The UBCO Heat were hot to start the season this year.
After dropping three straight pre-season exhibition games, the men’s basketball team went on a four-game opening tear.
New interim head coach Ken Olynyk is giving all the credit to the players.
“I think they have really taken a look at the year and said ‘Hey, maybe we can do something here,’ and they have really come forward and done a great job,” Olynyk said.
The Olynyk name has a bit of a storied basketball pedigree in British Columbia. At 6-foot-6, Olynyk’s name in basketball is almost as big as he is.
Ken played at Simon Fraser University, has a lengthy coaching resume and his son Kelly was a stand out All-American for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Kelly was drafted 13th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. He now plays for the Miami Heat.
Olynyk’s team has embraced its new interim head coach and his brand of basketball.
“We have a team that can shoot the ball pretty well overall,” Olynyk said.
Despite a four-game winning streak to start the season, the Heat ran into a Lethbridge Pronghorns team that shot the lights out on them last weekend.
Lethbridge took both weekend games, winning 114-64 and 121-73.
Despite that, the Heat are optimistic about the rest of the season as they head to Calgary take on Mt. Royal in their seventh game of the season.
“I think the winner this weekend has a very good chance to be in the playoff hunt,” said Olynyk.