Meet the team
Pete Guarasci
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Pete has played and coached at the international and professional levels. He has coached USport at MacEwan, Simon Fraser University, University of Alberta. and UBC-Okanagan. He has also coached with Team Canada at the Under-19 Championships and spent several years with Canada's National Junior team.
During his playing days, he was twice named MVP and All-American at Simon Fraser. He spent ten years with Canada's Men's National Team including appearances at the 1995 World University Games, the 1998 World Basketball Championships and the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia.The rest of his considerable basketball background includes 12 years playing top-level professional basketball in Italy, Spain and Germany.
“I’m passionate about providing our youth with the coaching that can help them achieve their basketball goals.”
Emma Parmar
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Emma has basketball running through her veins. She's had a passion for the game - and coaching - since she was a toddler standing in her Dad's team huddles, taking in every word. After an illustrious playing career for OKM Huskies Senior Girls, Emma decided to follow her true calling: coaching. For the past five years, Emma has been assistant coach for the OKM Huskies Senior Girls team and has helped them reach BC Provincials every year. Her guidance and leadership earned them outstanding placements of second and fourth at the championships.
Beyond coaching players on the court, Emma is deeply passionate about helping them become their best selves both on and off the court. She is thrilled to take up head coaching duties at GW this season and can't wait to get started!
Heather Semeniuk
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Heather Semeniuk has been a fixture in the development of elite female basketball players in the Okanagan Valley for decades, and continues to provide valuable experience and mentoring. Heather brought a wealth of experience to the UBCO Women’s program as Varsity Coach for 21 seasons (1994-2015) including a highly successful season leading to a PacWest League Championship in 2000.
Harry Parmar
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Coach Parmar has been passionate about basketball for the past 25 years! Growing up playing in his small town community, he has gone on to coach a variety of age levels in both school and club programs. Dedicated to building winning teams, Coach Parmar has been with the Senior Boys AAAA team at KSS in Kelowna since 2008—a team that has reached the provincials almost every year!
In an amazing feat, his team was the first from outside the lower mainland to win the Championship in over seventy years—an accomplishment that Coach Parmar is immensely proud of. The success of his teams have helped several players move on to play University basketball all around Canada as well as parts of the US, some even making national teams and playing professionally!
Coach Parmar is thrilled to now be part of Mitch and GW Hoops; this season is sure to be a great one!
Darren Semeniuk
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A second-generation member of the Semeniuk family, a name that is synonymous with basketball in the Central Okanagan, Darren had a stellar university career winning a National Championship at the University of Alberta. He has coached at all levels since including a Provincial Championship with the KSS Senior Girls in 2018 and 7 years as the Head Coach of the UBC Okanagan Men’s Program.
Stella Lagrange
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Stella played on the OKM senior girl's basketball team for 3 years, during which they finished second and fourth place at the Provincial Championships. She also played on the u15 and u18 BC Provincial teams, participating in provincial team programming from 2018-2022.
Stella's talent on the court has been recognized across the country, and she is now a member of the UBC Thunderbirds Women's Basketball team. As she continues to hone her skills and push her limits, Kelowna's basketball community is buzzing with excitement for what the future holds for this rising star.
Don't miss a moment of Stella's journey to the top of the basketball world. Follow her on her journey and watch as she inspires the next generation of Kelowna youth basketball players
Japleen Chahal
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Japleen has been a part of the basketball world ever since she was a kid.
She has had the opportunity to play for multiple teams throughout BC, where she received several MVP and all-star awards. She played club basketball and participated in many tournaments throughout Canada and the United States. Japleen is a graduate from Kelowna Secondary School, where she played on the AAAA Senior Girls Team. Unfortunately, she was unable to further her career due to injuries but has turned her passion and drive for the game into coaching and has managed to stay connected in the basketball community.
Japleen started volunteering as a coach in high-school and quickly worked her way up to head coaching positions within clubs. She has experience working as a basketball skills trainer and is a certified personal trainer. With her experiences and knowledge of the game she will make a great asset to our coaching staff!
She is dedicated to pushing her players and bringing out the best in them on and off the court! Japleen can’t wait for the GW Hoops season to start and to be a part of the kids’ basketball journey!!
Caitie Gingras
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Caitie is one of the most successful high school female players to come out of the City of Vernon and a current member of the Edge Prep School program. She is a BC Provincial Team player and won a silver medal at the 2021 National Championships and was the leading scorer in the National Final and a Second Team AllStar. This year she continues to have success as a premiere outside shooter playing on the GrindSession circuit with Edge and the Elite 40 Circuit with Genesis Basketball and is a 2023 BioSteel All Canadian Nominee.
Wil Zylyk
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Aj Sandhu
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Aj Sandhu grew up in Kelowna and played basketball at OKM since Gr.8. and was named Okanagan All Star his senior year. He now wants the opportunity to make a difference and see first-hand the impact on other athletes and a chance to give back. He is continually learning new skills that allow him to be a better leader and adjust his style to appeal to all levels of athletic performance. He is ready to work to help improve and tweak the small details that can help players reach and exceed their potential.
Mitch Goodwin
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Mitch Goodwin brings a passion for the game of basketball and a commitment to helping develop youth players in the Okanagan Valley. As a Kelowna Secondary graduate, he chose to pursue opportunities closer to home and joined the UBC Okanagan Heat program. Over five years, he grew in stature, eventually becoming the Lead Assistant Coach and facilitating the Jr Heat development program.
Mitch has also had the opportunity to share his knowledge on an international level, coaching Team Kelowna at the International Children's Games in Jerusalem, Israel in 2018 and Coventry, England in 2022. To further increase his skill set Mitch is currently completing National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Level 3 training.
Given his decade of experience as a coach, Mitch has played an instrumental role in helping elite Okanagan players reach Prep School and USports programs throughout North America.
Ryan Braam
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Get ready to witness the rise of Kelowna star, Ryan Braam! Despite spending his high school years playing prep basketball in Ottawa and Calgary, Ryan made his mark on the court at KSS, helping his team secure an impressive 3rd place in provincials. He then took his skills to the next level, playing his senior year at CTA in Ottawa, where he dominated the competition and is currently deciding which scholarship offer to accept to play post-secondary basketball.
Ryan has recently committed to the University of Fresno-Pacific in California. Keep an eye on this rising star and don't miss a moment of the action!
Dani Mellon
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