You鈥檒l want to take a minute to read about the latest thrills of the Tupper Tigers.
In fact, it鈥檚 not just lately that the junior boys basketball team has hit every target.
For three years, the Tigers have not lost a league game. In 37 games, Tupper is undefeated. Since the 2015-14 season, Tupper has won three junior city championships with a post-season overdrive, beating their playoff opponents by an average 36 points.
The one bullseye that has eluded Tupper during this winning streak is a junior boys B.C. championship. They finished second in 2015, a school record, and last year the junior Tigers came fourth.
鈥淥ur goal for provincials is to win, of course, but also to show everyone how good we are,鈥� said head coach Ron Ronquillo, a former senior team starting guard under head coach Jeff Gourley. He was the MVP of the Lower Mainland regional championship in 2013.
Like Tigers of yore, the junior team pushes the pace and tries to catch opponents catching their breath. They score a lot of points, said Ronquillo, because their taking a lot of shots. There鈥檚 a well-trodden basketball motto about all the shots you don鈥檛 take.
鈥淥ur coaching strategy is to run the court and shoot often. The more shots we take, the more opportunities we have to score,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are also a very fast and fit team, so we like to outrun the other team and play intense defence to cause turnovers and score on the run.鈥�
Two players have played up on the senior team for two years, meaning they were called up in Grade 9, and four now join the older squad on the bench.
Despite playing limited minutes, Gaurab Acharaya was the fourth leading scorer on the senior team and that was when he was in Grade 9. He averaged 8.7 points. This season as a Grade 10 student, he sunk an average 10.7 points a game.
The younger brother of the senior team鈥檚 2014 team captain, Acharaya first came to Tupper practices when he was in kindergarten under the supervision of his babysitting brother, Saurav who was then in Grade 7. Gourley would tuck the child in an office with a Disney movie, confident he鈥檇 be comfortable.
Weeks later, Acharaya could do the same drills as his brother.
鈥淥ne day, one of the seniors who was their neighbour, said to me, 鈥榊ou got to see this,鈥欌�� said Gourley, who was proud to say all the junior Tigers live in the catchment area for Tupper secondary, located near Main Street and East 33rd Ave.
鈥淗e came home and that little kid was doing all the drills that we were doing. He was five years old doing those drills. When all the balls got thrown down, he took one of the balls back to the office with him and was peeking around the corner, watching. He鈥檚 not watching Finding Nemo, he鈥檚 doing the drills.鈥�
Norben Bulosan also played with the seniors in Grade 9, and Toni Maric (averaging 9.2 points) and Simon Crossfield (averaging 4.4 points) were called up in Grade 10.
Ronquillo said the young athletes know how to work hard.
鈥淭hey all love the game so much that we don鈥檛 need to tell them to work on their game. They also just have that drive to be able to win, to play hard until the last second of the game.鈥�
Being undefeated in three seasons is a feeling they don鈥檛 want to relinquish, even as the roster turns over and new faces appear to continue the streak.
鈥淭hey just love to win, so they work extra hard at practice to be prepared for their next game. Our success also comes from great teamwork. They all have such a tight bond with each other and are very welcoming,鈥� said Ronquillo, who coaches alongside DJ Sugue, an alum from the same successful Tigers era that included Chris Schneller and Niko Mottus.
鈥淭here is a very serious atmosphere at practice and everyone knows it鈥檚 the time to pay attention and just listen so they are prepared for the next game. At games we like to lay back and let the kids do the playing. We don鈥檛 get up and scream at our players because we feel that just causes them panic. We like to be calm so the kids are also,鈥� said Ronquillo.
At the 2016 provincial championship, the Tigers won the sportsmanship award with what Gourley said was the highest score in tournament history with 59 points out of 60. That year they als won the academic award for their team GPA average of 87.7 per cent.
鈥淚 trust in my players and let them handle the game. Yes, I will talk to them and call timeouts occasionally but they like to work it out themselves and it helps them grow as a player. I believe practices are for the coaches and games are for the players.鈥�
Such a coaching attitude is one that will pay itself forward. The juniors advance to the seniors, and some of those seniors return to the junior, as Ronquillo and Sugue did.
鈥淚 wanted to coach this team because I was coached by older players and I just wanted to give back to Tupper and Jeff Gourley for all the support I got as a player,鈥� said Ronquillo, who has been with the juniors for four seasons and has played alongside Sugue since elementary school. He also coaches with MoreSports Vancouver, a volunteer organization that ensures access and inclusivity for all players, including low-income children and families.
The Tigers are ranked second headed into the junior provincial championships since the no. 1 North Delta and no. 2 Burnaby South were eliminated in their respective playoffs. The top seed is Lord Tweedsmuir, and St. George鈥檚 is at no. 3, followed by West 麻豆传媒映画at no. 4.
The tournament begins Feb. 25 at the Langley Events Centre. The Tupper Tigers play their first game at 10 a.m. Saturday on the South Court against Duchess Park.
