All Members of the Basketball Manitoba Board of Directors are responsible for upholding its mandate and the statements appearing in the Association's Bylaws and Policies. Each member holds one vote when present at an official meeting of the Board of Directors, except for the President, who only votes in the case of a tie. Members of the Board attend monthly meetings (traditionally the last Monday of the month), assist the Association with fundraising and special events, and maintain the portfolio specific to their duties assigned.Basketball Manitoba's current Board Members are...
President - Sara GillisSara (Conlin) Gillis has been immersed in basketball for over 40 years. Her basketball roots began in Brandon, where she played Earl Oxford Junior High School basketball, then high school basketball at Crocus Plains, followed by 5 years with the Brandon University Bobcats. Sara also played 4 seasons on the Manitoba Provincial Team, including the 1985 Canada Games silver medal team.
Throughout her 29-year teaching career as a physical educator, Sara coached high school girls’ basketball, finishing her high school coaching career with back-to-back MHSAA AAA Basketball Championship titles (2015 & 2016) with the R. D. Parker Collegiate Varsity Girls program. Twenty-six of her 29 years of teaching were spent at R.D. Parker Collegiate in Thompson, where Sara also coached several regional and club teams, officiated basketball, ran basketball clinics, camps and club leagues for children and youth, organized basketball tournaments and events, as well as mentored officials and coaches; helping to grow basketball in Thompson and northern Manitoba.
Since retiring from teaching in 2016, Sara has been a basketball volunteer in the 2016 Canada Basketball Men’s National Championships and the 2017 Canada Games, has joined the Targeted Athlete Program coaching staff, coached junior high basketball in her local rural community, officiated basketball and has been a player participating in the Winnipeg Women’s basketball league and in several international “Masters” and “Seniors” basketball competitions.
Vice President - Mike WeekesMike has been involved in basketball in Manitoba for over 30 years. As a former member of the University of Manitoba Bisons for 5 years (from 1993-1998), Mike has also had several community basketball experiences as a coach, educator, and convenor. Mike has coached at the middle years and senior years level for over twenty years, where he has coached in several provincial championships. He was named middle years coach of the year in 2004 and was a JHBC Provincial Champion at the grade 9 boys level in 2006. Mike, who is currently a school administrator in Pembina Trails School Division, has had the privilege of working with many provincial teams and university-level athletes. Mike has taken on many different leadership roles within his school division and he has a vested interest in the future of basketball in Manitoba.
James Dark has been active in basketball for the past 15 years. He currently serves as Vice-President and Tournament Director for the Jr. Bison Boys Basketball Club. As the proud father of two sons, he has coached and managed their teams as they progressed from the early days in the WMBA through Club basketball to High School basketball. James is a Chartered Professional Accountant.
Varinder has been involved in basketball since the early 2000s, from playing varsity basketball at Sisler High School (graduating in 2004) and WMBA out of Tyndall Park Community Centre. Since then, he has played in the Winnipeg Basketball League, ISL, and Peg City League. Since 2011, he's been involved in coaching as an assistant coach at Sisler High School for their varsity boys team, including multiple trips to the AAAA Final Four, one AAAA final appearance, and multiple tournament wins, including the Wesmen Classic, Luther Invitational and WIT.
Starting in 2020, he spent one year coaching the Grade 9 team at Sisler High School during the COVID-shortened season and hopes to continue that next year. In addition to that, he helped coach the Winnipeg Storm Chinese community team for one season and helped coach the Refresh Basketball men's open elite team for their travelling tournaments.
Carter Chen has been involved in basketball in Manitoba for over 25 years, as a player at Grant Park High School and his team Supafly in the Winnipeg Basketball League (3-time champs). Carter has worked with Kidsport Winnipeg, helping organize Blue Bombers Football Camp, Mark Scheifele Hockey Camp, and Golf Tournaments.
In 2017, the Manitoba Government nominated Carter for a position on the Board of Directors for Sport Manitoba (serving two terms). Carter was involved with the 2017 Canada Summer Games and the opening of Sport For Life Centre and was a member of the Sport Manitoba Audit Committee. He is passionate about social media and works as a Business Banker with RBC.
Director - Chiranjit GoswamiChiranjit Goswami has been coaching basketball since 1995. He first gained experience at Acadia Junior High before becoming involved with regional and WMBA district teams. He continued coaching at College Beliveau (JV and Varsity Boys) and JH Bruns (JV Girls) while attaining his NCCP Coaching Certification. In 2007, Chiranjit began his involvement with the Winnipeg Wolves Basketball Club and currently serves as the club's Director of Operations. Over the past decade, his Wolves Boys teams have captured five Club Provincial Championships.
