Today on the Basketball Manitoba Podcast, we have Jon Giesbrecht, a coach who’s built a career around player development, the mental game, and helping athletes play free.

He started coaching at 15 when he stepped in to coach his younger brother’s team, and he hasn’t stopped since then.

He’s coached many of those same players to a JV provincial championship and an undefeated Grade 12 season at John Taylor Collegiate, where he was the co-coach of the program, with many players going on to play university basketball.

He has coached at the provincial team level, winning a gold medal as an assistant with the U17 boys team. He’s also worked with Canada Basketball as a video coordinator for the Canadian Junior Men’s National Team.

He’s coached at the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba, including two seasons as a full-time assistant coach with the University of Regina women’s program.

He moved on from the college level and went on to coach prep in Italy as the director of mental performance.

The last two seasons, he was with the Vancouver Bandits as Director of Mental Skills & Performance.

He also runs a private practice called “Play Free”, where he teaches athletes how to handle pressure, regulate emotions, and perform when it matters.

Today on the Basketball Manitoba Podcast, we have Vic Pruden.

Vic Pruden’s influence on basketball in Manitoba spans more than seven decades. He began coaching in 1957, winning a provincial championship, and went on to build championship programs at the high school, university, provincial, and national levels. He was instrumental in establishing both the men’s and women’s intercollegiate basketball programs at the University of Winnipeg, guiding the women’s team to multiple conference titles and national finalist appearances, while also contributing to the development of Canada’s national junior program.

Beyond the wins, Vic helped shape the foundation of the game in Manitoba. He founded major events such as the Fort Garry Invitational and the Golden Boy Invitational (now known as the Wesmen Classic), launched influential summer camps, served as the first president of the Manitoba Basketball Coaches Association, and authored A Conceptual Approach to Basketball. His impact has been recognized with induction into both the Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

In recognition of his lifelong commitment to the game and his understanding of the financial challenges student-athletes face, the Vic Pruden Basketball Bursary Fund has been established to support two graduating players each year as they continue their academic and athletic journeys.

Today on the Basketball Manitoba Podcast, we have Kerri Kuzbyt.

Kerri is the Head of Player Development for the Scottish Basketball Federation and a Clinician for the Transforming Basketball program, which focuses on coach education in modern approaches to basketball.

She is known globally for her evidence-based approach to skill acquisition and her work in reshaping female basketball culture through long-term development and effective learning environments.

A former number one-ranked female player in Manitoba out of Sisler High School, Kerri played five seasons with the University of Winnipeg Wesmen. She earned Female Rookie of the Year honours, served as a three-year co-captain, won a Canada West regular-season title, and graduated as an Academic All-Canadian with degrees in Kinesiology and Psychology through the Department of Education

Kerri also played professionally in Australia, Spain, and Germany, winning a league title in the 2nd Bundesliga, before transitioning into player development. She has since led female development at Atlas Basketball and Unbounded Athletes, and continues to give back through Provincial Team, club, and grassroots programs.

Today on the basketball Manitoba Podcast, we have Chiranjit (Chit) Goswami.

He began coaching basketball at Acadia Junior High in 1995 and went on to coach regional and district teams in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Over the years, he’s coached at multiple Manitoba schools, leaving his mark at each stop. His coaching journey has included:

• Acadia Junior High

• Collège Béliveau (JV and Varsity Boys)

• JH Bruns Collegiate (JV Girls)

• Fort Richmond Collegiate (JV Girls), where he helped lead the team to a 2010 Provincial Championship and took home coach of the year honours

• Miles Macdonell Collegiate (Varsity Boys)

Since 2007, he has been a cornerstone of the Winnipeg Wolves Basketball Club and currently serves as the club’s Director of Operations. His Wolves Boys teams have won five Club Provincial Championships, and he has helped develop athletes who have gone on to play at the next level.

