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Since taking over as head coach in the summer of 1998, Jockims has brought "Huskie Pride" to the basketball program
at the University of Saskatchewan. The four seasons prior to his arrival, the Dogs posted a 13-102 overall record, including only seven wins in Canada West Conference play. As a former Huskie player during the glory days of the 1980's, and already a successful coach on the national stage, Jockims was the perfect candidate for the job.
Prior to coming to Saskatchewan, Jockims spent four seasons in his first head coaching job at the University College of Cape Breton (1994-98) in Sydney, Nova Scotia. He didn't waste any time establishing himself as a top CIS head coach. That first year, he led the team to a 20-10 overall record, including the AUAA Championship and a third place finish at Nationals. After the Capers finished conference play in fourth place, they won three straight playoff games to claim the 1994-95 conference championship.
Seeded eighth for Nationals, Cape Breton upset No.1-seed Brandon 77-73 before losing to fourth seed Alberta 88-84 in the semi-final.
During Jockims’ four years in Sydney, the Capers made the AUAA playoffs three out of four seasons, posting a 5-3 record in the postseason. His overall record in four seasons at the Cape was 58-59 (.496). One of the players on his first team was John Ryan, who was selected as an Honourable Mention All-Canadian that season. Ryan is now the athletic director at Cape Breton.
The Huskies’ prospects could only get better with Jockims' enthusiasm, committment to excellence and tough mentality
kick-starting the rebuilding process. Knowing that the turn around would be a long-term project, the Huskies posted a disappointing 3-28 mark in his first year at the helm. But after a full off-season to recruit, the fortunes of the Dogs began to change.
The next year, the Huskies would post a 14-14 record, their best showing since the early 1990's. They made the playoffs for the first time since 1993-94, losing in the Central Division Semi-Final to Lethbridge. James Kenyon was named conference and National Freshman of the Year, the first Huskie ever to win the award. Jody Glines and Kenyon were named second team all-conference. The Dogs had made the trip back to respectability in only two years.
The 2000-01 season would be a slight step back for the Dogs, as they missed the playoffs after posting a 12-17 overall record, with an 8-14 mark in conference play. Senior Ryan Leier was named second team all-conference.
The return of Kenyon in 2001-02 after a year off, as well as a solid recruiting class, sparked the Dogs to their best season yet under Jockims. A 14-21 overall record included a .500 record in the conference for the second time in three years, as well as the Huskies first playoff series victory in almost ten years. The Dogs beat Lethbridge two games to one in the Central Division Semi-Final, before bowing out the next weekend to Alberta, the eventual National Champions. Matt Greenberg was named to the conference All-Freshman team, while Kenyon and senior forward Calvin Palmer were named second team all-conference.
The next two seasons saw the Huskies finish with disappointing records as they laid the foundation for future success. In 2002-03 the Dogs finished 12-19, missing the playoffs by one game. But a strong recruiting class would help excite the Huskie faithful.
Fielding the youngest team in the nation with seven freshman, the 2003-04 Huskies finished 8-12 in conference play.
The Dogs travelled to Alberta for the division semi-final, which they lost two games to none. Andrew Spagrud was named National Freshman of the Year.
In 2004-05, the Huskies won the Central Division regular season title and finished with an overall record of 25-13. The 25 wins in a season was the third most in school history. The season came to an unfortunate end when the Huskies
dropped Game 3 of the Central Final to Alberta. Spagrud became the first Huskie to be named All-Canadian since Jockims’ return.
In 2005-06 the Huskies battled through numerous injuries to clinch their second straight Central regular season title. But this time they finished the job as they swept Alberta in the Central Final. After losing 73-72 at UBC in the conference semi-final, the Dogs beat Regina to earn their first trip to Nationals in 18 years, where they would finish in seveth place. Jockims earned his 100th victory with the Huskies on November 19, 2005 as they defeated Lethbridge 95-67.
Though the program has reached the contender stage under Jockims, there is still work to be done to turn it into a champion. The team is now filled with committed, hard-working players who have had a taste of postseason success. As they strive for more, their continued hard work (both in and out of season), along with that of the coaching staff is sure to carry them to a Canada West title in the near future.
Jockims’ committment to excellence can also be seen off the court as well. He graduated in 1988 from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Science (Kinesiology) degree. In 1992, he earned a Master's of Education degree from the University of Victoria. This attitude of high academic achievement can also be seen in his players. During the 2001-02 academic year, eight of his players were named to the Huskie Athletics All-Academic Team.
In the past seven years at Saskatchewan, players have earned Academic All-Canadian honours 13 times.
Before his head coaching days, Jockims was an assistant at the Univeristy of Saskatchewan (1989-1991) and the
University of Victoria (1992-94). He is an NCCP Level IV certified coach, having graduated from the National Coaching Institute in Victoria in 1992. He has coached numerous Saskatchewan Provincial Teams, as well as the Junior Huskies Club since the summer of 2000. He was also an assistant for Canadian National "B" Team which represented the country at the Jones Cup in Taiwan in 1995. His former coach with the Huskies, the late Guy Vetrie, was the head coach of that team.
Jockims played his high school basketball for three years at Mount Royal Collegiate in Saskatoon for the legendary Nick Patola. As a senior he helped the Mustangs win the City Championship, and finish second at Provincials. He led
the team in scoring with 22 points per game. After graduating from Mount Royal in June of 1983, Jockims choose to attend and play basketball at the University of Saskatchewan for Vetrie.
The Huskies reached the National Finals in Halifax twice during Jockims five seasons. In 1986 they finished fourth, and in 1988 they finished in fifth place. He also played for Team Saskatchewan in the summers of 1987 and 1988. They earned a silver at the National Championships in 1987 and took home the gold medal at the 1988 Western Canada Summer Games.
Jockims, 40, was born in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. He is proudly suppported at home by his wife Shana. They are the parents of three children. Daughter Kaitlin Lorraine, 4, and son Rylan James, 3, were joined by brother Braedan Allan in May of 2005. They can usually be seen cheering on the Huskies at all their home games. In his free time he likes to spend time with his family, read, and watch his beloved Los Angeles Lakers.
Greg Jockims’ Record Breakdown (thru 2006-07)
At Cape Breton 58-59
At Saskatchewan 134-176
Saskatchewan vs. All Opponents under Jockims (thru 2006-07)
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