Helping the next generation
Acadia’s McDonald, Stjepanovic leading provincial teams
A pair of Acadia basketball assistant coaches are giving back to the sport.
Haley McDonald, of Port Williams, and Igor Stjepanovic, a Windsor, Ont., native, were recently named head coaches for Basketball Nova Scotia (BNS) provincial teams for 2024. Stjepanovic will lead the under-15 boys’ program while McDonald takes over the under-17 girls’ squad.
“I am so excited to be part of the BNS family in a head coaching capacity,” McDonald said for a story posted on the Acadia Athletics website. “Over the year, I have been working to further my own coaching skills and I’m happy to see my commitment paying off.
“My coaching philosophy is grounded in competition, accountability and fun. I hope to provide the athletes with a strong, confident female role model that will push them to a higher standard. I believe our small province is capable of making big waves nationally and I cannot wait to get started.”
McDonald finished her playing career with the Axewomen in 2023 as the team’s all-time leading scorer and fifth in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference with 1,846 points.
She captured two AUS championships, was an AUS MVP, four-time all-star and three-time all-Canadian. She won the conference’s James Bayer Memorial Scholarship for her contributions to athletics, academics, leadership, sportsmanship and citizenship and was one of eight U Sports academic all-Canadian and Governor General medal recipients.
McDonald, who recently completed her first year as an Axewomen assistant coach, represented Basketball Nova Scotia at five national championships.
Meanwhile Stjepanovic is taking his first steps with the provincial program.
“I am incredibly honoured and humbled to have been chosen as the head coach of the boys U-15 Basketball Nova Scotia provincial team,” Stjepanovic said. “It is a privilege to be entrusted with this responsibility and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the development of young athletes across Nova Scotia.
“This appointment is not just a personal achievement but a reflection of the collective efforts of many who have supported me along this journey. I look forward to working alongside these talented players, supporting them as they strive for excellence both on and off the court.”
Stjepanovic began his coaching career serving as a high school boys and girls head coach for five years. He finished his human kinetics degree at the University of Windsor while also serving as a head coach of club basketball teams.
He earned his master’s degree in coaching at Western University in London, Ont., before spending four years as the university lead assistant, helping the team return to top-10 status in the country. He also served as an assistant coach with the Hamilton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League for three seasons, including winning the title in his final campaign. He is currently completing his education degree at Acadia and served as an assistant coach with the Axemen in 2023-24.
Halifax’s Campbell Colpitts will lead the under-15 girls’ team while Dartmouth’s Anton Berry has the under-17 boys. The national championships will be held Aug. 5-10 with the two girls’ tournaments taking place in Newfoundland and the boys’ competitions in Ontario.