A bulldog is joining the courtyard fight for the Vancouver city championships.
The Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs for the first time were ranked among the province's top AAA senior boys basketball teams, edging close to the Top 10 to draw an honourable mention for their pre-season 6-3 record. The Tupper Tigers also earned an honourable mention in the same Jan. 5 ranking. Kitsilano ranked fourth in B.C. ahead of Vancouver College at fifth and St. George's at eighth.
The city's public school league, which tipped off its regular season Monday night with eight games, is the most competitive it's been in recent memory, said Churchill's head coach Rick Lopez.
"There are four, five, six teams out there that, if you don't come out and you're not ready to play, they will beat you any given night," he said after a physical 75-64 loss to King George, a dark horse contender for the city crown.
Lopez, a Vancouverite and graduate of Prince of Wales, received the Tom Tagami award for leadership in coaching at this year's Telus Basketball Classic. He pointed to perennial Vancouver and B.C. champions Kitsilano as well as Tupper, a more recent contender and the holder of back-to-back city titles, saying, "You can't take anything for granted and it's great to see. It's so competitive."
Club leagues such as RBL, Drive and Steve Nash Youth Basketball contribute to the depth, said Lopez. "The skill level is so much better, it's great to see. As a coach, it's just awesome."
The city championship draws all public teams, including AA King George and Britannia, although they attend separate regional and provincial tournaments.
Public schools compete for five berths to the regional Lower Mainland tournament, which qualifies teams for the Big Dance each March, the AAA B.C. boys basketball championships. Private or independent schools vie for one berth.
"It's going to be an absolute dogfight for those sports," said Lopez. "You never want to see a tournament where you know the winners beforehand and who's going to make it."
The Bulldogs have a 5-5 record over two appearances in the 65 years of the provincial tournament. They last qualified in 2006 with Lopez at the helm. That year, D.J. Bhate played for the Bulldogs. He now coaches the juvenile boys team.
At Churchill, the senior boys basketball program begins in Grade 8. The Grade 8, junior and senior coaches, most of whom are also teachers at the school, chat daily, coordinate and scout their own talent. Much talked about Grade 10 student Mindy Minhas starts on the senior team.
"He's got to play wherever he can develop the most," said junior team coach Simon Dykstra, who isn't sorry to lose the talented all-rounded player to Lopez.
A senior team won't thrive if skill, systems and commitment aren't cultivated along the way at each stage.
"You really need good coaches at all levels," said Dykstra. "You need to keep the kids interested in basketball and even after the season, help them learn what it takes to play at the next level. We probably look more at developing for the next year, one year at a time with an eye on possibly moving up players."
The Bulldogs were outworked Monday at King George in the city's West End, marking back-to-back losses at the hands of the Dragons who on the weekend defeated the hosts to win the Churchill Classic.
Lopez said his team played a strong game but showed their younger age. They stand to learn from the scrappy, never-say-die intensity of the game, he noted.
"It's a good example to get beat by that team a couple times because if they want to be where they want to get, they're going to have to pick up the intensity and the desire to win. You can see those [King George] guys wanted to win," Lopez said.
"Two tough games but all that's going to do is make us better. We're just going to grow. Hopefully we'll get a chance at them again. We'll get better. That's what we have to do if we're going to make it through to reach provincials."
This bulldog has bite.
Twitter: @MHStewart
