Edmonton Stingers' coach/GM steps down, replaced by assistant
It was a case of too much, too soon for Edmonton Stingers’ Barnaby Craddock.
The inaugural head coach and general manager of the fledgling Canadian Elite Basketball League club stepped down Wednesday, citing strains the added workload placed on his ongoing duties coaching the University of Alberta Golden Bears basketball program and raising a young family.
“Despite my best intentions and efforts, the workload of the Stingers head coach and general manager role is not something I can adequately complete while also fulfilling my duties to my family and University of Alberta Golden Bear Athletics,” Craddock stated in a press release. “I will step away from the Edmonton Stingers so they can get someone in place that will be capable of making the necessary commitment to lead the Stingers forward into the exciting future of the CEBL.”
Stingers assistant coach Jermaine Small will assume both positions, while Craddock will be on hand Saturday to play a support role in Abbotsford, B.C., against a Fraser Valley Bandits squad still seeking its first win.
“The CEBL has brought a high level of professional basketball to Edmonton and Canada, and it has been a privilege to play a part in ushering the Stingers into Edmonton,” said Craddock, whose 4-4 record with the Stingers has them two-and-a-half games back in the standings.
Following three seasons as an assistant coach at Ryerson University, Small spent five years as lead assistant at Queen’s University. He coached the Canadian Select Team that competed in China, and the last three summers was a head coach in the Crown League in Toronto. Small played collegiately at Houghton College in New York.
“I would like to thank Barnaby for an outstanding job in establishing a foundation for a culture of success with the Stingers,” said team president and COO Lee Genier. “We’re disappointed to lose him, but we do appreciate the significant demands that come with simultaneously running basketball operations for us and the University of Alberta, where he leads one of the top U-Sports programs in the country.
“We are grateful we have someone of Jermaine Small’s ability to take over the Stingers as we work to maintain a spot in the postseason tournament and strive to finish on top of the regular season standings. Jermaine has worked alongside some of Canada’s leading head coaches — Roy Rana at Ryerson, Steph Barrie at Queen’s, and now Barnaby Craddock in Edmonton. He is ready and qualified to lead our club for the second half of the season and into the playoffs.”
Following Saturday’s game at Fraser Valley, the Stingers return home to host the league-leading Niagara River Lions on Friday, June 28 (7 p.m.).