Once a Cougar always a Cougar

Brad Noble is returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach with the women's basketball team at Sault College.

Noble, who completed a three-year Ontario Colleges Athletic Association playing career with Sault College in 1997 after starting out with the Cambrian College Golden Shield, will serve as the Cougars' top assistant next fall to head coach Randy Russon.

Noble and Russon are familiar with one another, having helped coach the senior girls' high school basketball team at White Pines into the playoffs last fall.

"Brad is a very important addition to our women's program at Sault College," said Russon. "We've worked well together and I know what he can bring to a team as a coach. He's played at a high level and as a coach, he was very valuable to our team at White Pines last year."

The 28-year old Noble played for John Campbell -- considered one of the top college basketball coaches in the nation -- at Cambrian after excelling as a high school point guard with White Pines. After two years of playing at Cambrian, Noble was at Sault College for a year.

The addition of Noble to the Sault College coaching staff comes in the wake of the Cougar women being accepted as full status members of the OCAA. The Cougar women returned to the OCAA last fall on an exhibition basis after a 20-year absence from the league.

The Sault College women will be part of a seven-team OCAA West Region next fall along with their cross-town rivals from Algoma University, as well as Fanshawe, Mohawk, Niagara, Redeemer and St. Clair colleges.