Basketball

Clayton Pottinger named Head Men's Basketball Coach

Clayton Pottinger

The Douglas College ¿ Centre for Campus Life is pleased to announce that Clayton Pottinger has been named the Head Coach for the Royals Men’s Basketball Program.

Clayton brings a wealth of experience at both the CCAA and CIS levels having served as the Head Coach of Kings University College in Alberta for 5 years and is presently the Assistant Coach at the University of Alberta. In his functions at U of A Clayton worked with long time coach Don Horwood and also with Greg Francis who is also the Men’s Junior National Team Coach. During his time in Alberta Clayton also coached the Edmonton Chill of the IBL professional league and played for 5 years at University of Alberta wear he captained the Golden Bears to won a CIS championship in 1994.

Clayton holds a masters degree in Coaching Studies from the University of Victoria and has been a high school math teacher for the past 14 years.

“Douglas College is very fortunate to have Clayton join its coaching staff and I am very confident that he will establish and elite competitive environment that is required to win at the CCAA level.” stated Dean Howie the Director of Athletics & Campus Life.

“I am thrilled at the opportunity to lead the Douglas Royals and I look forward to the challenge of competing in the BCCAA conference. I will spend the summer recruiting and scouting players to ensure that Douglas College is competitive this year.” mentioned Pottinger.

Royals Conduct ID Camps

Douglas College Royals are conducting an ID camp for all prospective men’s basketball student athletes. Camps will take place on June 1 & 4 from 5:30pm–8:30pm at the New West Campus. It is strongly suggested that you attend both sessions. If you are interested please contact Geoff Lenahan at lenahang@douglas.bc.ca to confirm your attendance.

An Afghan Basketball Journey

Mirwais Mojadidi and Hamid Aziz
Photo from the Burnaby NewsLeader

Though related by blood, Mirwais Mojadidi and Hamid Aziz’s lives couldn’t have been more different.

One grew up near peaceful parks, the other amid war and tyranny.

One escaped with cartoons and playing cards, the other escaped persecution.

When the cousins met for the first time, neither spoke the other’s language.

But they quickly formed a bond based on a gift that was given to one, then passed to the other—a gift that is now giving to others.

A basketball.

Born in Burnaby, Mirwais Mojadidi enjoyed a life of suburban splendour. His family lived in a nice house, drove a nice car, had money to keep the fridge stocked. He was proud of his impressive collection of Pokémon cards.

Half a world away in Kabul, Afghanistan, his cousin Hamid Aziz’s family struggled in a country frayed by war, handcuffed by religious fervour. The conflict cost his father his engineering job. His mother could no longer teach.

With their money and options running out, Hamid’s parents and their three sons fled to Pakistan, leaving behind their extended family, including his beloved grandmother.

They settled into the refugee life in Peshawar, the border city that was the first stop for many Afghans seeking to escape the war. His father helped establish an Afghan school as Hamid tried to stay out of trouble in a strict Pakistani school, where a word uttered out of turn could be met with a strap across the hands.

From time to time, the whole family would drive all night to visit his grandmother in Kabul, braving terrifying Taliban road checks. Once, as they tried to smuggle family photos back to Pakistan, they were stopped at one of the road blocks. To be caught by Taliban guards with such tokens of Western decadence could have resulted in arrest or a beating, so as each member of the family was plucked for inspection, they furtively passed the cache of photos back to another until they were sent safely on their way.

“I was just so scared,” recalls Hamid. “That was probably the most frightening time.”

His parents wanted to escape such fear and filled out paperwork to try to get the family to a new country. America turned them down. So did Australia.

But when Canadian relatives offered to sponsor their immigration, Hamid and his family packed their bags for Burnaby.

The night before Mirwais was to meet his cousin from a faraway land, he was so excited, he couldn’t sleep. He didn’t even really know where Afghanistan was but he knew he had to bring a gift, so he got up early to gather up his precious Pokémon cards.

“I realized this was a new family, a new journey, and Pokémon was the big thing over here,” says Mirwais, who was eight or nine years old at the time.

His offering was met with a quizzical shrug.

But returning from the airport along Marine Drive, Hamid’s eyes were as big as saucers, a huge smile spread across his face.

“I was just looking around at all these tall buildings, the green trees, the parks,” says Hamid. “I thought ‘Wow!’”

