Barry Rawlyk (pictured) is returning for a third season as general manager of the Saskatchewan Rattlers.
Rawlyk is an original member of the Canadian Elite Basketball League franchise, serving as an assistant coach of the championship Rattlers squad from the C-E-B-L’s inaugural 2019 season. He became G-M in 2020 when Greg Jockims stepped down as G-M and head coach. Rawlyk is also the head coach of the University of Saskatchewan men’s basketball program. Following is the news release from the Rattlers…..
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Saskatchewan Rattlers announced the return of General Manager Barry Rawlyk on Thursday. This will be Rawlyk’s third year as GM, and third with the team after serving the 2019 Championship season as the lead assistant coach as well as assisting in the recruitment of the roster. Rawlyk was instrumental in locking down Dean Demopoulos as the new head coach for the 2022 season in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL).
Rawlyk returns to the Rattlers as the current University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s basketball team head coach. As the sixth head coach in Huskies men’s basketball history. Rawlyk took the helm in an interim position in the 2010-11 season. In May 2012, he was officially named head coach of the men’s basketball program. During the 2010-11 season, Rawlyk led the Huskies to a fourth-place finish at the CIS (now U Sports) Championship and a second-place finish in Canada West. The following season, the team finished in first in their conference and hosted the Canada West Final Four for the first time in the program’s history. Prior to joining the Huskies, Rawlyk spent over two decades coaching with Holy Cross High School in Saskatoon. During this time with the Crusaders, he led them to 11 City Championship titles as well as three Provincial Championships.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to work towards building the Rattlers back into a championship level franchise”, said Rattlers General Manager Barry Rawlyk. “As the league continues to grow and get stronger there are significant challenges which we as an organization are ready to take on, and we are focused on putting a team on the floor that our loyal fans can be proud of.”
“We are thrilled to have Barry return to the Rattlers as our General Manager for the 2022 season”, said Rattlers Vice President Brad Kraft. “Barry has a great ability to build strong, entertaining, and competitive teams full of high-character individuals. Our free agency plan is to bring a winning culture back to this franchise and province. With Barry’s experience and expertise, we are confident that we will be in a position to give us the best possible chance to build another championship team in 2022.”
Preparing for its fourth season starting May 25 the CEBL saw record success in 2021 as millions of viewers across Canada and around the world tuned in to games via CEBL+, CBC television, CBC Gem, and attended in-person in all home arenas for a limited number of games. The CEBL became the first professional sports league in Canada to return to play with fans in its venues in 2021.
