Lori spent the last seven and a half years building and fostering strong engagement programs and partnerships with Mount Saint Vincent University’s alumni relations department. She is current Chef de Mission for Team Nova Scotia for the 2023 Canada Winter Games taking place in Prince Edward Island this coming February. She held the same role for the 2022 Canada Summer Games in Niagara this past August which saw Team Nova Scotia match their best ever medal count.

Lori holds a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) from the University of Prince Edward Island as well as a Bachelor of Public Relations degree from Mount Saint Vincent University. Lori’s education, training, and Board work, combined with two decades of communications, marketing, and public relations experience in various disciplines has made her into a well-rounded and results-oriented business professional.

Lori is very much looking forward to connecting with the basketball community in Nova Scotia and working towards continuing to develop strong relations, valued partnerships, and high-quality programming. “This is an exceptional basketball province, and I am looking forward to working with our key partners and stakeholders across the province towards building the very best of the game for everyone.”

Lori begins her new role on January 3, 2023.

Welcome, Lori!

From coordinating and directing camps and youth programs, Colter has an impressive coaching resume. He has directed camps for NBA and WNBA athletes, and coached at all levels in Nova Scotia, including NBL Canada. He has earned two Nova Scotia high school provincial championships and won a national gold medal as an assistant coach with Basketball Nova Scotia’s Provincial Team at Canada Basketball Nationals.

A graduate of Nova Scotia Community College, Colter is met with big smiles, hugs, and fist bumps by athletes in the basketball community wherever he goes. He represents North Preston and Nova Scotia with pride.

(photo credit: Terrel Beals www.terreldanielphotography.com)

Chris has coached a wide range of athletes from grades primary to grade 12, boys and girls and has enjoyed coaching them all.

Chris began his coaching career to be involved with his children, but continues to coach because he’s passionate about helping athletes who need support.

Since moving to Nova Scotia, Matt has coached at both the club level (with the St. Margaret’s Bay SLAM), as well as at the provincial level with the U15 development team in 2008. 

Matt is the father of 3 Kids, Jamie, Poppy, and Brady.  He is the leader at Royal LePage Atlantic, and has sat on a number of other boards over the course of his career.

When thinking about how Basketball has affected his life, it’s been in a couple of different ways.  First and foremost, it’s given Matt a wonderful network of people that he considers friends and even family in some cases.  Over and above the people, it’s also instilled a number of core values – Teamwork, achievement, positivity and an overarching “Help First” mentality, that serves both him and his business in a positive way each and every day.

While not currently coaching, Sandy is excited to continue to be involved in basketball, serving on the BNS Board to give back and help foster the growth of the game in our province.

With over 15 years dedicated to minor basketball as a coach, coaching coordinator, mentor and board member, Jessica brings passion and a readiness to assist in any capacity with Basketball Nova Scotia.

Jessica also divides her time coaching and teaching life skills through basketball with her son Amare’s Jr Hi team and U14 team, her daughter Alexa’s U12 team, and the Prince Andrew High Panthers girls team. Jessica will also participate on the board as a volunteer, for the women’s basketball league (MWBA) in it’s inaugural season.

On weekends you may see Jessica court surfing taking in as many games as she can. If you see her, stop and say hello!

“Seeing people, especially children come together for the love of basketball,  putting differences aside, and not worrying about race, gender, sexual orientation or ability is what makes this sport so wonderful to be a part of.”

Growing up in Cape Breton Sarah played basketball throughout school at various levels, and also developed a basketball program for younger children to be introduced to the game. After moving to Halifax, Sarah was an assistant coach of junior girls basketball and also participated in the MELBA league as a player. She has also enjoyed supporting local talent through consistently attending the AUS and CIS championships when held in Halifax.

Sarah looks forward to supporting Basketball Nova Scotia in developing and promoting the game throughout our province.

“The lessons the game can teach you go far beyond the court. I truly believe once your playing career may be done, the teamwork, drive and competitiveness you use while paying basketball, if applied to what you want to do in life, you will always be successful.”

Paul has held a number of leadership roles as a referee, on the Nova Scotia Basketball Official’s Executive for over 20 years, as a referee in the gold medal games for men’s USports competition, as well as in the Canada Games finals.

Paul’s impact as a referee has not gone unnoticed. He won BNS “Official of the Year” in both 2014 and 2017.

Currently, along with refereeing, Paul is actively involved in training and mentoring new officials in the Halifax area.

We’re glad to have Paul as a part of the board going into his 6th year representing the NSBO!

Darren continued his coaching career at Shelburne Regional High School in 2012. There, his teams won three Shelburne/Yarmouth District banners along with a Western Region banner. During this time, Darren founded the Clearwater Hustlers rep basketball program which won three BNS provincial championships in four years in D1 and D2 along with a provincial silver in AAA. After changing the club name to The Shelburne County Kings, they won another D1 BNS Provincial Title in 2018. The club started with one team and has expanded to multiple teams in the u18, u16 and u14 age groups. 

In 2018, Darren started coaching the Sr. SRHS basketball team that won three Western Region Championships and went undefeated in league play for three straight years. In 2019 -2020 Darren expanded his coaching capacity and coached both Jr and Sr basketball, with his teams winning Western Region championship banners in both divisions. 

