Former River Lion Player Tyrone Watson Joins Coaching Staff
A System Administrator • April 12, 2021
St. Catharines –
The Niagara River Lions announced today that Tyrone Watson will be rejoining the organization for the 2021 season in a new capacity as Assistant Coach. Watson was drafted by the River Lions in the fourth round of the inaugural Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) draft in 2019 but was unfortunately unable to play due to an injury. He signed with the team for the 2020 CEBL Summer Series after which he accepted his first coaching position with Saint Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia as an Assistant Coach for the X-Men.
“Tyrone is going to be a phenomenal coach and I'm excited that he will shift from player to Assistant Coach for us this season,” said Head Coach and General Manager Victor Raso. “Tyrone is a competitor, a winner and a great communicator, and I know that this experience will be beneficial to him as he develops in his coaching career. He earned the respect of his teammates last summer and was looked upon as a leader, which will make for a seamless transition to our coaching staff”.
Watson graduated from NCAA Division I New Mexico State University and spent the majority of his professional career playing in the East Coast of Canada where he proved to be a born leader and selfless teammate on any team he was a part of. While Watson’s work ethic and experience made coaching a natural progression, part of hiring him for the season was a result of the “Life After Basketball (LAB)” initiative created by Assistant General Manager and Head of Basketball Operations, Antwi Atuahene and the River Lions commitment to developing their players off the court as they navigate their post basketball careers.
“The main focus of the LAB is to build meaningful relationships, serve others & add value,” continued Atuahene. “Tyrone encompasses all these attributes on and off the court. We are excited to have our first alumni from our program be apart of our coaching staff.“
Watson is eager to get back to Ontario to begin his work with the River Lions for the 2021 season. "I'm very excited to be re-joining the River Lions family in a new role this season” said Watson. “It will be interesting transitioning from player to coach but I am up for the challenge and am going to work hard to ensure that the transition is smooth. I want to extend my gratitude to the River Lions organization for the amazing opportunity. Let #TheHunt begin."
The CEBL is preparing for its third season in 2021 following the success of the 2020 CEBL Summer Series hosted here in St. Catharines, which saw a record 1.2 million viewers across Canada tune in to four days of live programming on CBC.
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