Tyrell Laing has been around Prince George basketball as long as he can remember.
At 23 he’s seen every UNBC Timberwolves men’s basketball team since the school joined CIS/U SPORTS in 2012.
So when he says this year’s edition is quite likely the most talented men’s hoops squad that’s ever represented the city at the university level, you’re inclined to believe the returning Canada West Conference scoring champion knows what’s he’s talking about.
“I think we’re a veteran team and we’re a team that has a lot of scoring threats and defensive presence at multiple positions this year,” said Laing, who will be action Friday night at the Norther Sport Centre (8 p.m. start), when the T-wolves take on the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack in the first of a two-game set.
“I just think we have some top-to-bottom guys who can impose their will on the game from multiple positions and we haven’t had that depth before. We have a lot of shooters on this team and we’ll have a really good three—point shooting team. We have three guys (Laing, Vova Pluzhnikov and newcomer Payton Tirrell) who have shot 40 per cent or better in their careers, so when we’re in transition we’ll be looking to get threes up.”
The T-wolves came out of their season-opening games on the road with a split and both were close games 69-67 last Friday in Kamloops, then got stung by the Fraser Valley Cascades 93-91 in overtime Saturday in Abbotsford. Laing led the UNBC scoring chart in each game, following up his 20-point effort Friday with an 18-point night against the Cascades.
“I think we’re at full strength we’ve got a pretty balanced team, maybe the most balanced team we’ve every had as far as being able to contribute from every position,” said T-wolves head coach Todd Jordan, now in his 12th season at the helm at UNBC.
“We’ve got some size, we’ve got some veteran guards, we’ve got some older guys and we’re putting out three fifth-year guys in the backcourt and then with the COVID year, guys are a year more experienced with practice stuff. From that perspective I think this team has a high ceiling as far as potential. It’s going to be an exciting team to watch and it’s going to be fun to come and watch us play.”
It seems Laing is picking up where he left off, heading into his fifth season with the T-wolves when he averaged a league-best 21.9 points per game over the 20-game season. He also broke the T-wolves mark with 89 points off free throws in ’19-20 and was the team leader in three pointers (42) and minutes played (678). Around the league, Jordan knows the secret is out on Laing.
“He’s going to be dealing with more attention defensively,” said Jordan. “Two years ago when we played he caught a lot of people by surprise with what he was able to do and he’s not going to catch anyone by surprise this year as far as his ability to produce. Obviously, we’re very proud of him, as a local guy, with what he’s done.”
Laing’s trusty sidekick, guard Vova Pluzhnikov, returns for his fifth Canada West year. He was near the top of the league in assists in the first half of the 2019-20 season and his accuracy from the free throw line (87.5 per cent) was third-best in the conference. His ball-control and ability to set up teammates makes the Ukrainian native a dangerous asset whenever he’s on the court.
The T-wolves also have forward Fareed Shittu back from his Canada West All-Rookie Team performance in 2019-20 in which he shattered team rookie records for points, rebounds blocks and steals. Blessed with athleticism and exceptional leaping ability, he hauled in 182 rebounds (fifth in Canada West in ’19-20) and the Edmonton native is the T-wolves’ Mr. Dunk, but he’s also learned the defensive side of basketball after two seasons years’ working in practice with Jordan and the T-wolves coaching staff. Unfortunately for T-wolves’ fans, they won’t get to see Shittu in the UNBC lineup until after he serves a three-game suspension for a throwing a punch at one of the Fraser Valley Cascades at the end of Saturday’s game.
“He’s the best athlete on the court every time we play, he jumps out of the gym,” said Jordan. “He’s still a young guy learning the nuances of the game every time he plays but he’s a sponge to pick things up and he does so many things, blocks some shots, he’s just a presence because of the length and range he has. He’s able to make a lot of difference defensively and he’s able to play above the rim and can get above people and finish around the basket when he gets the ball in good spots.”
Six-foot-seven forward Spencer Ledoux was sidelined with a concussion after six games in ’19-20 and despite his size he possess quick feet and soft hands under the rims and will figure prominently in the T-wolves’ plans. New recruit Rohtash Mattu, a fourth-year veteran who started out with the Victoria Vikes, shoots well for a six-foot-10 big man and he showed his scoring touch in the Fraser Valley game with 15 points. Unfortunately, he sprained his ankle in the fourth quarter and won’t play this weekend.
Third-year guard/small forward Chris Ross has been around the UNBC gym for four years and he brings a workmanlike approach to make the most of his playing time. He saw 32 minutes of action in Abbotsford and responded with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Tirrell, a native of Woodinville, Wash., was a top-10 scorer in 2019-20 in the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association playing for Grande Prairie College and he’s had four years of playing point guard to develop his basketball brain and leadership qualities. At six-foot-three, he’s strong and hard to knock off the ball.
Rookies Daniel Kopf, Darren Hunter Matthew Jickling, Jackson Netzel, Ben Onyenwosa, Rory Goodwin and David Tiessen will bide their time on the bench and be on hand to spell off the starters
Assuming they stay healthy, expect a lot of run-and-gun style from the Timberwolves this year.
“We’re a team that likes to get out in transition and play relatively quickly and that’s the way we’re trying to get the guys to play,” said Jordan. “We want to be a team that can pressure you man to man and definitely we’ll be playing at a higher tempo than we were a couple years ago.”
Aaron Brouwer, Nav Parmar and Dale Dergousoff are back as Jordan’s assistant coaches.
