TORONTO, ONT. (December 7, 2018) – Canada Basketball is pleased to announce the coaching staff for Team Canada ahead of the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup 2019.

Head Coach Claire Meadows will lead Team Canada at the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand (July 20-28, 2019) and be joined by assistant coaches Ryan Thorne and Erin McAleenan.  

The trio led Canada to a silver medal last summer at the FIBA U18 Women's Americas Championship 2018 in Mexico City, Mexico.

Currently an assistant coach with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, Meadows spent three seasons as head coach at the University of British Columbia Okanagan.

As an assistant coach with Team Canada, Meadows helped Canada secure a historic bronze medal at the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup 2017 and a silver medal at the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Women's Championship.

Meadows also served as head coach of the Alberta U15 Provincial Team (2015) and Alberta Centre for Performance (2013-15).

Meadows is working on her Train to Compete training and also holds a Masters of Coaching from the University of Victoria.

Now in his 16th season as the women’s basketball head coach at McGill University, Thorne is a six-time RSEQ Coach of the Year award winner and was named CIS Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year in the 2015-16.  The following season, he led the Marlets to their first U SPORTS National Championship in program history.

Along with Meadows, Thorne was an assistant coach with Canada’s U19 team that won bronze at the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup 2017 in Italy.  He was also an assistant coach with the Development Women’s National Development team that finished second at the 2015 Summer Universiade.

From 2006-2012, Thorne served as a coach with both the Quebec U15 and U17 provincial teams.

Thorne is an NCCP Learning Facilitator and is Train to Compete trained.

McAleenan is the head coach of the women's basketball program at York University and prior to that spent three seasons as head coach at the University of Lethbridge.

This will be McAleenan’s fourth year coaching Team Canada after being an assistant coach with the Development Women’s National team in 2011.  The following year, she was an apprentice coach with the Senior Women’s National Team.

Actively involved at the provincial level as well, McAleenan was head coach of the Alberta U17 Girls’ Provincial Team from 2011-2013.  Prior to joining Alberta, she was the lead assistant coach with the Ontario U17 Girls’ Provincial Team in 2008 and 2009.

McAleenan is NCCP Train to Compete Trained and holds a Masters of Coaching from the University of Alberta.

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