For years, the focus was on gaining entrance into the Canada West Universities Athletic Association. Now that the UNBC Timberwolves are new Canada West members, their coaches are working on turning them into contenders for championships.
Transforming from expansion teams to perennial powers is a long and difficult process. In fact, some of the more established programs in Canada West have never achieved their desired levels of success. But the UNBC basketball and soccer squads are looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead of them.
The UNBC program that has made the smoothest transition from the B.C. college level to Canada West is men's basketball. The Timberwolves posted a 5-5 record in the first half of their inaugural season and even beat the nationally-ranked University of Saskatchewan Huskies 93-90. The T-wolves are currently in fourth place in the Pacific Division, which means they hold the final playoff spot. And, they'll have a good chance to maintain or improve upon their position over the course of their final 12 games.
Next season, though, the T-wolves may actually take a step backward because they'll have lost four key players to graduation. Guard/forward Sam Raphael and backcourt stars Francis Rowe, Jose Araujo and Joel Rybachuk will all be out of the picture. Gone with them will be a ton of offensive production. Raphael, Rowe and Araujo currently stand first through third in team scoring, and Rybachuk is the club's assists leader.
"Year 2 will definitely be a big challenge for the men's basketball team, there is no doubt," said UNBC athletics director Jason Kerswill. "But I can tell you right now, every single day [head coach] Todd [Jordan] is e-mailing, phoning, texting every player that he knows in the province and throughout Western Canada -- even some overseas and down in the States -- to ensure there isn't much of a drop-off. And we do have some very talented young players on our men's basketball team. You think about a guy like [second-year guard] Billy Cheng, who has had to play against Jose and Sam and Joel every single day in practice for the last two years, that will definitely move his development along quickly. It will be a matter of whether the players we've had for a couple of years are ready to take the reins and really guide this program forward. That's something I'm looking forward to seeing and something Todd's working on every day."
The UNBC women's basketball team, meanwhile, has gone 3-7 to date and will need an exceptionally strong second half of the season -- and help from other teams -- to press for a playoff spot. The Timberwolves currently sit sixth in the Pacific Division and must leapfrog two teams to get into the post-season.
Looking ahead to 2013-14, the Timberwolves will have lost only forward Kady Dandeneau to graduation and they'll have three fifth-year players in uniform -- guard/forward Mercedes Van Koughnett, guard Jennifer Bruce and forward Emily Kaehn. For the team to move forward within Canada West, head coach Loralyn Murdoch will have to add skill through her recruiting efforts and will also need to increase the size of her roster. Right now, the T-wolves have just 10 players. Ideally, they should have 12 to 15 so they can run with the deeper teams in the league and train more effectively in practice sessions.
"The necessity to have a more fleshed-out roster is definitely a big thing moving into next year," Kerswill said. "We did have a few girls this year who decided not to come back and play at the Canada West level for one reason or another and probably that was the right decision. But, at the same time, it's tough because that does take a few more bodies out of practice."
Moving on to soccer, the UNBC men's team is in position to make some significant steps forward next season. Under the guidance of head coach Alan Alderson, the Timberwolves played to a 1-13-0 record in their first Canada West year, and every single player who saw time on the field will be that much better in 2013. Nothing, after all, teaches like experience. Ten players will be in their second seasons of eligibility, two will be in their third years and seven will be in their fourth.
Fifth-year team members, meanwhile, will be midfielder Kellen Strobl and midfielder/striker Sourosh Amani. The health of Amani will be crucial to the success of the team.
Amani, originally from the Netherlands, is recovering from broken tibia and fibula bones, an injury he suffered in a late-September home game against the Lethbridge Pronghorns. He is, without question, the most dangerous offensive player on the UNBC roster and if he's running at full speed next fall, he will pose serious problems for every other Canada West club.
"I'm pretty happy with the program that Alan has put in place and the direction and the focus he is bringing to that program," Kerswill said. "I think over the next two years we're going to see some exciting things."
As for the female T-wolves, they were a pleasant surprise as a first-year Canada West team. The club had gone winless in its final season at the B.C. college level but battled to a 0-9-3 mark in the tougher league. UNBC was led by new recruit Sidney Roy, a first-year striker from Burnaby who fired five of the T-wolves' six goals on the season.
Much like the UNBC men, the UNBC women will benefit from the experience they gained in 2012. They'll also make strides in 2013 because of their off-season work with head coach Andy Cameron and the recruiting he has been doing.
"One major area of focus is filling out that roster," Kerswill said. "We were still only at 16 players this year and to see the year-over-year improvement in the players you want to have a competitive situation for them in practice that hopefully will carry over into games. To do that successfully, we're going to need 18 to 20 players on the team."
Editor's Note: Citizen sports reporter Sheri Lamb will be home in Winnipeg for the Christmas holidays but she'll be covering the UNBC men as they compete in the 46th annual Wesmen Classic at the University of Winnipeg Dec. 28 to 30. Follow her coverage in The Citizen and at www.pgcitizen.ca
