Red Deer Polytechnic Athletics in search of new Kings Basketball Head Coach

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Student-athlete and Kings veteran Kevin Szymanek (Business Administration), who has played for all four years of Graham’s coaching tenure, described him as a player-first type of coach.

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“There is a story about famous UCLA Men’s Basketball coach John Wooden. During their NCAA dynasty, he swept the floor before every practice, despite being widely regarded as the greatest coach in the game at that time. This describes coach Darren. If there was a task to be done, he would be the first to take it on,” he said.

Kings Basketball Head Coach Darren Graham during a timeout. (RDP Athletics)

Szymanek had multiple coaches over his long basketball career, but he admits Graham is one of the best coaches he had the chance to play for.

“He is one of the most calm, cool and collected coaches. His stoic demeanour always kept the team in a focused mindset when things got out of hand. His solutions and words of wisdom were always well-timed and executed. He always kept an open mind to anything that would help the team succeed and pushed everyone to be the best version of themselves,” he said.

The veteran Kings Basketball player’s favourite memory of the coach, he says, was when Graham first started at the Polytechnic. The team had just started their preseason and they had 6 a.m. weight training scheduled in the gym. The players all arrived and as Szymanek was walking up the stairs, he saw the coach in a full sweat as he was finishing up his full workout. He gave his players all a high five as they showed up and left as they got started on their own workouts.

The Stauffer-native explained what made this moment so memorable.

“This will always stick with me as being in my early 20s, it seemed impossible to be a coach, a father of four and a teacher while still being able to meet the team for their first workout,” he said.

Szymanek added that Graham would always open up his home to host team meals and would go out of his way to find his players a place to stay or even a job if they needed one. He says the team was truly envious of his masterful time management and emotional intelligence. In the locker room, he says the Kings often joked about wanting to be like their coach.

Graham’s last day as RDP Kings Head Coach will be June 30, 2023. The Athletics department says they have made the job posting public with the plan to have the coach’s successor hired by July 1, 2023.

“I want to thank Darren for his leadership, expertise and commitment to Red Deer Polytechnic Kings Basketball over the past four seasons,” said Randy Stewart, Manager, Athletics and Student Life. “He is a respected coach who brings out the best in the student-athletes. Darren’s ability to effectively develop and recruit players has provided Kings Basketball with a solid foundation for the upcoming season and beyond.”

More information about RDP Kings Basketball is available online.