After the departure of Adam Friesen, the search was on for UFV’s next men’s basketball coach. The UFV athletic department was tasked with finding a coach that would help keep the program strong. Their answer? Douglas College’s former head coach Joe Enevoldson.
Enevoldson’s resume sets him apart from most coaches, as he comes to UFV after four straight medal years for Douglas in PacWest, two of which resulted in gold medals. Once the Cascades job was available, Enevoldson realized that this was the opportunity he was waiting for.
“U Sports jobs are so hard to come by. They don’t open very often, so it was a pretty easy decision from a family perspective to apply when the job did come open,” he said. The winning culture that Enevoldson brings will certainly fit in at UFV, as the team is coming off of back-to-back winning seasons and trips to the playoffs. His inaugural season may have to wait though, as the COVID-19 crisis could affect scheduling for the start of the team’s training camp, which is only months away. In the meantime, Enevoldson is doing what he can to meet the team during the pandemic and get acquainted with the staff.
“The vibe around the guys is pretty good! I think whenever there’s a coaching change, there’s a little bit of ‘Ooh, what’s the new guy gonna bring?’ I think the good thing is [that] most of them know me from Douglas and from Basketball B.C., so I’m very familiar with them. I don’t think the transition is as large as, say, somebody coming out from the East Coast,” he said.
The change of coaches is certainly not the only change for the program, as three top seniors are no longer eligible to compete in U Sports, having completed their fifth season. The loss of Parm Bains, Sukhjot Bains, and Matt Cooley will be difficult to overcome; however, the rise of first-year players like Vlad Mihaila as well as third-year players such as Jordyn Sekhon signal that the program is set up to succeed with players that can defend, score, and stand out as good decision makers. Add in Enevoldson’s recruiting of Matthias and Zach Klim, a pair of 6’10 twins from G.W. Graham Secondary School in Chilliwack, and things are starting to shape up for the Cascades, as height was a concern for them against some teams.
The new Cascades head coach is very straightforward when it comes to the kind of basketball he wants to play.
“At Fraser Valley, the plan will be to go inside-out. I’m very much an inside-out basketball guy. I want to punch the ball. I want to take high-percentage shots early in games and then allow the three-point shooters, allow the guys on the wing to play off of close-outs once the ball is inside.”
What Enevoldson is referring to is a style of basketball in which the ball is first sent toward the basket with very few shots from distance. Layups and close-to-the-basket shots will help the team get rolling. Then, when opposing teams decide to send players toward the basket to help, players out on the sides of the court will be able to shoot open shots, resulting in a higher percentage of them going in.
All in all, Enevoldson seems like the coach that UFV needs. His cerebral approach to the game should help players develop, and with his history of winning in PacWest, the challenge of U Sports will be a storyline that fans of the Cascades can enjoy as they, hopefully, watch the team play this upcoming season.
Image: Capilano blues
Photo: Joe Enevoldson
