Brian Jonker is preparing for his 17th season at the helm of the Men's Basketball program and he does so with a trio of coaches who have been with him since 2009.
This coaching staff has been together for roughly a dozen years and there will be a fresh face joining them on the bench for the 2021-2022 season… Dan Jonker, Brian's brother.
Dan is joining the basketball team to work with film and video to help breakdown games and plays for the athletes. Coach Brian is looking forward to having Dan join the staff, not only because the family aspect, but it's an area of development that will help the Mountaineers basketball program immensely going forward.
"Dan is new to our staff this year and will be contributing from afar, offering video breakdowns for players and the team," says Dan, touching on his newest hire.
The familiar faces we previously spoke of include long-time assistants Mike Woodburn, Mac Akrong and Colin Bayley.
Woodburn received the 2019-2020 Bernetta Scime Assistant Coach of the Year Award after a 13-7 season for the Men's Basketball program. Woodburn joined the Mountaineers in 2009 and was apart of the staff that went on to win a CCAA National Championship in 2012.
Coach Jonker says his relationship with Woodburn extends beyond the court which allows them to constantly bounce ideas off each other.
"Woody spends hours with me weekly in our life outside of basketball so we have lots of opportunities to discuss ideas, personnel and strategies," says Jonker. "He also does a great job of organizing our summer workouts."
Akrong and Bayley are both former student-athletes at Mohawk and like Woodburn, they were both on Jonker's staff that found glory on the national stage in 2012. Their knowledge for the game really grew while playing for the Mountaineers and they've now been able to pass that onto student-athletes for over a decade at Mohawk.
Jonker says the pair are an integral piece of the staff with their recruiting and ability to make adjustments.
"Colin and Mac were former players here at Mohawk. Colin has always had a good eye for local talent and player development. Mac is quiet but a great observer of what adjustments might be effective, both during practice and games."
This staff has been together for quite some time and have some newfound energy with the addition of Dan. The expertise and chemistry from Brian's staff is evident and with the introduction of a video coach, it will allow the staff to really take their player development to the next level.
Brian says each one of his coaches add a different element to the staff and they've built up trust over the years, which he says is one of the most important factors.
"Each person in our staff brings something different to the table which helps us work well together," says Coach Jonker. "Most importantly I value and trust all of them and their opinions. Four of us have been together for over a decade and that stability has helped us get through the struggles, as well as the successes we have had."
The last season the Mountaineers Basketball team played, 2019-2020, they were six games above .500 and were poised to improve on that this past year. It will be exciting to see what value Dan Jonker adds to the program and how he fits in with a staff that has been together since 2009.
We look forward to watching the Men's Basketball team get back on the court this fall led by these five incredible coaches.
