Canadian Basketball Coaches on the Rise: Morrison, Derouin Recognized

It’s all about production on the hardwood.

Some of the same challenges that come along with being a player on the floor, can be applied to the leaders on the bench; the ones that strategize talking hoops at the dinner table with their wives or studying game film before they go to bed.

We at North Pole Hoops often recognize top-notch Canadian players, however we’d also like to recognize our coaches.

Specifically, Scott Morrison and James Derouin as they recently picked up notable acknowledgments and are some of the fastest rising names in Canada’s coaching ranks.

Morrison, former Lakehead Coach (CIS), spent time building the Thunderwolves program for a decade, along with national program duties (Canada Basketball) before transitioning into pro basketball.

As of this year, the PEI native started his new job with the Maine Redclaws, and was recently named as Head Coach at the NBA D-League All-Star game thanks to his services, guiding his team to an 18-7 record–first in the D-League’s Eastern Conference.

This is a major accomplishment, as Morrison will be a part of the NBA festivities on all-star weekend. Also of note, fellow Canadian and assistant Nathaniel Mitchell (Toronto, ON) is on the same staff.

Derouin was announced last night as the Ottawa Sports awards male coach of the year, and could be on his way to the CIS award by season’s end.

The Gee-Gees bench boss has his squad at the top of the mountain, holding the #1 spot in Canadian university basketball for the first time ever, and a 13-0 record.

This past summer, Derouin proved himself against NCAA competition, including a massive victory over the storied Indiana Hoosiers of the BIG 10 (109-101) along with wins over Vermont (73-66) and Illinois-Chicago (79-66).

Both Morrison and Derouin should not only be credited as exceptional coaches of the game, but also program builders–creating winning culture, engaging their communties and developing quality citizens.