Birky to hang up the whistle

CALGARY, ALTA., (Feb. 15, 2023) – All good things come to an end, and for SAIT Trojans men's basketball coach Marty Birky, good turned out to be pretty darn great.

The head coach that has led his team to five-straight Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) titles has announced that he will be stepping down from his role following the completion of the season to focus on his family.

"It's bittersweet. We are extremely proud of what we have built here and grateful for all the memories we have created along the way," said Birky. "I think of all the relationships I have made with players and coaches not only at SAIT but across our league and across Canada. I'm going to miss that a lot, but I'm also very excited to spend more time with my amazing wife and kids and see what else life has to offer."

He told his team earlier in the week and was warmed by the support shown by each player in the locker room.

"I get asked every year if this is it, so they weren't too surprised when I told them," he shared. "I let them know that I'm stepping away but will always be there for them if they need me – on or off the court."

Birky, originally from Montana, was hired as the Trojans head coach in the summer of 2014 after serving one year with the program as an assistant coach. In the subsequent press release, he was quoted as saying: "I don't want the job, and I don't want you to give me the job, if medals were not important".

While no one could have predicted the success that was just down the road, Birky says he certainly wasn't shocked by it.

"I was taught growing up that if you do something, you do it well," Birky stated. "To answer the question, yes. I thought we would win medals. Even in my first year when we went 13-11 and missed the playoffs, I thought we had a team that could win an ACAC title. Never enter the ring if you don't think you're going to win – that was my mindset going into this thing back in 2014 and we were able to do pretty well."

His first two years produced a combined 19-26 record, but then things changed.

His Trojans ruled the ACAC for the next half decade, stringing together five consecutive ACAC titles. A feat matched only by the SAIT Trojans men's basketball teams that won seven-straight from 1981 to 1987.

That turnaround 2016-17 season also saw him win the ACAC South Division Coach of the Year award.

SAIT Trojans Athletics and Recreation Director, Wade Kolmel, says Birky will leave big shoes to fill.

"A very small percentage of post-secondary coaches have achieved the balance required to build a strong team culture alongside considerable on-court success. Marty's own drive to improve and expand his impact on others was contagious," said Kolmel. "Trojans in his circle of influence had no choice but to demand more of themselves on the court and in the classroom while bringing that all important aspect of fun and forward thinking to the larger team environment. 

"Coach Marty will be missed as his contributions to our department go well beyond the basketball court. We wish him and his family all the best as they focus their combined efforts outside the gym. Thank you, coach."

Birky will roam the sidelines in the final two games of his ACAC regular season career this weekend when the Trojans host the NAIT Ooks on Friday at 8pm and then the Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves Saturday afternoon at 3pm. Both games will be played at Edge School.

Beside him, as always, this weekend will be his long-time assistant coach, Pat Boulin. When Birky was first hired, he met with Boulin about joining his staff over chicken wings and the pair have been together ever since.

"I have been fortunate to have Pat as my assistant coach since the beginning, and I attribute a lot of my success to him," Birky said. "He and I have been through a lot together and grown together. We made mistakes along the way, but our goal was to make less and less each year. I'm thankful for him and what he's brought to the program."

As for career highlights, one doesn't have to look much further than the five nets Birky cut down at Medicine Hat College, Lethbridge College, Lakeland College, University of Alberta-Augustana and finally in his home gym at SAIT. Picking his favourite of the five is a lot harder.

"They're very different and I love every one of them because they all came with their own story, their own excitement," Birky stated. "I'm not going to lie, though. Last year's at home with everything that team went through with the death of John Smith and the emotions surrounding that - that one was pretty special."

At just 34, Birky is walking away from a coaching resume that most spend decades trying to achieve. When asked if his departure from the sidelines is temporary, he answered very honestly.

"This is walk off into the sunset stuff," he said with a laugh. "That's it for me. Basketball has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Trying to find out who I am without basketball is going to be interesting, but I'll still be a fan and I'll still keep an eye on what the Trojans are doing."

His final game will come in Calgary, as his Trojans will host the country's best at the 2023 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men's Basketball National Championship. The four-day event is set to run March 15-19 at the University of Calgary's Jack Simpson Gymnasium.

"We want to be competitive, and we want to give it our best shot," he said about expectations. "We have a lot of talent on this team, and I expect that any game we go into that we can win. We've been there enough to know that all the teams that will be there are good. It's not about hoping to win, it's about taking wins."

And while he'd like to dream about turning the gym lights off with a national title trophy in his arms, he still has work to do in Alberta where he has his sights set on a sixth-straight ACAC title.

"I'm just really blessed and grateful for everything," he finished. "At SAIT, I've been able to work with some amazing people who helped create a lot of memories I will remember fondly for the rest of my life. Their support has been great."