Lancer basketball coach Chris Cheng will make his national team head coaching debut this summer, leading Canada at the FIBA U16 Men’s Americas Championship.
Lancer men’s basketball head coach Chris Cheng will lead Team Canada in an international competition for athletes 16 years old or younger. He will coach the national entry in the International Basketball Federation’s (FIBA) U16 Men’s Americas Championship tournament.
Cheng said he is honoured and excited.
“Anytime I am provided with an opportunity to represent my country, I cannot turn it down,” he said. “I look forward to working with this year’s team, coaching staff, and support staff.”
Since 2013, Cheng has held several roles within Canada’s high-performance program, most recently as an assistant coach with the U17 national team last summer at the FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup in Spain. As head coach of the University of Windsor men’s basketball team, Cheng has led the Lancers to the playoffs in each of his three seasons and this year guided the team to a 17-7 regular season record, first place in the OUA West division, and a berth in the semifinals.
The FIBA U16 Men's Americas Championship will run June 5 to 11. A biennial event launched in 2009, the tournament features eight national teams from across the Americas; the top four will qualify for next summer’s FIBA U17 Men’s Basketball World Cup. Canada has never finished lower than third.