Saskatchewan Huskies basketball tips off this weekend

Another season of Saskatchewan Huskies basketball tips off this weekend and both teams have reason to be excited.

The 2017-18 men’s season can be summed up in one word – grit. The Dogs battled back from a brutal first half to make the playoffs despite dealing with a rash of injuries, the most significant dating back nearly two years.

Huskies guard Chan De Ciman hasn’t played a game since January 2017 due to a shoulder injury.

He’s now healthy and ready to go.

“It was really difficult just watching, because I could have made a difference. They really stepped it up in the second half and making playoffs so I was happy for them … but I’m glad I’m back and playing,” De Ciman said.

“It’s like landing a guy that you can plug into your lineup right away and that doesn’t happen very often so getting (De Ciman) back is certainly a … I won’t say it’s a pleasant surprise … it’s a bonus for us,” Huskies coach coach Barry Rawlyk said.

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In his only full season with Saskatchewan, De Ciman was fourth in team scoring and second in assists.  If he regains that form, he will give the Huskies backcourt a new dimension alongside fourth-year import Lawrence Moore, who was in the top-five in the Canada West last year in points, assists and steals.

Add in last year’s Canada West rebounding leader Joe Barker, as well as a host of complementary scoring threats, and the Huskies have all the pieces to compete with the best in the conference.

While the men are calling this a bounce-back season, the women are eyeing a second national championship. After going further than even they expected last season, the Dogs are eager to get back to work.

“Certainly we want to build off the successes we had last season and with the core group that were at nationals and played in a national championship final and knocked off a pretty good Regina (Cougars) team in a semifinal I think it just … it really sets the stage,” Huskies head coach Lisa Thomaidis said.

The Dogs discovered a new wrinkle late last year with the emergence of forward Kyla Shand. Pairing her with Summer Masikewich gives Saskatchewan one of the toughest front courts in the conference.

“We have a very tall team so I think having more tall players out there is more of a challenge for other teams to match up with us, so I think that’s really exciting and it just gives us more depth in our offence,” Huskies forward Kyla Shand said.

“There’s always a presence in the paint and I think that causes a lot of teams to have to really be focused on that instead of our shooters,” Huskies forward Summer Masikewich said.

Despite having an abundance of big-game experience, the women are a young team with no fifth-year players. With most of the core group back after a runner-up finish at nationals last year, the question is – how much better can they be?

Both teams tip off the regular season this weekend on the road against the UBC Thunderbirds.