The UNBC Timberwolves will always be wondering how much better their 2015-16 CIS Canada West season might have turned out had Billy Cheng been able to finish his career on the basketball court.
They sure could have used him on the weekend trying to defeat the Mount Royal University Cougars at the Northern Sport Centre.
Cheng wanted to play the last home games of his university career but instead sat on the bench next to his teammates, sidelined by a torn ACL knee ligament he suffered Jan. 16 in a game in Abbotsford. The fifth-year point guard from Richmond, UNBC's defensive spark-plug and emotional leader, was not able to play his usual 32.2 minutes a game or build on his 11.32 points-per-game scoring average and it hurt the T-wolves' bottom line.
They had no answer for Derek Wolf's 39 points and lost 87-80 to Mount Royal on Saturday, after a heartbreaking last-shot 76-75 loss to the Cougars the previous night.
Cheng was the last remaining player from the T-wolves team which won the B.C. Colleges Athletic Association championship in 2010 before UNBC made the jump to CIS. He was an integral part of last year's team, which made the Canada West playoffs for the first time.
"I was fortunate to play here for five years, I've got a good support group and I'm glad coach Todd (Jordan) gave me the chance to play and trusted me," said Cheng, 23, a double-major in business and finance.
"We have a young group of guys who because of injuries have the opportunity to play lots of minutes right now and I totally believe we'll continue to grow and be up there in the standings."
Cheng, a five-foot-eight point guard, played for R.C. Palmer secondary school in Richmond and won a provincial championship in his Grade 12 year. Jordan recruited him when no other university wanted him and Cheng credits his UNBC coach for shaping him into a dominant player.
"I definitely developed that here, coach (Jordan) pushed me to be the leader I am today," Cheng said. "When I'm playing basketball I really care and I say a lot of things on the court but you have to give Todd the credit because he's given me a lot of trust. He took a chance on me and I just worked hard."
Cheng has now missed the better part of seven games and Jordan says there's no doubt the T-wolves' playoff hopes evaporated the day he went down.
"He's been absolutely awesome for our program – maybe the most dynamic player we've ever had," said Jordan. "He's really been a big part of integrating himself into our program and the community and watching him develop from the boy he was five years ago into the man and the leader he is today. His teammates love him, he's such a positive influence on the guys. It's going to be tough to see him walk out those doors."
The T-wolves drew a crowd of about 800 to their game Saturday and in a special ceremony before the game the fans made it known with a rousing ovation how much they appreciated the efforts of Cheng and graduating fifth-year forward Colin Plumb to entertain them in the NSC gym.
"I just want to thank the fans and the support that's been here for five years," said Cheng. "The energy in this building is unbelievable and I'm just so glad I got to play in front of these fans."
Plumb was recommended to Jordan by former T-wolf Devin McMurtry and he's brought toughness and an unwavering work ethic to the team ever since he joined. The six-foot-five forward was hampered by a concussion last year which forced him to miss most of the second half of the season but this year has played all 18 games.
"He had an unbelievable summer, worked really hard and came back in the best shape of his life and added some things to his game and is having the best shooting year of his life," said Jordan. "He's leading us in rebounding and it was really good seeing him come and find a place that's home to him where we could find him a role. He's been a real positive addition for us."
Plumb started his CIS career at UBC Okanagan and played two seasons at Capilano before joining UNBC.
"It's tough to say it would be a regret, because I didn't know, but if I could have done it again, knowing what I know now, I would have come here for five years," said Plumb, a 24-year-old native of Pitt Meadows and an English major.
"The culture here is what it should be. It's a smaller school with a Division 1 equivalent of the culture and you can't find that everywhere. The community support is great, even in the midst of a tough season. When you go around the community, people know who you are, and you don't get that in Kelowna or even UBC. I love the school. It's got a really good learning atmosphere."
This year, having lost three starters, the T-wolves have Plumb playing nearly half the game. He's averaged 9.1 points and six rebounds per contest.
"I've grown immensely as a player and more importantly, as a person," said Plumb, an aspiring teacher. "Coming in last year as a fourth-year guy, we had a lot of depth here and you don't know the offence, you don't know the coach. Coming back a second year, you mitigate those things."
The two wins improved Mount Royal's record to 8-10 and they remain in the hunt for a playoff spot in the Explorer Division. UNBC (3-15) ranks last in the division.
Wolf proved unstoppable for the T-wolves Saturday. He went 14-for-20 with his field goal attempts and sunk eight of the 12 three-pointers he tried. Rhys Elliott led the T-wolves with 27 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Marcus MacKay contributed 20 points.
Matthew Gray was the late-game hero for Mount Royal on Friday. He helped trigger the Cougar comeback when they were down by eight with 2:22 left. Mount Royal scored 13 unanswered points and Gray had five of them down the stretch. Wolf, who had 16 points coming off the bench, hit the winning point with a free throw with two-tenths of a second left. Brett Layton totaled 18 points and 14 rebounds for Mount Royal.
Plumb was forced out of Friday's game in the second quarter when he received his second technical foul. He played all but five minutes of Saturday's game and finished with eight points, five rebounds and one steal.
