PATH TO PARIS: Jay joins Thomaidis’ German Olympic team staff

A basketball lifer, Jay been an integral part of the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Huskies’ Canada West women’s basketball dynasty. Ever since joining the team in the 2013-14 season, Jay has helped contribute to seven Canada West championships and two U SPORTS national titles. 

Jay began his career with the Huskies like most other young coaches, doing the small jobs that are necessary, but may not be the most glamorous. As a member of the scout team, Jay was tasked with studying and installing the offence of Huskie opponents in practices. What separated Jay was his drive, work ethic and understanding of the game, which quickly caught Huskie head coach Thomaidis’ attention, and allowed him to carve out a larger role with the team, specializing in performance analytics and digital media.

“In 2015-16 Coach Thomaidis asked if I wanted to join the team full time, really just helping out around practice wherever she needed,” said Jay. “That year we actually won the national championship, so it was really exciting to be a part of that, especially considering I had hit an endpoint in my playing career. So, to be able to contribute to a university-calibre team was an amazing feeling.

“Coach Thomaidis and the Huskie program has opened a lot of doors for me, including with Canada Basketball, helping with their younger development teams, and most recently with Team Germany.”

Admittedly, Jay never imagined he would one day be going to an Olympic Games, and not even in his wildest fantasies did he picture himself as part of Team Germany. However, Jay remains both excited and grateful for the opportunity.

“As a Chinese Canadian, representing Germany at the Olympic Games was not something I had on my radar growing up,” Jay said. “My parents and grandparents certainly did not have it on theirs’ either. But being able to represent Germany, go to the Olympics and be a part of a top-12 team in the world is an amazing opportunity, and one that I am excited for. Many people along the way have helped me get to where I am today, and I want to take the time to thank them for all they’ve done.”

When asked to reflect on his journey, Jay highlighted a key moment from his youth that helped change his perspective on the game. 

“When I was 15, I got cut from Team Saskatchewan,” he said. “I knew I had to continue to grow my skill set, so I went to a point guard camp in Oregon where I really learned how to be a student of the game. If I could pinpoint one moment where my perspective changed and opened the possibility of coaching, that would be the one.”

Since then, there have been two other highly influential moments in Jay’s coaching career; the first being his experience with Canada Basketball, and the second being selected as a finalist for an opportunity with the Toronto Raptors, which you can read more about here.

As for his role on the German team, it closely mirrors Jay’s role with the Huskies. It will include a lot of prep work and film study, breaking down the tendencies of Team Germany’s opponents, and helping develop counters to what other teams do best. With Team USA in the pool, this means Germany will be looking to stop some of the world’s best players, including reigning WNBA finals MVP Aja Wilson, reigning regular season MVP Breanna Stewart, and WNBA legends Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner. Certainly not an easy task, but one that can continue to open more opportunities down the road. 

Twenty years ago, it was Thomaidis who found herself in a similar role to Jay’s, as she got her introduction into FIBA basketball as a video assistant with Team Canada.

“We joke about it a lot, how different it was, while being such similar positions,” Jay said. “When Coach Thomaidis started she had to carry around the large video cameras, the camcorder, all the tapes and now everything’s all digital, you can have everything on your phone.

“We talk a lot about her journey and the dedication that it takes to be successful. I’ve also had the privilege to see it up close for all these years. To do what she does, at the level she’s able to do it at, it’s a 24/7 commitment, 52 weeks a year. Not everyone is capable of that level of dedication, and that’s one of the reasons why she’s had so much success throughout the years. For me, I very much enjoy my work in performance analytics and do my best to stay up to date on the leading industry trends. What is most meaningful to me is being able to share this knowledge with the Huskies and continuing to contribute to the great legacy of this program.”

Connor also balances his coaching responsibilities with a full-time position in USask’s College of Education. 

“Where I’m at with my basketball career, I’m focused on continuing to be the best I can at what I do, as well as supporting my colleagues and creating opportunities for the next generation of players and coaches,” said Jay, who earned bachelor’s degrees in kinesiology and education at USask. 

Perhaps the most important way Connor supports the next generation is through his involvement with Wildwood Basketball camp, an annual summer development camp that Jay and his family run each year in Saskatoon.

“It’s not about the games, it’s not about the scores, it’s truly about development,” Jay said. “I really enjoy seeing the growth of all the campers throughout the week, and year to year. We had about 180 campers across two week-long sessions last year. As our camp has grown, it’s also given me an opportunity to bring along other great coaches.”

Thanks to his connections throughout Saskatoon’s basketball community, Jay is sure to have a number of young basketball fans cheering on Team Germany this year in Paris. As far as what Jay’s looking to get out of it, he is driven to succeed, while also keeping the opportunity in perspective.

“You’re in sport to win and compete at the highest level. Obviously, we would like to medal, and I believe we have the right team to do it,” he said. “Witnessing Coach Thomaidis and the rest of the Team Germany staff in Brazil during the qualifying tournament in February gave me a lot of confidence. At the highest level the margin of error is so small, yet the staff operates in such a way where I never feel as though we don’t have a chance to win, despite being heavy underdogs. The players have all bought in, they’ve bonded and have great chemistry. It’s going to be tough, but it’s supposed to be at the Olympics.”

“On a personal level, I get to join the team in Germany July 19th for a farewell game in front of the home crowd,” he added. “Next, we go to London for two games, and we get to play at the O2 Arena. I’ve never been to Germany or London and experiencing it with the team will be all the more exciting. Then finally, being in France for the Summer Olympics … I get a front row seat to experience the top stage of women’s basketball, and I’m allowed to call it work. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

Germany squares off against Belgium in the opening round on Monday, July 29 at 5:30 am CST. Meanwhile, Team Canada opens its Olympics against tournament host France in the next game, beginning at 9:30 am CST. 

The full tournament schedule is available here.