When the team takes to the hardwood floor at TD Place next summer, Mark Wacyk will be in the building as president of the organization.
No one has held this position permanently in the team since the departure of Michael Cvitkovic in April 2023.
“I’ve known Mark for 25 years, when I was a player at the University of Ottawa and he was an assistant coach. […] I saw right away how passionate he is and how impressive it is to be around him, to see how hard he works,” said BlackJacks general manager and head coach James Derouin last Thursday.
“I’m very excited to reconnect with a sport that I’ve always loved, plus I can do it in this city where I’ve lived with my family for 35 years,” Mark Wacyk was happy.
As he was eager to get a position to manage Ottawa’s professional basketball team, Mr. Wacyk that he needs his job.
“To be completely honest, there are financial deficiencies that need to be corrected. The league has financially supported the team in recent years, but my job is to make sure that I return the fans to arena and get the commitment of representatives from the corporate sector,” explained the new president of BlackJacks.
To support it in its efforts, the organization also announced Thursday the hiring of Leo Doyle as a community advisor.
The latter is a well-known volunteer in the amateur basketball community in Ottawa, whose priority is to ensure that the presence of the BlackJacks increases the youth of the region.
“Basketball is growing rapidly because of the successes of local programs and the popularity of new faces in the game like Caitlin Clark. The issue is that sports organizations have to refuse children because of issues in capacity. One of my goals is to get to the point where we don’t turn anyone away. That the kid who wants to play basketball can do it,” said Mr. Doyle.