Khounviseth returns to his roots
A familiar face is returning to the basketball courts of Niagara.
“Pelham Panthers Basketball Association is very happy to welcome Si Khounviseth as our new head coach for Niagara JUEL,” said Pelham JUEL administrator Don Larman. “Si brings passion and commitment both on and off the court from his years of experience as a university coach. He is committed to providing a great environment for our players to excel in academics, basketball development and the community.”
The 51-year-old native of Laos coached the Brock women’s team for six seasons ending in 2016 and built an impressive resume. During his time with the Badgers as head coach, the Niagara Falls resident made the playoffs in five of his six seasons, had an overall record of 76-49 which equates to a .608 winning percentage, had his teams perennially ranked in the top 10 nationally and was named Ontario University Athletics West Division coach of the year for the 2012-13 season. He served as an assistant coach under Chris Critelli for three seasons before taking over as head coach.
“For me, going back to university or college is off the books,” said the owner of a behavioural consulting company called Bartimaeus Inc. “That chapter of my life is done and it is now full circle that I am back to my roots as a coach. I am going back to help kids realize their potential and get to the next level. I am excited about that.”
The father of two grown children’s coaching philosophy is based on four pillars: dribble, shoot, defend and pass.
“It is basic stuff and you develop those things.”
He sees a lot of coaches over-complicating things rather than focusing on the basics.
“There are a lot of dreams being sold and people are doing flashy stuff and to me coaches at the next level are paid to win,” he said. “They want you to be able to do the basics. Good players are seen as the ones who can score but when they get to the next level, the coaches are saying, ‘You have to be able to stop somebody.’ I have seen so many of those talented players struggle.”
Khounviseth believes there is such a focus on the scorers that being a team has become a lost art.
“It is about making sacrifices and valuing role players. I have a strong belief that you can’t win if you don’t have your superstars but I also know you will never win without great role players. Those are the ones that put you over the top. They are going to do all the things that your superstar players tend to not want to do.”
Khounviseth still has lots of connections with coaches in Canada and the United States and he will be able to help his players get their names out there.
He feels he has put together a great coaching staff which is made up of Rob Dunn, Greg Howlett, Kendel Dunn and Beth Howlett.
“It is a really nice assembly of former players and people who know me as a coach and identify with how I coach. They (former players Kendel Dunn and Beth Howlett) also know what it takes to get there. And I strongly believe in my player development.”
Just like at Brock, Khounviseth’s team will play an up-tempo style.
“I believe in generating offence from defence and we will be a defensive team first. We value defence and that is not always a popular choice among players and parents. I am OK with that because the coaches at the next level are going to look for that.”
He is a big fan of Niagara.
“I love the area and there is a lot of talent here. My goal is to have the top kids stay home and go to Brock and Niagara College. What I love about this area is that it supports basketball.”
After taking a year off after leaving Brock, Khounviseth, who coached at St. Mary’s high school in Hamilton and was a head coach with the Hamilton-based Transway travel program where he won three Ontario Basketball Association titles, coached with the Jayhawks boys program in Toronto. He made the OBA Division 1 semifinals his first year and lost in the Division 1 championship game the next year.
“It made me better as a coach to understand how to communicate and manage emotions differently.”
He eventually left the Jayhawks and began doing personal training sessions with both boys and girls.
“I have always had that passion and as one dad said I had the ability to develop players. As you recall, at Brock player development is why we got better. We were able to shoot and defend better and our player development was so good.”
At Brock, Khounviseth started a basketball academy that helped produce a number of USPORTS players, Chrissy Sirignano, Jenneke Pilling and Erin Kenny.
He can’t wait to get started with the JUEL team.
“I am excited to be back in the gym. There is a renewed energy after being out of the gyn for three or four years. I missed the coaching and for me it is seeing the kids grow, get better and achieve their goals as student/athletes.”
