ABA's Sir named Director of Basketball Development for the Edmonton Stingers

ABA’s Steve Sir has been announced as Director of Basketball Development for the reigning CEBL champion Edmonton Stingers.

Sir’s role with the Stingers will include helping build the game of basketball in the region from the grassroots level and assisting in assembling the team’s roster long-term.

"This is a truly exciting day for the Edmonton Stingers Basketball Club, we are thrilled to welcome Steve Sir back to our Front Office," said Stingers President, Brett Fraser. "We needed a home-grown perspective on how to bridge our Basketball Operations and the deep roots of our basketball community as we grow globally as a Club and a League. Steve’s contributions to basketball, as a member of Team Canada, and as an active leader in Edmonton’s basketball community are invaluable. He is a smart, driven, competitive and determined executive, as demonstrated both over his playing and management careers. I believe we took a strong management team and made it even stronger today."

ABA has had a significant involvement with the Stingers during the team’s first two seasons in the Canadian Elite Basketball League. Team Alberta alumni Jordan Baker and Zac Overwater helped the Stingers win the title at the 2020 CEBL Summer Series this past August, and Baker was named the league’s top Canadian.

Sir, who is also a Team Alberta alum, had a standout college career at Northern Arizona University, where he became the NCAA’s all-time leader in three-point percentage before going on to a lengthy pro career.

Sir and Baker are both members of the 3x3 Canadian National Team that will take part in the Tokyo Olympics qualifying tournament in Graz, Austria next year.

“This is a side of basketball that I was able to get a taste of when I was still playing professionally in Europe, and I helped assemble the Stingers in the inaugural season, and it’s something that I’m really passionate about,” said Sir.

With the Stingers, Sir will be actively involved in community development and oversee the creation of a Stingers Academy to improve regional talent on and off the court.

“The popularity of the game of basketball is growing. It’s on the rise, and my hope is that it continues to grow in that direction,” said Sir. “We want the Stingers to play an integral role of building the game at the grassroots level. We want to help contribute to playing at a higher level. We want the Stingers to be a team that players dream of playing for one day.”