TORONTO, ON (April 2, 2025) – Canada Basketball is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Baur as General Manager and Vice-President, Women’s High Performance.

Baur brings more than a decade of experience within the organization, having held multiple technical and administrative roles, including performance analyst, director and associate head coach, and most recently, interim head of women’s high performance.

“Steve is widely respected by athletes and families across all levels of our program for his purposeful collaboration, transparent communication and ambitious vision,” said Michael Bartlett, President and CEO of Canada Basketball. “His genuine commitment to fostering meaningful relationships across the North American and global basketball landscape will continue to serve as a competitive advantage for our program – something he has consistently demonstrated since assuming senior leadership responsibilities on an interim basis.”

Since joining Canada Basketball in 2014 as an assistant coach, Baur has been part of the Senior Women’s National Team staff at three consecutive Olympic Games — Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 — serving as lead assistant in Paris. He took on his first international head coaching assignment at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and led the U18 Women’s National Team to a silver medal at the 2022 FIBA Americas Championship.

Prior to joining Canada Basketball, Baur spent 12 seasons coaching in Canadian university basketball, including six as head coach at Acadia University. He led the Axemen to three consecutive national championship appearances and was named AUS Coach of the Year in 2014.

“Having grown within this program, working closely with our athletes, staff, and stakeholders at every level, it’s an honor to step into this role,” said Baur. “A strong foundation has been established, and I am committed to building upon it, guided by a clear vision to compete for medals on the world stage. We have the talent, infrastructure and commitment necessary to realize those ambitions. I look forward to working collaboratively to uphold the values our athletes, staff, and country expect to see represented internationally, and to achieve those shared goals.”

Since taking over the women’s high performance program on an interim basis in October, Baur has overseen several strategic advancements. These include the integration of 3x3 and 5-on-5 programming, the formalization of athlete commitments to 3x3 competition, hiring across the U16, U19 and U23 age-group coaching staffs, and the expansion of regional junior academy pod-based training groups. He also established a new selection committee structure to support program transparency and alignment.

Under Baur’s leadership, the Senior Women’s National Team will continue to build on its recent international success. The team finished fourth at the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup — its best result since 1986 — and qualified for a fourth consecutive Olympic appearance in 2024. Canada also won bronze at the 2023 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup and remains seventh in the FIBA world rankings.

At the age-group level, Canada has solidified its place as a global contender. The U19 Women’s National Team captured bronze at the 2023 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Madrid, while the U17 Women’s National Team earned a historic silver medal at the 2024 FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup — the program’s highest-ever finish at that level.

One of Baur’s immediate priorities will be completing the recruitment of the next head coach for the Senior Women’s National Team — a key step in shaping the team’s path toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

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