Teaching Staff
Eric Lapierre
Eric has coached at Above The Rim Basketball School since 2002. He brings 20 years of coaching experience with all ages and levels. Eric has coached bantam and midget club teams in Ottawa and Smiths Falls, as well as high school teams in Smiths Falls.
Eric has coached 10 players that have went on to play college or university basketball across Canada. He has been an assistant coach in Smiths Falls since 2005. During that time, 4 senior boys teams have qualified to OFSAA championships, with the 2011 Senior boys team winning OFSAA Gold. Those teams have also won 6 consecutive division championships. Eric was also a co-coach with the Nepean Blue Devils Bantam girls team in 2014 that won a Gold medal in Division 2 at the OBA championships.
Eric brings passion and energy to coaching and enjoys seeing new kids take up the sport. He is a Level 2 certified basketball coach with Basketball Ontario.
Eric is a mentoring coordinator with Big Brothers Big Sisters Ottawa. He has been with the organization since 2007.
Contact Coach Eric at coachericatrottawa@gmail.com
Richard Peters
Richard started working with Above the Rim Basketball School in 1998. He has a tremendous knack for communicating with youth. Richard is presently coaching at St. Mark High School in Manotick, Ontario. He coaches the senior boys basketball team, as well as the grade 7/8 boys and girls teams. In 2011, Richard coached the St. Mark Senior Boys to a City Championship. He also coached for three years in the Gloucester Wolverines Competitive Basketball system, where his Midget Boys finished 5th in the province in 2009. Richard has coached the Ottawa Catholic School Board Boys' Gr. 7/8 All Star Team in 2008 and 2009.
Richard's exuberance and excellent teaching skills make him a popular member of Above the Rim Basketball School's staff. Richard is an integral part of all Ottawa summer day camps, March Break Camps and weekly evening programs.
Richard teaches grades 7 and 8 at St. Mark High School and was awarded the Director of Education Award in 2007.
Contact Coach Richard at coachrichardatrottawa@gmail.com
Chris Wakefield
Chris has coached at Above the Rim Basketball School since 2002. He brings a wealth of basketball coaching experience to his camps from his many years of coaching high school and competitive basketball teams.
Some of the highlights of Chris's coaching career include coaching the St. Matthew High School Senior Girls to City Championships in 2013 and 2014 and OFSSA Gold in 2014. In 2012, he also coached the St. Matthew High School Senior Boys to a City Championship and to the quarter-finals of OFSSA.
Chris is a Level 2 certified basketball coach with Basketball Ontario. He has coached a number of club teams to top ten finishes provincially. In 2009, he coached the Gloucester Wolverines Midget Boys to a 5th place finish in Division 1 and captured Division 2 Gold in 2011 with the Ottawa Guardsmen Juvenile Boys. In 2015, Chris coached the Capital Xelles Junior Girls to a 2nd place finish in the Division 1 Provincial Championships.
Chris teaches grades 5 and 6 at Convent Glen Catholic School in Orleans. He was awarded the Director of Education Award in 2007.
Contact Coach Chris at coachchrisatrottawa@gmail.com
Kristin Popovics-Kealey
Kristin has been working for Above the Rim since 2010. She graduated from Marion High School in Marion, Iowa in 2000, where she is now a Hall of Fame member for her basketball accomplishments. Kristin played basketball on a full scholarship for the College of the Holy Cross from 2000-2004 and enjoyed two Patriot League Conference Championships, two NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT bid.
After receiving her Master's Degree in Teaching and Learning from the University of Southern Maine, she moved to the Ottawa area and is now teaching for the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario. She has coached basketball at many levels, including youth and college, and enjoys sharing her knowledge of the game with the Above the Rim players.
Richard Aucoin
Richard has coached at Above the Rim Basketball School since 2009. He has worked numerous Summer and March Break Camps, as well as leading the Dempsey evening sessions. Richard has over 20 years of basketball experience as a player, referee and coach. Before turning to coaching, Richard played basketball at St. Matthew High School and with the York Lions.
An Ottawa native, Richard has also coached both men's and women's senior high school basketball teams. Since 2009, he has been the assistant coach to the St. Peter Knights basketball team. He has also coached the 7/8 Boys Basketball team at St. Peter. Provincially, Richard was the assistant coach to the Gloucester Wolverines Midget Boys that had a 5th place finish in Division 1.
Richard currently teaches a specialized Behaviour program for students in grades 4 to 6 at St. Thomas More Catholic School in Ottawa South.
Tom McSwiggan
Tom is a teacher and coach at Mother Teresa High School in Ottawa. He is a former player at the University of Prince Edward Island. Tom is a physical presence who can play in the post and handle a ball like a guard. He was also a co-coach with the Nepean Blue Devils Bantam girls team in 2014 that won a Gold medal in Division 2 at the OBA championships. Tom is a knowledgeable coach, terrific teacher and valuable resource for the kids at all Ottawa summer day camps and March break camps.
Cassandra Carpenter
Cassandra graduated with a Bachelor of Sport and Physical Education and a Bachelor of Education from Laurentian University and is a member of the Ontario College of Teachers.
Cassandra has been working with Above The Rim Basketball School since 2003. She is first aid certified and has a level 2 coaching certificate from Basketball Ontario.
Cassandra played basketball for 5 years at Laurentian University, as well as 2 years professionally in Australia. She has also coached at Algonquin College with the women's basketball team.
John MacDonald
John graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies\Geography and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Ottawa and is a member of the Ontario College of Teachers.
John has been working with Above The Rim Basketball School since 2014. He is first aid certified.
John has coached with a variety of different basketball clubs in Ottawa over the past 5 years. While at the University of Ottawa, John was a member of the golf team. He is currently the head coach of the University of Ottawa men's golf team.
Matthew Koeslag
Matthew grew up in Ottawa and attended Holy Trinity High School in Kanata, where he played and was a city all-star. He also played for the Kanata Cavaliers and won a provincial title under Chris Paulin. Matthew later played for the Ottawa Guardsmen and won two provincial gold medals.
Matthew attended the University of Ottawa and Lakehead University, where he played for 5 years for the men's basketball teams.
After returning to Ottawa, Matthew began teaching and coaching at St. Patrick’s High School, where he has helped lead the teams to a Tier 1 Junior Boys Championship, a Tier 2 Junior Boys Championship, and 7 AAA Senior Boys Basketball Championships. In that time, St. Patrick's has also won 3 provincial medals, including Antique Bronze in 2014, Silver in 2013 and Gold in 2008. Matthew has helped approximately 28 players from St. Patrick’s go on to play college or university basketball after graduation.
In 2017, Matthew started My Basketball Teacher, with the website MyBasketballTeacher.com and it’s accompanying social media channels which are dedicated to helping players and coaches at all levels develop their skills and abilities in the game of basketball.
Chloe Hadwen
Chloe is a longtime basketball lover who played in the Ontario Basketball Association for many years in her hometown of Cambridge, Ontario. She has worked at numerous camps with players of varying skill levels.
Most recently, she has been coaching the junior girls basketball team at St. Mother Teresa High School for 5 years and she has been a part of the Above the Rim coaching staff for the past 3 years. She enjoys working with students of all ages to help them develop the fundamentals and a passion for the game.