Saskatchewan and basketball don’t go together like salt and pepper, but the Saskatchewan Huskies made headlines March 21 when they became this year’s Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) National basketball champions.
A team composed primarily of Saskatchewan natives allowed the Huskies to come away with a 91-81 win over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.
Saskatchewan previously beat UBC in the Ontario University Athletics West semifinals, and they did it again in a game that had even more at stake.
Both teams were defence-minded in the early going, aiming to stop the opposition from getting open shots.
UBC jumped to an early 12-4 lead thanks in large part to a balance of scoring, including Kamar Burke, who hit three field goals in the opening quarter. Josh Whyte wasn’t able to hit his shots as easily for UBC and struggled a bit in the early going.
Saskatchewan was a one-man team at that point, with Showron Glover having all four points, two of which came on a field goal.
A key 11-0 run by the Huskies allowed he team to take the lead and finish the quarter ahead, 20-16.
In the second, the Huskies began to dominate, especially with Glover getting to the free-throw line. He finished the half with 15 points, six of which came from the charity stripe.
UBC wasn’t able to select their shots and many were forced. They were outscored 25-15 in the second quarter and entered the half with no momentum, down 45-31.
The second half continued the same way with the Huskies limiting turnovers, while using solid defence to force the UBC players out of rhythm.
However, the game was far from over as UBC’s Whyte, CIS player of the year, made a quick few baskets to keep the Thunderbirds within 10 at the end of the third.
But turnovers piled up at pivotal times. At one point, UBC was down by six with a few minutes left in the game.
Yet as soon as they brought the ball up the floor, it was stripped by Glover, who went in for the easy deuce.
A few possessions later, Troy Gottselig made a similar steal and threw it down with authority. That extended the lead from six to eight and sealed the Huskies’ victory.
Despite letting the lead slip in each game, Husky head coach Greg Jockims said he believed it was the quality of the opposition that let the lead dwindle.
“When you’re playing good teams they’re really going to push hard at the late part of the games,” said the former Huskies player-turned-coach. “The other team is going to go on a bit of a run with reckless aggressiveness.”
Jockims said he thinks the win was huge for Saskatchewan, a province where hockey and football come first.
Glover, the Huskies’ MVP for the game, agreed.
“This is big. It means a lot. I’m coming from California, and I’m bringing this California game to Saskatchewan and it’s spreading. As a team we learn together, and that’s the way you have to learn, together.”
Some of the players on the team have personal challenges which factor into their basketball schedule. For example, Michael Linklater has four kids, which plays a major role in his playmaking dedication.
The team is also composed of a lot of locals, some of which come from a line of Huskies. The Unsworth brothers, or the twin towers as they are locally known, were raised by their father, a former Husky himself.
This year’s CIS championship is an amazing story that will affect the players, their families, the fans and the entire province. Basketball is alive and well in Saskatchewan.