While Head Coach of the Manitoba 14U Boys Provincial program between 2010 & 2011, Coach Goswami guided the 2011 Manitoba 14U Boys team to a Silver Medal at the Western Canada Summer Games in Kamloops. In 2015, Chiranjit was the Assistant Coach on the Manitoba 16U Boys Provincial team that won another WCSG Silver Medal. While the Assistant Coach for the Varsity Boys team at Miles Macdonell Collegiate, Chiranjit also helped organize the 2014 & 2015 Next-Level Hoops All-Star Showcase. Coach Goswami currently coaches the Winnipeg Wolves Varsity Boys program and is an assistant coach for the Varsity Boys team at Dakota Collegiate.
Stacy Hawash has been very involved in basketball throughout her life. She played basketball during her school years and for five years with the University of Manitoba Bisons. Since 1996, Stacy has coached at various levels, including high school, junior high, the Centre for Performance, and the Manitoba Provincial Team.
She has also been a basketball official since 2000, working at the junior high, high school, club, adult leagues, and Usport levels. Stacy has also previously served as the President of the Manitoba Association of Basketball Officials.
In addition, she has volunteered by keeping statistics at the Pan Am Games, for the Winnipeg Thunder, and at the National Championships. She also volunteers on the Basketball Manitoba Awards committee.
Currently, Stacy teaches at Vincent Massey Collegiate in Winnipeg.
Director - Marlin Kraus
Marlin Kraus has been involved in basketball since 1991 as both a player and coach. He played high school basketball in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and competed on the Manitoba Provincial Team before playing at the University of Winnipeg. After his playing career, Marlin transitioned to leadership and business, where he held senior management roles for over 25 years, applying leadership principles to his coaching philosophy.
When his children began playing youth basketball, Marlin became deeply involved in the basketball community, aiming to provide a positive environment for young athletes. He focused on enhancing coaching, programming, leadership, and governance, coaching various levels from community leagues to high school teams, earning multiple championships and honors. As Head Coach of the U17 Men’s Provincial Program, he improved Manitoba's standings significantly.
Marlin also served on the Executive board of the Jr. Bison Basketball club, co-developing the successful JRB Elite Program. He coached the 2002 Jr. Bison boys' team, achieving undefeated records in Canada and the US. His coaching success has helped many players advance to higher levels of basketball, including the OSBA, MCAC, ACAC, and USport.
He is currently the President and Head Coach of the Legacy Prepatory Basketball Academy program.
Director - Kirby Schepp
Kirby Schepp has been an active basketball coach since 1993 and is currently the Head Coach of Men's Basketball at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. He was Manitoba's Canada Games Male Coach in 2009 and has served as the Head Coach of Canada Basketball’s CP Prairie Region Boy's Program from 2005 to 2009 (he has been involved since 2001). He is one of Basketball Manitoba's most active NCCP Course Conductors (Levels 1-3).
He is also very involved in developing the NCCP model at the national level and is one of Manitoba's few Master Learning Facilitators. He held the position of Manitoba's High-Performance Provincial Coach from 2007 to 2009. His past experience with basketball coaching includes serving as President of the MBCA, university assistant coach, and university athlete at the University of Winnipeg.
Kirby was also named the AAAA Boys Coach of the Year and the Coaching Manitoba School System Coach of the Year in 2007. For over a decade, Kirby has been involved with the Canadian National Team at various levels, both the head and assistant coaching levels. In 2024, he was named the Canada West Coach of the Year.
Director - Michele Sung
Michele Sung (Hynes) is the current Head Coach of the Bison women's basketball program. She completed her five-year university playing career with the Manitoba Bisons in 2010. From 2005-10, Sung was a leader on and off the court as she was a team captain for three consecutive years (2007-08 to ’09-10). Michele was selected as the 2009-10 CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) Sylvia Sweeney Award winner – presented to a player who exhibits outstanding achievement in basketball, academics and community involvement.
Hynes was awarded the 2009 Jim Bulloch Coaching Award, the 2011-12 Grey Cup Legacy Award, and a 2012 Women to Watch grant. At the 2013 Canada Games, Hynes joined Randy Kusano, Don Thompson, and Coleen Dufresne as the Apprentice Coach for the Manitoba 17U Provincial Team, bringing home a Bronze Medal.
In 2024, she was named the head coach of the Canadian National Wheelchair Women's basketball team and competed in the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.