Victor Lapeña's excitement is infectious. Canada Basketball's newly named senior women's head coach had recently touched down in Canada — his first time in the country — and he was about to observe a U23 practice at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
With a smile stretched across his face, Lapeña eagerly talked about his new job. Standing nearby, Denise Dignard, the team's general manager, couldn't help but grin.
Dignard has been around Canada Basketball since playing at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and few understand better how promise has devolved into frustration for the program, especially in recent years.
And so Lapeña's exuberance is almost jarring. He explained that his ultimate objective is to elevate the world's fourth-ranked squad onto the Olympic podium as soon as 2024 in Paris, to flip disappointing defeat into cathartic victories.