 |
Home of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Men's Basketball Team |  |
 |
 |
|
 NewsSchedule/ResultsRosterStatisticsStandingsPhoto GalleryNewsletterRecordsHistoryFacilitiesRecruitingContact
|
Junior Dogs Club Team
PRAIRIE DOGS CLUB TEAM ENJOYS SUCCESSFUL SUMMER
By Kirk Jones
This summer (2001) Brian Chmarney and I coached the Prairie Dogs and our pleased that we achieved the goals we set out for the team this summer. First, we provided a place for high potential players to play. Seventeen players were played for the team this summer and a core of seven players played every game. Secondly, we played a large number of games against high levels of competition. The "Young Dogs " played 25 games and every game featured a high level of intensity. We faced teams that were big power teams, teams that executed set plays flawlessly, inner city athletic run and gun teams, teams that pressed, teams that ran a four corners stall. In short we faced a wide variety of styles. A third goal was to introduce the players to the commitment and feel of being an elite player. I can't stress how pleased I am at how the players responded to being offered the chance to play and work hard. We never hid the fact that we expect high standards of effort, focus and commitment of the players in this program. This just shows what I have always believed that young people want to play, want to be pushed, want to get better. We only need provide the right opportunities. At the end of the summer we had more players wanting to play than we were able to accommodate. We hope to expand the program next year for this reason.
The last goal is player improvement, and we certainly saw this. Most of the team attended the summer workouts on weeknights with the Huskie players as well as team practices. The games we played enabled them to put their new improved skills into practice. An indication of the improvement is in the team's record. After beginning 1-2 the team went on to finish 20-5 winning our own tournament as well as the prestigious Pitt Meadows Tournament in BC.
As the summer went on we won games mostly because our players played harder, were more skilled and played smarter than the opposition. A tribute to the team's poise is we were 12-2 in games decided by eight points or less. We had a very big team and of course it takes big guys longer to develop. Highlights were a blowout of the U of Calgary Jr. Dinos where we shot 11-11 from the three point line in the first half, a 102-73 victory over Team Saskatchewan despite the fact neither of our two centers (6-8 Steve Uzelman of North Battleford and 6-9 Lane Manson of Watrous) played ; a triple overtime playoff win over BC powerhouse White Rock Christian on a Ryan Lynchuck (Mount Royal) buzzer beater, and the tournament championship in BC.
Our goal for next year is to expand the club to three teams and to travel to the USA. This program is instrumental for the future success of Huskie Basketball but it does take money to run. If you have any ideas how we can improve this program with sponsorships or contacts you know, please get in touch with the Huskie Basketball Program.
|