Tougas wins George Martyn Memorial Trophy

Larry Tougas, who has been involved with the sport of basketball for many years, has been named the 2005 winner of the George Martyn Memorial Trophy.

The trophy is presented annually to a coach, player or executive, who demonstrates a strong commitment to the sport.

Tougas was active in the Men¹s Basketball League as a player and did so while teaching and coaching at the elementary level.

He has coached at the elementary and secondary school levels and his teams have won their fair share of titles.
At the secondary elevel with the West Ferris Trojans, Tougas-coached teams have won 18 NDA titles at the midget, junior and senior levels and he has guided teams to four NOSSA championships. He is still looking for that elusive first OFSAA championship.

"It¹s an honour and thrill to win this trophy," Tougas remarked.

"George Martyn was an exceptional athlete in several sports and was always a gentleman and a very sportsmanlike player."

Tougas has had an exceptional career at the secondary level. His teams have won more than 600 games and in his 20 plus years coaching at this level, while losing less than a dozen times. An amazing statistic.

He is not adverse to exposing his players to competition outside the City of North Bay and has taken clubs to many tournaments at both the elementary and secondary levels.

Through his dedication and hards work, he has taken the Trojan program and raised it to a level where it is competitivei and respected at both the regional and provincial levels.

Besides his coaching duties, Tougas has worked hard to bring
tournaments to the city and he was the chair of two OFSAA
championships, 1995 and 2003 at the senior ŒAA¹ levels.
He has convened championships at the the NOSSA and NDA levels and in 2002 started a Youth Basketball League. It now provides more than 70 children with instruction and the oppourtunity to play organized basketball.

He co-chaired the the Northern Lights Basketball Camp in 2004 and the camp attracted more than 70 youngsters from across the province. The camp also Steve Konchalskie, head coach of the men¹s basketball program at St. Fracis Xavier University in Halifax and Barry Brodzinski, one of the leading shooting coaches in the United States.

In 1990, Tougas started the Trojan Classic elementary basketball tournament and it¹s now in its 15th year. He also co-chairs the Best Western/Canadore College Shootout. This tournament is in its 20th year and under his convening, it has grown from the original eight to 32 teams and expanded to three venues.

To encourage and assist players in understanding what it takes to compete at a higher level, Tougas has organized trips for school basketball teams to various universities in Canada and the United States.

Tougas has also made an impact on the young men and women he has coached."As a fellow coach and school principal, I believe that his successes in mentoring and being a role model for young athletes are as worthy of note as his coaching statistics," West Ferris princial Bob Stones said.

"Larry Tougas is a positive, enthusiastic, honest, and understanding individual. He is an excellent character model for our youth. He communicates well with young people, is sensitive to their needs and abilities, and as a coach instills in them a sense of accomplishment and self-worth through sport."

Submitted to BayToday.ca