By Mia Ines

The Windsor Lancers men's basketball team is excited to announce that alumni Greg Surmacz will be joining the coaching staff for the 2021-22 season.
 
A native of Peterborough, ON, Surmacz established himself as one of the top players in Canadian University Basketball. His outstanding talent was showcased through three seasons with the team as his size and skill made him one of the toughest match-ups in the country.
 
"To have any one of our alumni remain connected with the program is always the goal but to have them part of the staff is even better," said head coach Chris Cheng. "This is a very exciting as we welcome back one of the Lancer greats in program history."
 
A two time all-Canadian, two time OUA all-star, and OUA west division player of the year, Surmacz won the Olympic Shield as the Windsor Lancers male athlete of the year in 2008-09. That season he ranked 5th in the country in field goal percentage at 56% and was 7th overall in the OUA in free throw percentage at 80.4%. In addition he showcased his dominance on the floor with his impressive skill sets scoring 20.1 ppg to rank 10^th in Canada and on the defensive end, pulling down 8.5 rebounds per game.
 
Since his time with Windsor, Greg had the opportunity to play twelve years of professional basketball, mainly in Poland. He met his wife and had two daughters, Aliyah (4) and Arya (2) while playing abroad. However, off the court, he spends much of his time travelling around Europe and exploring new places to visit.
 
"With Greg's recent professional experience, he will be a tremendous asset for our players with their player development and for some, guide them to achieve their aspirations of playing professionally," continued Cheng. "Greg's return speaks volumes to his time as a Lancer and his devotion to the program. His return will not only benefit our current Lancers but future ones as well."
 
While this will mark the first time that Surmacz will have be on the court with the blue and gold, he is no stranger to the high-pace and excitement the new talents will bring to the court and is hoping to contribute to the team.
 
"All the experience and knowledge that I have accumulated while playing internationally, I will now be able to share with the program where it all started," explains Greg. "I look forward to not only sharing my knowledge with players and staff but also to learn from Chris and his years of experience as a head coach. To be able to return to Windsor and again be a part of the men's basketball program is truly humbling" 
 
Greg will be a valuable asset to the men's basketball program as he comes back as an undergraduate student to complete his degree and start his coaching career.
 
Stay tuned to goLancers.ca for more info on the men's basketball team and 2021-22 season.