MBB | Swords Pursues Pro Opportunity, Serresse Named Interim Coach
Laurentian men's basketball coach, Shawn Swords, has taken a leave of absence this season to pursue a fantastic opportunity as an assistant coach with Long Island Nets, the G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets. This follows a summer that saw Swords serve as a guest coach for Brooklyn in the NBA's Summer League, helping to guide the team to a 3-2 record.
Having the Summer League experience turn into something more was an opportunity that Swords could not let slip by. "This summer, working with Brooklyn, was amazing; truly a great organization that exudes positivity throughout. Fortunately, they offered me a position this year that was too hard to turn down. Sudbury and Laurentian University has been a great place for me and my family over the years. I never thought I would try to coach at a different organization but such is life."
For Laurentian Athletic Director, Peter Hellstrom, it was an offer that couldn't be passed up. "This is an amazing opportunity for Shawn, to be offered the chance to work at one of the highest levels of basketball in the world, with the players and staff at this level, is a dream come true. Shawn has worked extremely hard as our coach developing his coaching skills over the years and deserves this shot at the NBA G League! We wish him the best of luck this year as I know he will show very well!"
Stepping in to lead the Voyageurs program on an interim basis will be former Voyageurs player and assistant coach, Georges Serresse. After graduating from Laurentian in 2013, Serresse played professionally in France for four years before returning home and suiting up for the Sudbury Five for the last three seasons. Serresse also joined his alma mater when he returned home, serving as an assistant coach with the men's and women's programs for the past three seasons.
With Serresse filling the role for the season, Hellstrom is confident it will be a smooth transition, commenting, "We are excited to have Georges step up and fill in for Shawn this season. Having an alumnus like Georges honing his coaching skills within our program allows this transition to be seamless."
Serresse relishes the opportunity, knowing that the foundation for success has been well established under Swords. "For the past 15 years the name Shawn Swords has been synonymous with Laurentian Basketball. As a coach he passed on his knowledge so that his players could be the best version of themselves in order to make gains on and off of the court. As a husband and father of two he set an example and gave his players someone to look up to. His work ethic and positive energy are only a couple of the things that will continue to resonate throughout the program this season. We wish him and his family the best of luck on their adventure and can't wait to get this season started."
For Swords, this culminates a whirlwind of a summer but, despite being over 1000km away, he will still be keeping tabs on the team. "The summer has gone by fast and a lot of Voyageurs spent most of their time up in Sudbury training. They have done a great job improving and looking to build off the success from the latter part of last season," he commented. "Georges will be taking over to lead this group. I'm sure with him being a "Vintageur", pride and tradition will be at the forefront of how this team will play. I'm looking forward to watching their progress throughout the season."
Serresse and company will get their preseason started in a couple of weeks when the men host Algoma on Sept. 23rd at 7pm. Their regular season will begin on Nov. 3rd and 4th with games at Queen's and Ontario Tech, respectively.