WHAT IFS HOUND PT. GREY
This year's story at the boys AAA basketball championship is, for me, Andrew Mavety. The six-foot-two guard has played for the Point Grey 'Hounds since Grade 8 and this year, his senior year, led the team in points and understated modesty.
The Hounds may be underdogs, but they don't lay down easy. The fourth-best team at cities, Point Grey eked into the provincial tournament as the fifth and last seed from the Lower Mainland. Mavety was named a tournament all-star, scored a tremendous 72 points in two clutch games and would have garnered more votes for MVP if his team had gone farther down the championship side of the bracket. Mavety deserves recognition for his talent, dedication and work ethic. He'll do well at the CIS school of his choice.
But the Greyhounds, with the natural basketball brilliance of Mavety, could have been a different team. Coaches and players concede this point. Anyone watching has to admit this point. The point is Point Grey's what if.
Two players-both differencemakers-transferred from Point Grey when in Grade 9 before reaching the senior team. One is now a six-footseven centre, the other a swift-footed Grade 11 guard. They sought teams with winning reputations, the resources to back them up and storied histories of going far at provincials.
This is a culture of success that 'Hounds coach Saad Fadl-Alla is now developing at Point Grey, where he was a player the last two times the team made a trip to B.C.'s a decade ago. His can become a program that retains promising student-athletes instead of losing them to the bright lights, status and promises of another.
There are players and their families who resist the whispered encouragement from alumni and other parents to consider a certain school. Recruiting isn't the word because recruiting isn't allowed, but other tactics aren't defined as recruiting and they go on. Still, a student transfers because it's the right choice for him and his family. That doesn't mean he doesn't come to regret it.
The loss of those two players was an obstacle for the Greyhounds, but one that hasn't deterred their self-belief and dedication. Besides, said Mavety, "Their programs are doing good, too."
A month ago I got an email from a mom asking, "What high school do you think is a good choice for a boy who might be a moderately good basketball player?"
He's in Grade 5. What's the right choice for him, his athletic and academic growth, his life and maturation? What answer can I offer this mother? Very little. There are too many what ifs.
