About BCB

Let's get comfortable being uncomfortable...

Big Country Basketball is a basketball-specific training and development program for athletes of all levels. Our programs are designed to incorporate a HOLISTIC approach to athlete development, following the Long Term Athlete Development Model (LTAD) as developed by Sport Canada. The Academy aims at developing mastery through simple muscle memory movement activities, skill development, and basketball specific drills, allowing each athlete to develop at their own pace and maximize their training time. The ACADEMY PLUS program incorporates competitive events that allow the athletes to put their skills into action in game situations. Both the ACADEMY and ACADEMY PLUS programming allows our instructors to give consistent and real-time feedback on both individual skills as well as team-oriented conceptual basketball theories.

The BCB Team

PAM DANIS

Founder & Director

Pam Danis considers herself a MASTER CONNECTOR, who loves to seek out those with unique and creative spirits, bringing people together to create memorable experiences. Pam is a former basketball star, a three-time national champion, and an educator who specializes in teaching young people the value of creative play and active living. As a Physical Literacy specialist, she is consistently seeking new and innovative ways to engage participants and create an environment based on fun, inclusion, and personal growth. Pam is a master facilitator whose energy and passion is contagious and inspiring.

At her core, Pam sees empowering others as fundamental to her everyday existence. She is passionate about the role women play in our world and often finds herself advocating for women through sport and active living. From her experiences of creating a “Running with the

Bison” outreach program for indigenous youth at the Skownan First Nation, to leading the Women’s Basketball Coaching Association’s annual “SHOOT FOR THE CURE” initiative, she continually embraces opportunities to grow, develop, and engage not only herself, but those around her. For her efforts in these areas, Pam was awarded the University of Manitoba’s annual outreach award in 2008.

In her down-time she enjoys spending time with her family, keeping her grounded and humble. As a wife, mother, friend, peer and mentor Pam plays many roles; roles she sees not as separate entities but complimentary of each other. She strives on a daily basis to be the best that she can be in all these roles, however in her 40 plus years of living on this earth she recognizes that “I cannot be everything to everyone all the time and that sometimes I will fail and that is OK.” This confident yet humble approach to life, coupled with Pam’s tremendous passion and energy, sets her apart as a mentor and role model for young women everywhere. Recently, Pam was awarded the 2017 Leading Women, Building Communities Recognition Certificate by the Honourable Indira Naidoo-Harris, Minister for the Status of Women of the Ontario Provincial Government.

Pam completed her Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Winnipeg and has taught in both the public and independent schools systems. As an athlete, Pam is a three-time National Champion, leading the University of Winnipeg Wesmen as their point guard and captain from 1992 to 1995 and was an inductee into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame (team category) in 1997. She was also the women’s basketball coach at the University of Manitoba and member of the Faculty of Kinesiology from 2000 to 2012. Pam currently resides in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada with her husband Joe and two children Maya and Luc, and of course her dog, Chepe.