HAMILTON, ON - The Mohawk Mountaineers are excited to announce the hiring of Jamie Girolametto as the 10th head coach in men's basketball program history.
Girolametto will replace the retiring Brian Jonker, who called it a career after 17 seasons at the helm of the Mountaineer program.
A lifelong Hamilton resident and well-known basketball coach at both the high school and OCAA level, Girolametto joins Mohawk after a decade as the head coach of the Redeemer Royals men's basketball program.
"Mohawk has had a really good reputation academically within the city," Girolametto said. "Athletically, there's a lot of good things happening here, so (the coaching position) became something that I quickly became excited about."
During his 10 seasons at Redeemer, Girolametto posted a 98-80 regular season record and led the program to five consecutive OCAA Championship tournament appearances between 2016-2020 and the 2021-22 season.
The Royals best season under Girolametto came in 2017-18 when the program posted a 19-1 record and the Hamiltonian was named OCAA Coach of the Year.
Prior to his days at Redeemer, Girolametto was an assistant coach at McMaster University for the 2011-12 season under Canadian basketball legend Joe Raso. At the high school level, he coached for more than a decade at St. Mary's Catholic Secondary and spent time coaching Blessed Sacrament and the Ancaster Magic at the club-level.
Before turning to coaching, Girolametto built his own impressive athletic career starting at St. Mary's as a dual-sport star, capturing two Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School Board titles and two combined OFSAA Championships in basketball and soccer.
He would then go on to play at McMaster from 1993 to 1997, winning three OUA Championships and making four CIAU (now U Sports) appearances, winning two national silver medals.
"To have someone like Jamie come in to take over the men's basketball program after the great job Brian did will ensure that the program doesn't skip a beat. I've been clear that this isn't a rebuild and with Jamie at the helm, we expect to remain highly competitive," said Director of Athletics and Recreation, Matthew Ferreira. "Jamie has tremendous basketball I.Q. and his ties to the Hamilton community will be a big asset. There's no doubt in my mind he will continue to carry our men's basketball program forward with success."
Having been coached by two great locals – Pat Papalia and Raso – during his high school and university playing days, Girolametto admitted his coaching philosophy is developed through his two former coaches.
"When people come to watch us play, my goal is they walk out the gym saying 'man, that team played tough' – like a Hamilton tough team is what we'll strive for," Girolametto said, when discussing what style of play people can expect from the Mountaineers under his leadership.
But spectators will continue to see the fast-pace offensive style Mohawk played under Jonker.
"I like teams playing fast, so we're not going to be a defensive team that's grinding it out and trying to hold teams under 60," Girolametto added. "We're going to play up tempo, we're going to play fast, but there's going to be a lot of attention on the defensive end so we can try and shut teams down the best we can."
Having spent his playing days in Hamilton and building his coaching resume in the city as well, Girolametto said it was important for him to giveback to the community.
"To stay here in Hamilton and coach, I really want to try and make Mohawk the hub for basketball in the city for student-athletes, fans and the community," Girolametto said. "I want to fill this gym because people are coming to see their neighbour play or somebody they coached against in high school."
Girolametto also announced his coaching staff for the 2023-24 season. Joining the staff as assistant coaches include Adam Cholewka, Doyle Anthony, Mac Akrong and Rommel Calura.
Cholewka recently joined Girolametto's coaching staff at Redeemer and will make the move over to Mohawk with him. He has experience at the high school level, having coached at Notre Dame Catholic Secondary in Burlington, ON and Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary in Milton, ON.
Anthony is a former CCAA All-Canadian, having played at Mount Allison University and St. Mary's University. He was also an assistant with Girolametto at Redeemer during both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.
Akrong was an assistant on Jonker's coaching staff for 13 seasons and will remain with the program moving forward.
Calura will be joining the staff as a first-year assistant after wrapping up his playing days with Mohawk this past season. He spent four seasons playing for the Mountaineers, appearing in 54 games and scoring 856 points, and is the current Mohawk recordholder for most threes made in a career with 151.
Mountaineers men's basketball is coming off a year that saw them capture an OCAA bronze medal during the 2022-23 season.
