Watch above: Ben Baker will be a key as the Saskatchewan Huskies men’s basketball team heads into the stretch drive of the season. Jack Haskin reports on what he means to the team.
SASKATOON – The final stretch of the season looks daunting for the Saskatchewan Huskies men’s basketball team. Six out of the Dogs final 10 games will be played against teams currently inside the top five of the Canada West Pioneer Division.
With a record of 6-4, the Huskies sit in fourth place, but fifth year Huskie Ben Baker thinks that his team is about to find another gear.
“It’s just a matter of time. I mean we have a lot of talent here and the more time we spend together the closer we get, the better we get on the court,” said Baker.
Baker is a heart and soul type of player who contributes on both sides of the court. The Saskatoon product was named Canada West’s top defensive player in 2013. A year later Baker hauled in the most rebounds in the conference, which is incredible considering he stands six-foot three-inches, several inches shorter than a prototypical rebounder.
Last Friday the former Aden Bowman Bear pulled down 24 rebounds against the Brandon Bobcats. Those rebounding numbers simply don’t happen unless you stand nearly sven-feet tall. Baker’s head coach Barry Rawlyk describes the fifth year Huskie as a battler, someone who fights harder than the opposition to get the job done.
“His grit and his desire to compete, you know, that’s not something you can really coach into people,” said Rawlyk on Wednesday. “He is certainly a huge part of our team.”
This will be Baker’s final season as a Huskie. He has played in the CIS National Championship Tournament twice, and Baker believes that this year’s squad has what it takes to advance to the Final 8 for the second year in a row.
“I think all of the talent is there.” said Baker “We need to just put it together and start coming together as a team. I think that if we play to our potential, we can certainly make it there.”
But for now the Huskies are focused on the task at hand, which is advancing to the playoffs. Saskatchewan sits with a 6-4 record, which is just one more win than the eighth place Winnipeg Wesmen. There’s no room for error in the newly crafted Canada West Pioneer Division.
To make Saskatchewan’s quest to the post-season even more challenging, the Huskies are set to clash with the hottest team in the conference twice this weekend. The Regina Cougars are riding a five game winning streak, and would like nothing more than to vault ahead of the Dogs in the standings.
The home stretch would look a lot less intimidating for the Huskies if they can secure a pair of wins on home court this weekend.
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