Columbia Bible College has turned to a familiar face to helm the men’s basketball team.
Matt Guynup, an assistant coach with the Bearcats the past two seasons and team chaplain prior to that, takes the reins from former bench boss Dave Martens, who resigned last month in order to pursue other interests and spend more time with family.
“We are extremely excited to have Matt come on board in this new role,” CBC athletic director Matt Kaminski said. “Not only is Matt extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the sport . . . he is passionate about discipleship and seeing young men grow in their faith and their character, which is a core value for us here at Columbia.”
Guynup has worked for Langley-based Athletes in Action for the past 10 years, and currently serves as the B.C. director of basketball camps for the Christian sports ministry. He’s also served in various coaching roles with local high school and club teams.
Guynup said that his new gig with the Bearcats is a good fit based on his coaching philosophy.
“I have great respect for the other coaches on the staff at CBC,” he said. “They care about excellence in their sport, and they care about the people who are playing for them. The way they view coaching is very similar to they way I view coaching.”
The CBC men’s basketball team hasn’t made the PacWest (formerly BCCAA) playoffs since 2007-08, but they have generated some positive momentum the past two seasons under Martens. They improved from 1-15 in 2011-12 to 6-15 last season – highlighted by an upset win over the then-No. 1 team in the nation, the Langara Falcons – and fell just two games shy of a playoff berth.
Guynup said he hopes to build on Martens’s work and maintain last season’s momentum.
“I thought what Dave did was great, and I just want to continue adding to it,” he said. “I’m hoping I can maintain the faith that what was started before is something that’s going to continue.”
