All Norm Garfield wants is a healthy roster.
This season, the head coach of the D.P. Todd Trojans senior boys basketball team hasn't once had a full lineup at his disposal. He's been missing Manni Dhemi, a key Grade 12 guard/forward, all year because Dhemi has been recovering from a knee injury. At times, Garfield has also been without Grade 12 guard and team leader Sean Gaiesky, who has been dealing with a hairline foot fracture. As well, Grade 11 guard Colby Molcak, one of the club's purest scorers, has been sidelined in recent weeks with a hip flexor injury.
Even with all the holes in their lineup, the Trojans -- who compete in the double-A division provincially -- have shown themselves to be a quality team. At pre-Christmas tournaments in the Lower Mainland, they took on some of B.C.'s stronger clubs and were more than competitive. In Abbotsford, for example, they faced Wellington of Nanaimo -- a top-10 team in the triple-A rankings -- and prevailed 60-52.
Once the Trojans have all their horses running, Garfield expects them to make some noise locally, within the north central zone, and hopefully at the provincial championship tournament.
"Our primary goals this year have been to win the city championship and to win zones and go down to provincials and hopefully finish in the top-eight," Garfield said.
"I think realistically, we are [a top-eight team]. That's going to all depend on how we get ranked going into the tournament. There's always that potential that you see a tough first game."
The city final will be played Feb. 12, likely at the Northern Sport Centre. Later that month, the Trojans will host the double-A zones, which is a qualifier for provincials, set for March 5-8 in Langley.
Right now, the D.P. Todd boys have their own tournament -- this weekend's Trojan Wars -- on their minds. The eight-team event starts Friday at 2 p.m. when D.P. Todd tips off against the Duchess Park Condors. Other Friday games will include the PGSS Polars battling the College Heights Cougars (3:45 p.m.) and the Kelly Road Roadrunners taking on the Correlieu Clan (5:30 p.m.). In the last game of the night, starting at 7:15, Smithers and Houston Christian will take to the court.
The Trojans, of course, will be aiming for a spot in Saturday's championship game, set for 8:15 p.m. Some of the guys who could help them get there are point guard Tanner Stephenson, who's in his third and final year on D.P. Todd's senior team, shooting guard Raman Bhangu, and Haydn and Joel Molcak.
Haydn and Joel Molcak round out the Molcak triplets and stand six-foot-six and six-foot-five respectively. Haydn, a post player, is averaging 25 points and 15 rebounds per game so far this season and was picked as a first-team all-star at both Lower Mainland tournaments. Joel, meanwhile, can play any position from small forward to post and is always tough to stop.
"He used to be the shortest of the Molcaks and that kid probably grew five or six inches in the last year," Garfield said. "He is really catching on quick. His athletic ability is really getting strong and his coordination is just awesome."