Along with his basketball endeavors, Darren is currently coaching Sr. Girls Soccer.  Darren was chosen as a head facilitator for the BNS Jr/Sr Male/Female Academies in 2018 and 2019.

Independent from his multiple coaching roles, in 2018, Darren began a basketball training business called “DJs game skills basketball training” He currently travels throughout Shelburne County doing individual and small group training sessions.  

Lastly, Darren holds positions on the SRHS SAC and BNS Board of Directors as the South Shore regional representative.

“If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it.”

Michael Jordan

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

Helen Keller

Basketball became Jen’s calling, and allowed her to attend Acadia University and earn a Bachelor of Physical Education in 1991. During this time, she played varsity basketball, club hockey, volunteered with the Acadia S.M.I.L.E program and was an Academic All Canadian. After University, Jen travelled to Belgium and Australia, teaching and playing professional basketball.

Jen has coached basketball at all levels from Bantam to High School, and helped guide Nova Scotia to its 2nd medal ever at Canada Games in 2006. Through coaching, Jen was introduced to officiating, and with some coaxing from the very same referees who worked her games as a player and coach, she quickly moved through the ranks and is currently in her 14th year of officiating, working u10 games (soooo cute and fun) to CCAA and USport men and women, and is one of 3 women to be hired to officiate in the NBL, MWBA and ECBL; 3 Canadian Pro basketball leagues.

Jen is an active member of Nova Scotia Basketball Officials, serving as chair of awards committee, recruitment and retention committee, discipline committee and facilitates the new officials clinic each fall.

Jen is Basketball Nova Scotia’s Metro Rep, and serves on the officials and technical committees.

Paul first started playing the game as a 6-year-old in Antigonish and played high-school basketball at Dr. J.H. Gillis. He is now a Level 2 basketball official with 10 years experience.  Paul lives in Greenfield, Colchester County with his wife and 2 children while working at the Agriculture Campus of Dalhousie University.

“Basketball is a game of speed, skill and grace. You fall in love with it from the first time the ball goes through the hoop.  I want to share that passion for this great game with the next generation and let them find their love for the game too.”

Greg played multiple sports growing up including basketball during his public school years. He played football in university at St.F.X and 10 years of Senior baseball.

After graduating from university, Greg came home and stumbled immediately into coaching basketball and did so for 25 years. He describes it as stumbling, because he offered to coach whatever was needed at his old high school (Sydney Academy) and there happened to be a need for a Girls Basketball coach. That started a very rewarding 13 year stint that included a Div.1 Provincial title in 2003; The first Provincial basketball title at the school since 1968 and the last Div.1 basketball banner won by a Cape Breton school. During those years, Greg was part of starting the local Elementary School Basketball League as well as having one of the first “Small Ball” groups in the local area.

With his boys coming of age and starting to play, Greg left high school Basketball and began
coaching at their elementary school. At around that time, he was a part of a group of local
enthusiasts that began initial discussions around what eventually became Basketball Cape
Breton. They officially started as an organization in the winter of 2012, are in their 10th year
of existence and Greg has been on the Board of Directors from the beginning.

Greg coached at both the U12 and U14 levels with BCB and had the pleasure of coaching his boys until he hung up his coaching whistle in 2016. Greg still needed a whistle however because he was a few years into his
involvement with NSBO as a basketball official. He is presently in his 12th year refereeing.

Beside refereeing, Greg is still in gyms watching basketball as his two youngest boys are presently playing at the University and College levels.

The game has been good to Greg and his family, and he looks forward to helping other families get the most out of this sport.

“Basketball has been and continues to be a huge part of my life. This sport has been good to me. I want to continue to do my best to make sure that the next generation of families get the same joy and fulfillment that our family has experienced.”

Tony has been married for 19 years with 2 children who are now grown. One of his children is following in Tony’s footsteps as they head into the coaching world.

” Basketball is not just a sport , but a life style” It is important to me that we develop young players so that this sort only grows bigger and stronger.”

It was when his kids, Christian and Meckenzie, began to play at the mini level that Chris started to coach with Sackville Storm. After a few years, some fellow coaches recommended Chris to Basketball Nova Scotia to coach their development programs.

Over the next 10 years, Chris was privileged to be the head coach for the 2014 Bronze medal winning U15 boys team, the 2016 Gold medal winning U15 boys team and then the 2018 Gold medal winning U17 men’s team. Chris was honored with the Support4Sport Basketball Coach of the Year award in 2019 for his accomplishments.

Chris gives credit to the many coaches over the year’s that helped inspire and influence him to be the coach he developed into, especially Ron MacNeil, his Jr High coach.

Today, Chris also contributes to the basketball community in other roles as Secretary of MBA, Provincial Assessor of NSBO and Past President of SMBA and now looks forward to new challenges and rewards of contributing to the BNS Board of Directors.

“Basketball is not about learning how to shoot, pass and defend; it’s about learning life skills to help develop our future community leaders who will excel from skills learned in overcoming obstacles, dealing with life’s highs and lows and learning to excel within a team work environment.”