Sun fill out coaching staff

Photo: Wayne Moore

Okanagan Sun head coach Ben Macauley will have more coaches to lean on when the team gets down to preparing for the 2017 BC Football League season.

The Sun announced this week it had made significant additions to its coaching staff for the upcoming season.

Most notably is Jason Casey, who will work with the defensive line and special teams.

Casey previously served as head coach of the team in 2011. Prior to that, he was an assistant with the team.

Including Casey, the team has added six new assistant coaches, three on offence and three on defence. A seventh will be added shortly to work with the receivers.

Macauley says the additions are not through attrition.

"One of the things we talked about at the end of the season was a need for more full-time coaches," said Macauley. "Now, we have a full-time guy at each position, and potentially an assistant at each position."

Macauley expected a hard time recruiting and keeping full-time coaches, but said it was quite the opposite.

With the strides made by the team last season, and the tradition of the program, he found there was no shortage of guys who wanted to be involved.

And, the additions will make Macauley's job a lot easier.

"It's not just more coaches, but it's guys I can trust. Guys that are highly recommended, and if it's not guys I know myself, they have connections to guys we've worked with in the past.

"It allows me to, not only delegate more – which I didn't do last year because my trust level wasn't there, but when I'm delegating, knowing things are going to get done."

Along with recruiting coaches, Macauley is also busy recruiting players for the upcoming season.

At the moment, he said, he's not focusing on any one position, but trying instead to identify who will be available and who will be heading to university ball.

There are some big holes to fill on the offensive and defensive lines and linebacker through graduation.

And, while it's next to impossible to replace the likes of Jonas Gering, Lucas Machado and Layne Hull, Macauley said it's their job to find players who can develop into top line talent.

The Sun will hold their annual spring camp in May before gearing up for main camp and the start of the regular season.

The 2017 schedule has not yet been released.