The Seneca Sting have announced the hiring of, Bill Crowdis, Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) hall of famer and 2008 coach of the year, as head coach of its varsity men's basketball team. The 35-year-old Toronto native brings more than 15 years of coaching experience to the position and returns to coaching at the collegiate level after a two-year hiatus from the OCAA to focus on community basketball initiatives.
 
Crowdis most recently served as the head coach of the Fleming College Knights, from 2004-2010, earning Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Top-10 national ranking, No. 1 provincial ranking, and became Fleming's all-time leader in men's basketball coaching wins during his tenure with the college.
 
"Bill impressed us with his passion, and goals of championing the personal development of our student athletes, ensuring success in the classroom, and on the court," said Linda Stapleton, Director, Sport and Recreation, Seneca College. "With Bill in the fold, we see great things ahead for our men's basketball program and we're confident that its success will be something that the entire Seneca community can take pride in." 
 
A stand-out basketball player for the Durham College Lords from 1996-1999, Crowdis earned every honour a collegiate student-athlete could during his three years with the institution.  Crowdis won CCAA and OCAA championships in his rookie season with the Lords, and was named an OCAA league all-star twice (1997-98, 1998-99), OCAA all-star game most valuable player (1998-99), and a CCAA all-Canadian in 1998-99. The former power forward was the OCAA overall league scoring champion in 1998-99 and, in 2000, was named to the OCAA's all-millennium team. Crowdis was also a varsity student-athlete with the Ryerson Rams of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), for two seasons, from 1999-2001, being named a first-team all-star twice, and leading the nation in rebounding in 2000.
 
Crowdis is also the President/CEO of Long Term Development (LTD) Sports – an Oshawa-based, athlete-focused organization with an emphasis on motivating children and youth to participate in physical activity, while promoting the importance of teamwork and healthy living.
 
"Much like the philosophy of the organization I founded, LTD Sports, I am looking to establish, at Seneca, a Varsity program focused on helping student-athletes achieve success in their long-term development," said Crowdis. "I believe sports can be a great tool to allow individuals get to where they want to be professionally. I also firmly believe in developing well-rounded, complete individuals, not just strong athletes. Coming to Seneca is like coming home for me and we're going to ensure that we lay a solid foundation for our house – one built on developing well-balanced individuals – and that leaves an indelible impact on the lives of the students who wear the name Seneca on their jersey."
 
Crowdis will begin recruitment efforts for the Sting immediately, and will oversee varsity tryouts later this summer.

Source: Seneca College