Mark Forward – Head Coach

Mark Forward has been the head coach of the MSVU Women’s Basketball team since 2009.

Prior to coaching the women’s team Mark was the assistant coach of the Men’s Basketball team from 2001-2010 and 1993-1995, and the Head Coach of the Men’s Daltech Basketball team from 1995-2000. Mark is certified with the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) in both Learn to Train and Trained to Train and is currently trained in the Train to Compete level.

Mark has been recognized with several honors, including Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) Coach of the Year in 1995-96, 1999-2000, 2009-10, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 and was named CCAA Women’s Coach of the Year for the 2018-19 season. As an assistant with the MSVU Men’s basketball program he was part of the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) bronze medal team in 1993 and silver in 2010. As Head Coach of the Women’s program he has guided his teams to an ACAA gold in 2009-10, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2021-22 and ACAA silver in 2010-11, 2012-13, 2016-17 & 2017-18, a CCAA silver medal in 2009-10 and a 4th place finish in 2018. As a player, he played for MSVU from 1989-1992 and achieved 2 ACAA titles, earned a CCAA All Canadian and 3 ACAA All Star awards. Currently Mark resides in Bedford with his wife, Deanne MacLeod and three boys, Jack, Nathan and Kadyn.

Assistant Coaches:

Kenny Reardon – Assistant Coach

Ken brings over 50 years of experience to our MSVU women’s program in player development, coaching and sport administration as well as experience playing through regional leagues at all levels.  Ken played minor basketball at St Agnes and Canadian Martyrs before moving through Saint Pats, Saint Mary’s University JV and Nova Scotia Technical College programs in Halifax.  He continued to play the Halifax Men’s Senior and Intermediate Leagues for 30 years after college and is a past President of the former Halifax Senior Men’s League.

Early in his coaching career, Ken coached at the SMU Camp of Champions followed by a decade coaching in the Senior/Intermediate Women’s leagues of that era.  A large part of his coaching career then became focused on player development in minor basketball having coached A and AA level mini, bantam and midget girl’s, through midget and juvenile A and AAA boys.  Over a few decades, Ken coached for most of the original metro programs including Saint Agnes, Osprey, Norwood, Canadian Martyrs as well as West Side Explosion.  His teams represented Nova Scotia twice at the Eastern Canadian Championships winning a Bronze medal after a 1 point overtime loss to Ontario in a semi-final matchup.

Through the late 1990’s Ken established and coordinated the King’s College spring and fall leagues for close to a decade, which, at their peak, provided developmental opportunities for 300 metro and regional junior high and high school players.  He also helped initiate the Saint Pat’s High School Spring League for mini and bantam girls and helped to coordinate and run numerous Metro Basketball and BNS minor championships and invitational tournaments.

Ken coached the Oxford School Junior High girl’s basketball team for a number of years, achieving multiple regional championships and a 68-0 record in the Citadel zone in his final 5 years with the program.  Following this, Ken was invited to coach the final year of the girl’s program at St. Pats High School, after which he accepted assistant positions with the Kings College Men’s Team and the MSVU Men’s programs before landing with the Mystics Women’s program, where he has coached for the past 11 years.

Ken also held multiple coaching and development positions in the Provincial Tennis Association as a past board member, Chairman of the Junior Development and Coaching Committees, and is a past president of the Association.  He conducted travelling clinics throughout Nova Scotia for the association, was the Canada Games Coach in 81 (Gold medal) & 85, and is a former Head Tennis Pro at the Waegwoltic Club in Halifax.  Ken was invited by Peter Burwash, to be an integral part of the first few years of development and founding of Peter Burwash International, a company that now trains and places teaching tennis professionals throughout the world.  He left the organization to pursue his career as a Professional Engineer.

Ken has received numerous awards and recognition from association, school board, municipal, provincial, and federal levels for his volunteer and coaching efforts including the BNS Coaching Award and the 125 Anniversary Memorial Medal from the Government of Canada.

 

Maia Timmons – Assistant Coach

Maia Timmons, MSVU Women’s Basketball Assistant Coach has been selected for the CCAA Female Apprentice Coach Program (FACP), under the mentorship of MSVU Head Coach, Mark Forward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chloe Oxner – Assistant Coach

Jasmine Parent – Assistant Coach

Nina Brien – Assistant Coach

 

Bryan Fader Dec 2013Bryan Fader – Athletic Mental Skills Trainer

Bryan Fader has been MSVU ‘s Athletic Mental Skills Director since 2010. Working with university student athletes since 2006, Bryan has coached and trained over a thousand Athletes to various levels of regional and national success. Focusing on “process through whole growth” athletes are given a broad range of mental skills/tools, such as mental toughness, imagery, self-relaxation, team mission, goal setting, identity driven play and a process driven approach. “The ability to lay a foundation of mental skills tools and then stay and witness the use of these tools is the greatest job in the world. Bryan not only prepares student athlete’s for a championship but more importantly prepares them for life.