Todd Jordan is back with Team B.C.
For the second year in a row, Jordan is head coach of a Basketball B.C. provincial all-star team. Last year, he guided the Under-16 club and this year he's at the controls of the Under-17 squad.
"It's a great opportunity," said Jordan, a Prince George product who is also head coach of the UNBC Northern Timberwolves men's basketball team.
"I just moved up an age group so this year I'll be working with a lot of the same kids that I enjoyed working with last year. It's a good chance for me to work with most of the top high school players in the province and also do some networking with some different coaches and all kinds of people across the country. It's definitely great for me from a professional development standpoint."
As part of the contract he signed with Basketball B.C., Jordan is not allowed to use the summer months to recruit players into the UNBC program. But getting to know the up-and-coming stars is still beneficial in the long run.
"When the summer ends and we get to September, October, and I start looking to recruit some of those guys, it definitely helps that I have that relationship with some of them," he said.
"[Being involved in the provincial team program] does give you a very good understanding of what's going on in the province - where the better guys are playing and who the better guys are. That's definitely a big bonus."
One of the players on the Team B.C. roster is Prince George's Montell Lindgren. He's a flash-and-dash point guard who is nearing the end of his Grade 11 year at Duchess Park secondary school. Jordan also coached Lindgren on last year's U-16 team.
"I think he's the top point guard of his age in the province," Jordan said. "He's definitely had some good development. We've seen him mature quite a bit over the last couple years from a leadership standpoint and from a skill standpoint. He's still got a lot of things he needs to work on but he's got all the athletic tools there to be a nice player."
For Jordan, one of the perks of his current Team B.C. coaching position is that it's a two-year assignment. And, next year, the club will compete at the Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que.
Right now, the team has 18 players. Those 18 will practice together but will be divided into two squads for five summertime tournaments.
Then, at the end of July, the top 12 guys will wear B.C. colours at the national championship in Quebec.
Still with Team B.C. basketball, Prince George's Kayla Gordon has a roster spot on the girls Under-17 club. This past high school season she was a Grade 11 forward for the Cedars Christian School Eagles, who finished second in the single-A high school provincials.
