Rick Suffield Inks Deal with World’s Largest Basketball Clinic Operator

(Winnipeg, MB) Basketball Manitoba today announced that a local basketball coach, Rick Suffield of Winnipeg, has reached an agreement with the world’s best & largest clinic operator – NIKE Championship Basketball Clinics.  The recently retired men’s basketball coach at the University of Manitoba has just published his first basketball book entitled “Coaching Defensive Basketball: Becoming the Best”.

The NIKE Championship Clinics annually host the largest collection of basketball coach’s clinic throughout North America.  The clinics attract over 11,000+ attendees coming to see the ‘who’s who’ of the basketball coaching world including Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, North Carolina’s Roy Williams, Memphis’ John Calipari among others.  This marks the first time a Canadian coach’s publication has been included in the resource materials provided to the coaches at the clinic series.  At all of the 2010 NIKE Championship clinics, the book will be distributed as a promotional item to all 11,000+ clinic attendees through out the US. 

Rick Suffield commented, "I am honoured to have my book ‘Coaching Defensive Basketball: Becoming the Best’ be endorsed by Ed Janka, the Director of Nike Championship Basketball Clinics (the best basketball clinic organization in the world). It will be the Nike promotional book/manual for 2010 which will see every coach that attends a Nike Championship Basketball Clinic receive a copy and this involves nearly 12,000 coaches."

 

In a partnership with Basketball Manitoba, the book is currently available for sale on line at www.becomingthebest.ca.  Half of all proceeds of the online sales will be kept in Manitoba to further develop the sport province wide.  A nine-page preview is also available to view from the book’s website. 

Basketball Manitoba Executive Director stated, “We are proud to partner with Coach Suffield with this new basketball publication.  It’s exciting to have a local coach reach this level of exposure through the NIKE Clinic system!  These proceeds will help us grow the game of basketball to even more people in Manitoba!”

The first US clinic is in Myrtle Beach, North Carolina and Coach Suffield will be at the Las Vegas Clinic May 8-10 to promote the book and attend the clinic.  More information on the clinic series can be found at www.basketballcoach.com.

Rick Suffield is the former head coach of the University of Manitoba Men’s Basketball program.  He is still a Senior Instructor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management at the University of Manitoba.  He coached the university team for 21 years and has over 400 wins as well as a 148-44 win/loss record at the high school level.  Coach Suffield has a D.P.E. from McGill University, a B.A. from Concordia University, a B.Ed from the University of Manitoba and an M.Ed from Lakehead University.  He is a mentor coach fully certified at NCCP Level 4 as well as a former National University Coach of the Year award winner. 



Basketball Manitoba is a registered not-for-profit organization and is the Provincial Sport Governing Body for basketball in the province of Manitoba. Managed by a Board of 10 Directors elected by its members, the Board is tasked with ensuring that all Manitobans have access to the programs run by the association and that the game of basketball is enjoyed by as many people possible.

Order the book online at www.becomingthebest.ca

 

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For further information, please contact:



Adam Wedlake

Basketball Manitoba – Executive Director