Davey Sundher never had the opportunity to play for a provincial basketball championship, but he has a few close friends who have — ironically for the team he now coaches and will lead into the Telus B.C. triple A senior boys’ tournament.
The Stelly’s grad leads his Island-champion Claremont Spartans to the prestigious competition, which started Tuesday with play-in games at the Langley Events Centre and continues through to Saturday final.
Claremont opens at 1:15 p.m. today against the St. George’s Saints, a top-10 school, while the Belmont Bulldogs face South Kamloops tonight at 8:15, as the West Shore school rounds out the Island reps.
“I’ve been playing off that nostalgia card a little bit,” Sundher said, referring to the Spartans’ 2002 Island championship and second-place finish at provincials.
It’s a past that Sundher would love to see replicated.
The 2013 Spartans carry depth, behind the leadership of guard Mason Loewen, the most valuable player of the Island championship.
“We’ve got 15 guys who can play and we expect all of them to contribute in any way that they can,” said Sundher, who is also expecting a lot out of Grade 11 Alex Jordache and seniors Caillum White and Jordan Green.
“We’re trying to be realistic about it. I think if we can get a first-round win, anything can happen from there,” Sundher added. “It’s about getting one win under your belt.
“Once you get to the quarter-finals it’s only two more wins and you’re in the final. You have to get the first one out of the way, get your feet wet. I think No. 1 through 10 in the province are close. There’s the Big 4, but after that we kind of fit right in.”
The Big 4 include Walnut Grove, White Rock Christian, Yale and Kitsilano.
For now, Claremont is focusing on St. George’s.
“They like to get up and down and floor. They get after you in the defensive end, pressure up into the full court, like to get steals and can score,” said Sundher.
Meanwhile, this will be the second straight year that Belmont has qualified, finishing 1-3 at the 2012 event.
“You’re amongst the 20 best teams in B.C. (which gets down to the Sweet 16 by today) so it’s obviously going to take a lot of hard work, which is never a problem with our team,” said Bulldogs coach Kevin Brown. “We’ll have to shoot the ball well and we’ll have to play tough defence, which we have done for most of the year.”
The Bulldogs are led by post Erik Spaven and veteran guards Owen Vaags and Kane Johnston and have benefited greatly from the outside shooting of Daniel Massy in the last two Island championships, where he’s dropped a bushel of three-pointers.
All four are seniors and have the experience of last season.
“Whenever you get there, the kids are jacked,” Brown said of competing at the tournament.
In the play-in games Tuesday, Enver Creek beat Mount Baker 100-47; Terry Fox downed Vanderhoof’s North Peace 70-45; Sir Winston Churchill edged Pitt Meadows 67-64 and Terrace’s Caledonia defeated Burnaby Mountain 59-50.
mannicchiarico@timescolonist.com
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