Bisons men’s basketball will have their first game of the 2026-27 season at home on Oct. 8 against the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack. One athlete who has been part of the squad for over five years will not be returning, Cierán O’Hara.
Over his time with the Bisons, he played 101 games, with an average of 22.9 minutes and 624 points. He also contributed with 73 steals, 74 blocks and 127 assists.
Life for O’Hara was not just restricted to basketball and university, he also is the founder of Amani Health and Wellness, a natural supplement brand.
Having ended his time with the herd, O’Hara has started playing for the Newcastle Knights Basketball Club in England at Newscastle University. O’Hara shared that he is also getting his Master of Science degree in business analytics at Newcastle University. O’Hara disclosed that his parents always wanted him to take his education seriously, but his parents let him handle things his way once he started playing sports at the university. “They would come to every home game, they’d watch my games online when I was away,” he said. He also added a fun memory of his father when he used to play in high school, “He’d be yelling at me from the stands.”
O’Hara is not new to England. He shared that he was born there and then moved to Canada when he was young. There was not much of a culture shock, although he is in the process of getting used to different accents.
The weather, especially the rain, is an obstacle for O’Hara, as well as the leasing laws. O’Hara described the entire process of finding his apartment as a “big hassle” and “a headache.”
O’Hara revealed that he had done some walking around the city and by the river, but had not explored the area near the coast, adding that he would like to go hiking.
Moving to a new place is never easy, it can sometimes be isolating. O’Hara’s comments suggested he experienced some of these challenges, including having difficulty entertaining himself without friends and without being able to talk to people across the world.
It has been almost a month since he moved and he is in the process of adjusting to a new squad, new coach and a different environment. O’Hara called the environment “great” and the players “friendly.”
The team is still in pre-season, so he is getting accustomed to the system. According to O’Hara, the biggest difference between the Bisons and the Knights is that with the Bisons, the offence was much more “systematized” with more set plays, whereas with the Knights, emphasis is placed more on the transition basketball and creating actions out of the transitions.
The workload is also different. Practices can last close to two hours, followed by an hour strength and conditioning session and ending with two hours of shooting. This adds up to about five hours a day, before the player includes their own individual workouts.
Talking about the difference between coaches, O’Hara said that the Knights’ head coach Mark Elderkin is a lot less hands on, tries not to overcoach and prefers to stop the game as little as possible to allow the players to work it out.
The support systems are also different when compared with the Bisons. O’Hara said the Bisons have a dedicated support staff, terming the resources that are available as “luxury.” He disclosed that the Bisons athletes have access to two athletic trainers before and after practices, strength and conditioning coaches, gym spaces and court time whenever they need it.
With the Knights, the athletes have access to resources such as message therapists and sports psychiatrists, but their availability is not as consistent. Their services might be available once or twice a week. The strength and conditioning room can also be busy because multiple teams share the same facility.
This has resulted in the athletes having to take more responsibility for their own development. Despite the differences in structure, he mentioned that the team environment is quite similar, and players love working out together.
When evaluating reasons for Canadians moving to Europe to play basketball, O’Hara broke it down by saying, “If you’re not going to NBA, you’re [probably going to] Europe, maybe South America or Asia.” He also added that Europe has many leagues with various difficulty levels, so the player can choose what works best for them.
O’Hara seemed clear where basketball lies in his life. “I love basketball and all, but I’ve felt like it’s never been something that I wanted to do for the rest of my life.” He continued, “I think there’s more to life for me, and so it doesn’t really bother me. I think it makes it more enjoyable, knowing it’s not going to be here forever, so it’s making you want to make the most of it.”
