Skip to content

Quest hoop teams gearing up for season

Kermodes to tip off 2011-'12 Pacwest campaign on Nov. 9

The annual Quest alumni basketball affair brought back some familiar faces to the Kermode Kave on Friday (Oct. 21), but it also signified to everyone involved that the 2011-'12 season is close at hand.

Teams were split into two groups, with this year's Kermodes team taking on staff and Quest players from past years. Former all-star Bryce Froberg made the trip from his Bellingham home and admitted it was a little weird to be facing a team wearing Quest jerseys.

"It was a little different," he said. "We would usually had some pretty intense scrimmages in practice when I was on the team but it was fun to play an actual game against some of the guys."

Froberg, who graduated in the spring, is the Kermodes' all-time leader in almost every statistical category and said he likes what he saw from some of the new recruits.

"I was definitely impressed by No. 22 [Gurminder Kang]," Froberg said. "And I really think Brodie [Robertson] is going to do a great job as a leader for the team. It seems like they've already come together and defensively they already look pretty good."

The Kermodes beat the Alumni team 71-63, but head coach Sean Shook said he wasn't overly impressed with the team's effort, citing a lack of preparation. However, he was pleased with the way the team hit the court on Saturday (Oct. 22) against Douglas College.

"I thought it was good and we had a lot better focus," he said. "We made some adjustments in the second half and beat them by 13 in the third quarter and I liked the way we came out in the second half."

Shook said the team will employ a new offensive system, with less of an emphasis on the point guard, and said the team will likely play returning guard John Pankratz at point guard to take some pressure off of key players Jose Colorado and Jesse Norris.

He also said he's looking forward to the maturation of four new recruits, all of whom attended W.J. Mouat Secondary School in Abbotsford. Rookies Josh Beasley, Sunny Johal and Gurminder Kang were all part of the Mouat team that won the AAA Fraser Valley tournament last year. Quest also added Mouat alum Dylan Kular, who spent last year with the Kwantlen Eagles. Shook expects big things from the recruits.

"When Sunny figures it all out and physically matures more, he will be tough to play against in this league," he said. "And Gurminder is a super athletic player who won the MVP of the Fraser Valley tournament last year."

According to Shook, the familiarity of the quartet from Abbotsford should allow the team to come together sooner and should create some early team chemistry.

The women's team also hit the floor on Saturday, continuing their strong preseason with a 60-48 win over Langara College. In seven games so far this month, the women's team has an impressive record of five wins and two losses.

The preseason will continue for both teams, when they travel to Kirkland, Wash., to take on the Northwest University Eagles on Nov. 5. The Kermodes will then kick off their regular season on Nov. 9, when they visit Capilano University.

For more information on Quest athletics, visit www.questkermodes.ca.

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks