Image credit: CFJC Today/Anthony Corea

By Marty Hastings

CANADA WEST

WolfPack women’s basketball team pressing forward after mid-season coaching change

Jan 10, 2025 | 1:00 PM

KAMLOOPS — Priyanca Sundher did not envision a coaching carousel when she joined the TRU WolfPack in time for the 2021-2022 campaign.

Interim head coach Scott Clark is her fourth TRU bench boss.

“It’s been hard to adjust every single coaching change that we’ve had, but I feel like when it comes to moving forward and the future, maybe take into consideration how athletes may feel and maybe include us a little bit more in the recruiting process for coaches,” Sundher said about hopes for program stability in the future.

“Usually, when you go to a university, you’re expecting to kind of have that relationship with one coach and build that over the four years, but I wouldn’t change the experience, I don’t think. I’ve had the opportunity to get to know a lot of amazing coaches that have been in my life to this day.”

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WolfPack athletics director Curtis Atkinson said he is listening to athletes following the departure of head coach Todd Warnick, whose personal leave from the program spurred the introduction of Clark.

Since 2018, the WolfPack have had three full time coaches – Scott Reeves, Goran Nogic and Todd Warnick – and two interim bench bosses – Ken Olynyk and Clark – and have posted a record of 16-96.

“I understand it’s disruptive and some of them [women’s players] have been through this before and I don’t feel good about that,” Atkinson said. “But, as a department, you look across the board, we’ve had pretty good stability and consistency with our programs. This is one we have to spend some time on and look at why this is happening.”

The WolfPack feel lucky to have Clark, who coached the men’s team for 13 years and led it to a national championship berth in 2016.

“The girls have been really welcoming of me,” said Clark, former Canada West men’s basketball coach of the year. “I appreciate that. They’ve been open to being coached and maybe coached hard, at times, so I appreciate that. As far as the morale and things like that, I’m not in the locker room. You would have to talk to them more than myself.”

Sundher said the team plans to make the most of the remainder of the campaign and morale is OK despite an 0-10 record.

“Once the coaching change happened, it was a rough period, but we kind of got to the floor and we kept running,” Sundher said. “Scott’s been amazing as a step-up coach in Todd’s position and he’s taught us so much in the short period of time we’ve had with him. He knows a lot about the sport and we’re just eager to learn from him.”

Clark said challenges include building on Warnick’s strategy and implementing some of his own, while establishing standards and expectations.

“There are certain things I’ve put in that would be slightly different, but it’s basketball,” Clark said. “It’s not like we’re splitting the atom.

“Coaching is about relationships. While being manager of high performance sport, I tried to have a relationship with each of the athletes from all the sports. It’s not as deep as the relationship you have with someone you’re seeing on a daily basis, that you’re travelling with. That relationship piece is probably something that’s been sped up over a couple of weeks.”

The WolfPack’s first regular season test under Clark is daunting, a matchup against the nationally ranked UBC Thunderbirds (8-1) on Friday in Vancouver.