Omar Miles has been a fan of basketball since he was shooting the ball himself, but since then he has found a love for coaching that goes deeper than the game.
Miles said his relationship with the players is a crucial aspect of coaching, but especially so when the COVID-19 pandemic added a layer of difficulty.
“Stay connected as much as you can and try to support the guys that are going through the exact same thing as you are,” Miles said.
Miles is no stranger to the realm of coaching, holding a versatile resume to his name. He’s been in the coaching game since 2008 and was previously an assistant coach for the Humber Hawks men’s basketball team.
He may have been attached to the sport his entire life, but Miles looks at coaching as a calling that is much deeper than what happens on the court.
His philosophy is structured through strong relationships and enjoying each other’s success, pushing his players to be not only the best player they can be, but the best human as well.
“I’m not playing but I’d love to be on the court,” Miles said. “I’d love to be out of my house, I’d love to be in a restaurant. So, we’re all going through the same things with our families, right?
“It was tough, but we all figured it out based on our strong relationships together,” he said.
Miles explained that although the provincial championship was a massive achievement, it was not the driving force for their success. He credited the anticipation of having the green light to play the game they all love as the team’s priority motivation.
“Knowing that we can get together again, I think that’s what got us going,” Miles said. “The idea that you can be amongst your friends, the guys that you compete with, the guys that you’d go to battle with, that was the initial feeling of winning a championship in itself.”
Not long ago, he struggled to put on the competitive smile he’s typically seen with. The beginning of the winter semester was supposed to be a time for Miles to prepare his team for the upcoming tournaments, including the crucial national championship at home.
But COVID-19 still lurked and the Omicron variant — the latest version of the virus — was variant spreading throughout the province. The Ontario government once again announced a halt to college sports like it did the previous season.
Miles was as devastated as his players, and the possibility lingered that there may not even be a national championship to defend at home because of the shutdown.
To the thrill of the debut head coach — and all of Humber’s athletes — competitions were given the permission to proceed by the government, and the Hawks thrived in a record-breaking year across multiple sports.
This may have been a memorable experience for Miles and his team, but it did not happen without hardship.
An emotional Miles remained focused and continued to give his full attention to his players after he lost both his step-dad and his grandfather during provincial and national championship runs.
“I’ve always thought, I gotta be there for my friends, I gotta be there for my teammates, I gotta be there for my family,” Miles said. “But truth be told, they were all there for me.”
He credited the valuable relationships he’s made once again, and said they were very encouraging during a time where the competition in front of Humber against some of the best college teams in Ontario and Canada.
The 2022 OCAA coach of the year thrived when his team was under lights.
“There’s been so many blessings for myself and my family,” Miles said. “This whole moment has been bittersweet, but it’s all blessings. It’s all part of life.
“Life is the challenge and the toughness, basketball is just what we do,” he said.