With playoffs on the horizon, the Pronghorns Men’s basketball team is locked in. The team is set to host their first home playoff series since 2001. Head Coach Mike Hansen believes Lethbridge will be the perfect venue.
“I’ve always said there are only three hotbeds of basketball in all of Canada,” Hansen said. “The Toronto area, Vancouver and southern Alberta.”
Though talented, the Horns aren’t the most physically imposing group. The team lacks a true big man and wins games in a way locals are accustomed to seeing.
“We’ve played small and fast, not uncommon in southern Alberta,” Hansen said with a smile. “So for us, it’s about getting up and down the floor and playing as a unit.”
The Horns believe their small ball lineup can be an advantage.
“We’re small, but when you’re small you tend to be a little faster than the other team,” Horns guard Dejon Burdeaux said. “So I think we use that to our advantage.”
No player embodies the team’s style more than the six-foot guard Burdeaux. The Oakland, Calif. native is the heartbeat of the Horns.
“He’s a difference-maker. I think he’s the best defender in the league,” Hansen said. “He’s a great playmaker and creator and I think guys really respond and feed off of him. He’s the real leader of this team.”
For the first time in 16 years, the Horns will have the court tilted in their favour in a playoff game. Now, they just have to execute.
“We’ve been building for this now for four years and we feel we’re on the doorstep of being able to compete for a championship,” Hansen said.