50th Speakers
Friday Fireside
David Wells
For over 50 years, beginning in junior high in his beloved Lethbridge, "Wellsie" has undertaken a great number of non-athlete competitive sports roles, including administration, promotion, writing, broadcasting and coaching in a variety of sports. Basketball is his favourite, having worked at the junior high, high school, CCAA, USports, NCAA D1, provincial program, national program and minor pro levels. Serving two separate terms on the board of the ABA, Wells took great pride in helping build high performance programs.
Ken Larson
The owner of Champion Performance Systems, Ken Larson is an esteemed international keynote speaker, corporate trainer, team facilitator, and human performance consultant. His extensive background in basketball spans both playing and coaching. As a player, Larson spent four years with the Canadian men’s national team in the early 1980s and was a two-time national champion at the University of Victoria. He later served a lengthy tenure as head coach of the MacEwan men’s basketball team, guiding the Griffins to ACAC titles in 1988 and 1991.
Don Horwood
One of the most decorated coaches in Canadian basketball history, Don Horwood served as head coach of men’s basketball at the University of Alberta from 1983 to 2009, guiding the Alberta Golden Bears to three national championships (1994, 1995, and 2002) and six Canada West gold medals (1985, 1987, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2005). A four-time Canada West Coach of the Year (1987, 1994, 2002, 2008) and three-time CIAU/CIS Coach of the Year (1987, 1994, 2002), Horwood ranks sixth all-time for wins in Canadian men’s university hoops.
Doug Baker
A member of the University of Alberta Sports Wall of Fame, Doug Baker played for the Golden Bears from 1974 to 1977, winning the Wardlaw Porteous Trophy as team MVP in all three of his seasons, and receiving CIAU First Team All-Canadian honours in 1977. Following his playing career, Baker worked in the roles of Executive Director and High Performance Coach of ABA. In 2015, he served as venue manager for the FIBA Americas Championship for Women in Edmonton. Baker has coached for more than 35 years, from community to post secondary.
Saturday
John Stockton
Drafted out of Gonzaga University in Spokane with the 16th pick in the 1984 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz, John Stockton went on to play all 19 seasons of his record-setting NBA career in Salt Lake City. An 11-time All-NBA selection and five-time All Defensive honouree, Stockton was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2009. Along with power forward Karl Malone, Stockton formed the greatest pick-and-roll duo in basketball history, leading Utah to consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 1997 and 1998. Stockton twice won Olympic gold, including in 1992 as a member of the iconic Dream Team. In 2022, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
- 11x All-NBA (2x First Team, 6x Second Team, 3x Third Team)
- 5x NBA All-Defensive (5x Second Team)
- 10x NBA All-Star Game selection
- 9x NBA assist champ
- 2x NBA steals champ
- NBA single-season assist record (1,164) in 1990-91
- NBA all-time leader in assists (15,806) and steals (3,265)
- 1993 NBA All-Star Game co-MVP
- 2x Olympic gold medalist (1992, 1996)
- NBA 50th Anniversary Team and 75th Anniversary Team
- Elected to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009
- No. 12 retired by Utah Jazz in 2004
Nirra Fields
Nirra Fields is a dynamic force in the world of basketball. Hailing from Vancouver, raised in Montreal, and now thriving in Toronto, she is a proud Olympic athlete for Team Canada’s Senior Women’s National Team and a 3x Olympian. Drafted into the WNBA in 2016 and most recently competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics, Nirra boasts over eight years of international play.
Beyond the court, she is a passionate advocate for basketball, mental wellness, and mentorship. As an entrepreneur, Nirra owns NF Hoops, an organization dedicated to empowering girls through basketball, instilling confidence, and promoting hard work.
Nirra is also the host of her new podcast, The Champions Mind, where she breaks down the mental tactics needed to create your own champion’s mindset. The show features entrepreneurs, thought leaders, athletes, and more, diving deep into the mindset behind the world’s greatest achievers.
Recently retired from professional basketball, Nirra now applies her mental performance skills in the tech industry, excelling in a sales role while continuing to inspire and lead through her athletic, entrepreneurial, and personal development work.
Shawnee Harle
Shawnee Harle has over 30 years of elite coaching and leadership experience. As an assistant coach with the Canadian Senior Women’s National Team, Harle represented Canada at the Summer Olympic Games in 1996 and 2016.
The winningest coach in University of Calgary women’s basketball history, Harle is a three-time Canada West women’s basketball Coach of the Year award recipient and guided the Dinos to the Canada West championship in 2001.
Harle earned a Master of Education in Coaching Studies from the University of Victoria as well Master Coach Developer and Master Learning Facilitator with the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). She served as High Performance Director of Alberta Basketball from 2012 to 2014.
Harle is the owner of Winning Matters, helping athletes build a mental toughness toolkit so they show up with courage and confidence on the biggest day, the biggest stage of their lives. And because it takes a village, she also works with parents and coaches.
