For immediate release
February 14, 2012

Keyano Huskies Men's Basketball crack national rankings

It was back in May of 2009 when then Keyano Huskies Athletic Director Wade Kolmel said: “"Being accepted into the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference men’s and women’s basketball  highlights how far the Huskies have developed over the last 10 years. What was once a small program predominantly made up of recreational or tournament sports has evolved into an almost 100-person sport program competing year round in three different leagues of play.”

Now in only their second season of ACAC conference play, the Keyano Huskies men’s basketball team has cracked the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association rankings with a No. 11 spot which was announced earlier today.

Head coach Mike Connolly says it has been a total community effort to reach this status.

“It shows you the respect that we have got in the ACAC and with colleges now across Canada,” said Connolly, who had come to Fort McMurray after completing seven seasons leading the University of Lethbridge Pronghorn men’s basketball program. “Keyano is now an athletic department that will compete with anyone in Canada. (The No. 11 ranking) tends to lend some positive light on Fort McMurray and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. People are starting to recognize what we are doing.”

Connolly, who was an assistant coach associated with five Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) National Championship tournaments prior to taking his first head coaching position with the Medicine Hat Rattlers, arrived in Fort McMurray in 2009. For the 2009-2010 season the Huskies only played exhibition games. Prior to 2009 the Huskies had hooped it up in the Athletic Colleges Athletic League where they had won back-to-back gold medals.

But it is a big step up in competition entering the ACAC, something Connolly was well aware of.

“I knew it would be a competitive team right off the bat but did not know if we could have as much success in recruiting and bringing in quality athletes as we have,” said Connolly of the Huskies which finished their inaugural season 2010-2011 with a 7 win, 13 loss performance, going on to beat Concordia Thunder 83-79 in a wild card playoff to advance against the eventual ACAC champ NAIT Ooks in the quarter finals losing 95-74 and 95-79. “But now we are getting kids from all across North America.  Our students/athletes love it here. It shows the support not only of the entire college but the community. With that support we were able to fast track.

“Our coaches are dedicated and recruiting fine athletes. You can’t win the race if you don’t have the horses. We are no longer a recreation program but a true athletic program.”

One of those recruits was Louis Barham, who in 2010-2011 was selected as an ACAC northern conference first team all-star. A native of Palmdale, California, Barham led the Huskies in their inaugural season with 15.76 points per game average and was third in team rebounding at 6.19 rebounds per game.

Watching from the bench during their inaugural year was Zach Waldher, a redshirt who had teamed up with the 6-foot-4 Barham previously at Clark College Penguins in Vancouver, Washington from 2008-2010 in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges.

Waldher had averaged 13.5 ppg at Clark and led the team in assists with 6.0 per game and steals with a game high 26 points vs. Tacoma.

Prior to the start of this season Connolly had said of Waldher: “Zach is a quality point guard who can score and shoot the ball. He can defend and he is quick and fast and brings a lot to the table that we did not have here. He will look to make everyone around him better, penetrating and passing. He brings a lot of energy to the floor.”

A major understatement as Waldher, tabbed “The Zip Code” by this writer, is one of the best collegiate guards not only in Alberta but in Canada with a stats line of 25.24 points per game, 5.65 assists per game  and 2.41 steals per game.

The Huskies, as do many schools, have lost a few key players this season due to various reasons be they personal or academic including 6-foot-9 Jesse Brave Rock (six games) who was leading the ACAC in blocks and whom in 2010-2011 had led the league in that category with 54 in 19 games while also pulling in 7.26 rebounds per game.

In his place 6-foot-9 Jesse Denscombe has been solid averaging 8.75 rebounds. Barham has picked up some of the scoring slack with the departure of guard Kevin Dia's 11 ppg (11 games), averaging 17.25 ppg. The Kangaroo Kid is also hauling in 8.50 rpg.

Second year player Demaine Nelson is a solid front court man with 7.71 rpg, 11.41 ppg while shooting an ACAC leading 67% from close in range.

The Huskies, 14-4, wrap-up up the regular ACAC season against the undefeated No. 1 ranked CCAA Lakeland Rustlers in Lloydminster this Friday and Saturday.

Also ranked in the CCAA men's hoops are the NAIT Ooks (No. 5) and Mount Royal Cougars (No. 9).

For more information, please contact:

Curtis J. Phillips
Keyano Sports Information Officer
780-743-4853