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SMUS, Lambrick Park take aim at another provincial basketball title

As in life, coaches learn to take the good with the bad. Ian Hyde-Lay is no different when it came to the start of the Lower Island high school senior boys basketball season that tipped off Tuesday night on a few fronts.

As in life, coaches learn to take the good with the bad.

Ian Hyde-Lay is no different when it came to the start of the Lower Island high school senior boys basketball season that tipped off Tuesday night on a few fronts.

Fresh off a double-A provincial soccer championship, Hyde-Lay’s St. Michaels University School Blue Jags have had little preparation time as a unit as more than a handful of players moved from the pitch to the hardwood.

“Last year we got out of the blocks real well, but we didn’t make the B.C. soccer championships. Those three weeks can make a big difference, but it’s obviously a good situation to be in,” said Hyde-Lay, who is immensely proud of the school’s soccer accomplishments.

It will obviously have an effect on SMUS’s sharpness early, but the always competitive Blue Jags are still No. 1 in the provincial double-A pre-season polls and, obviously, the No. 1 rated double-A team on the Island.

“The biggest thing we probably have is our depth,” said Hyde-lay. “We have a lot of guys who have played a lot of basketball over the years. That’s our main strength.”

Jason Scully and Ian’s son, Graeme Hyde-Lay, will be leaders for the Blue Jags.

“Scully is a six-foot-five athletic wing who is as good as anyone, but mainly it’s a good, solid, unselfish team,” said the wily veteran coach.

Graeme Hyde-Lay is still battling an injury from the soccer season and Callum Montgomery was away at a soccer identification camp this past week.

The Blue Jags’ No. 1 provincial ranking is just ahead of rivals, the Lambrick Park Lions, who defeated SMUS for a provincial championship last season. The seedings are, however, reversed here on the Island, likely as SMUS finished third at the Independent Schools Association tournament last weekend.

The Blue Jags lost to St. George’s 78-61 in a semifinal, but edged Brentwood College 61-59 for bronze.

The defending B.C.-champion Lions lost both six-foot-10 centre Matt Neufeld and talented point guard Ismail Abdulahi, but coach Ed Somers does have his sons, twins Austin and Calvin, back for sophomore years and also has some size in six-foot-six Isaac Dellabough.

The Oak Bay Bays weren’t exactly feeling the love in the provincial rankings, just receiving an honourable mention, behind Cowichan, which is seeded No. 9 in B.C. quadruple-A play. The Bays did topple the Thunderbirds 82-76 in the final of their Welcome Back tournament in Duncan last weekend.

“Cowichan is huge, almost like a football team,” said Bays head coach Chris Franklin.

Led by Noah and Josh Charles, the Thunderbirds were rated No. 1 on the Island ahead of the Bays, G.P. Vanier, Dover Bay, Claremont, Mount Douglas, Belmont, Spectrum and Alberni in the pre-season poll. The top two have flipped this week.

Claremont and Mount Douglas both have new coaches in former UVic Vike Brandon Dunlop and Chris Ball, respectively.

Oak Bay is the team most Victoria schools will be gunning for.

“We’re a solid team,” promised Franklin, who has provincial teamer Matt Gray running the show at point guard. “We’ve got a few guys who can fill that role, handling the ball, like Jaden [Touchie], Aoi Yamaguchi and even Myka [Tang-Blumenschein].”

Up front, Franklin has height with Atlas St. Paul-Butler.

“He’s six-foot-seven with the hair,” joked Franklin. “He’s improved tremendously over the last year and has more confidence.”

Regular-season play began last night with Lambrick Park at Spectrum, Claremont at SMUS and Oak Bay at Belmont. Mount Douglas was off and will be home next Tuesday against Belmont then hosts Lambrick Park on Dec. 11.

“Spectrum and Belmont are coming on as well, so it looks like it’s going to be a fun year,” said Franklin.

Edward Milne, Esquimalt, Glenlyon Norfolk School, Pacific Christian, Parkland, Reynolds, Stelly’s, St. Andrew’s and Vic High form the Tier II league with all eight teams beginning Tuesday night.