Ahead of the UBC Thunderbirds trip to the U SPORTS Final 8 in Halifax, former T-Bird and current Raports 905 head coach Jama Mahalela reflects on his Canada West career in our latest #CanadaWestCreated.
Brian Swane, Special to Canada West
EDMONTON – The noise hadn't begun to subside at War Memorial Gym in the moments following the 2003 Canada West Men's Basketball Championship Game, when the Stan Broder Trophy was brought out for the victorious UBC Thunderbirds.
Jama Mahlalela was first to touch the most sought-after object in the conference.
It was his first time on the court all night.
"I didn't even play in that game, coach didn't put me in, but I was the team captain, and so when they announced the trophy to be presented, it was me that came up to receive it," the UBC alumnus recalls of his team's thrilling 82-79 triumph over Alberta.
"I think people that weren't UBC fans or hadn't been watching us the whole season (were surprised when they) saw this player that didn't even play in the game going up to receive the trophy."
Mahlalela's loves telling that story. Highly unusual circumstances, yet perfectly befitting of his remarkable life in basketball.
"For me, that was a great analogy for what this sport is about, because it's much more about the people than the actual Xs and Os , and my memories are much more about the people I spent time with and the experiential things versus how many points I scored in Game X or how many minutes I played in Game Y," he says.
"Those details fall to the wayside, but the quality of the friendships and the relationships you have and those moments like hoisting that trophy and being part of the season of work was really important to me."
After several seasons on the coaching staff with the National Basketball Association's Toronto Raptors, Mahlalela is in his first year as head coach for minor-league affiliate Raptors 905 of the NBA G League.
The former UBC student-athlete is the only Canada West alumni to have ever reached such levels with an NBA organization.
"I remember my first year at UBC going to a Grizzlies game and just being in awe of what it was," he says of the formerly Vancouver-based NBA team. "It was so foreign and different and amazing. I never would have thought that I would have been able to be there and make a living doing it. It's something I'm really thankful for and I pinch myself each and every day because I know I'm extremely lucky to be here."
How the Toronto native got here - in Mississauga, Ont., coaching top prospects for the team he grew up watching - began by leaving home, setting upon a path with many unchartered turns, starting on the picturesque road that leads to UBC.
"I think literally within the first 10 minutes of my recruiting trip, before I even got on campus, just the drive along … I was like, 'This is incredibly beautiful, I'm coming here for sure,'" says Mahlalela.
"It was different from Toronto and I wanted a different experience. I'd done Toronto, but I wanted a new experience, and UBC was that for me."
Mahlalela spent five years at UBC, 1999 to 2004, studying towards a Bachelor of Kinesiology while playing for the men's basketball team. Though he saw action infrequently, the six-foot-three guard was so highly regarded that he served as co-captain, helping establish a winning culture that saw UBC capture the conference championship and make consecutive Final 8 appearances in 2003 and 2004. In his fourth year, he was elected president of the Thunderbird Athletic Council, the representative council for all varsity teams.
It was during the latter portion of his time at UBC that the coaching bug first bit Mahlalela, who was then aspiring to be a teacher.
"I realized I wasn't the most talented player on the floor, but I realized the passion I had for the game, and how much I enjoyed the camaraderie and people component of basketball," says Mahlalela, who got into 69 regular season games, averaging about 10 minutes, over his Canada West career. "I said, 'so how do I stay connected to it, going along with a passion for education?' I am a lifelong learner and wanted to be a lifelong educator, so coaching was just an automatic fit for me."
Upon completing teacher's college, Mahlalela's "dream job" came open at his alma matter, Oakwood Collegiate High School.
He also had opportunity to join the Raptors community development staff.
He chose the latter.
"At that point, teaching jobs were few and far between, and this dream job was sitting there, and people were incredulous that I didn't take (the Raptors job), because it was a very entry level job with the Raptors," Mahlalela says.
"But I knew teaching would be there, and I could go back to that occupation when I wanted to. A chance to work for a professional basketball team wouldn't come along very often so I had to jump at it when I could."
He worked in that capacity for the next few years, organizing the Raptors youth academy and clinics, while moonlighting as men's basketball assistant coach at the University of Toronto. In 2011, Mahlalela was promoted to the Raptors front office in 2011 as director of player development, a role that involved supporting players and their families.
Following the 2012-13 season, Mahlalela was called into meet with Dwane Casey. The Raptors head coach was looking for "energetic and passionate" candidates for his staff, and wanted to know if Mahlalela could recommend anyone.
"He started describing the qualities of what he was looking for, and he almost realized, 'Wow, I fit those qualities,'" Mahlalela says.
Casey offered the former T-Bird a job on the spot.
"It was a really amazing moment for me, and nothing I expected," Mahlalela says. "I still pinch myself that I was given that chance."
He made the most of it. During Mahlalela's five seasons on Casey's staff, Toronto reached its greatest heights in franchise history, winning four division titles and advancing to the conference finals for the first time.
Last June, Mahlalela was named head coach of Raptors 905, replacing Jerry Stackhouse, who departed to become assistant coach with – fittingly - the Grizzlies, who are now based in Memphis.
"Being a head coach this year has been a great learning experience for me and one that I'm really coveting. It's special to be able to impact the culture of a group of players and a staff and a program and give it direction and guidance and allow people to flourish," he says.
"As a head coach you have a tremendous impact on how that happens, so it's tremendous learning, and a tremendous step of growth."
Back on the West Coast, Mahalela's legacy endures, 15 years since he graduated. His alma matter created the Jama Mahlalela Award, which recognizes excellence in the areas of selfless dedication, leadership, and spirit as a student-athlete and citizen of UBC.
For Canada West, he's something of a torch-bearer, shinning a guiding light that was sparked during his captaincy with the T-Birds.
"Leadership comes in many shapes and sizes, and for me it was about organization and it was about building people up, and that responsibility of leadership," he says.
"Being the captain of that team and playing with some really great players … was an amazing learning experience for me and something that's carried me through my coaching career to now."
About #CanadaWestCreated
The #CanadaWestCreated series features stories of former Canada West student-athletes who have moved on to excel in their careers and communities. The individuals profiled in the #CanadaWestCreated series exemplify how student-athletes build the skills and connections needed to succeed following the completion of their time in university.