SPORTS mclennonb@douglas.bc.ca Basketball Alumni Games Cause Ben-Gay Shortage Royals defeat the Alumni Brian McLennon, Sports Editor Every year, like migrating birds, the old athletes of Douglas’ past return to participate in the annual ritual of the Alumni games. Whether they strut, hobble, or are dragged in, the Alumni of the Women’s and Men’s Basketball programs are sure to cause a shortage of Ben-Gay at the local drug stores. The evening always provides somewhat of a class reunion atmosphere. The pre-game greetings are always genuine, lots of smiles and laughter, mix in a couple of hand shakes and a half hug (it’s called a shug), and, of course, do not forget the deliberate avoidance of those who won’t grow up and still hold a grudge. The conversations after the initial greetings play out like a pre-recorded message, with same questions that are asked every year. The “Have you been playing much?” question from those who have been playing rec leagues like it’s a pro career. The “So, what you doing now?” question from the person who is now upper management in some corporation and they are just waiting for you to return the question so they can gloat. And the always under the breathe question of “Did you hear about...?” The warm up is still the same. There will be those who will be peepin’ the opposite sex and making evalu- ations, “Damn! She still looks good!” There will be those who will be focused and truly preparing for the game. Here’s some advice to these cats: “Yo, relax, it’s an Alumni game.” And then there are those that are just happy to be there. Lucky for them, there’s equal PT in this game...at least for the first half. The strategy is always the same. The young bucks will wanna run to wear down the “geezers” and the “geezers” will wanna “slow it down” so they can last until the next whistle. The name of the game for each coach is always pace. You see, here’s how it works. The Vets just need to keep the game close, because down the stretch they know they can bump and grind out the young punks for loose balls and make big shots. The young bucks wanna run, trying to evoke cardiac arrest in the old guys before in can get to the final minutes of the game. In the women’s game, the Alumni kept the score close for much of the game. However, in the second half the relentless defensive pressure applied by the Royals slowly started to wear on the arthritic joints of the Alumni and the Royals were able to pull out a con- vincing victory. For many, this was a first glance of the new and improved Women’s basketball team who many have been saying are contenders. With a roster deeper than 24-inch chrome rims on an Escalade, Head Coach Ed Lunn has an experienced team with threats at all posi- tions. The men’s game was an exciting turn around for the Douglas Royals. After being down as much as fifteen in the first half, they clawed back to defeat the Alumni by a score of 79-71. Leading scorer for the Royals was rookie sensation Kelly “Killer” Kilpatrick, who dropped several jumpers from behind the arc and even threw down a monster one-hand slam to delight the crowd and dim the lights on the Alumni. New head coach and former CCAA coach of the year, Jamie Oei, has a litter of young pups that are willing to work hard. When you mix in vets like Craig Green and former BCCAA rookie of the year, Cody “Big” Berg, who has come back from a “soft”more year and looks in his best shape yet...the Royals will surprise a lot of teams in the league this year. Men's Basketball Borschowa joins Royals coaching staff Douglas College is pleased to welcome Lee Borschowa to the men’s basketball coaching staff for the 2005-06 season. Borschowa will join new head coach Jamie Oei and 3rd year assistant coach Sean Velasco on the bench for this season. “T am very excited to get back into coaching after a couple years off,” said Borschowa after Saturdays scrimmage at UBC. “I think we have a great group of guys and I feel great about working with Coach Oei again.” Borschowa is a native of Alberta, and played his high school basketball at M.E. Lazerte in Edmonton. After a successful high school career, Borschowa took his game to the college level, playing at Grant MacEwan College in 1992-93 and Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in 1994-95. Lee’s coaching career started at his old high school M.E. Lazerte. He coached Lazerte from 1996-1998. Lee then decided to move out to the west coast. In 1999, Lee joined current Langara head coach Simon Dykstra as an assistant at Kitsilano high school where he coached current national team member Levon Kendall. The next step for Borschowa was a return to the college game. Borschowa joined Langara as an assistant coach under current Royals head coach Jamie Oei. Oei and Borschowa led a young Falcons team to a silver medal at the BCCAA Provincial Championships and a trip to Humber College for the 2001 National Championships in Toronto. “Tt is really great having Lee join the coaching staff,” said Douglas head coach Jamie Oei. “He is such a great motivator and his positive attitude along with his intensity should rub off well on our younger players.” Lee currently lives in Vancouver and works as a Land Banking Consultant for Walton International Group.