Baker sets a new Shootout mark
Ben Baker’s record-setting rebound performance at the Graham Shootout did not go unnoticed.
Baker, who set a new all- time tournament record with 34 rebounds, was named MVP as the host University of Saskatchewan Huskies repeated as tournament champions.
“Everybody kind of defines him by the points he puts up and the rebounds — he doubled-doubled nearly every game this weekend — but there are a whole bunch of other things that he brings that are not quite so evident,” said U of S coach Barry Rawlyk.
“He’s just a really valuable part of our team.”
The “nearly” part of that double-double track record came in Saturday’s 89-64 win over the Calgary Dinos. It was the first game of the tournament in which Baker didn’t record a double-double. He had a mere seven rebounds to go along with 15 points.
“No, I had no idea — I probably would have tried a little harder if I did (know),” quipped Baker, who also chipped in with a steal and a blocked shot.
Former NCAA player Dadrian Collins led Saskatchewan with 20 points. Evan Ostertag added 12 as 11 Huskies figured in the scoring.
“I thought we played hard for 40 minutes,” said Rawlyk. “I was pleased with the consistency of effort from the opening tipoff to the end of the game. That’s going to be critical for us, to maintain that level of effort for 40 minutes every game.”
It’s the second tournament win of the season for the Huskies, who won in P.E.I. the previous weekend.
“It’s exciting to get back into things with the second tournament of the year,” said Baker, a 6-foot-4 forward from Saskatoon’s Aden Bowman. “We’ve got a new team, so it’s always exciting to test what you’ve been working on so far in the pre-season.”
Saskatchewan is now 7-1 for the season and looks to be another Canada West and CIS contender.
“It’s obviously a good sign of where we’re at right now,” said Baker. “I think we all know that there’s a long way to go, so we’re not overly excited. There’s still a lot of growth within the team. Obviously, there are some positives to come out of it, but we still know there’s a lot of hard work.
“At times we’ve been really good and, at times, we’ve been really poor. The main thing we have to work on right now is just consistency throughout the game.”
Tournament all- stars included Baker, Collins and Matt Forbes from the Huskies along with Manny Sahota (Toronto Varsity Blues), Mike Andrews (Bishop’s Gaiters) and Calgary’s Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson.