With Laurentian University men’s basketball coach Shawn Swords taking a leave of absence this season, Georges Serresse has stepped up to take his place.
“We are excited to have Georges step up and fill in for Shawn this season,” Laurentian athletic director Peter Hellstorm said in a media release. “Having an alumnus like Georges honing his coaching skills within our program allows this transition to be seamless.”
Serresse graduated from Laurentian in 2013, after which he played professionally in France for four years before returning home and suiting up for the Sudbury Five for the last three seasons. During these past three seasons, he also returned to Laurentian to serve as assistant coach with the men’s and women’s programs.
Swords’ leave of absence is to make time to serve as assistant coach with the Long Island Nets, a G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets. This past summer saw Swords serve as lead assistant for Brooklyn in the NBA’s Summer League, helping guide them to a 3-2 record.
“This summer, working with Brooklyn, was amazing; truly a great organization that exudes positivity throughout. Fortunately, they offered me a position this year that was too hard to turn down,” Swords said in a media release.
“Sudbury and Laurentian University has been a great place for me and my family over the years. I never thought I would try to coach at a different organization but such is life.”
Hellstrom credits Swords with working “extremely hard” as the team’s coach, and that he deserves his new role in Brooklyn.
“For the past 15 years the name Shawn Swords has been synonymous with Laurentian Basketball,” Seresse said in the media release.
“As a coach he passed on his knowledge so that his players could be the best version of themselves in order to make gains on and off of the court. As a husband and father of two he set an example and gave his players someone to look up to. His work ethic and positive energy are only a couple of the things that will continue to resonate throughout the program this season. We wish him and his family the best of luck on their adventure and can’t wait to get this season started.”
Serresse and company got their preseason started on Sept. 23, when the men hosted Algoma during a game the home team narrowly lost 87-83. Their regular season will begin on Nov. 3 and 4 with games at Queen’s and Ontario Tech, respectively.
