Niagara boys basketball unites

Once the world returns to some degree of normalcy, a new high-performance boys basketball program will launch in Niagara.

Organized by Brock University men’s basketball head coach Willy Manigat and Niagara College men’s head coach Phil Mosley, the program’s name, Niagara Basketball United, is also its mission statement.

“It speaks to what we are trying to do,” Manigat said. “We are trying to unite all of the region, get everyone involved, go out and compete against the best programs in Ontario and make a name for this region.”

Manigat, a former assistant coach at Carleton, has been thinking about the concept ever since he took the Brock job in the summer of 2019.

“I came to Niagara not only for Brock University, but I thought Niagara was a place where you could develop more talent than currently is being developed and I wanted to be a part of that.”

He found a receptive audience for his vision.

“Phil and everybody has been on board,” he said. “People are understanding that together we can accomplish more.

“It is great to have everyone’s buy-in. We are going to continue to build on that and more importantly build better basketball players and help kids who want to play basketball at the highest levels, get to their goals and their dreams.”

Mosley and Manigat started talking early on and quickly realized a combined program was the best approach.

“I think it was important having both of us fully on board together,” Mosley said. “We created and presented an united front in term of direction. One way or another, we both have connections to some of the major stakeholders that are out in the region doing great things. The two of us coming together helped all of them come together and bring it all under one program for elite development.”

Mosley and Manigat have been talking to Niagara coaches for the past year about the concept and gathering their support.

“Partnering with Brock and putting it under the umbrella of the two post-secondary institutions and basketball programs will have a major impact,” Mosley said. “The coming together of the two major men’s basketball teams helped with direction and presented a very unbiased approach to developing players and helping them reach their potential.

“The ultimate goal is to produce more players who can get to the next level, whether it’s USPORTS, OCAA (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association) or even the NCAA.”

Manigat has seen a similar program work in Ottawa.

“Having an outsider perspective has helped and having someone who has worked in a community where this type of model has now created NBA players and Division 1 players, national champions both at the college and university level, has also helped,” Manigat said.

He is referring to the Ottawa Elite program that brought all of Ottawa’s clubs together with the help of the Carleton men’s program.

“The goal of our organization is to work with all the coaches and players in the area. It won’t interfere in any way, shape or form with any other clubs in the area,” Manigat said.

Among the local coaches who are already on board with the program are Pat Sullivan, Mike Hurley, Tarry Upshaw and Brian Bleich.

“We are also looking for new people and coaches who want to be a part of it and are open to work alongside myself, Phil and everyone else who is going to be a part of this,” Manigat said.

It’s a project whose time has come.

“It seemed to be a really good fit and timing is always crucial,” Mosley said. “For things like this, sometimes things just open up if the right people get on board.”

Both Manigat and Mostly stress the program is for all of Niagara.

“Everyone can try and out and it doesn’t matter what club you are from or where you live in Niagara,” Manigat said. “From there, we will pick the best players, form a team and provide programming, competitive scheduling, skill development and access to some of, if not all, the best coaches in the region.”

The program will run all year long with different age groups, starting in Grade 5 all the way up to Grade 12.

“Obviously different age groups have different seasons and we don’t want to get in the way of high school and prep basketball,” Manigat said.

The United season for the older players will start at the end of March once the high school and prep seasons are over and then run all through the summer. For the younger age groups, the program will run from September until March.

The plan is to have practices two or three times a week and have the teams play in the best tournaments in Canada and the United States.

“It will be all-encompassing and everything will be included in what we provide,” Manigat said.

Training will be based out of Niagara College and Brock University.

“We want to get the best players playing together in order for them to get better and the other clubs will carry on,” Manigat said. “The beauty of it is the other clubs will only lose one or two players but their programs will continue on and it will allow the Niagara community to develop more high-end talent that can move on to the next level.”

The number of players selected for each team will be based on the available talent.

“We are not going to pigeonhole ourselves to a number where we are scaring people off,” Manigat said. “It will be a program that allows the players to have the best opportunity to develop and work alongside each other.”

Mosley sees the program as a win-win-win for Niagara College, Brock University and the local basketball community.

“One of the mandates for us is to build on the great things that have been going on in Niagara, but also provide even more opportunities for kids to move to the next level,” he said. “It will certainly benefit both programs and it is also a chance for our players to have an opportunity to give back in the community and maybe develop as coaches.

“There are just so many plusses in a program like this if everybody comes together. That is what we are really excited about.”

Mosley has been pleasantly surprised with the reception the idea had received.

“It sounds like something people in the region really want in terms of boys basketball,” he said. “The girls have done a good job of it and we’re trying to build boys basketball as well.”

Tryouts will commence when it is safe to do and Mosley can’t wait to get started.

“It’s an opportunity, under one program, to develop skills, develop players and watch young players move on to the next level and reach their full potential,” he said. “It is exciting to have so many good people on board because the strength of this program will be the great coaching that already exists in Niagara. Bringing everyone together and building on that is what is probably most exciting.”