GREG FRANCIS: A ROAD MAP TO SUCCESS
Last Updated: January 09, 2008
By: Ryan C. Jones - Centennial College
Shortly after the Senior Men’s National Team failed to qualify for the 2004 Olympics, Canada Basketball began to restructure its system. In an effort to get back into the upper echelon of the basketball world, Canada Basketball hired Greg Francis as the men’s national development coach and more recently as an assistant coach to the Senior Men’s National Team.
No stranger to success, Francis understands what it takes to thrive at all levels as a player. A six-year veteran of the Men’s National Team program, Francis was a member of Canada’s memorable seventh place Sydney Olympic Games squad.
Francis’ role as the Men’s national development coach is paramount because to create a winning culture it starts and stops with Canadian youth. From the moment a player enters the National Team program Francis wants them to believe that Canada belongs amongst the best basketball teams in the world.
As the men’s national development coach, Francis assists in the overall planning and management of the Men’s Elite Performance programs as well as recruits and teaches the most talented young basketball players Canada has to offer.
Truth be told, talent is one element Canada is not short on as there is a tremendous pool of players to choose from.
“We have athletes in Canada that are better than any other country except for the United States,” says Francis.
Over the Christmas holidays Francis was the head coach of a 14-to-16-year-old development camp that featured several Canadian rising stars including forward Olu Ashaolu playing in Atlanta, GA via Brampton, ON; guard Junior Cadougan of Toronto, ON; and centre Robert Sacré of North Vancouver, BC.
“Ashaolu is very athletic and the most versatile young player in the country. Cadougan has a high basketball IQ. Sacré is a big guy that in the coming years can step outside and hit the jump shot, handle the ball and play really strong inside,” says Francis
“Between those three, you have some special talent. If those kids develop the way I think they can, they will make a significant contribution to basketball in this country.”
However, one could have all the talent in the world but “if you don’t have the fundamentals you won’t be a very effective player,” says Francis.
To build a solid fundamental skill set, it is imperative to find players at a young age.
“I’ve noticed that young groups between the ages of 13-to-15-year olds pick up skills a lot faster than 16-to-17-year-olds,” says Francis. “When you have a chance to work with a player before they have all their habits set, you can teach them a lot more things.”
Establishing a relationship with a player is also a key component to the success of Canada Basketball.
Once a relationship is established, it’s easier to recruit players to come back and play for Canada in the future. If the relationship is not established and the National Team is “going after a player who’s 27-years-old and never played for Canada in his life it becomes a greater challenge to get them to play,” says Francis.
As much as Francis achieved on the court he always maintained a passion for coaching. While playing overseas, he was a head coach for a high school in Lebanon and Mid-Chesitre College in England. As his passion developed stronger, Francis put his playing career on hold to become a full-time assistant coach. At Monmouth, Francis helped lead the university into the NCAA Tournament where they lost to Duke in the opening round. Yet, the lure of playing brought Francis back as he resumed both playing and coaching in Israel the following year.
As a player in his prime, a chance to be the men’s national development coach arose. Although Francis wasn’t ready to cut his playing career short, the opportunity to coach for his country became too attractive to pass on.
Without any regrets Francis became the men’s national development coach on May 28, 2004. In July of the same year, Francis served as an assistant coach to Dave Crook on the Young Men’s (Under-20) National Team as they qualified for the FIBA Under-21 World Championship for the first time in the program's history.
As an assistant to Crook, Francis oversaw the scouting duties and focused on improving the guards in practice.
With a wealth of international experience under his belt that includes 55 games played for Canada, Francis brings a real life understanding of what it takes for a Canadian athlete to succeed on the world’s biggest stage.
“The National Team for me was a great chance to learn how to be a role player. You only have a couple of stars on the National Team like the Steve Nash’s and Rowan Barrett’s. Learning how to be a good role player really benefited my game as I got older. It definitely helped me see the whole dynamics of a team.”
However, many young Canadians only play to the level of their local competition. Francis insists he must break down this barrier if his players are to succeed. “I want to teach kids to think about playing outside their city and country; think of being a good player on the world stage.”
Another one of his goals is to raise the basketball IQ of Canadian players so they can eventually combine their knowledge of the game with their physical attributes. Once those elements are combined, an effective player can be formed.
But above all, Francis wants to prepare players for the Senior Men’s National Team.
As the men’s national development coach, Francis understands that strong communication with all levels of the National Teams is essential to succeed. Now as assistant coach on the Senior Men’s National Team the communication channels will be stronger than ever. Francis will know exactly how Leo Rautins, the head coach of the Senior Men’s National Team, wants to run his team. “With Rautins, I’ll know what the Senior Team is looking for and I can pass that information through to the players and the coaches at the Junior level,” says Francis.
“(Ultimately) we want to win medals at the Junior level but it’s more of a victory to have guys from my Junior Team to play for the Senior Team. I would like when there is a day six to eight (Junior Men’s National Team players) are playing for the Senior Team because that has never happened before.”
