Olds College's women's basketball coach is bringing a distinctly professional experience to the program.
Before joining Olds College, Patrick Havard was most recently assistant coach of the Moncton Miracles, a professional team playing in the National Basketball League of Canada. The NBL was founded in 2011 operating in smaller markets in Ontario and the Maritimes. Havard describes the quality of basketball as being just one notch beneath the NBA's Developmental League.
Havard was first recruited as Miracles coach by league commissioner David Magley, an Indiana Basketball Hall of Famer who played for the legendary NBA coach Phil Jackson in the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association.
A number of Havard's former players have been invited to NBA training camps, he says.
All of that experience has made him a more discerning coach.
"Certainly it's taught me to watch the game at a much faster pace than the college level," he says. "Obviously learning from people with expansive basketball knowledge, watching how some of the great players are able to do things, learn about their training habits. It's all helped me to prepare, no question."
Havard's resume also includes head coach of the men's team at Crandall University in Moncton, N.B. With women, he's been an assistant at Acadia University, coached high school girls, Team PEI and ran a girls club program.
In his first opportunity to head a women's program, he didn't get a lot of time to recruit. Havard was announced as successor to longtime coach Reg Carrick in July. He says he was scrambling a bit to assemble the team, flying to the U.S. twice to find players.
Much of the roster is new and they started the season 0-3. However, Havard is optimistic they will gel with time.
"I have a lot of confidence in the talent and the ability of this group. But I think it's going to take some time for everybody to learn their new roles," he says.
One of the bright spots this year for the Broncos has been fourth-year guard Brianna Scott, who at the time of writing has been averaging 28.6 points per game as of Nov. 24.
"She's done great. She's come in with a good attitude, she's been open minded to a new team. She's worked on her outside shooting, she's become a great three point shooter," Havard says.
As of Nov. 24, Scott also had a gaudy 53.6 field goal percentage.
"I think a lot of times in the past, she's been more of a driver. Now she has a global game offensively. She certainly has been a nice piece for us but a lot of girls have contributed to her success too."
"I have a lot of confidence in the talent and the ability of this group. But I think it's going to take some time for everybody to learn their new roles."PATRICK HAVARD OLDS COLLEGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH
