While his UNBC Timberwolves men's basketball teammates were enjoying the winter sun and warm weather on a post-Christmas tour of California, Franck Olivier Kouagnia was back in snowy Prince George practicing his shot and pumping weights in the gym.
On Thursday night in an 80-66 UNBC win over the visiting University of Calgary Dinos, Kougania discovered his workouts with Dinos assistant coach Jordan Johnson were the perfect tonic. It gave him the jump he needed when the CIS Canada West season resumed after a six-week break.
Kouagnia, 24, played his most complete game of the season, leading the T-wolves with 17 points, seven of which came in the fourth quarter when a close game hung in the balance. He was deadly from the field, hitting seven of his eight attempts and, when called to the line, sunk three of his four free throws.
"While the team was away I just focused on my free throws and stuff I was struggling with and it paid off," said the six-foot-seven forward, an economics major who spent three seasons playing for Coventry University in England before he joined the T-wolves.
"It was just battling inside, Calgary has some tough guys so I was just trying to execute the stuff I was working on here when those guys were in [California]. I'd work on my post move, work on my free throws, then lift in the gym for 40 minutes. It hurt not to be in Cali but I think it was a blessing for me."
Kougania admitted he was disappointed his African nationality and the visa requirements involved in visiting the United States ruled him out for the five-day California trip. He also couldn't afford a flight to Montreal, where his brother and two sisters spent the holidays, and was away from his family for Christmas for the first time.
With Kougania strutting his authority under the net, UNBC was the more physical team on Thursday, taking on a jet-lagged Dinos team that just returned on Tuesday from a 10-day trip to Germany. Four other T-wolves reached double-digit point totals, including Charles Barton, with 12 points and 11 rebounds, Daniel Stark and Billy Cheng, now fully-recovered from a broken foot, had 10-point games. Jibreel Stevens and Nolan Hanson came off the bench and were major contributors in containing the Dinos.
"This game, everyone on the team brought it," said Kouagnia.
"This win is going to boost us a lot. There's no better way to start a year. I believe in these guys and I believe we can make the playoffs. We just need to work as hard as we did [Thursday]. We're warriors and we'll keep fighting to the end."
The win over Calgary ended a three-game losing streak for the T-wolves, who improved to 4-7. The Dinos (5-6) had won five of their last six heading into Thursday's game. Having his big guy, Kouagnia, on top of his game was a comforting sign to UNBC head coach Todd Jordan.
"There was an adjustment coming from overseas, even to the rules, and the first half of the year he struggled with shuffling his feet and too many turnovers. He worked really hard over the break trying to tighten up his footwork and we really saw some good things from him," said Jordan. "Hopefully he can continue to perform like that for us."
The T-wolves now turn their attentions to the Lethbridge Pronghorns, their opponents tonight (8 p.m.) at the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre. Lethbridge (8-3) scored an 84-82 overtime win over Mount Royal Thursday night in Calgary. The Pronghorns are not that big but they're quick and have a relentless work ethic.
"They play a really high-tempo game and we like to run a bit too but we'll try to slow it," said Jordan. "They have four guys who can really shoot the threes and we need to be defending a bit better. We'll need more contributions from the guys on our bench. Some of our young kids are getting a lot more comfortable now and it's helped."
The UNBC women lost 77-52 to Calgary, dropping their season record to 4-7. Tonight at 6, they'll take on a 4-7 Lethbridge team which defeated Mount Royal 66-48 on Thursday.
