New MacEwan men’s basketball coach David Kapinga. Amanda Erickson/The Griff

A new era of Griffins basketball has arrived.

The 50th anniversary of the MacEwan Griffins is already shaping up to be a big year; new logo, refurbished gym, and for the men’s basketball team, a new head coach. After a disastrous six seasons under the now-retired Mike Connolly — with whom the Griffins achieved an overall record of 9-118 — there will be a new presence on the sidelines for the 2025-26 season. 

David Kapinga brings U Sports championship experience to a struggling Griffins squad. Kapinga spent his playing career with the University of Calgary Dinos, winning Finals MVP when they captured the championship in 2018. After serving as an assistant coach with the Dinos for two years, Kapinga was appointed head coach of the Olds College Broncos for the 2024-25 season. He also spent two seasons as head coach of the Alberta Basketball Association (ABA) men’s U15 team, securing a bronze medal at the 2024 Canada Basketball Championships. 

Despite the perceived lack of pedigree of the Griffins’ basketball program, Kapinga says that certain key resources vital to building a successful program are abundant at MacEwan, which excites him about the program’s future. It’s in the downtown core of a big (yet affordable) city, it’s in a province where Kapinga already has a lot of contacts and connections, and, by Kapinga’s analysis, it’s in a province which he believes is the third best in terms of basketball talent in the country.

“Culture comes from habits. Culture comes from preparation. Culture is something that has to be part of every decision that’s made.”

– David Kapinga, head coach of MacEwan Griffins men’s basketball team

“For me, it was just kind of a no-brainer, to be honest,” says Kapinga. “I had other schools kind of reach out to me, and in bigger cities. And I was like, ‘No, this is the right place to build something properly.”

A rebuild of the Griffins’ basketball program is easier said than done. With just two regular-season wins in the past four seasons (both of those wins coming last year), the Griffins have needed a serious rebuild for some time now. It’s not a glamorous situation to walk into by any means. It’s a major challenge, and for MacEwan basketball to become a winning program, it needs to establish a winning culture. 

“Culture comes from habits. Culture comes from preparation. Culture is something that has to be part of every decision that’s made,” Kapinga says.

A sudden leap from the bottom of the standings to championship contention is a lot to ask for. But for Kapinga, statistics aren’t the only marker of a successful first year at the helm. 

“As a business guy you want to put numbers, but as a culture guy, it is what it looks like,” he says.

As for on the court, Kapinga promotes the passion of competitiveness and communication.

“I think those are the two things that, if we accomplish those things, I think they’re gonna lead into the success that we’re talking about, which is, you know, making playoffs and competing.”

The Griffins are already on the court practicing team and individual skills, scrimmaging daily, and connecting with alumni. 

“Whatever happened last year happened last year. It’s not this year,” says Kapinga. “And I think it’s important for them to understand that.”

Kapinga made it clear that nobody should be coming in expecting to take their old starting jobs back right away, or resign to sitting on the bench — it’s a blank slate.

“You know, competitiveness brings the best out of people, so iron sharpens iron. I want to make sure that every iron is ready to go.”

While rebuilds do take time, change is something that can happen right away. Kapinga promises change. 

“Teams gotta fear coming in here. If they’re not prepared, they’ll go home with the L.”