SASKATOON – When the Saskatchewan Huskies men’s basketball team lost star centre Matt Forbes to injury prior to the start of the 2015-16 season, it left a big void to be filled. No player has done a better job of that than fifth-year forward Evan Ostertag.
The former Holy Cross Crusader has gone from playing just under 20 minutes per game as the Huskies sixth man to 35 minutes per game as a starter. His production has nearly doubled, from 9.5 points per game in 2014-15 to a team-high 18.3 per game this season.
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“He came here as certainly a very good athlete but he had a number of holes in his game, and every year he’s proven himself to be extremely coachable,” said Huskies head coach Barry Rawlyk. “He’s worked very hard in the off-season and he’s added something to his game every year so he’s gotten to the point where he’s a very complete player.”
But Ostertag’s impact can’t be measured solely by his numbers. As the only healthy fifth-year player on the team he’s also expected to be a leader both on and off the floor.
“We have a very young team in a lot of the different positions and certainly anything that Evan can give us in terms of his veteran leadership is extremely important,” Rawlyk said.
That includes teaching the Huskies younger players about the realities of CIS basketball.
While the Huskies have struggled to a 1-3 start without their big man in the middle, Ostertag is seeing signs of progress.
“We’ve had younger guys that have stepped in and done a great job,” he said. “Matt’s a tough guy to replace but we have to call on other guys more now and just find other ways to be successful.”
It’s a challenge Ostertag has clearly embraced.
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