The beginning of SFU’s men’s basketball season is still a month or so away, but the team is already busy getting all its puzzle pieces in place.
Head coach James Blake announced on Sept. 3 that Frank Konig and Matt McKay will join him and assistant coach Chris Cline on the team’s coaching staff for the upcoming season, which tips off in October.
Konig isn’t a stranger to the SFU West Gym sidelines, as he last coached with the Clan during the 2011-12 season, before taking a season off. This season, he’ll oversee the team’s scouting department, both game scouting and recruitment.
“We missed his competitive, hardworking attitude [last season], so we are pleased to have him back,” said Blake. “He has great connections in the high school and college scene in Canada and will help us with local recruiting in British Columbia and across Canada.”
Konig’s experience prior to his time at SFU will serve the team well, as he’s spent time coaching in Canada and playing in the NCAA’s Division II. He was an assistant coach at the University of the Fraser Valley from 2002-05, and helped lead that team to the National Championships every year. During his playing days, he spent a year at Div. II Glenville State College.
“I’m excited to return to SFU,” said Konig. “It’s exciting to get the opportunity to work with such a quality staff and I believe we have the right group of players here to be successful.”
Konig’s counterpart, Matt McKay, will join him in game preparation and recruitment duties, and will also focus on player development, as well as daily issues like practice. “Matt is a very respected coach that has worked at the high school and collegiate level. He has great recruiting connections in the province and he will help SFU land some top notch talent out of BC,” said Blake.
And, like Konig, McKay has experience coaching in British Columbia. McKay was the Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s women’s basketball coach in 2010-11 and previously served as the team’s assistant coach from 2006-08. This past season, he was the head coach of Delta Secondary’s high school squad.
“I’m excited to join Coach Blake’s staff and work under him at Simon Fraser,” said McKay. “Despite looking forward to a successful high school season, the opportunity to coach NCAA basketball, in Canada, and in a conference as strong as the [Great Northwest Athletic Conference] was too good to pass up.
“This is a great opportunity for me to work under a fantastic head coach and with a great coaching staff, which I know will help me both grow professionally as well as provide me with a competitive challenge unparalleled in
British Columbia,” continued McKay.
The team’s training camp begins in October, which will give the new coaches their first opportunity to work with their players. They’ll have their work cut out for them; the team opens its preseason with games against Div. I teams, the University Montana Grizzlies and the powerhouse Gonzaga Bulldogs. And though those games mean nothing in terms of standings, they’ll be critical for these coaches to see how their own puzzle pieces — the players — fit together.
