The Quest Kermodes will have new faces on the sidelines this fall, as the university has to replace not one but two head coaches for the coming season.
Men鈥檚 basketball coach Sean Shook will be moving on to join the SFU Clan as the lead assistant coach. As well, this leaves Quest without an athletic director for the meantime, as Shook had doubled in the role.
鈥淲e are extremely proud to add Sean to our coaching staff,鈥� SFU head coach Steve Hanson said in a news release. 鈥淪ean is a quality individual and coach. His values align with how we want to re-build the men鈥檚 basketball program.鈥�
At the same time, women鈥檚 soccer coach Craig Smith will be moving on to join the UBC Okanagan Heat as interim head coach. He will replace Claire Peterson, who is on extended leave.
鈥淲e are very pleased to have a coach of this calibre guide the program,鈥� director of athletics and recreation Rob Johnson said in a news release.
Quest has removed the names of both coaches from its online contact list but has not made any announcements about replacements. The 麻豆社国产 contacted the coaches for comment but had not heard back by press time.
In the news release, Shook said he was pleased to be helping to re-establish the program at SFU, which is the only Canadian university to play in the NCAA in the U.S.
鈥淚 am humbled by the opportunity Steve has given me,鈥� he said.
Both Shook and Smith are coming off successful seasons.
Shook, who has coached the team since its inception, led the Kermodes to a strong second-place finish during the regular PacWest season, setting a school-record 19 wins and finishing the season fifth-ranked nationally for the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association.
The team did not quite match up to expectations come tournament time, as the Kermodes were upset in the semi-finals, losing out on the chance to face VIU, the only team that had beaten them during the regular season, in the finals.
Still, Quest rebounded and pulled out a come-from-behind win in the third-place game.
Smith spent two seasons as head coach of the women鈥檚 soccer program at Quest, running a high-offence team that scored 27 goals in 15 games last year, which earned the team a national ranking and Smith the Conference Coach of the Year award.
He has also been a part of two national women鈥檚 programs, working with New Zealand during its 2011 Cyprus Cup appearance and with Canada in the lead-up to its 2012 Olympic bronze medal performance.
"I am really excited to get started as I believe there is huge potential within this program,鈥� Smith said after accepting the position. 鈥淚 would also like to thank everybody at Quest University and most of all the coaching staff and players who have given me incredible memories.鈥�
Overall, Quest teams have been on the rise in recent years, as Shook noted during the university鈥檚 annual athletic awards night. Quest teams, he said, had won three bronze medals during the year and racked up more wins than ever.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the most we鈥檝e had in the eight years I鈥檝e been here,鈥� he said at the time.
