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Gilpin named Gaiters' Men's Basketball Coach: Women’s Head Coach to move over to guide Men’s squad

March 12, 2008

LENNOXVILLE – The Bishop’s University Athletic Department today announced that Rod Gilpin has been named as the new Head Coach of the Bishop’s Gaiters Men’s Basketball team. Gilpin, who will move over from his current post as Women’s Basketball Head Coach, replaces Eddie Pomykala, who had previously announced his departure.

“Rod deserves this opportunity, and I am very happy for him,” said Pomykala. “He will do a fantastic job because he is an excellent coach, as well as a tireless worker. Bishop’s Men’s Basketball will move forward with Rod at the helm.”

Gilpin, 40, has served for 14 seasons as the Head Coach of the Gaiters’ Women’s Basketball team and has a career record of 184-214 overall. He transformed the team into perennial league championship contenders, with appearances in six of the past nine QUBL finals, and ten postseason appearances in the past 11 years. In 2004, he led the Gaiters to the QUBL Championship, their first in 13 years, and a fifth-place finish at the CIS National Championship, the Gaiters’ highest finish since winning the title in 1984.

Gilpin is a five-time QUBL Coach of the Year, with wins in 1994-95 and 1997-98 followed by three consecutive nods from 2003 to 2005. He has coached an All-Canadian in five of the past seven years, and has coached three of the past four QUBL Players of the Year (Laure Pitfield, 2007; Anouk Boulanger, 2006; Emilie Crofton, 2005).

“The last 15 years have been a tremendous experience with the women’s program, and it is with mixed emotions that I make this change. This is the only job in the country that I would have left the program for,” said Gilpin. “I have learned so much from Eddie, and he was a mentor to me as a young coach. I’m excited about this new challenge, and I’m looking forward to building on the foundation Eddie has laid for the program.”

Gilpin, a native of Sudbury, Ont., is a graduate of Laurentian University, where he captained their 1990-91 team to the OUAA East Championship and was named an OUAA East All-Star. He was an assistant coach with the Laurentian men’s team in 1991-92 as the team won a second straight conference championship. Gilpin came to Bishop’s in 1992-93 as an assistant for the men’s basketball team. He was named Interim Head Coach of the Women’s Basketball team in 1993-94, was named Head Coach in 1994-95. He has also served as the Assistant Coach of the Ontario Junior Men’s Team in 1996, and as an Assistant Coach with the Quebec Women’s Team at the 2005 Francophone Games.

A nationwide search for a new Women’s Basketball Head Coach will commence immediately.

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Official release from Bishop's Sports Information