StFX basketball welcomes Tyrell Vernon to coaching staff

ANTIGONISH, NS – StFX Director of Athletics & Recreation Leo MacPherson is pleased to announce that Tyrell Vernon will be joining both the X-Men and X-Women basketball programs as an associate coach.

Coach Vernon will join the coaching staff on April 1^st and will assist X-Women head coach Lee Anna Osei for the upcoming 2019-20 season, along with assisting X-Men head coach Steve Konchalski for both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. At the completion of the 2020-21 season, Vernon will succeed Coach Konchalski as the head coach of the X-Men basketball program, pending his retirement.

"We are thrilled to have Tyrell join our talented team of coaches and athletics staff," comments MacPherson. "We are looking forward to having him assist both our X-Men and X-Women basketball programs before taking the reins as head coach of X-Men Basketball in 2021." 

"I have no doubt he will build and maintain championship level programs that succeed on the court, in the classroom, and in our community. Tyrell knows that coaching is about relationships and I am fully confident in his ability to inspire and develop student-athletes to reach their full potential."

Likewise, Coach Konchalski is looking forward to having Vernon join the program, noting "I am extremely excited to have Tyrell join our X-Men basketball staff. As a player he was a great floor general and leader. I have watched his development as a young coach over the last few years and look forward to mentoring him as he transitions to the U SPORTS level, preparing him to take over the reins two years from now."

"As we build toward hosting the national championship at the Halifax ScotiaBank Centre in 2021, I am totally confident that 'TV' will continue the tradition of excellence that has been established over many years. This is an exciting new beginning to our X-Men basketball program!"

X-Women basketball head coach Lee Anna Osei worked alongside Coach Vernon at The RISE Centre (TRC Academy), for just over a year and comments, "I am excited to welcome Tyrell Vernon to the StFX coaching staff and to be coaching with him once again. Tyrell's overall understanding of the game both as a former player, and experience coaching athletes at each level will play a vital role in the rebuilding of our program. I am happy to welcome TV back to the StFX family."

Coach Vernon played with the X-Men for two seasons in 2011-12 and 2012-13, having been a key part of the squad that won a U SPORTS bronze medal in 2012. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, having previously played at McMaster University. He went on to play with the Mississauga Power of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL) and was also the 2013 North of the Border Basketball League (NBBL) most valuable player and champion with Team 905. The NBBL features elite semi-pro and post-secondary basketball players from Southern Ontario.

In the Nike Crown League in Toronto, an annual five-week pro-am basketball tournament that brings together some of Canada's top collegiate, and pro talent, Vernon was a 2016 champion as a player/coach with Team ACE. He also was head coach of Team TopSzn, the finalists at the 2017 OVO Bounce tournament, another elite pro-am basketball tournament in Toronto.

Vernon has been the head coach of the boys basketball team at The RISE Centre (TRC Academy), a prep school in Brantford, Ont. since 2016, enjoying many successes. Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA) finalists in 2017, Vernon then led the team to back-to-back OSBA championships in 2018 and 2019. He was also recently named the 2019 OSBA Coach of the Year. Vernon also lends his coaching talents to the Nike Bounce Team in the Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) as the U17 head coach.

He is very much looking forward to the coaching appointment, commenting "I am beyond excited and thankful to be joining the StFX family once again. This job is an amazing opportunity and I look forward to working alongside my former coach and mentor Coach Konchalski as well as Coach Osei."

"StFX University and this basketball program changed my life and I look forward to assisting future generations of X-Men and X-Women to become the best possible student-athletes and people they can be," he continues. "The X culture has already been established as elite and first class. I would just like to follow in the footsteps of those who came before me and do everything in my power to bring StFX Basketball back to the top of the country."

Coach Vernon will begin his associate coaching position with the StFX basketball programs on April 1^st.

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