Veteran X-Men basketball head coach Steve Konchalski is off to New Zealand for two weeks as part of a coaching advisory council for the Canadian Junior Men’s team who are participating in the U19 World Championship in Auckland.

Coach Konchalski, who was appointed last winter to the Canada Basketball Council of Excellence joins the team in an advisory capacity to the coaching staff. The head coach of the junior men’s squad Greg Francis and assistant coach Peter Guarasci both played for Coach K on the men’s national team when he was involved with the team for 20 years in both head  and assistant coaching capacities. Dave DeAveiro is also an assistant coach with the team. Coach K will be called upon for veteran leadership and coaching expertise, having been involved in the sport at an elite level for the better part of the last 35 years.

He recently completed his 34th season behind the helm of the StFX X-Men and currently leads all active CIS coaches in overall career wins (regular season, playoffs and non-conference) with 727. He is on pace to surpass the all-time career-win leader Jerry Hemmings (734) early in the 2009-10 season. 

Coach K also has international coaching experience, having lead the Canadian men’s national team from 1995-98 and served 16 years as an assistant coach prior to that, including the 1976, 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games.

He recently spent some time at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON at the junior national teams’ training camp in preparation for their upcoming World Championship. He was also involved with the prospects camp for the national men’s team under head coach Leo Rautins at the Air Canada Center in Toronto.

A three-time national CIS champion, and 2001 CIS Coach of the Year, Coach K will return to the X-Men in the fall entering his 35th season as head coach.