MBB | Brandon Edwards Named Men’s Basketball Head Coach

Following an extensive national search, the Laurentian University Athletics Department is happy to announce that Brandon Edwards has been named the head coach of the men's basketball program.  Edwards' tenure as the twelfth coach in the program's 62-year history officially begins on June 5th.

While the season is still a few months away, Edwards cannot wait to be on the home bench in the Ben Avery. "First and foremost, I'm really excited to be joining a great university and community," he commented. "The Sudbury region loves to support its sports teams and I have seen it first hand as an opposing coach with Brock. When the student body and local community fill the Ben Avery gym, it's a really tough place to play for other programs because of their excitement, passion and support." 

Edwards joins the Voyageurs from Brock University where he has been the lead assistant coach for the past 4 years. While his time at Brock was short, Edwards was instrumental in guiding the Badgers to their first OUA title in 30 years when the team hoisted the banner at the end of the 2021-22 season.

It is with that success that Edwards knows what is required to get to the top. "Coming from Brock University, I have been a part of building that program into a nationally ranked team over the last four years.  The work that goes into building a successful program isn't pretty and it doesn't happen overnight, but if it's done with care and diligence, then it has the chance to become special."

For Laurentian Athletic Director, Peter Hellstrom, a combination of past successes and future potential leaves him extremely happy with his new hire. "I am very excited to have Brandon Edwards join the Laurentian Athletic Department team. We feel that Brandon's background and the success that he helped build during his time at Brock are the ideal fit for our program. His connections throughout Ontario and Quebec will help ensure that top-level student-athletes will continue to choose Laurentian.  Brandon was a key figure in Brock's recent OUA title and we are hoping that that success will follow him to Laurentian."

Hellstrom also appreciates the patience of the current roster while the search for a new bench boss was underway. "I want to recognize that the past few months of unknowns have been taxing on our men's basketball student-athletes and the greater community but I am excited with where we ended up and cannot wait to see what the future holds for this program," he commented.  "Lastly, I want to thank Georges Serresse for stepping in and leading the team this past year.  It was a tough situation with very little lead-time but Georges did an admirable job and I wish him the best of luck in the future."

Prior to his time at Brock, Edwards served as the head coach at Heritage College in Quebec where, in five years, he took a program that had just been relegated and guided them to a perfect season, culminating with a provincial championship and promotion back into the top tier of CEGEP basketball.

Outside of the post-secondary landscape, the former teacher has a breadth of experience. From the top tiers of provincial and high school basketball to serving as an assistant for the CEBL's Ottawa BlackJacks to leading the Team Ontario U17 boys to a national silver medal last August, Edwards has been fully immersed in the top levels of the game.

While this will be Edwards' first foray into head coaching at the U SPORTS level, the opportunities he had with the Badgers leaves him feeling confident. "I was very fortunate to be the lead assistant under Willy Manigat," he said, "because he included me in virtually all areas of leadership and planning.  The opportunities he gave me to take ownership of the program allowed me to do the job the way it needed to be done and we built that program together through patience and care."

For the new bench boss, it was a combination of the school and city communities that excited him, saying, "Laurentian really resonated with me because it is a bilingual university that offers great academic options for its students, as well as an excellent athletic experience. I have been to Sudbury a bunch of times and what always stood out to me is how passionate the community is about its teams.  I wanted to be a part of that and being able to lead the Voyageurs men's basketball team moving forward is truly an honour."

As much as Edwards is proud of his accomplishments, his sights are now fully set on the future. "I want to thank Willy and the Brock Sports administration for their support.  It was a great 4 years building that program alongside Willy but I am now fully focused on establishing my vision for the Laurentian men's basketball program. I appreciate the Laurentian Athletic Department for believing in me. The work starts now."