Today, on the Basketball Manitoba Podcast, we have Ilarion Bonhomme, the current head coach of the Brandon Bobcats women’s program.

He played high school basketball at Cardozo High School in Washington, DC.

He played at Brandon University for three years and was named Canada West Rookie of the Year. He transferred to play his last two years with the University of Manitoba Bisons and helped the program return to excellence, earning their first trip to nationals in 30 years after securing a silver medal in the Canada West playoffs in 2018

He then played internationally in Norway, Australia, Sweden, Ukraine, Spain, and the United Kingdom for six seasons.

In 2024, he retired from playing and was named the Head Coach of the Brandon University Women’s Basketball Team.

Today, on the Basketball Manitoba Podcast, we have Sara Gillis. Sara has been a cornerstone of basketball in Manitoba for over 40 years, contributing as a player, coach, official, and advocate for the game. Her basketball journey began in Brandon, where she played for Earl Oxford Junior High and Crocus Plains High School. She also played for the Manitoba Provincial Team for three years and earned a silver medal at the 1985 Canada Games. She then went on to play at Brandon University with the Bobcats for five seasons. During her time there, she was named Brandon University’s Female Athlete of the Year in 1984-85.

After playing, she transitioned to coaching at first at Garden Valley in Winkler and then going on to and build a powerhouse program at R.D. Parker Collegiate in Thompson, leading the Varsity Girls to four consecutive AAA provincial finals, including back-to-back championships in 2015 and 2016. Her impact in northern Manitoba extended beyond the court as she organized clinics, camps, and leagues to grow the game at the grassroots level. She has also served as an assistant coach for Manitoba's under-17 female team, worked with Basketball Manitoba’s Targeted Athlete Program, and continues to advocate for rural basketball initiatives and increasing women in coaching through her role as the President of Basketball Manitoba. She has received the Mike Spack Lifetime Achievement Award and has been inducted into the Brandon University Dick and Verda McDonald Sports Wall of Fame.

Today, on the Basketball Manitoba Podcast, we have Murray Brown.

He is one of the most accomplished coaches in Manitoba's history, coaching for over 34 years and more than 1,100 games as a head coach with the Oak Park Varsity girl's basketball team.

During that time, he won seven provincial titles in 1998, 1999, 2004, and 2013, with a “three-peat” from 2017-2019. He has been named MBCA basketball coach of the year 7 times and MHSAA coach in 2013.

He retired from coaching at Oak Park in 2022 and is currently an assistant with the Winnipeg Wesmen Women’s basketball team.