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UBC Reports | Vol. 51 | No. 6 | Jun. 2, 2005

“Father” Hanson Coaches On, and Off, Court

By Brenda Austin

Kevin Hanson, UBC head coach, men’s basketball, has a master’s degree in coaching science from the School of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Education. He uses his expertise in sports psychology to motivate athletes, plan game strategies and to promote individual development as well as team cohesion.

He was head coach for the Canadian Men’s National Development Basketball Team, which competes in the World University Games, when he first met Pasha Bains, who tried out for the team in 2003.

“It was a dream of his to become an elite basketball player,” Hanson says of Bains, who has helped lead the UBC Thunderbirds to several successful seasons. “Once he was at UBC, we had a natural connection as he became interested in taking a master’s degree in coaching science.”

For his part, Bains says Hanson is a mentor for many athletes.
“We call him Father Hanson,” he says, “and he’s taken me under his wing. We have long, long talks. I want to be a professional basketball player for a few years and my long-term goal is coaching.”

Bains and fellow UBC basketball player Chad Clifford run camps and youth programs in which they pass on some of the techniques in sports psychology they have learned from coach Hanson.

The camps are for Grade 3 to 12 students and form a tremendous network for training and recruiting players for university, according to Hanson. They also provide exceptional experience for Bains, who will continue course work for his master’s program in human kinetics next fall, with Hanson acting as an advisor for his thesis and his directed study.

Bains has also been a teaching assistant for Hanson as well as head instructor for some of Hanson’s UBC summer basketball camps.

University basketball coaches identify and recruit players on an ongoing basis provincially, nationally and internationally, says Hanson, trying to get the best athletes.

“The annual mentoring-recruiting day in May, hosted by the men’s basketball team, pulls all the efforts together to welcome and orient the new students to UBC,” says Hanson.

Men’s basketball at UBC benefits from external mentors, too. David McLean, a strong supporter of UBC basketball, hosts a golf tour in Whistler, which raises money for men’s basketball athletes and increases the number of scholarships available. All money raised through this event goes into the David McLean Men’s Basketball Scholarship Endowment fund.

David Nelson, a UBC academic and basketball alumnus, hosts a retreat for the men’s basketball team at his summer property in Roberts Creek which features an outdoor basketball court. The retreat allows players to meet alumni in a wide variety of professions and occupations.

“Playing basketball, the students learn a lot of life skills, too,” Hanson says, “working with different types of people, getting along with everyone and managing the psychology of the game.”

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Last reviewed 22-Sep-2006

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