In 2019, his mother passed away from a hard battle with cancer, but that never stopped him from being who he is. Johanes is a very outgoing person and always has something positive to say. 

In April 2022, his basketball career ended as he decided to move on from playing the game, but he didn’t want to walk away from it quite yet. He decided to return to his old high school and try to coach the school’s team to a championship. Joe has been coaching for about three years and is one of Gatineau’s most respected youth coaches.  

Tabi’s favourite thing about coaching is the connections he’s built with the players 

Johannes was always limited as a basketball player because of his shorter height, but that did not stop him from being the loudest person in the gym. He will always give constructive criticism or talk to his players, but he makes his presence known.   

“When I coach, I’m always going to be 100 percent honest with you, but it’s never personal,” Tabi said. 

He started coaching the Darcy McGee Benjamin team in 2023. 

 “The last coach I had basketball-wise helped me become not only a better player but also a better man,” Tabi said. 

 When asked why he wanted to become a coach, Tabi said: “I got the opportunity and never looked back.”  

Chase Blake, a grade 10 student at Darcy McGee School, has been getting coached by “Joe” for the past three years, and they built a pretty tight connection  

“He wants to make everyone on the team better at what they do,” Blake said. 

“We won our championship last year,14-0,” Blake said when asked about his favourite moment with Tabi as his coach. Last year, he and his squad won the Benjamin Division 4 championship. 

Tabi was always one of the most thoughtful people on the court when he played, nobody was surprised when he decided to put on his coach hat.  

Joe always wanted the best for people and his players, as he wanted to see every single person improve.  

“When in doubt, trust your gut, trust the team you have and make them smile,” Tabi said when asked about advice he would give a young coach. 

Tabi’s squad is looking to win back-to-back championships as the playoffs are coming, and Tabi wants to bring them back to the Promised Land.