Director of Recreation and Athletics Patrick Boivin is pleased to announce the appointment of Rastko Popovic as the new head coach of the Concordia Stingers men’s basketball program.
“Rastko has proven time and time again that he will work tirelessly for our program and that kind of dedication is key when needing to create trust and work ethics with our athletes,” Boivin said. “I believe together we can take this program to its full potential on the national scale while ensuring our student-athletes are well-supported and strive for success in the classroom.
“He has impressed me with his drive and knowledge of what is needed for this program to develop further and succeed at the next level. As someone who came through the Quebec system and who represented the Concordia Stingers for five years he has a vast recruiting network and shares a deep passion for this program with our alumni.”
Popovic becomes only the third head coach in the 41-year history of the Concordia men’s basketball program. He replaces John Dore who announced his retirement last fall after 26 seasons (1989-2015). Doug Daigneault served 15 years with the Stingers (1974-1989).
“It’s a great honor for me to follow in the footsteps of two legendary coaches,” said Popovic. “I have big shoes to fill, but I will do everything in my power to build a program and develop young men everyone will be proud of.”
Popovic began his university coaching career as an assistant with the Stingers women’s basketball team in 2006. He moved to the Concordia men’s team in 2013 and was instrumental in bringing in key recruits including Ken Beaulieu, the most exciting Quebec university player since Damian Buckley joined the Stingers in 2005.
Popovic started his coaching career in 2003 at École Secondaire Saint-Laurent. As head coach of the high school’s midget girls team from 2006-11, he won three AA provincial championships and two AAA titles in the Montreal Basketball League.
In November of 2012, he was named head coach of Quebec’s 15-and-under program and went on to win a silver medal at nationals. This summer he will be head coach of the Quebec 15-and-under boys team.
Popovic was an exceptional shooting guard with the Concordia Stingers men’s basketball program from 2001 through 2006. It was an exciting era for the Stingers that saw the team win a silver medal at the CIS championship in 2005 and take on many of the top NCAA teams, including Duke and University of Connecticut.
He graduated from Concordia in 2005 with a BComm, major in Marketing.
