About OAKVILLE VYTIS

The Oakville Vytis rep basketball program was founded by Vic Juzenas in 1996 when the first Girls’ Juvenile team was formed. Vic has previously coached at Holy Trinity Secondary School in Oakville, and before that was the long-time Senior and Junior Girls’ basketball coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Oakville. He currently is coaching at the University of Western Ontario.

 

Oakville had no female rep program before this time – girls who wanted to fully develop their basketball skills had to travel to other cities. Word about the team quickly spread and inquiries began about adding additional age groups to the club.

 

In 1998, Midget and Bantam teams were formed and in 1999 a Minor Bantam program was initiated. In 2000, the boys wanted to join our organization as well, so a Minor Bantam Boys’ team was added.

Today the club consists of rep teams running the full range of age groups from Novice (8 & 9 years) to Junior (19 years and under), for boys and girls. In its short history, the Oakville Vytis Basketball Association has already developed a reputation of providing excellent coaching, skilled individual players, and teams that compete with the best in the Province.

 

What is a VYTIS? When it came time to name the team, Coach Vic turned to his ancestral roots and came up with the name VYTIS. The ‘VYTIS’ is the state emblem of Lithuania dating back to 1366, and features an armoured knight on a white horse holding a silver sword above his head. This riding knight became the coat of arms of Lithuania and is symbolic in that, throughout the centuries, this knight chased intruders out of his native country. While Lithuania is a relatively small country, it has a tremendous tradition of international basketball, and the Oakville Vytis Basketball Association is proud to draw on that tradition.