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old high school teacher, who is one of the : respected coaches in Ontario and admits "possessed" by basketball hile O‘Brien got his first taste of running a U program last season when he coached the rid Laurier University Golden Hawks on a year interim basis, the ‘interim‘ part of that rience was always at the back of his mind. at Waterloo, he knows the program is his n for the foreseeable future, and he appreciâ€" $ a | " :cwmfi,'a' fl ‘lik eed, it‘s a position O‘Brien didn‘t think he d reach until his recent After myym.mmmfinfl Iniversity of Toronto that featured four i0 titles and a national crown in 1985â€"86), n a political climate that favored female es for female teams, O‘Brien was not optiâ€" . "It didn‘t look like anything would open His fellow coaches voted him OWIAA Coach of the Year and he was awarded the Coach of the Year honor as well. Lâ€"TIME JOB; Officially, like all his previâ€" ork as an assistant, the UW appointment is â€"time position, but O‘Brien has always tusudlywfi ‘four or five hours a day, large part of most Sundays, on coaching s. This is on top of teaching duties at St. catholic school, where he teaches religion patience is one of O‘Brien‘s virtues. He ted his family to the Waterloo area in 1989 vorked with the Laurier women‘s team as c‘s been at it for a long time, but in a sense ; OBrien has finally arrived. _ fter 10 years as an assistant coach at the uniâ€" ity level and nearly three decades rotal in the hing game, O‘Brien is the new women‘s bas all coach at the University of Waterloo ring the 1996â€"97 season â€" and he isn‘t takâ€" he appointment lightly his position is a pinnacle: It‘s the I‘ve bauw“fir*m'flzfl- istant for three years beginning in 1992 the oneâ€"year contract came his way. | as he books show, he made the most of it. rien took a team that had logged records of ind 1â€"13 in the two previous years and i it around in one season. The Golden s finished at 6â€"8 last year and qualified for stâ€"season for the first time since 1989. lesty moves O‘Brien to credit the players s success but many observers felt otherâ€" ie such a heavy workload, O‘Brien says rerdy any seate on tas Teredly hie, Ts at it as a fullâ€"time job." he said, adding Veteran OWIAA basketball coach ] to take control of UW Athenas But despite whether or not he wins that parâ€" ticular battle, O‘Brien is looking at longâ€"term success at Waterloo. "Ultimately 1 would like to see the team ranked nationally. 1 think UW is a great univerâ€" sity to recruit to. The academic programs are relâ€" evant to the future. The facility, everything about UW, is great. I still love the game. 1 still love the kids. 1 feel like I‘m starting all over again and that motivates me again." As Tom O‘Brien embarks on his 28th year as a basketball coach, he‘s making a new begirining of sorts. This time, though, hes beginniing at the upâ€"empo style of basketball nonetheless, a style that contributed to the success and popularity his Laurier team enjoyed last season. "I want it to be really entertaining basketball. 1 intend to put a good product on the floor." The 1996â€"97 Athenas will centre around three key veterans: post player Jacalyn White, off guard Jodi Hawley and point guard Maryâ€" Frances Lapthorne. O‘Brien will also count on secondâ€"year guard Vikki Johnson for solid conâ€" tributions. The teams to beat in the OWIAA West should be University of Western Ontario, Lakehead University and McMaster University. O‘Brien would love the Athenas to be the fourth western team to qualify for the OWIAA sournament that takes place at UW in March, but he knows it won‘t be easy. "It‘s going to be a dogfight getting into that when three talenied newcomers who stand 62", 61" and 6 respectively join the Athena program. These players will help make for a tall Waterloo team, but O‘Brien intends to employ his favorite _ OBrien‘ s recruiting efforts will likely pay immediate dividends in the upcoming season, enjoys it so much. His approach is based on honesty, an aversion to "muckraking" about %-udmmkwum 1 don‘t feel 49. 1 feel like 1 did when I was 25." Not surprisingly, O‘Brien says recruiting is one dl*m::pmndl;:uflybea:ch coach and teacher to an aftinity for working with it was his wife of 21 years, Eleanor, who conâ€" vinced him to stay in coaching when the situa tion looked hleak a few years back. "I was ready 1o pack it in, but she said give it one more year and that‘s when the Laurier contract came up." O‘Brien‘s devotion extends into club and provincial basketball as well. He has coached with regional Junior Dévelopment Programs (JDP) for 16 years and now serves as chair of the OBrien attributes much of his success as 2 University of Waterico Warrior defensive coâ€"ordinator Chris Triantafilou puts his players Wfi”d“w-mm-“m‘yhh stason opener against Windsor Lancers in a 2 p.m. contest at University Stadium , Sept. 7 while Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks open in London against the Mustangs. The UW Season Ticket features free admission to all regularâ€"season Warrior and Athena home eventsâ€"58 in Plus, the ticket grants free admission to five actionâ€"packed tournaments: the 29th Naismith Basketball Classic, the Athena Christmas Basketball invitational, the Oktoberiest Hockey Tournament, the Overkill Warrior Volleyball Classic and Athena Volleyball Invitational. What a value for just $33! There is also a special Season Ticket for For details or to place an order, Migh Schoo 22 $4 call Theresa Moher Adutt 8 § A great opportunity for o individuals and businesses to get involved with UW Athietics. Benefits package includes two Season Tickets, quarterly editions of the ‘Gold & Black‘ * department newsletter, VIP invitations to special .‘f events and hospitality functions, and a special memâ€" 4 bership certificate. Show your support for °° ‘ UW Athletics and become a valued member f of our team! «* ,Lf 6 Business Membership: $200 ¢ x8 b¢,° Individual Membership: $125 4* P 4 «C o For details, contact Bob Copeland, <@ / _1 p $ B F4 519â€"888â€"4567, x 5869 Semiors and Cildren Under 1¢: tree Universiy of Waterion fatch each TKR ow Wednsday tor a laok at whats nappening . " JÂ¥ esns SportsWatch appears only in the Chronicie!