The bags are packed, the bus is loaded and the possibilities are endless.
It’s the longest road trip of the year for the Quest Kermodes men’s and women’s basketball teams. The squads leave Squamish on Friday morning, play Victoria’s Camosun College on Friday night, then battle Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo on Saturday afternoon and return to Squamish on Saturday evening after playing four games in under 24 hours.
With everyone settled in, the driver turns the ignition key and we’re off.
But this isn’t just any ordinary driver – behind the wheel of the bus is women’s team head coach Dany Charlery. Head coach, driver, player recruiter, meal organizer, travel detailer – there’s a lot unwritten on a head coach’s duties, and Charlery is no exception.
He explains he got his Class 2 license a few years ago to make things easier when the team travels.
“It develops team unity and everyone gets to know each other better,” says women’s assistant coach Kim Land.
Players sit together and study “cheat sheets” on the opposition put together by Charlery. The sheets have everything from plays to matchups to what the team needs to do to win.
It’s just one of many tasks that he’s taken on since accepting the role as head coach in 2012. For years he starred at Manitoba’s Brandon University and came to Squamish in 2010 as an assistant coach. Flash forward to today and he’s the man in charge of the number one female program in the country.
“I was hoping to get a little more experience as an assistant, but the best way to learn is to just throw yourself in there and learn as you go,” he says.
The bus winds its way through Metro Vancouver, eventually reaching Tsawwassen and the ferry to Victoria. The mood on the bus ranges from jovial – singing along to songs on the radio – to serious and the intensity ramps up as we board the ferry. Players intently study the game sheets and fuel up for a big game.
The journey to Camosun College is even more staid with only hours till tip-off. A pre-game meeting led by Charlery and Land sets the tone for what Quest needs to do to win. A white board filled with game objectives and keys to victory is displayed for the players, who soak it all in.
“What’s the general mood?” he asks, shortly after entering the dressing room. “We have to match their energy. These are two teams who want to cut our throat out right? If the two of them combine for one win, they’re happy – which I don’t want and I know you guys don’t want.”
As the women’s team hits the floor in Victoria, the men’s team arrives at Camosun College after a trip to The Old Spaghetti Factory. Men’s head coach Sean Shook has been at the helm of the program for its entire existence, slowly building credibility and respect for the team each and every year.
The team earned a provincial bronze medal in 2012-13 and finished fifth in the country last year. Like the women, the men are one of the frontrunners in the Pacwest and the Vancouver Island trip could determine where they finish.
He said he’s proud of what he’s helped to build at Quest.
“I’d say we have one of the biggest challenges to recruit players,” he says, citing Quest’s academic standards and the school’s size as obstacles. “But winning helps and I think we’ve created a bit of an atmosphere where guys want to play here.”
Back on the court, the women dispose of Camosun 66-50 and get a few moments to let the win sink in.
“I just want to say I’m really proud of us today,” star player Shayna Cameron says to the team in the locker room after the game. “Everyone contributed and moved the ball really well and we played so well as a team offensively and defensively.”
Charley agrees, calling it the team’s best defensive effort he’s ever seen. Land awards the “stinger” of the game to forward Miriam Baumann and she receives a package of organic energy chews for her efforts. The mood is happy but a first place showdown with the VIU Mariners looms the next afternoon.
The men also clean up after a few rough patches, dispatching Camosun 75-68, and Shook reflects on the changes he’s seen in the program’s reputation in the dressing room to his team after the win.
“Back in the day when you look at standings at eighth, ninth or tenth place that’s where we were,” he said. “And now first, second, third that’s where we are. So what are the other teams going to bring when we play them? Their best.”
The men make a pit stop at Tim Hortons before travelling up the Malahat Highway to reach Nanaimo and look ahead to battle with the Pacwest’s top team the VIU Mariners.
For years, the Mariners were the standard bearers for Pacwest women’s basketball and they still are strong but the past two years Quest has elevated to the top and Saturday was no different. The Kermodes win 50-42 to improve to a perfect 12 wins and no losses.
“What’s the deal,” Charlery asks, to his team inside a makeshift meeting room inside a squash court. “We roll in and we roll out. Defence wins championships – we held them to 18 per cent shooting. We’ve become so good defensively and that’s why we’re winning. I’m impressed with how everyone bought in.”
Land awards the stinger of the game to guard Andrea Eidsvik and the women leave on the early ferry.
It’s not quite such an enjoyable ride home for the men, who lose 92-83 to VIU and take a later ferry. Shook is disappointed but tells his players not to get too down.
“We have to be able to get stops when they count,” he says, noting they didn’t get the defensive stops they need to win. “We get them [VIU] one more time at our place and guarantee we’re going to see them again in the playoffs. We need to get back to work and let’s shower and get out of here.”
The men board the ferry back to Horseshoe Bay but like Shook said there’s no point in dwelling on the loss because they’re back at the next week.
They’ll load the same bus, same bags, same passengers but a different destination and probably a different outcome.
The players live for the games, the chance to showcase their skills but when they graduate it’s the small moments – wins on the road, sharing a meal, appreciating the scenery on a ferry, the camaraderie – that they will always remember.
Wins and losses can become a blur over time but the lessons learned on the road can last these young adults a lifetime.