His family moved into an apartment on Balmoral Street, near Rene Park. One day Mirwais showed up at his door with a basketball, and they headed for the outdoor court at the park.

Hamid had seen such courts in Afghanistan but he’d never seen anyone playing there; shooting hoops can be a risky proposition amidst snipers and land mines.

“I always wondered what those were for,” Hamid says. “I had no clue.”

“He was more quiet, so I got to know him better by playing around outside,” Mirwais says. “My grandpa gave me a basketball when I was four years old and to be able to give that to someone else really meant a lot.”

The cousins were inseparable, spending all the free time at basketball courts in Rene Park, Richmond Park, and behind Windsor Elementary School. They would play from 9 a.m. until well after dark, sunny days, rainy days—even in the snow. They pretended they were Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

“Playing basketball helped me release a lot of stress,” says Hamid. “It just isolated me from the real world. It just let me be me and relax.”

As Mirwais was teaching his cousin basketball, he was learning about his heritage and life in Afghanistan.

“It was a new picture for me. It was a reality check, living with no government, no water, no house.”

The lessons continued as the cousins honed their game in the Steve Nash youth league, then enrolled at the new Byrne Creek Secondary School and joined the high school team.

There, they learned about teamwork and respect.

Their teammates were also immigrants, from places like Africa, the Philippines, China, Japan. Many shared stories of sacrifice and hardship. They became a brotherhood.

“Your teammates are the people you can relate with,” says Hamid, who now plays for the Douglas College Royals while studying sports sciences. “You’re just not worried about who’s higher class than you, you can sit down with them and just laugh about your experiences.”

“It made me work hard to become a good player on the court and a good person off the court,” says Mirwais.

Now they want to pass on the gift they’ve been given by a basketball.

Mirwais started coaching younger players at Byrne when he sat out a season because of an injury. He now helps coach the senior boys team and a youth club team.

Hamid says he dreams of a day he’ll be able to take his Canadian experience and sport sciences diploma back to his homeland to help set up a community centre, to populate those barren basketball courts.

Royals looking for new Basketball Bench Boss

Applications are now being accepted from qualified coaches looking to take the Head Coaching reigns of our men's basketball team. Review of applications will commence May 21, 2010 but the position will remain open until it is filled.

Download the job description

Coach Cheung takes Head Coach position at Brandon University

Head Coach, Gil Cheung
photo Jerald Walliser

Douglas College Men’s Basketball Head Coach, Gil Cheung has accepted a head coaching position at Brandon University. During his time at the college, Gil had begun to rejuvenate a program that saw many changes in both player personnel and administration. In both his years as bench boss for the Royals, his teams qualified for the BCCAA Provincial Tournament.

“We are extremely please that Douglas College could help provide Gil with a platform to gain valuable experience for this new opportunity” said Athletic Director Dean Howie.

“I want to thank Douglas College for giving me the opportunity to be a Head Coach in the BCCAA these past two seasons. I will genuinely miss the special group of players that I’ve coached these past 2 years and wish them nothing but the best in their Post Secondary careers. They have been exceptional on the court, but their character around the College and Community is one thing that I am most proud of. I owe a lot to this College and the Athletics department, and wish them all the best in the future” said Gil.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to coach at my alma mater and excited to have this opportunity. Brandon University has a wonderful basketball tradition, and I look forward to coaching a team that has success on the court, in the classroom and in the great community of Brandon” commented Gil.

BCCAA Basketball All-Stars Announced

(L-R) Jobair Satari, Mark Dabrowski, and Drew Slaght
photo Jerald Walliser

The BCCAA announced the All-Star selections for the 2009-10 season and three Royals athletes were among those recognized for their outstanding seasons. Jobair Satari and Drew Slaght were named to the second All-Star team while freshman Mark Dabrowski made the All-Rookie Team.

Jobair Satari is a second year forward with the Royals but has seniors worth of experience. He is the only hold over from the 2007-08 edition of the CCAA National champion Royals squad. Satari currently leads the league in rebounding (10.61 rbs)and 8th in points (15.61 pts). His leadership and influence on the young Royals has been instrumental in this seasons accomplishments

Drew Slaght is a third year guard with the Royals and has been a consistent contributor to the Royals offense. Drew ranks 9th in scoring (14.94 pts)in the 6th in assists (3.06 asst)in the BCCAA League.

