Assistants give Bobcats edge

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This article was published 29/12/2022 (629 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG — It’s not your typical Christmas holiday getaway.

Brett Nohr and Derek Barnett are waking up in a hotel, sure, but instead of spending their time away from their classrooms on a beach, they’re making the ice-cold walk to the Duckworth Centre in downtown Winnipeg to help the Brandon University Bobcats at the Wesmen Classic.

Along with O’Neil Gordon, the BU men’s basketball assistant coaches are high on head coach Gil Cheung’s list of reasons the team is 7-3 in Canada West action this season.

“They have a love for basketball, a wealth of knowledge but they’re also three great guys in our community. That’s a big thing, especially when you bring student-athletes in from all across the world,” Cheung said. “You want good role models they can learn from especially off the basketball court.

“Our guys don’t get paid anything, a couple of tracksuits here and there. They give up at least two hours out of every day, they give up their weekends. We have two teachers and they’re giving up their holidays grinding it out for a few (exhibition) games.”

Nohr has been with the team since 2015. The Vincent Massey physical education teacher played for Brandon from 1993 to 1995 and assisted coach Jerry Hemmings to a national title the following season.

Cheung values the Nanaimo, B.C., native as a coach with a different perspective on the game, given the era he played. He’s also a calming presence to balance out a fiery, animated bench boss.

During the season, Nohr spends hundreds of hours away from time as a husband, father and grandfather but sees a ton of meaning in his work with BU.

For one, it helps him coach Massey’s varsity boys’ basketball team in terms of learning systems to apply.

“It’s a friendship with coach (Cheung) and friendship with the assistant coaches as well,” Nohr said. “You get to know the players and understand what they’re going through. Me being in a high school setting, I get to see the progression of the players to university. I see what it means to the guys and I just like being involved.”

Gordon lived in the gym as a Bobcat from 2001 to 2005. The six-foot-three guard from Toronto averaged 11.7 points, four assists and nearly three steals per game during his career and played professionally afterwards.

He still lives in the gym.

“He’s the same age as I am but shoot, he could play 40 minutes right now,” Cheung said.

Gordon’s either training himself or any Bobcat who wants to put in extra hours outside of practice time. This year, that’s a busy schedule with a squad as hungry as ever to get better.

He watches for anything the guys struggle with during games and plans individual sessions around improving those weaknesses.

“This is a way to give back, give my passion back to these guys and give my knowledge. Hopefully, they can learn and don’t have to go through the things I went through,” Gordon said.

“When you’re an athlete, especially a student-athlete, you learn from experience … a lot of these things the guys are going through, I’ve already seen and gone through. If I can lend an ear or even calm down their minds to let them play better, that’s really what I’m here for.”

Gordon said the biggest lesson for him was to have patience and understand improvement is gradual and only comes with time and effort.

He quickly cites Sultan Bhatti as a prime example. The second-year forward came back to the Wheat City a few weeks before the rest of the team. He works with Gordon three days a week.

“I have put him through the wringer. … he’s taken it with a smile on his face and he’s gotten better and you can see the result as it is today,” Gordon said after Bhatti hit 75 per cent of his three-pointers in a 32-point night to win 73-68 over Laval on Wednesday.

“Games are won during practice.”

Gordon and Nohr aren’t just teaching players. Barnett joined the staff last season after moving to Brandon from Thompson. The Winnipegger graduated from Glenlawn Collegiate in 2008 after playing for former Manitoba Bison guard and interim coach Manoj Nowrang. Barnett quickly got into coaching at 18 with the Junior Bisons and Winnipeg Wolves programs before moving to Thompson for three years.

He wanted to develop as a coach when he moved to Brandon and reached out to Cheung.

“I was coaching up drills, getting in drills and I guess I passed the test,” Barnett chuckled.

“With a smaller town like Brandon, it’s awesome … being part of the community with the team, teaching as well and being with the Bobcats, seeing some of the kids come out to games.

“With that small town, it’s such a big part of the community and that’s what excites me is being part of a community that can give back in so many ways.”

Barnett brings attention to detail for analytics and stats and is always ready to jump in for a drill.

“He’s eager, he’s definitely come out of his shell too, trying to get more comfortable,” Cheung said.

“He likes being around us, we like having him around and he’s always in there giving honest feedback to the guys.”

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