Mariners Promote Luke Holmes To Coach Women's Hoops

When a program of such notoriety as VIU goes through a coaching change, the common choice is to promote an internal candidate to maintain continuity, and the reigning national champions have done just that.

A two-sport athlete in his youth, Luke Holmes has spent the past eight years as the top assistant on Tony Bryce's staff as the head of player development.

Holmes took an unorthodox path to his current position. While basketball was in his blood, he was no slouch on the soccer pitch either. He began his career as a varsity soccer player, playing for UNBC in his hometown of Prince George.

Across two seasons with the Timberwolves, Holmes only recorded one point, an assist, but shined as a strong defensive midfielder, winning UNBC's Coach's Award in 2014. (For current Mariners fans, think of Declan Brown as a comparison.)

Ahead of the 2015 season, Holmes transferred to VIU, where he took on an increased role under head coach Bill Merriman. His collegiate career culminated in 2017, where he and the Mariners won a CCAA national championship on home turf.

In 2018, he signed on as an assistant coach for the women's basketball team at VIU, returning to the sport that made him famous as a Condor. In his first two seasons, the Mariners won back-to-back PACWEST titles, nearly doubling their total at that point.

2022 began the golden age of VIU basketball. The Mariners, designated as the host team for that year's national championship, went a perfect 17-0 in the regular season, but were upset by the Okanagan Coyotes in the title game. Despite the setback, the Mariners advanced to the national title game on their home court, but were felled again, this time by NAIT.

In 2023, it finally came together. After winning the PACWEST title over the top-seeded Capilano Blues, the Mariners advanced to nationals in Hamilton. Once again, they advanced to the national title game, defeating Saint-Jean to win their first national title in 25 years.

Now, in 2026, the Mariners once again stand atop the country and are prepared to defend their title.

Mariners Hire Eric D'Andrea As Next Head Coach

The defending PACWEST champions are starting their offseason strong.

For the first time in fourteen years, there's a new sheriff in town, and it's a face Mariners fans should remember quite fondly.

Eric D'Andrea (pronounced dan-DRAY-uh) spent five years in the collegiate ranks, first with the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack in Kamloops. After one season, he transferred to VIU, where he would play for the rest of his college career.

His first season in Nanaimo started with a bang: After sneaking into nationals as the PACWEST runner-up, the Mariners won the national title over the ACAA's Holland Hurricanes.

Throughout much of his career as a two-way forward, the Mariners remained in consistent title contention, winning three consecutive PACWEST titles and advancing to the national championship twice in 2013 and 2015.

Since his playing career ended, D'Andrea has coached at Split Second Academy in the Lower Mainland. Many players at the academy have gone on to play at the collegiate level, including Langara Falcons forward Aaron Ungprasert and recent Capilano commit Jessica Williams. Even after accepting the position at VIU, he will remain with Split Second as an advisor.

In assembling his coaching staff, D'Andrea enlisted the help of his teammates in 2013, namely Jon Bethell and Connor Billett. Their championship pedigree will be a great fit for VIU's battle-tested lineup.

The Mariners will host an ID camp on May 2nd and begin the 2026-27 season later this October.