A Hoops Journey

This episode is all about a young up-and-coming hooper on the women’s side, but someone who has been with our National teams since she was 17, Merissah Russell! What a fun episode, the energy Merissah brings to this one is so good, and you can see why she is a do-it-all type on the court! Once basketball became the focus (and not volleyball like her big sister), Merissah pursued the next level and traveled North America to see the best. In the end, she committed early to the Louisville Cardinals program, a storied program that made two Elite 8’s and one final four! That, plus national team experience with two World Cups (U17 and U19), is why it feels like Merissah has been around so long! The Ottawa native found herself on a recent new adventure, hoopin' up in the 3x3 with our legendary Women’s team! This episode has it all, don’t forget to tap in! Merissah Russell - Guest https://www.basketball.ca/athlete/merissah-russell https://www.instagram.com/mruss15 https://www.linkedin.com/in/merissah-russell-9b52b2309 Aaron Mitchell - Host Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a_a_mitch/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahoopsjourney/

“The Golden Generation: How Canada Became a Basketball Powerhouse” Get your copy today! We sit down with the author of this recently released book and discuss how and why he decided to write it, the process and all in between. Oren, a Western University grad and Toronto native, loved sports growing up as a kid and basketball started to really catch his eye when he attended powerhouse Oakwood High School. Following his love for sport and media, he finished his degree and hit the ground running. Since then Oren has been a freelance writer and ventured into many avenues so far in his young career. We appreciate Oren’s time as he talks about his career to this point and how excited he is for the 2028 Olympics, the book has it all, from history to current players and it’s an easy, light read worth checking out! If you’re a hoop head this episode is a must! Oren Weisfeld - Guest https://www.orenweisfeld.com https://x.com/OrenWeisfeld https://www.instagram.com/orenweisfeld Aaron Mitchell - Host Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a_a_mitch/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahoopsjourney/ Website: https://www.ahoopsjourney.com/

Episode 170 is live! - 3 Oregon State Championships - 2011 McDonald’s All-American - University of Kentucky (2012 National Champion) - Gonzaga University (A cool 20.6 and 6 RPG in his senior year) - Houston Rockets - 10+ years as an overseas pro, and still rolling The overall resume has to be one of the best we’ve seen on AHJ, but the dude we chop it up with is even better. Kyle Wiltjer grew up with a dad who put Canada first, and although Greg started hoops late at age 18, he ended up having a storied career as well, an example for Kyle to see and possibly follow! As stated, that set the tone as Kyle grew up in Oregon, attending Jesuit high school and really flourishing as a player, BUT….he was a dual citizen and was available to play for Canada. Since then, the 6’10 shooter has played for the National Team many times; however Kyle has found himself back with the Senior squad after a short break, and as you will hear, it means a lot to him. Between the Canada basketball experiences, Kyle attended two of the best NCAA programs in Kentucky and Gonzaga, and we discuss what it was like playing for both those coaching legends, and the style they brought! Wiltj comes across “cool as a fan”, but don’t get it twisted, this is one of Canada’s finest ever and an episode worth checking out. We chopped it up while on the road in Romania, so we really do appreciate Kyle’s time being with us! Tap in! #ahoopsjourney #podcast #canadabasketball #kylewiltjer #gonzagabulldogs #kentuckywildcats Kyle Wiltjer - Guest https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyle_Wiltjer https://www.instagram.com/kwiltj https://x.com/kwiltj Aaron Mitchell - Host Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a_a_mitch/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahoopsjourney/ Website: https://www.ahoopsjourney.com/

If you are any sort of hoops junkie, then this is an episode for you! Carly Clarke has been a U Sport athlete, Coach of the year, National Champion and led a team to an UNDEFEATED season. On top of that, Carly has been steadily involved with our Women’s National program, where she most recently has come off leading Canada to the U23 Global Jam Gold Medal! A proud and true “East Coaster”, Carly developed a love for the game in her hometown of Halifax, playing the game and always finding a way to attend the Men’s CIAU Championships at the old Metro Center. This episode has insight, reflection, leadership, x and o’s and an absolute ton more! Don’t skip, just do your job; like, subscribe and download! We thank Coach for being with us! Carly Clarke - Guest https://www.instagram.com/carlyclarke83 https://x.com/carly_clarke Aaron Mitchell - Host Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a_a_mitch/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahoopsjourney/ Website: https://www.ahoopsjourney.com/

Episode 166 takes us all the way to Kalamazoo, Michigan, where Manny Dosanjh finds himself as an assistant coach with Western Michigan! Manny has a great journey, starting in Brampton, Ontario, with immigrant parents who allowed him to explore his interests in the game. Manny loved hooping and found himself to be talented, earning a scholarship to a small JUCO in Michigan. After JC Manny walked on at Oral Roberts University and after some shoulder injuries, he decided to walk away from the game as a player. Things turned quickly as Manny was offered an opportunity to coach at storied Orangeville Prep, and he jumped at the chance right away. After two years at Orangeville, he became a grad assistant at Michigan State, which led to his job at Western Michigan. The journey is a good one, for any young coaches out there, it’s a great story to hear about what it takes! Just another example of the great coaching out there in Canada! Tap in! Manny Dosanjh - Guest https://www.instagram.com/coachmannyd/ https://wmubroncos.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/manny-dosanjh/4913 Aaron Mitchell - Host Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a_a_mitch/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahoopsjourney/ Website: https://www.ahoopsjourney.com/

BUCKETS AND BORDERS! A surprise mid-week episode as we have the opportunity to talk with Justin Lee, one of the many leaders behind B and B. DISCLAIMER - Those in the local Vancouver community, get down to Brit Secondary, July 26th for the court reveal . The day starts at 11:00AM and we need the Hoop Heads out! In a short amount of time, Buckets and Borders has gone from a pair of twin brothers putting stickers on backboards, to taking on major court renovation projects across Canada in the span of just a few years. Join Mitch and Justin Lee, as they talk about the why behind B and B, how it started and what needs to happen for it to continue. From Halifax, to Saskatchewan, to Montreal, the list of communities the B and B team has impacted runs deep. Basketball is a special game that brings special people together, and it was an honour to have Justin speak on behalf of his team to share their story and love for the game! Tap in!! Justin Lee - Guest https://bucketsandborders.com/blogs/news/ctv-interview-with-justin-lee https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinlee88/?originalSubdomain=ca https://www.instagram.com/p/DJpZgSpvUdB/ Aaron Mitchell - Host Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a_a_mitch/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahoopsjourney/ Website: https://www.ahoopsjourney.com/

Warrick Manners! A Humber legend, and the ultimate “glue guy”, we go back with Warrick who is the current assistant coach at Humber where it all began for him. Basketball started not being something Warrick was overly interested in, he enjoyed running around the streets, playing hockey and hanging with his friends, however once he started to play he couldn’t get enough. After a couple of tough years in high school record wise in a tough conference, Warrick decided he was going to play volleyball at Humber, with basketball on his mind. After on year he ended up trying out for the men’s basketball team and made it, so he decided to play BOTH sports, however, that didn’t last forever. After a month of trying to be Humber’s Bo Jackson, he stuck with basketball and never looked back. A tough loss in the CCAA final was avenged when Warrick and his squad defeated Langara in the 1995 National Final. After a great career Warrick began coaching, first at Seneca and now with Kia Nurse Elite, however most of his time is dedicated back to the Hawks program! Tap in! Warrick Manners - Guest https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrick-m-9146562a https://humberhawks.ca/sports/mbkb/coaches/manners_warrick Aaron Mitchell - Host Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a_a_mitch/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahoopsjourney/ Website: https://www.ahoopsjourney.com/