Last year’s finish: 7th
GNAC coaches poll projection for this year: 11th
SFU’s basketball team is undergoing some major changes. After losing four starters from last year’s team, including star player Sango Niang, the team is heading towards a year of tempered expectations.
“Right now, it’s just about culture,” said Head Coach Virgil Hill. “It’s about developing culture and having some of the young guys being able to compete every night. If we can compete for 40 minutes, whatever the result is, it is.”
SFU was picked 11th in the GNAC coaches poll, dead last, after finishing seventh in the conference last year. So, is that something that can motivate the team? “It is motivation, but it has to be realistic” said Hill. “We can say ‘Screw those guys, we’re going to try and be in the top three.’ Well, that’s just not realistic at this point, just based on our personnel.”
This season marks a homecoming of sorts for Hill. He was a player on the men’s basketball from 1989–1993, and now he’s returned to take charge of his former team.
“It’s interesting in that, as a player or student, you always think that you can do things better. [. . .] So now I get the chance to almost remedy some of those things I didn’t think were the right things to do. But it’s a pretty cool feeling when I talk to my former teammates, we look back 25 years ago and go ‘Wow, you were the snot-nosed freshman, and now you’re running the team.’ It’s certainly an interesting position to be in.”
Hill’s experience as a former basketball player at SFU may help him to ease into the role more naturally, as it has already proven helpful in relating to his students. “What a lot of people don’t understand is how difficult school is here [compared to the United States], and so to balance school along with your academics and athletics is a challenge,” explained Hill. “Having been through that, I understand what it’s like. So to help the guys and relate to them, I can relate in every way, shape, or form, from being a freshman all the way to [being] a senior.”
One of Hill’s biggest challenges will be to replace outgoing player Sango Niang. Niang averaged 22.6 points per game last year, as well as 29.2 minutes per game. “You don’t replace a guy like that,” Hill said. “He was a special player. He was as quick, fit, and athletic as probably any point guard SFU has ever produced, and probably the top two or three points guards in Division II. So you don’t replace a guy like that. It now has get spread amongst everyone else.”
Despite the loss of the programs star player, coach Hill is excited about a couple of new recruits, such as Oshae Gairey and Tyrell Lewin. “[Oshae] is a kid that has another gear to him. He’s a Canadian kid, but he grew up in the States.
“[Tyrell] is a guy that I think is underrated,” Hill added. “He came out of high school without any big [reputation] to him, but I think he’s actually pretty good. When you see him play, every day he gets better and better. Once he can develop physically, adding another 25 to 30 pounds of muscle, he’s going to be a load for people to handle.”
The team will play its next game against UBC in an exhibition match on Tuesday. The Clan will start GNAC play on December 3 against Seattle Pacific.
