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By Dan Polischuk Special to the Chronicle Away from his family and facing an unpredictable coaching future, Serge Langis is completely at peace, because he's home -- or something closely resembling it. Having signed a new one-year deal, Langis is back in Kitchener for the start of his second year as the K-W Titans' head coach and general manager. � e life-long New Brunswick native recently reflected how he "really fell in love with this place." "It was a feeling and energy thing for me," said Langis in describ- ing his first trip to the city, which made the then-rookie National Basketball League of Canada franchise's announcement more spe- cial for him. After saying his goodbyes to wife of 13 years Nicole and eight year-old son Olivier, the 43 year-old coach packed-up his three-year vision for the team making its home at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. "Don't get your butt kicked," is how Langis succinctly described his plan for year one. More expansively though, the St. Thomas University psychology graduate emphasized how his approach to managing the pro team is about "sustainability … in a winning culture." "But it takes time; it doesn't happen over- night. Last year . . . we did some things really well, we established ourselves in what I wanted us to be," said Langis -- chief among them being character and style of play. "To the credit of my guys, they really bought into the detail aspect of the game at this level. "Down the stretch … we had issues getting calmed down, getting level and concentrating to execute those last few plays on a number of occasions. And I did a poor job of communi- cating that on some occasions," said Langis of his team that � nished third in the the � ve-team Central Division at 18-22 before being swept by Windsor in the � rst-round of the playo� s. "If you can't embrace the bad with the good though … you're going to end up a mad-man." Langis headed back to Atlantic Canada during the o� -season to oversee his � edgling basketball player development facility Sweat Academy while still re� ecting on lost opportu- nities. Adding to that was news of front-office changes; the dismissal of general manager Stu Julius at the fore. "You distract yourself, there's no ques- tion. In the back of my mind, I wanted year two to happen," he said, stressing that the adver- sity and uncertainty didn't faze him since he had faced both in spades since his youth as a baseball catching prospect. Having caught the eye of scouts with the Dodgers, Braves and Mets, he gave up the sport unannounced at the age of 16 due to a severe elbow injury in his throwing arm. Despite his mom Micheline never missing a game, the demands of single-parenthood meant that there were other priorities to focus on. It was years only later that a doctor's assess- ment declared Tommy John surgery would have saved his playing career. By that time though, Langis had already been introduced to basketball by his middle-school coach Peter Beliveau and embarked on a coaching career at the urging of his mentor Roger Cormier. Lan- gis plugged-away at his new endeavour while working as a youth counsellor. "Coaching really got me," said Langis. "I've always been an ambitious guy and wanted to see how far I could go." It made passing-over a university basketball career (due to being a self-admitted "late-bloomer" in the sport) and a visual impairment shutting-down hopes of a policing career a bit more bearable. Much like the hours he would spend in his local gym as a youth bouncing golf balls o� the brick wall to work on re� exes for baseball, he brought the "obsessed mindset" to coaching. "I was really driven . . . to not be one of "those guys" and actually know what I'm talking about," said Langis, who described it simply as "really wanting to understand the 'why' of everything." "What drives me is to be current and the most knowledgeable person I can be when it comes to coaching." � e approach would lead to success at the high school and provincial level representing New Brunswick, but it was through a Basket- ball Canada mentorship program where he elevated his credentials. It provided the con- fidence to approach head coach Norris "Bo" Bell at the then-Moncton Miracles' franchise unveiling in 2012 to voice his interest in being on the team's coaching sta� . It worked. "As that � rst season got going, I started see- ing how much of a monster it is to have all these guys come in with their background. Some I can relate with, most I can't," Langis re� ected on his � rst foray in the pro ranks as an assistant. � rough some tumultuous seasons, Langis remained and became more comfortable with the environment of the start-up league. He eventually became the team's Head Coach in 2015 before landing with the Titans last season. With the team's season- opener at home on Saturday November 18th, Langis has a plan of � nishing with a winning record and advancing past the � rst round of the playo� s. � e uncer- tainty of how that comes to fruition though is exactly how he likes it. "Just stay in the moment, don't think too far ahead. Forget about the past," Langis explained as being his "mantra" for those in his circle. "� ings are manageable that way." While it's an approach that � ts his personal- ity and has led to success, Langis admitted that "(My wife) challenges me to think about when am I going to be happy," coaching-wise. "Once I get to where I want to be, I'll want to get somewhere else. It's never going to stop." Th ursday, October 19, 2017 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • 27Serving your community since 1856 SPORTS WATERLOO CHRONICLE A passion for leadership K-W Titans head coach and GM Serge Langis leaves it all behind to lead his team FILE PHOTO Serge Langis, head coach and GM of the K-W Titans, has a passion for leadership through coaching that started shortly after his baseball career. "I've always been an ambitious guy and wanted to see how far I could go." Serge Langis Head coach and GM K-W Titans VOTED BEST OPTICAL STORE IN KW RECORD • Eye Glasses • Sunglasses • Soft Contact Lenses 3for1 Eye ExamsBook your Eye Exam through us and youwill receive Coating for FREE with Anti-Reflection-Scratch Resistant your new glasses (a 75 Value) 885 Glasgow St. KITCHENER (corner of Fischer-Hallman & Glasgow) • Mon 10-6 • Tues-Thurs 10-8 • Fri 10-6 • Sat 10-4 519-741-1233 1020 Ottawa St. N., KITCHENER (corner of Ottawa & River Road) • Mon. 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