RDP Kings basketball head coach Jedell Foster is the first one to tell you he had things to learn after his first season in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference.
“Going into my second year and doing a lot of studying on film of what happened last year, plus a lot of reflecting over the summer, I know what to expect and how to conduct myself,” he said. “I know what the team needs to be successful and I think it will be a whole different shot for everybody this year.”
He also spent time talking with former Kings coach Clayton Pottinger, who is head man with UBC Okanagan.
“He’s been through it all and knows what to expect. Communicating with him helped me for sure.”
What Foster does have is a a veteran presence this season with the return of three fifth-year players in Payton Baltzer, Cole Wicker and MacGregor Manyluk.
Manyluk was the only one of the three to play last season and was expected to retire at the end of the year.
However, he changed his mind while both Baltzer and Wicker are back after taking a year off.
“A veteran presence was the biggest thing missing last year,” said Foster. “You could see that on film.
“We decided we needed that veteran presence and the right veteran presence and with Payton, Cole and Mac we have that. They know how things work and are well respected. It was an easy transition for them and for us and they give the right knowledge to our freshmen. Plus they are extremely talented.”
The Kings do have a significant turnover this season, losing 10 players. However, they do have one of the premier big men in the conference back in six-foot-seven Jose Mauro Barrozo Jr. from Brazil.
Mauro is coming off an All-Conference season where he led the Kings in scoring with 15.8 points per game, rebounds with 10.95 per game and was second in assists. In the playoffs, he was even better, scoring 41 points in two games and pulling down 33 rebounds.
“Jose has the potential to be the best player in the league,” said Foster.
Bernardo Moller, the second import from Brazil, enters his third season and is one of the top three-point shooters in the conference. He scored at a 9.9 point-per-game clip last season.
Six-foot-seven Lado Lodo and guard Lucaas Kuprowski, a third-year veteran out of Lindsay Thurber, round out the veterans.
The Kings could add to that depth in the second semester with the return of last year’s South Division rookie of the year, Deandre Rowe.
Kings have five new faces this season with three of them — Felix Webb and Sam and Iwinosa Idemudia — from Leduc.
Foster feels Sam Idemudia has the potential to be rookie of the year.
“He played at a prep school in Edmonton and will be someone to pay attention to.”
Another prep school grad, is 19-year-old point guard Zayne Vernon of Hamilton, who attended school in Atlanta.
Vernon’s brother, Tyrell, coached three years at St. Francis Xavier University and was named head coach of the Calgary Surge this season.
“He’s a good addition and look out for him once he understands the college game. He’s only 19 and still learning,”
Payton Green of Calgary’s Lake Minneola High School rounds out the freshman class.
“All 12 are solid individuals and not just in terms of basketball,” Foster said. “They’re academically solid and good in the community.”
Foster likes what he sees in the early going in terms of basketball IQ.
“They have high IQ and will make good decisions in the half court. Know when to slow it down when need be. Myself as a coach I’m also learning how to slow it down, get a good shot and capitalize on things.”
The Kings showed some of that Thursday in a 64-57 exhibition victory over The Kings University at the Gary W Harris Centre.
Foster still likes to play a quick transition game which was there, but the impressive aspect was the improvement of their defence over last season, especially in the second and third quarters.
Their legs started to go a bit in the fourth quarter which allowed TKU to narrow the gap from 20 points to five at one point.
But overall, it was a solid effort, which saw Maurio finish with 18 points and Wicker 16.
Overall, the Kings play eight preseason games. The next four are on the road before they return for the Thanksgiving Classic Oct. 11-12 when they host Capilano College and Columbia Bible College from B.C. Their final home exhibition game is Oct. 16 against NAIT.
“Gives us a lot of opportunity to be ready for the season, establish our culture and style,” Foster said. “We certainly want to win all these games, but we don’t want to peak too early like I think we did last year. We want to peak at the end and go to the Nationals.”
Danny Rode is a retired Advocate reporter and member of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame who can be reached at danrode@shaw.ca