Freshman Mark Dabrowski has turned some heads this season and has been rewarded with an All-Rookie Team selection. A big bodied post player, Mark averages 7.19pts and 4.31rbs per game.

Up next for the Royals are the Provincial Championships and a first round match-up against Capilano University Blues. The tournament is hosted by Vancouver Island University. Watch a live broadcast of the game

Royals return to the Post Season

Royals huddle
photo Jerald Walliser

With a split weekend vs. the Langara College Falcons, the Royals secured a 5th seed to return to the post season where they will face The Capilano University Blues. The young Royals have had a strong second half of the season going 7-4 after a rough 1-6 start.

The Royals split the season series with the Blues, each having won on the other teams home court. The team has had great leadership both on and off the court from 2nd year forward, Jobair Satari and 3rd year guard, Drew Slaght. Both players are in the top 7 in league scoring, and Jobair was the leading rebounder in the conference, despite playing on the wing. It has been a complete team effort by the Royals this year, with every player contributing to the teams success. If the team continues to build on their momentum, they could be a very dangerous team come playoffs!

Follow all the playoff action from VIU streamed live, March 4-6

Down to the Wire

Kevin Jackel
photo Jerald Walliser

With 3 teams tied for the last 3 playoff spots and only 2 points separating the teams on the "bubble", the Royals will need a top notch performance to secure their playoff standing. This weekend the Royals will face cross town rivals, the Langara College Falcons. The game does have a twist, however, as it will be hosted at Kwantlen Polytechnic Univeristy due to the 2010 Olympics. Game times are at 1:30pm both days (Friday 19 and Saturday 20) with the women's games to follow at 3:30pm. Come out and support your Royals!

Royals continue to Roll

Stuart McIntosh
photo Jerald Walliser

The Douglas College Men’s Basketball team continue their hot streak with their weekend sweep of the CBC Bearcats. The Royals won 105-65 Friday night and then completed the much needed sweep Saturday night with a tough 87-75 victory. The Royals are now 6-6 for the year as and currently sit 5th in the conference, one game behind the Capilano University Blues. This was the 5th straight win for the Royals as the team is beginning to gel as a group. Led by the leadership of Drew Slaught and Jobair Satari, the young squad is slowly coming together.

With 5 first year players as well as six new faces to the program, the young team is learning how to compete every weekend in arguably the toughest conference in the Country. With so many new players and the departure of two key starters a week before conference play, it has taken time for this team to gel. But the effort provided by the team both on and off the court this year is something that they can be very proud of.

The road does not get any easier for the Royals as they have to travel to UNBC and play the #2 ranked team in the Country this weekend.

Teamwork and Discipline prevail over the Blues

Aurel David
photo Sean Velasco

The Douglas College Men’s Basketball team gutted out an impressive come from behind victory over the #4 ranked Capilano University Blues this weekend. After falling behind by 16 at the end of the 1st quarter, the young Royal’s team came together to fight and claw their way to a 64-58 win in a very tough road atmosphere. The “FAB 4” freshman led their comeback, topped off with a 24-9 4th quarter which made all the difference in a much needed win for the team. Aurel David sparked a run in the 2nd quarter which allowed the team to only be down 10 heading into the break. Strong play on both ends of the floor by freshman Malcolm Mensah and Mark Dabrowski, added a physical and active presence that was missing during the 1st half of the year. Freshman Guard Hamid Aziz also hit a big 3 with 2 minutes left in a tie game and the Royals never looked back.

Jobair Satari once again showed why he is one of the best players in the Province with a HUGE night. His 15pts were only surpassed by his 17 rebs and 5 assists. His leadership of the freshman and the entire team is something that does not show on the scoresheet, but is more valuable than any hoop all season. The royals are off to Abbotsford to face a tough CBC squad, and are once again in the thick of things for the playoff run.

Old Spaghetti Factory Player of the Week

Jobair Satari
photo Sean Velasco

Jobair had a solid weekend for the Royals and is a great leader both on and off the court. Jobair is returning to action this year after a year off, and has not missed a beat. He is the team leader in rebounding and has been averaging 16ppg as well.

His work ethic and passion for the game, has been a bright spot thus far this season, and he will be a huge part of the Royals success this season.