CALEDONIA — Pop a (non-alcoholic) champagne bottle in celebration of a debut season for the ages. After winning 23 games, the U14 Haldimand Huskies basketball team secured their division championship, plus gold in their division at the OBA U14 Ontario Cup in Ottawa where they went 4-0 against some big city teams.
Under the leadership of head coach Frederick Owens and assistant coach Latrel Hinzey (known affectionately as Coach Trelly), the Huskies are composed of athletes aged 12 to 13 from around Haldimand. They compete in the Ontario Basketball League, which offers skilled competitive play to youths aged 10 to 18.
The Press caught up with Hinzey for a season wrap up. He said getting the team into fighting shape took a lot of work: “We really started from the ground up.”
He continued, “These guys really love the game. They really want something from it and they want to be good, and their parents want them to be great as well. They show non-stop support. I would describe them as a bunch of hardworking young men.”
That hard work paid off, with the team only giving up two regular season and one post-season loss all year, earning them a spot at the Ontario Cup. Hinzey called that tourney a battle.
“It took a lot of working things out, problem-solving. It wasn’t just a walk in the park. I watched the team come together and really discuss, ‘hey, how are we going to handle this guy, how are we going to shut this person down, what are we going to do for this, what are we going to do for that?’”
He recalled a specific opposing player that was known for his explosive offense: “He was a left-handed player.… We decided to shut off the left side and make him play the right side, and we did that. Every player played a part in doing that. This guy probably only had three points for the whole game, after averaging 20 points through the whole season. It was beautiful.… We’re all so proud of them.”
In fact, Hinzey was so impressed, he called the tourney “some of the most beautiful basketball I’ve ever seen in my entire life watching these 12 and 13-year-old kids. It was breathtaking, especially knowing where they came from.”
He said that success would have been impossible without the full support of the player’s parents: “They played a huge part in making sure all the guys came to practice all the time. That’s what really played a huge part in keeping those wins going, the guys being able to come together every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday for practice. Not every team’s parents had that kind of availability to bring their kids, or travel with them all the time.”
He added, “Once we got them in the gym, we knew what to do, what to work on.”
Hinzey said that success on the court contributes to a healthy outlook on life in general: “These young kids are still trying to learn life, and learn how things go, so it’s a great benefit for the club. We have a lot of people looking at these guys.… I would say this championship really helped the team get more exposure, it helps them to feel more confident, knowing what it means to win a championship. They know what it is to work hard for something, and then see it pay off in the end.”
The Press congratulates the team on a cheer-worthy first season.
