Golden Hawks name Justin Serresse new men's basketball head coach

WATERLOO, Ont. (May 5, 2016) - The Wilfrid Laurier Department of Athletics and Recreation is proud to announce the appointment of Justin Serresse as the new Manager of Men's Basketball Operations and Head Coach of the Golden Hawks following a national search to fill the position.

Serresse, 29, who has served as the lead assistant coach with the Ottawa Gee-Gees for the past five seasons, was successfully selected out of a pool of over 50 applicants to become the 10th head coach in the 53-year history of the Golden Hawks men's basketball program.

"I am very excited about joining the Golden Hawks family and taking on this new challenge," said Serresse on his appointment. "Peter Campbell is a legendary coach who has done so much for the school and the men's basketball program over the last 16 years. It's truly an honor and privilege to take over the program from him and build upon his legacy."

"I really can't thank [Ottawa head coach] James Derouin and the University of Ottawa enough for everything they did for me," added Serresse. "I learned so much over the last six years under James and he gave me the tools necessary to build a very competitive basketball program. James took me under his wing and pushed me every day to become a better coach."

"We are tremendously excited to announce the hiring of Justin as the next Manager of Men's Basketball Operations and Head Coach for Laurier men's basketball," stated Peter Baxter, the Director of Athletics and Recreation. "In a highly competitive national coaching search, Justin demonstrated to the search committee he was a competitor and had the makings of being a top coach in Canadian Interuniversity Sport."

An NCCP Level III certified coach and a graduate of both Laurentian University and the University of Ottawa, Serresse comes to Laurier having helped build the Gee-Gees into a national-championship contender during his five years working with head coach James Drouin. Responsible for preparing Ottawa's offensive strategy, Serresse has mentored a group that finished inside the Top 5 in the country in points per game in each of the last three years, including first overall in both 2013-14 and 2014-15.

"As a coach who comes from one of the top programs in the country year-in and year-out, Justin will bring with him the experience of recruiting some of the top players in Canada, along with an advanced knowledge of strategic game-planning," added Baxter. "On top of that, he is young and possess an energy level that will help us reach our goal of being one of the top teams in the nation."

During his time in Ottawa, where he helped the Gee-Gees capture three CIS medals and four OUA medals, including winning the Wilson Cup in 2013-14, Serresse oversaw the team's Player Development Program. In this role, he helped contribute to Ottawa student-athletes earning 11 OUA All-Stars, five CIS All-Canadians, two CIS Players of the Year, and one CIS Rookie of the Year. He also assisted five players in moving on to play professionally overseas after graduation and three players to earn positions on Canadian FISU teams.

"My goal with Laurier is to build a similar program which has enjoyed the same level of success as the Gee-Gees have," said Serresse. "If we can instill a strong culture and a winning formal, there is no reason we can't be one of the top teams in the conference and the country."

Originally from Rouen, France, Serresse also has a number of coaching experiences outside of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) basketball. Since 2013 he has served as the head coach of the Next Level U19 and U14 teams with the Kanata Youth Basketball Association, where he has helped three players make the Ontario provincial team and one player move on to the Cadet national team. Within the past year, he has also worked as an assistant coach for Team Ontario's U15 team and served as the Junior Academy High Performance Coach with Canada Basketball, where he helped identify the best U13 and U14 players in Ontario.

Prior to getting into the coaching ranks, Serresse played two years in the OUA with the Laurentian Voyageurs between 2008 and 2010. Before coming to Canada, he played with Spo Rouen Espoir Pro B and Pro A in France from 2004 to 2006.

Source: Laurier Golden Hawks