About Mano Watsa
Mano is the visionary leader of PGC Basketball, which has become the largest education basketball camp in the world with over 150 camps in 30+ US states and Canada.
Mano is a highly sought-after speaker who has inspired over 250,000 students, coaches, and business leaders around the world, including across the US, Canada, Mexico, India, Jamaica, Hong Kong, and Israel. Mano is also a high performance coach for top professionals, including business leaders and NBA players.
You can read about Mano’s work with 10-year NBA veteran Jeremy Lin in this article.
His Story…
Mano was the first Canadian athlete to ever attend Point Guard College.
An example of the impact PGC Founder Dick DeVenzio had on so many players, Mano returned from his PGC experience and his game as an undersized point guard transformed.
Mano attended the University of Waterloo, where he was a 4-time OUA Conference All-Star, 2-time All-Canadian, and Academic All-Canadian.
In 1999, Mano was named the University of Waterloo Athlete of the Year, the National TSN Award recipient for combining excellence in athletics, academics, and community involvement, and was inducted into the University of Waterloo Athletics Hall of Fame.
How it all began…
Mano began his journey as a camp director at an early age, starting his first basketball camp in his parents’ backyard at the age of 15. By the time he finished high school, over 150 kids were attending his backyard camps each summer. By his last year in of university, nearly 400 kids were attending the camps.
Upon graduation, Mano started his highly-acclaimed high school assembly presentation, “Power To Choose.” Mano used his Harlem Globetrotter-type presentation as a platform to inspire over 250,000 students across North America.
Since 2007, when Mano took on leadership of PGC, the camps have grown from 1,000 players each summer to 12,000 players and 2,000 coaches annually. Over the past decade, 85,000 players and 15,000 coaches have been impacted by PGC.
Mano lives in Waterloo, Ontario with his wife and three teenage kids. He can be reached at [email protected].
An Inside Look at Mano Teaching
A Day in the Life with Mano
What They Say About Mano…
“It’s actually very hard to know where to start – so I will keep it simple. I have attended hundreds of hours of leadership training over the years. In my view, what I experienced was among the best leadership/life training I have been exposed to.
— Leagh Turner, Former Global COO, SAP
“I know you hear this all the time — but the culture of PGC is so incredibly unique. It is defining. It is life-giving. Your organization enhances the very being of those who are part of it, and those who interact with it — and that is inspiring.
— Nate Sanderson, Co-host of the Coaching Culture Podcast
“Mano’s energy is boundless and uplifting. His focus on what’s important to know is laser-like and his teaching is from his heart because of his great passion. I can never get enough of the valuable “nuggets” of knowledge that I learn.
— Dan Slain, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
“I am a 14-year military veteran and I’m still in the army reserves. I feel like what I have been gaining has had a major impact on my ability to lead in the way I always had on my heart to lead. I am in a position to mentor our leaders of troops, and I feel like I have more tools to promote positive change.
— Brooke Brittain, Sergeant
“Mano, what you have taught me has completely 100% transformed my game. I am now much more confident and I play with a lot more intensity. I pulled out my notes today and went over everything that I learned from you. I just wanted to say thank you for your input in my life and in my game.”
— Dean Beard, Wall, Texas
“Mano—you are the real deal, you don’t just talk the talk. You have a gift. Your life lessons were amazing. Thank you for all that you gave to me and my kids this week.”
— Coach Pam White, Rhinebeck, New York
“I teach 7th grade social studies and we cover India and Ghandi. I explain to my students that even if you didn’t know Ghandi or who he was, if he walked into the room each student would know he was special by the way he communicated with others, by the way he carried himself, and by the way he interacted with others. Mano, you have that same quality.
— Coach Mike Cross, Kingsford, Michigan
“I was especially impressed Mano’s passion. The way that he connects is incredible.”
— Coach Dave Beckman, Shelby Michigan
“What you taught me this week is priceless. You have taught me so much, as a coach and as a person. The athletes gained so much trust in you because you are powerful, but in a way I have never seen in my life. You have changed me as a player and as a person.”
— Brad Daitch, Frederick, Maryland