From 2010 to 2011, he served as Head Coach of the Manitoba 14U Boys Provincial Team, leading them to a silver medal at the Western Canada Summer Games. He served as Assistant Coach of the Manitoba 16U Boys team that won silver at the 2015 Western Canada Summer Games

He is an assistant coach with the Varsity Boys team at Dakota Collegiate and is a member of the Basketball Manitoba Board of Directors and currently chairs the Provincial Team Selection Committee.

Today on the Basketball Manitoba Podcast, we have Megan Noonan.

She is a graduate of Fort Richmond Collegiate and played four summers with the Manitoba Provincial Team. She was ranked in the Top 10 and was named an All-Manitoban in her grade 12 year.

She went on to have a five-year career with the University of Winnipeg Wesmen, where she was a three-time co-captain and a two-time Canada West All-Star, winning a Bronze Medal at the Canada West Final Four. She still ranks among the all-time leaders in three-pointers made in Canada West history.

She returned to Fort Richmond as head coach of the varsity girls' team, leading them to a divisional championship and earning MHSAA Coach of the Year honours in 2020.

She has coached at multiple levels, including head coach of the 17U Female Provincial Team in 2018, TAP South program, U15 Evolve Girls Program and the Mini Ballers grassroots program.

She is currently an assistant coach with the University of Winnipeg Wesmen, mentor coach for the 15U girls provincial team and serves as the Director of Operations for the Winnipeg Sea Bears.

Today on the Basketball Manitoba Podcast, we have Norm Froemel.

He is a graduate of J.H. Bruns Collegiate. He played 2 years on the Manitoba Provincial Teams, winning two Bronze Medals.

He went on to play at the University of Winnipeg for 5 years. There, he was a 3-time GPAC All-Star and a 1-time All-Canadian, averaging 23 points per game in his final season, and is the all-time leading rebounder in Wesmen history.

He represented Canada on numerous occasions at the national level in Argentina, Malaysia, Taiwan, and the United States, winning a silver medal at the World Student Games in Buffalo, New York, in 1993.

He also had a very successful professional career in Germany, where he played for seven years in the Bundesliga Division 1.

After retiring, he returned to Winnipeg to give back as a coach and mentor. He returned to his alma mater, J.H. Bruns, as a teacher and coach. He has also coached with the Manitoba Provincial Team for two years.

He is a member of the Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2013.

He is currently coaching grade 8 girls at Samuel Burland School and is a WMBA Board member.

Today, on the Basketball Manitoba Podcast, we have Kelli Sinnock.

She is a Graduate of Fort Richmond Collegiate and has been coaching basketball for over 20 years. Coaching Basketball camps, community, club, Junior high, high school, and provincial team levels.

She’s been the Varsity Girls' Basketball Coach at Sanford Collegiate since 2008 and is deeply involved in developing grassroots basketball in rural Manitoba.

Throughout her coaching career, Kelli has been involved with a wide range of programs, such as the Jr. Bisons, junior high teams, Legion Athletic Camps, and the Manitoba Provincial Team.

She founded the Mini and Junior Sabres Programs, as well as playing a key role in the creation of the TAP South. She was named the Basketball Manitoba AAA Coach of the Year and Grey Cup Legacy Female High School Coach of the Year for 2024.

Currently serving as an assistant coach with the Manitoba Provincial Team 17U Female program, preparing to represent the province at the 2025 Canada Games in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Today on the Basketball Manitoba Podcast, we have Marlin Kraus.

He has been involved in basketball since 1991. He is a graduate of Sisler High School, where he made it to the final four in his grade 11 year, and in his grade 12 year, he was ranked the number two player in the province. He played 3 years on the Manitoba Provincial Team program.

He then went on to play at the University of Winnipeg Wesmen for two years. After graduating, he moved into coaching.

He has coached at the Community, High school, Club, and provincial team levels, working with the Jr Bisons, Niverville, and Sturgeon Heights Collegiate, as well as the U15 and U17 Boys Provincial Team programs.

He also served on the executive board of the Jr Bisons Basketball club and was a co-developer of the JRB Elite Program.

He is the founder, current head coach, and president of the Legacy Preparatory Basketball Academy program. He is a current member of the Basketball Manitoba Board of Directors.