Brent Mutis, CapU Sport Information & Compliance Officer
The Capilano University Department of Athletics and Recreation is pleased to announce a new head coach of the Blues men’s basketball team.
Alex Van Samang has taken over the role of Blues bench boss, filling the spot opened when previous head coach Cassidy Kannemeyer moved on to an assistant job at the University of the Fraser Valley.
This is the second PACWEST head coaching job for Van Samang as he guided the Quest University Kermodes program from 2016 to 2018. Van Samang earned a PACWEST championship at Douglas College in 2020 and spent the past two years serving as an assistant coach for the Royals working alongside Joe Enevoldson.
“I'm excited for the opportunity to work with a talented returning team and I'm looking forward to success both on and off the court,” said Van Samang. “As a lifelong North Vancouver resident and coach, I'm hoping to work with our great coaches, players, fans, and families, to continue building a great community of basketball.”
Van Samang, 39, will have Cam MacGillivary as his lead assistant coach while Ivan Yaco goes into his fourth year as a Blues assistant. Andy Wong and Taylor Williams round out the staff.
The Blues welcome back eight players from the last season of competition in 2019-20 including double-digit scorers Martin Bogajev, CJ Campbell, Mike Kelly, Marko Cosic and Sam Bailey.
The PACWEST conference plans to return to a competitive schedule in 2021-22 but has not released a schedule yet and will continue to follow sport and travel guidelines from the province.
