-1996 and was a member of the 1996 CIAU National
Champion Bobcats team. Bill returned to Sudbury and became the Head Coach of
the Cambrian College Men’s team from 1998-2001, leading the team to the
Provincial Championships in 1998 and 2000. After Cambrian College folded
their team in 2001, Bill joined the Laurentian Voyageurs Men’s coaching
staff from 2002-2005. Bill is currently a Social Studies teacher at Lasalle
Secondary School where he is the Senior Girls coach. According to Coach
Clarke, “I feel lucky to be able to have someone with Bill’s experience join
our team. He has a great eye for detail and is able to provide excellent
feedback both to me and the players. We are greatly improved with his
addition to the team.”