The winningest coach in Huskie men’s basketball history is set to take on another challenge after the Saskatchewan Rattlers, member club of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), announced Barry Rawlyk as their second General Manager in franchise history.
Rawlk, who will also continue in his role as head coach of the Huskies, has accumulated 141 wins in his nine-and-a-half seasons at the helm of the program while also taking Saskatchewan to the playoffs in eight times.
“It’s great for the Huskie men’s basketball program to strengthen our ties with the Rattlers,” said Huskies Chief Athletics Officer Dave Hardy. “Barry working as a general manager will be especially helpful as he brings back new experiences and lessons learned to the Huskies.”
Rawlyk is no stranger to the Rattlers, having served the 2019 Championship season as the lead assistant coach as well as assisting in the recruitment of the roster.
He joins the Rattlers as the current University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s basketball team head coach. As the sixth head coach in University of Saskatchewan 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 Championship and a second place finish in Canada West. Prior to joining the Huskies, Rawlyk spent over two decades coaching at Holy Cross High School in Saskatoon. During his time with the Crusaders, he led them to 11 City Championship titles as well as three Provincial Championships.
The Saskatoon native will start assembling the Rattlers 2020 roster when CEBL free agency starts on Feb. 1. The Rattlers head coach announcement is expected at the end of January.
The Rattlers enter the 2020 season as the defending CEBL Champions. The Rattlers home opener will take place on May 14 against the Bandits, when they will celebrate the 2019 season by unveiling the first-ever CEBL Championship banner.
Rawlyk and the Huskies are back in action this coming weekend when they host the UVic Vikes inside the PAC on Friday and Saturday night.
