By Brennan Elliott
•
29 Feb, 2024
Saskatoon, Sask. - The Saskatchewan Rattlers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Thursday that Eric Magdanz, Rob Lovelace and Steve Burrows have been named assistant coaches on Larry Abney’s staff for the 2024 season. Abney, who has seven-years of experience with the Los Angeles Clippers organization, was named Head Coach of the Rattlers on February 15. Magdanz returns for his third season with the Rattlers. In his first two seasons, he helped lead the team to a regular season record of 19-21. During the 2022 CEBL postseason, the Rattlers secured a quarterfinal berth after beating two-time CEBL champion Edmonton Stingers (94-91) at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, SK. They also held a league-best home record of 8-2 in 2022. A local of Lloydminster, Alberta, Magdanz grew up playing high school basketball, which led him to play at the U SPORTS level at McMaster University (2005-2009). He served as an assistant coach with the University of Alberta for two seasons (2010-2012) leading the 2012 team to a CanWest Championship and a second-place finish in the U SPORTS final. Magdanz went on to serve as head coach of MacEwan University for seven seasons. In the 2019 inaugural CEBL season, Magdanz secured an assistant coach title for the Edmonton Stingers. He has worked alongside Basketball Alberta, Basketball Saskatchewan, and the Senior Women’s National Team in a variety of roles. During his downtime, he has helped the Saskatchewan Rattlers with their youth basketball programs. “I’m grateful to have the opportunity to return to the Rattlers,” said Coach Magdanz. “I look forward to working with Coach Abney as we bring a championship back to Saskatchewan.”