EDMONTON – One of the most highly regarded young coaches in Western Canada, Geoff Pippus has been named the head coach of Golden Bears Basketball.
 
Selected from a very strong candidate pool, Pippus returns to the University of Alberta where he spent two seasons as a student-athlete with Golden Bears Basketball, helping the Bears win a 2017 Canada West Championship.
 
Pippus spent the last three seasons as the head coach of the Camosun Chargers of PacWest, earning PacWest Coach of the Year honours in 2024/25, leading the Chargers to conference medals in all three of his seasons at the helm.
 
"I am honoured to have the opportunity to return to Edmonton and lead this storied program.  The U of A represents excellence across all areas, and I am looking forward to working with and learning from the exceptional people and coaches within Athletics," said Pippus. "My time as a Golden Bear was transformative and profoundly positive, and I hope to provide a similar experience for the strong core of returning student-athletes while advancing the program's legacy of success on the court, in the classroom, and in the community."
 
Pippus finished with 50 wins for the Chargers across three seasons, including a program-best 19-5 record in 2024/25. He led the Chargers to a PacWest silver medal in 2024, and conference bronze medals in 2023 and 2025.
 
Before his time at Camosun, Pippus was the lead assistant at Oak Bay High School in 2021/22, and spent eight years as a player development coach with Split Second Basketball Club in Vancouver.
 
"Every coaching search has its own path, and ours led us exactly where we needed to be," said Director of Athletics Leah Pezer. "Throughout the process, it became evident that Geoff's strengths — particularly his commitment to student-athlete development and a deep technical and tactical understanding of the game — align perfectly with our team's immediate priorities and long-term goals. We're confident we've found the ideal leader to maximize our potential and elevate the program moving forward."
 
As a student-athlete, Pippus spent three seasons with the UBC Thunderbirds (2010-13), winning Canada West titles in 2011 and 2013. He joined the Golden Bears in 2016, helping the Bears capture a 2017 conference title and 2018 CW silver medal. The sharp-shooting guard suited up in all 40 conference games for the Bears across 2016/17 and 2017/18, scoring 371 points (9.23/game) and making 74 shots from beyond the arc.
 
He was a CIS Academic All-Canadian in 2017 and earned a master's degree in 2018 highlighted by his thesis focusing on athlete-centred coaching in university sport.
 
He takes over the program from Barnaby Craddock, who coached Pippus for both of his seasons as a Bear.