Ken Olynyk, the second longest serving Director of Athletics and Recreation at Thompson Rivers University, will be taking over as the interim head coach of the women’s basketball team.

Olynyk will be replacing Goran Nogic in what will be his second stint behind the bench. The Revelstoke native led the WolfPack women’s team during the 2005-06 season.

“Ken is an outstanding leader and we are excited to have him back with the ‘Pack,” Curtis Atkinson, TRU’s current Director of Athletics and Recreation said, in a statement. “He is a legendary figure at this school and his reputation as a basketball coach speaks for itself.”

“We would like to thank Goran for all of his work over the last two years here with the WolfPack and wish him the best moving forward.”

Reached by NL Sports for comment on the reason for the coaching change, TRU Wolfpack Manager of Marketing and Communications, Cameron Doherty said, “we will not be commenting on specific staffing decisions to protect the privacy of all involved.”

Ken Olynyk – the father of NBA star Kelly Olynyk – has spent 25 seasons as a head coach at the U SPORTS level, most recently as interim coach of the UBC Okanagan men’s team in 2018-19. He also led the Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s team from 1979-88 before taking over at the Toronto Varsity Blues from 1989 until 2003 when he moved to Kamloops.

“I love this school and I’m excited to once again have the opportunity to work with the outstanding student-athletes at TRU,” Olynyk, who was TRU’s Director of Athletics and Recreation until 2018, said, in a statement.

“Increasing student-athlete support was always one of my top priorities as a director of athletics and recreation and I’m eager to once again be behind the bench of a university team.”

After wrapping up their non-conference slate, Olynyk and the WolfPack are set to start the 16th U SPORTS season in team history when they host the UNBC Timberwolves on Oct. 29.

– With files from Jon Keen