Elijah Lostracco, a familiar face to Bisons fans, will be returning to Investors Group Athletic Centre in 2024, this time in a historic assistant coach's role.
 
The fan favourite – a sharp-shooting guard who helped the Bisons to a program record 18 conference regular season wins in 2022-23 – was recently hired full-time, a first for the team.
 
Funding for the position was made available via the Together We Rise Elite Performance Campaign, initiated by the alumni from Manitoba's 1976 national championship roster.
 
"I cannot thank our alumni group enough for the incredible job they have done to make this possible," said Bisons head coach Kirby Schepp, who enters his 16^th season at the helm, just six wins shy of setting a new school record for conference regular season victories (159).
 
"The Together We Rise Fund is making an immediate impact for our student athletes. Hiring Elijah is a huge step for our program. Most of the teams that win consistently across the country have full-time staff. We can now further expand our year-round player development programming and offer more resources to our student-athletes than ever before."
 
Lostracco brings a wealth of experience on and off the court for the Bisons.
 
The Ontario native, who scored 401 points between 2021-23 for Manitoba, is coming off a pro stint at the start of the year. A knee injury derailed his season, but not long after, he found a home yet again with the Herd.
 
"I was playing from late February until the end of March. After I got hurt, it was a week later that they announced they were hiring an assistant coach. It was a quick mindset change. This was a way to still stay in basketball. It's easier on the body and just a more stable lifestyle. Playing pro is crazy, nothing is certain. This is more stability and easier on the body," said Lostracco.
 
"I was already in that role [as a player], and I'm already someone that guys can trust. I think it's a natural transition. It almost feels like I never left the team. Last year I wasn't on the team but I'd still come in to practice and play with them. I watched all the games, I followed the stats. It was a buffer year and now I'm back with the same goal but a different role."
 
Six members of Manitoba's current roster played alongside Lostracco while he was a Bison. His comfort level with the team, breadth of experience and communication style are a perfect fit for the group.
 
"The whole summer I've been studying and reading books, and my job, I work in personal training, getting reps in that and studying even deeper how to be a coach, getting prepared for this opportunity," he noted.
 
"A lot of things that made me a good player are going to make me a good coach. Being able to communicate with guys effectively, having tough conversations, but knowing it's a family over here and nothing is personal."
 
Lostracco's appointment will allow Schepp to "do what he's already amazing at, and focus on the x's and o's and getting the game plan solid," while "taking a little off [Schepp's] plate and giving the guys a higher quality of training."
 
"Elijah is the perfect fit, because he intimately knows our program and he's passionate about helping our athletes reach their full potential," said the head coach.
 
"I have so much pride in being a Bison," added Lostracco.
 
"Even though I'm not from Winnipeg or Manitoba, coming here really changed my life and this program changed my life. I'm just going to come in here and give it 100 percent."