The Alberni District Secondary School senior girls’ basketball team returns to the annual Totem tournament as defending champions, after an historic 2022 run. Totem 67 will take place Jan. 5–7, 2023 at ADSS.
In the space of three months in early 2022, the girls won the North Island high school basketball championship and the Vancouver Island championship—the first Alberni team to do so in 20 years—and made it to the provincials. After finishing at the B.C. championship in March with a record of two wins and two losses, the girls returned home just in time for Totem 66 to be reinstated after COVID-19 restrictions were eased.
The ADSS girls won all three of their games in the four-team round-robin: the Saturday night feature game against Pacific Christian, which they won 82-62, was an emotional affair for the Grade 12 players and coach Ryan Broekhuizen, who were all playing their final game at ADSS.
Hannah Rust was in Grade 11 and playing her first season with ADSS last year. She is one of a handful of returning players looking forward to defending their Totem title. “It’s definitely such a switch from last year,” says Rust. While coach Neelam Parmar is back, the team has a new coach in Steve Sperger.
“Us seniors are ready to carry the mentality we had last season,” Rust said. “We have goals this year. It’s a new team but…I think we’re ready.”
The seniors girls will face a pared down number of teams for Totem 67: in addition to host ADSS, teams from Belmont, Kwalikum, Pacific Christian, Ballenas and NDSS will compete on the court at ADSS. Keeping the competition to six teams each for the boys’ and girls’ sides mean all games can be played at ADSS without overflow at the Alberni Athletic Hall.
As per Totem tradition, the ADSS senior boys and senior girls teams always play in the last two games each night. These games usually draw 500 spectators and sell out.
Rust said there are a couple of teams she is looking forward to facing. “I think Belmont and Pacific Christian coming back this year, we played those two teams last year. I’m interested in seeing what returning players they have and how we can play against them.”
Sperger is new to the team, but not new to Port Alberni—it’s his hometown, and he also spent 10 years coaching in Ucluelet. His background is with the national program in Toronto, and he has also coached in the United States. Sperger knows the legacy he must carry at ADSS.
“I graduated in 1986—I played at Totem. Played at Totem, refereed at Totem and now I get to coach at Totem,” he said.
“Coach (Ryan) Broekhuizen created something here with coach Parmar. So I feel I have the responsibility to continue the tradition and the new tradition of winning that this team really jumped on in the last year,” he added.
Sperger gave a nod to Rust and her teammates for the goals they have set for themselves to improve on last year’s dream season. “It’s up to coach Parmar and I to put in a system that works and continue that success.”
Sperger said last year’s team was fast, and their push-type offence reflected that speed. This season he and Parmar are concentrating on basic skills—shooting, dribbling, passing—to create more dynamic players. “We’re running a different, slower paced offence that I would say involves more of the players.
“The offence we’re running takes a larger skill set.”
The ADSS girls will play their first game on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. against Kwalikum. They play Belmont on Friday, Jan. 6 at 6:30 p.m. Their third game will be Saturday, Jan. 7 at either 5 p.m. or 7 p.m., opponent to be determined.
COMING UP…The ADSS senior boys’ basketball team has started strong in the 2022-23 high school hoops season. What can you expect from them for Totem 67?
susie.quinn@albernivalleynews.com
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