TORONTO, Ont. (April 12, 2022) – Canada Basketball announced Tuesday that Patrick Tatham will return this summer as head coach and lead Canada at both the FIBA U18 Americas Championship 2022 (June 6-12) and FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022 (July 2-10).

“Having the opportunity to lead our Canadian U17 and U18 national teams this summer is truly an honour,” said Tatham.  “We’re assembling two tremendous coaching and support staffs to put both our teams in the best position to win while developing Canada’s top age-group athletes.  Every time we step on the court this summer, we’ll do so with an unrivaled passion and commitment to proudly represent our country on the international stage.”

Last summer, Tatham led Canada to a bronze medal at the FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2021 and a berth in this summer’s FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022 in Malaga, Spain.  He was also an assistant coach at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021 where Canada finished third.  Tatham has also spent time as an assistant coach with the Senior Men's National Team and most recently coached Canada during the final window of the FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers last February.

Originally from Brampton, Ont.,Tatham, who became head coach of McMaster University (OUA) in 2017, led the Marauders to a 11-5 regular season record and second place in the OUA West division.  During the 2015-16, as interim head coach of the Ryerson Rams, Tatham led the team to a 17-2 regular season record and captured the program’s first Wilson Cup title as OUA conference champions. He was recognized for his efforts as he earned OUA Coach of the Year honour and was awarded the Stu Aberdeen Trophy as CIS Coach of the Year.

Tatham’s U16 coaching staff from last summer remains intact as assistant coaches Jason Dawkins, Charles Hantoumakos and Tarry Upshaw are all returning for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022.

Currently the head coach at George Brown, a position he’s held since 2019, Dawkins led the Huskies to a first-place finish in the East Division with a 17-3 record and claimed the program's first OCAA Provincial Championship in 2019.  Prior to last summer, Dawkins was also an assistant coach with Canada at the FIBA U16 Americas Championships in 2019 after helping Team Ontario win six gold medals and one silver from 2010-17.

Hantoumakos will also return for Canada this summer after leading Fort Erie International Academy to an Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA) title this season.  Originally from Tottenham, Ont., Hantoumakos was also involved with Canada as a Team Manager for the FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2019.

Upshaw rounds out Tatham’s staff for the upcoming FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022.  Currently head coach of Ridley College in the OSBA, Upshaw previously served as Assistant Coach for the University of Guelph from 1991-1997 before becoming head coach for Georgian College from 1999-2005.  

For the upcoming FIBA U18 Americas Championship 2022, Tatham will be joined by assistant coaches Shawn Swords and Justin Serresse, who coached alongside him at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021, as well as a new addition to the staff, Nathan Grant.

For over 25 years, Swords has been involved with Canada Basketball as both a player and coach. Swords, who represented Canada for over 10 years, including the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, is currently the head coach at Laurentian University, a position he has held since 2007 following a lengthy playing career in Europe.

Serresse made his FIBA coaching debut for Canada last summer after serving as an assistant coach at the 2019 Summer Universiade in Naples, Italy. He was also previously a high-performance coach at the Canada Basketball Junior Academy for the 2015-16 season. Serresse is currently the head coach at Wilfrid Laurier University and joined the Laurier Golden Hawks in 2016 after serving as the Lead Assistant Coach at the University of Ottawa from 2010-16.

Currently head coach of the Laval Rouge et Or (RSEQ), a position he’s held since 2019, Grant will make his FIBA coaching debut for Canada this summer.  As a head coach for Basketball Quebec, Grant led the U17 team to back-to-back medals, capturing a bronze medal at the 2017 Canada Summer Games before winning the Canada Basketball National Championship title the following year.

For the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022, Canada is in Group A alongside France, Serbia and TBC (Asia 3), while the draw for the FIBA U18 Americas Championship 2022 will take place at a later date.

Canada Basketball will host a Men’s High Performance National Team Age-Group Assessment Camp at Humber College (Toronto, ON) from April 15-18, 2022.  Additional details, including invited athletes, will be announced shortly.

Canada is currently ranked 4th overall in the FIBA men's age-group rankings, presented by Nike.