Former Gonzaga center Robert Sacre joins front office of Canadian pro team
Former Gonzaga center Robert Sacre added his newest job title with the help of a few keystrokes on Twitter.
When the Fraser Valley Bandits of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) followed Sacre on Twitter, Sacre was quick to respond.
“I sent them a joke, saying, ‘Hey, if you need a head coach let me know,’ ” Sacre said. “That night I got a call from the president and we’ve been in contact and …”
And now meet the new assistant general manager for the Bandits, based in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Sacre grew up nearby in North Vancouver.
He’ll have a wide range of duties, including player personnel, recruiting and trying to keep talented Canadian players close to home.
“My biggest thing is I wanted to give back to my hometown and my community and build basketball up in the Vancouver area,” said Sacre, who played on Canadian national teams. “I’d love to be part of that.
“It’s good ball up there but (the CEBL) is just a few years old, so we’re trying to create something special.”
The season begins June 5 for seven CEBL teams and wraps up in late August, allowing many of the players to report to their international pro teams in September.
Sacre said he’ll make trips to British Columbia, but Spokane will continue to be home.
Sacre retired from professional basketball in 2019. He helped Gonzaga’s fundraising efforts while completing his master’s degree in organizational leadership. He operates Sacre Excavation and co-hosts the Bleav in the Zags podcast with GU alum Jack Ferris.
“I’m grateful for what Gonzaga has done for me and my family,” he said. “My business is going fantastic, I can’t ask for a better crew. I got my degree and I thought I should put it to work, I can’t just waste that on dirt work.
“I wasn’t really a dirty player, but I had to do all the dirty work on the court.”
Sacre was a GU fan favorite from 2008-12. The 7-footer started 111 games and was a double-figures scorer in each of his last three seasons. He averaged a career-high 12.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in 2011. He finished with 186 career blocks and was the West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2012.
Sacre was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the final pick of the second round. He spent four seasons with the Lakers, averaging 14.5 minutes, 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 189 career games.
He played three pro seasons in Japan before returning to Spokane . He averaged 19.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and played in the B League All-Star game in his final season. He scored 44 and 46 points in consecutive games.