With the knowledge and experience of Francis, Canada is on much clearer path towards a successful basketball future.
Shortly after the Senior Men’s National Team failed to qualify for the 2004 Olympics, Canada Basketball began to restructure its system. In an effort to get back into the upper echelon of the basketball world, Canada Basketball hired Greg Francis as the men’s national development coach and more recently as an assistant coach to the Senior Men’s National Team.
No stranger to success, Francis understands what it takes to thrive at all levels as a player. A six-year veteran of the Men’s National Team program, Francis was a member of Canada’s memorable seventh place Sydney Olympic Games squad.
Francis’ role as the Men’s national development coach is paramount because to create a winning culture it starts and stops with Canadian youth. From the moment a player enters the National Team program Francis wants them to believe that Canada belongs amongst the best basketball teams in the world.
As the men’s national development coach, Francis assists in the overall planning and management of the Men’s Elite Performance programs as well as recruits and teaches the most talented young basketball players Canada has to offer.
Truth be told, talent is one element Canada is not short on as there is a tremendous pool of players to choose from.
“We have athletes in Canada that are better than any other country except for the United States,” says Francis.
Over the Christmas holidays Francis was the head coach of a 14-to-16-year-old development camp that featured several Canadian rising stars including forward Olu Ashaolu playing in Atlanta, GA via Brampton, ON; guard Junior Cadougan of Toronto, ON; and centre Robert Sacré of North Vancouver, BC.
“Ashaolu is very athletic and the most versatile young player in the country. Cadougan has a high basketball IQ. Sacré is a big guy that in the coming years can step outside and hit the jump shot, handle the ball and play really strong inside,” says Francis
“Between those three, you have some special talent. If those kids develop the way I think they can, they will make a significant contribution to basketball in this country.”
However, one could have all the talent in the world but “if you don’t have the fundamentals you won’t be a very effective player,” says Francis.
To build a solid fundamental skill set, it is imperative to find players at a young age.
“I’ve noticed that young groups between the ages of 13-to-15-year olds pick up skills a lot faster than 16-to-17-year-olds,” says Francis. “When you have a chance to work with a player before they have all their habits set, you can teach them a lot more things.”
Establishing a relationship with a player is also a key component to the success of Canada Basketball.
Once a relationship is established, it’s easier to recruit players to come back and play for Canada in the future. If the relationship is not established and the National Team is “going after a player who’s 27-years-old and never played for Canada in his life it becomes a greater challenge to get them to play,” says Francis.
As much as Francis achieved on the court he always maintained a passion for coaching. While playing overseas, he was a head coach for a high school in Lebanon and Mid-Chesitre College in England. As his passion developed stronger, Francis put his playing career on hold to become a full-time assistant coach. At Monmouth, Francis helped lead the university into the NCAA Tournament where they lost to Duke in the opening round. Yet, the lure of playing brought Francis back as he resumed both playing and coaching in Israel the following year.
As a player in his prime, a chance to be the men’s national development coach arose. Although Francis wasn’t ready to cut his playing career short, the opportunity to coach for his country became too attractive to pass on.
Without any regrets Francis became the men’s national development coach on May 28, 2004. In July of the same year, Francis served as an assistant coach to Dave Crook on the Young Men’s (Under-20) National Team as they qualified for the FIBA Under-21 World Championship for the first time in the program's history.
As an assistant to Crook, Francis oversaw the scouting duties and focused on improving the guards in practice.
With a wealth of international experience under his belt that includes 55 games played for Canada, Francis brings a real life understanding of what it takes for a Canadian athlete to succeed on the world’s biggest stage.
“The National Team for me was a great chance to learn how to be a role player. You only have a couple of stars on the National Team like the Steve Nash’s and Rowan Barrett’s. Learning how to be a good role player really benefited my game as I got older. It definitely helped me see the whole dynamics of a team.”
However, many young Canadians only play to the level of their local competition. Francis insists he must break down this barrier if his players are to succeed. “I want to teach kids to think about playing outside their city and country; think of being a good player on the world stage.”
Another one of his goals is to raise the basketball IQ of Canadian players so they can eventually combine their knowledge of the game with their physical attributes. Once those elements are combined, an effective player can be formed.
But above all, Francis wants to prepare players for the Senior Men’s National Team.
As the men’s national development coach, Francis understands that strong communication with all levels of the National Teams is essential to succeed. Now as assistant coach on the Senior Men’s National Team the communication channels will be stronger than ever. Francis will know exactly how Leo Rautins, the head coach of the Senior Men’s National Team, wants to run his team. “With Rautins, I’ll know what the Senior Team is looking for and I can pass that information through to the players and the coaches at the Junior level,” says Francis.
“(Ultimately) we want to win medals at the Junior level but it’s more of a victory to have guys from my Junior Team to play for the Senior Team. I would like when there is a day six to eight (Junior Men’s National Team players) are playing for the Senior Team because that has never happened before.”
With the knowledge and experience of Francis, Canada is on much clearer path towards a successful basketball future.
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