Today, on the Basketball Manitoba Podcast, we have Lenin Mangaron.

He graduated from Oak Park High School, where he was named an All-Manitoban and played for the Manitoba Provincial Team for four years.

He then went on to play at the University of Manitoba, where he was named a GPAC Conference All-Star. He later transferred to the Brandon Bobcats basketball program for one year.

The teams that he participated in were some of the first to break into the NABA and FBA national scene out of Winnipeg. After college, he played semi-professional basketball in the Philippines.

After playing, he transitioned to coaching, a role he’s been doing for over 23 years. He started with JV basketball at Elmwood and has coached at various levels, from junior High to Club basketball.

He’s been a leading figure in the program at Sargent Park School, where they have won many Provincial Championships over the years. There, he was awarded Co-Coach of the Year by Basketball Manitoba.

He’s coached at the Manitoba Provincial Team level as an assistant coach and as a head coach, and he is currently the 15U male head coach for 2024.

Today, on the Basketball Manitoba Podcast, we have Dan Becker.

He graduated from Fort Richmond Collegiate and played college basketball at St. Joseph’s University before transferring to the University of Colorado. He then went on a 12-year journey through the professional ranks, playing in Europe, Asia, and Australia and back home in Canada with the Winnipeg Thunder and Winnipeg Cyclone pro teams. He also had the opportunity to try out for the NBA with the Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets.

He also represented Canada on the National stage at the World University Games and Jones Cups in Taipei, where he notably won a Silver Medal facing the United States.

After playing, he stepped back into the Manitoba basketball community as a coach, spending time at the University, Provincial Team, high school, and club levels. He is currently the Technical Director at Basketball Manitoba, a position he’s held for 13 years.

Other notable achievements include…

• Big Eight Conference Select Team member in 1988.

• Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame member Class of 2013.

• Gold Medal coach at the 2014 National Championship for the 17U Male Provincial Team.

Producer's note: Darcy Coss had Dan Becker on his own Back2Basketball Podcast series as a guest before the Basketball Manitoba Podcast series launch. That interview can be heard here... https://open.spotify.com/episode/6PeIlMerL04uDmYc4QvA1o?si=Ocd8x-4OTiuoYbtNMVCqHQ

Today, on the Basketball Manitoba Podcast, we have Ashley Hoitink.

She joins us fresh from her appointment as the head coach of the 17U Female Provincial Team and is gearing up for the upcoming Canada Games in 2025.

A native of Ste. Anne, Manitoba, she has been coaching for 12 years at the Team Manitoba, high school, club, WMBA, and Steve Nash Youth Basketball levels.

She is currently an assistant coach under Michele Sung at the University of Manitoba and the head coach of the Varsity Girls' team at Pembina Trails Collegiate. She also served as the varsity boys' coach at Morden Collegiate for seven years.

She played High school at St. Anne Collegiate and played for two years at Red River College.

She’s been a receipt of the…

• Jim Bulloch Coaches Award for contributions to basketball coaching

• 2019 MHSAA Female Coach of the Year among all sports

• 2023 Canada Basketball Mike MacKay Transformational Coach Award