Rita Mingo, Special to Canada West
CALGARY – It has been the perfect season.
25 games, 25 wins.
But there’s a palpable sense around the University of Calgary men’s basketball squad that being undefeated to this point in the U SPORTS calendar means little heading into this championship weekend.
“I’m proud of their ability to stay consistent and play our way,” insisted Dinos’ head coach Dan Vanhooren, in his 19th year at the helm. “Certainly we’ve had some lapses. I think it’s really difficult to do that through the length of a season, with the quality of opponents we have in Canada West and with the travel that comes with that.
“Yes, I am proud of the team with what they’ve accomplished so far. But going into this tournament, that piece is meaningless. We’re at 0-0; we need to take one at a time. If we focus on one and that’s it, I think things will work out the way they should one way or the other.”
The second-ranked Dinos, winners of their third Canada West title in four years, are in Halifax, attempting to add a second consecutive W.P. McGee Trophy to their resume at the 2019 Final 8 tournament. First opponent up is St. Mary’s on Friday morning (9 a.m. MST).
In spite of throwing up some great numbers and that undefeated status – the fifth in conference history – the Dinos head east on a humble mission.
“I like to think we’re still in the underdog position,” suggested fifth-year forward Lars Schlueter. “We lost to St. Mary’s in the pre-season and we haven’t played Carleton yet … and they’re ranked first. We’re not the one to beat … still. We want to prove to everyone that we deserve to be where we are, that we deserved to win last year. But also to prove that we are still better than everybody thinks we are.”
Not that that No. 2 ranking rankles …
“If someone came from a different country and took a look at it and said, okay, the Dinos won last year and the Dinos are undefeated in their conference play this year, where do you think they would be ranked?” Vanhooren shrugged. “I think the answer would be what it is. I don’t think I care about what the external opinions are. We know who we are and I think our goal is to go out and play our way. If we’re meant to be that team, then we will be. If not, we won’t. I’m looking forward to competing for that.”
In last year’s final, a wildly entertaining 79-77 triumph over Ryerson, it was Mambi Diawara who netted the winning basket with the last second ticking off the clock. This year’s Canada West player of the year, Diawara says the Dinos will use that experience to fuel the team’s drive for two.
“I just remembered the whole season, all the work we did,” said the 6-foot-4 guard, recalling the immediate feeling of winning the U Sports crown. “We worked extremely hard with our trainer Rich (Hesketh), we were extra motivated to go to the gym. You think about all the work you did and to be rewarded was such a great feeling.
“We come in with a different mindset, knowing that it will be harder this year because everyone will want a piece of us. We really focused all year long, we didn’t look to nationals until now. We know everyone will be ready for us, but we’ll be ready, too.”
“Experience wise, everyone knows what’s expected by the coaching staff and by each other,” said Schlueter, a 6-foot-8 forward from Ulm, Germany. “I think external factors aren’t important to us. I think intrinsic motivation is really high, the way we compete in practice.”
A great catalyst in the second half of the regular season was attempting to sweep every game, which the Dinos did by an average of 24 points per outing. It was a first for the program.
“We’ve had great talent coming in through the years,” Schlueter said of the Dinos’ growth through his five campaigns. “It’s looking up for the future. It’s amazing to see how the culture has evolved. We had some fantastic leaders and the coaching staff has done a fantastic job getting the right players to keep carrying the culture.”
It’s a blend of hard work and talent that has been carefully cultivated by the long-time man in charge.
“The competition in this tournament is stiff so we’re going to have to play very well,” said Vanhooren, who for the second time has copped Canada West coach of the year honours. “We’re looking forward to playing against these teams and that’s what good competitors do. They relish in competing. It’s not about whether we win or we lose or somebody’s outside perspective. For this group, they’ve shown a love for competing against what is considered the best.
“We’re not defending something; nobody can take that away from them. They won it last year so that’s too bad for everybody else last year. But this year is a different thing. We have to go out and play like we’re out to take something.”