Knights land a River Lion
A whirlwind of activity landed Niagara River Lion Kimbal Mackenzie into the role of head coach of the Niagara College women’s basketball program.
“It happened fast. The job for Chris Rao at Cape Breton came about really fast and he told me that he had put my name forth as someone who would be good to take over,” the 27-year-old Oakville native said. “Within a couple of days, I was meeting with Michele (O’Keefe), the athletic director, and then boom it happened within a couple of days. I am happy it happened that way.”
The basketball junkie had obvious interest in the position.
“It has always been my most ideal job and something that I think I would be a natural at on a daily basis,” the former Bucknell scholarship player said. “It is just the challenge of location because it can take you all over the place and you would be moving your family a lot. To be local in Niagara is pretty special.”
Mackenzie, his wife and two children have made Niagara their home and reside in Grimsby.
“It is 30 minutes from home and it feels good to set down some roots.”
The River Lions point guard’s nomadic roots have taken him to the United States for three years of high school ball, four years of collegiate ball at Bucknell and five seasons of pro basketball overseas, including two years in Spain and three seasons in Great Britain.
He is glad to finally be home.
“It is awesome. All my family and friends that I grew up with are here and I have support here. To be going into a fall and winter in Canada feels really surreal but the priority is my family,” Mackenzie. “To be doing what I love in terms of coaching a basketball team close to home is very special.”
He is hoping to resume his pro career in the summer with the Niagara River Lions but admits it was not an easy decision to end his overseas pro escapades.
“It is a big-time shift, especially because I am at a point in my career where I think my game is still really sharp and my body feels good. But this was an opportunity that I didn’t want to pass up.”
His coaching style will obviously evolve but he is hoping to be a players’ coach.
“That term gets thrown around a lot but I want to be a coach that puts the players first and does my very best to put them in positions to succeed. I want to be a coach who players feel comfortable with coming to me about anything,” he said. “That’s first and foremost and secondly just passion: passion for the game; and, passion for winning and doing things the right way.”
He has already met the team, had a couple of days overseeing some pickup and likes what he has witnessed.
“They’re experienced, talented and athletic. Aside from that, I think they have built a really good culture there. It is a group of women who really care about the program and want to win. It has been really good to see and have some conversations.”
He can’t wait to get down to some hardcourt business.
“I’m excited about winning games and hopefully winning some trophies. That is always the ultimate goal and the first thing on my mind as a player and now as a coach. We have to do what we have to do to try and win.”
O’Keefe is excited to have Mackenzie in the role as head coach.
“This young coach brings his excellent playing pedigree to our women’s team along with his very high basketball IQ. He will have to quickly learn the landscape of OCAA (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association) women’s basketball and we are confident Kimbal is ready for the challenge.”
