Home Headlines Targeted Athlete Program STARTS SUNDAY: Female Rural Targeted Athlete Program (TAP) and Tryout Details *NEW MODEL*

PUBLISHED ON September 19, 2024

Basketball Manitoba is pleased to announce the 2024 Rural Targeted Athlete Program (TAP) tryouts for female athletes ages 12-17 in Manitoba's West, East, and South regions.  This year's program will have some changes to the structure but still aims to provide females in Manitoba regions the opportunity to train at a high-performance level in the West, East, and South regions of Manitoba (see below Sport Manitoba defined map).  It will help identify female athletes within these regions and provide the skills and training to better develop them for future basketball opportunities at the club, school, Manitoba Games and Manitoba Provincial Team levels.



Each training group will comprise approximately 20 female athletes born in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.  Those selected for the female Rural TAP program will train 2 times per week from October to December.  The program fee will be $350.00 per athlete.  Costs include training costs, gym rental, player gear package, coach expenses and accident and liability insurance.  


PROGRAM SUMMARY: 
  • Who: Manitoba Females born in 2008-2013 (ages 12-17) 
    • *any interested athletes born in 2007, please contact the head coach of each region for information for that age group
      • East: email Coach Christy at tapeast@basketballmanitoba.ca 
      • South: email Coach Kelli at tapsouth@basketballmanitoba.ca 
      • West: email Coach Matt at tapwest@basketballmanitoba.ca 
  • What: Rural Targeted Athlete Program (TAP)
  • When: Fall 2024 (8-week sessions, 2 times per week)
    • *Coaches will give more information on potential spring sessions during the fall portion
  • Where: South (Sanford & surrounding areas), East (Stonewall/Selkirk and surrounding areas) and West (Brandon and Shilo) Regions (as defined by Sport Manitoba).  See the above map.
  • Why: To identify female athletes within these regions and provide the skills and training to better develop the athletes for future basketball opportunities at the club, school, Manitoba Games and Manitoba Provincial Team levels.
PROGRAM FEES:
  • A $35.00 tryout fee will be charged when you register online.  
  • Those selected for the program will pay a $350 program fee 
OPEN TRYOUTS:
Open tryouts for this fall's Female Rural TAP will occur with the following age groups.  
  • EAST REGION
  • SOUTH REGION
    • Location: Sanford Collegiate, Sanford, MB
      • Sunday, September 22, 1pm-2:45pm (ALL athletes)
      • (NEW) Wednesday, September, 25 5:45pm-7pm - Athletes born in 2010-2013 (grade 6-9)
      • (NEW) Wednesday, September 25, 7pm-8:15pm - Athletes born in 2007 to 2009 (grade 10-12) 
  • WEST REGION
REGIONAL DEFINITIONS:
Basketball Manitoba will follow the current regional boundary definitions set by Sport Manitoba.  The regional map details the different parts of Manitoba and the areas that fall into the East, South, and West regions.  An athlete trying out for the program must reside in the region they are trying out.  What school the athlete attends is not a factor.  If an athlete lives at more than one residence in two different regions, the region where they live most of the time will be used.  



EAST



SOUTH


WEST


IMPORTANT TRYOUT NOTES: 
  • Players are to pre-register using the below form and complete payment within 24 hours. 
  • Players are to bring their own basketball to be used during the tryouts.  Personal basketballs should be marked with the player's name on them to aid in identifying the equipment.  
  • Each player will receive a Basketball Manitoba t-shirt at the tryouts
MEET THE COACHES:
The TAP program is led by a group of excellent coaches who help develop young talent in the program.  The head coaches for the female TAP program are: 
  • TAP East - Head Coach Christy Steeves
  • TAP South- Head Coach Kelli Sinnock
  • TAP West - Head Coach Matt McLeod
CHRISTY STEEVES - TAP EAST HEAD COACH
Coach Christy Steeves has been a coach and teacher at Stonewall Collegiate for 20 years.  She has coached the junior and varsity girls' programs, mainly concentrating her efforts on the Varsity girls'.  She coached varsity and junior boys at the high school level early in her career.  Christy graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Education degree.  This summer, she was a co-head coach to the East female Manitoba Games team.

In 2009, she was inducted into the Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame for being a member of the Warren Wildcats basketball team.  She has level 1 and 2 NCCP Basketball certifications and is currently working on her Train to Compete Basketball Certification.  She has coached teams that have been finalists at Provincial Championships and a few that finished in the top 4.  Christy has coached basketball and track at the Legion Athletic camps and offered up camps for athletes in the Interlake.  In 2018 she was selected as the Girls AAA Coach of the Year at the Basketball Manitoba Awards.

Christy enjoys participating in coaching clinics and is constantly trying to improve her coaching
repertoire.  As she is always looking to help find a way for kids to develop their basketball skills, she is looking forward to being the TAP East head coach.

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KELLI SINNOCK - TAP SOUTH HEAD COACH
Coach Kelli Sinnock brings over 20 years of coaching experience to the TAP South Program.  She has coached in the Jr. High and High School system, Jr. Bisons, the 15U Provincial Team girls program from 2007 to 2009 and the Legion Athletic Camps.  She is a physical Education Teacher and the Varsity Girls' Basketball coach at Sanford Collegiate and has been with the Sabres since 2006.  This past summer, she was an assistant coach to the 17u female provincial team.
She is an active member of the basketball community and Zone IV athletics.  She has led the Sabres to multiple AAA Zone Championships and  AAA Provincial appearances, including Provincial Finalists in 2009, Bronze Medalists in 2010, and other notable performances throughout the year. 

Through many years of competition, Coach Sinnock recognizes this region's abundant talent.  She is dedicated to giving the athletes of this region the opportunities to grow and learn and maximize their potential as basketball players and athletes. 

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MATT McLEOD - TAP WEST HEAD COACH
Coach Matt McLeod brings a variety of coaching experiences to the West region.  He has been involved in various levels of the game of basketball for over 17 years.  He has coached at the club and high school levels and was selected as the head coach of the girl's basketball team at the 2024 Manitoba Summer Games.  The West  Team finished with a silver medal at the Manitoba Games.  He is an assistant coach to the Brandon University Women's Basketball Team. 

Matt has been a firefighter/paramedic with the City of Brandon since 2008 and has coached at Crocus Plains and, for the last seven seasons, the varsity girls' program at Neelin High School. He was part of the coaching staff that led the Neelin varsity girls' team in 2018 to an undefeated AAA season that ended in a provincial championship.  

Matt also received the Jim Bulloch Coaching Award in 2021, presented to him by Basketball Manitoba.   
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QUESTIONS:
Questions on the program, registration and payments can go to Tiara Licsi at tiara@basketballmanitoba.ca

REGISTRATION:
Can't see the below form?  CLICK HERE to view it in a new window.








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