Clayton Pottinger saw something in Payton Baltzer.
Pottinger, one of the premier coaches who have gone through the RDP Kings program, didn’t recruit the 18-year-old out of Rocky Mountain House because he was from central Alberta, but he saw raw talent in the six-foot-four forward.
Clayton would be more than pleased with Payton’s development since that first year in 2018. Payton has developed into one of the Kings’ leaders as they make a serious run at the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference championship.
“That first year under Clayton was really big for me,” said the 22-year-old. “His practices were totally different in terms of intensity from high school. He set a standard for all the players and where he wanted them to be.
“I believe I’ve shown a lot of growth since then and with his encouragement, I learned a bunch from him, especially on the defensive end.”
“When you look back at Payton’s evolution as a basketball player he’s always been a hard worker,” said Kings head coach Darren Graham. “His work ethic is elite since Day 1 when I first met him. His defence is up there as he can guard a lot of positions from point guard to a 5.”
Payton looks back at that first year with Pottinger, who is now head coach of UBC Okanagan, and believes “he put things in motion” for him today.
“He worked on all aspects of the game that I was lacking coming out of high school. I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without that first year of experience.”
But even today Payton finds new things to work on.
“I think I’ve always had an offensive side of my game but I haven’t had to work on it that much as my role was more on the defensive side,” he said.
But this year he’s concentrated more on offence and is averaging 10.9 points per game.
“We talked about him challenging himself more on the offensive end,” said Graham. “He’s a very unselfish player, but has all kinds of tools which we see every day in practice.
“When you play 28 to 32 minutes a game he needs to chip in on offence and he’s done just that, from his three-point efficiency to the fast break to his spin move in the middle of the key.
“That spin move is as good as a layup, it’s a sure thing as far as an offensive move.
“It’s fun to watch him evolve into an all-round player where he can play those 28 to 32 minutes and help the team in any way we need him to.”
Baltzer continues his defensive work as he leads the team in steals with two a game. He also is second in assists with 2.0 and minutes played at 29.6.
Over his time at RDP, Payton has gone through a number of ups and downs.
His second year he missed the first semester after receiving a pair of major concussions in the preseason. Then came a missed season because of Covid and then a year where the Kings played the majority of the season without fans.
“It’s been an interesting career, a lot of obstacles, some expected and some not,” he said with a laugh.
This year Payton has also stepped up as a team leader on and off the floor.
“It’s a bit of a challenge as I’ve always been around older guys who have been around longer,” he said. “This year is interesting as I’m one of the older voices in the room and making sure everyone is doing well and on the right path … setting the tone.”
On the floor point guard Eduardo Crespo has turned into the team’s offensive leader, averaging over 20 points per game.
“He’s great to work with … real easy to play beside,” said Payton.
Crespo and Baltzer are two of the reasons the Kings have put together an 11-7 record and sit third in the South Division.
“Last year we went to the playoffs and for the guys returning seeing the game at that level was really important,” said Baltzer. “We lost some guys but have a solid group returning the new guys have fit in perfectly.”
The Kings have also strengthened their defensive game the second half of the season.
‘That’s been our biggest switch between the first and second semesters,” said Payton. “We added a guy like Josh (Jean) and are over the nagging injuries which were there the first half so our defence has been a lot better which has been a reason for our success. We’re playing well as a team which really matters.”
Baltzer will finish his Bachelor of Science degree next season and has one goal prior to graduating.
“To win a championship,” he said. “I think we’re in a good place … I’m in a good place myself, able to focus on the job at hand — play good defence, move the ball and hit some shots.”
The Kings have three games remaining on their schedule including a tough back-to-back Friday at NAIT and Saturday at NWP (Grande Prairie).
The biggest test will be at NAIT, which is second in the North at 11-5. NWP is at 4-12. They finish their schedule at home Feb. 17 against 5-12 Concordia University of Edmonton.
The Kings need to finish third at least — they sit back of Lethbridge (15-3) and St, Mary’s (12-5) — to host the play-in game. As it stands Ambrose, who are sixth, gets into the championships automatically as the host team leaving RDP, SAIT (10-7) and Medicine Hat (9-9) fighting for the fourth spot.
The Kings do have the edge on SAIT if the two tie. If RDP places third they will host the winner of the other two.
On the women’s side, the Queens are sitting at 12-6 and tied with Lethbridge, back of 14-3 St. Mary’s. The Queens have the tie-breaker on Lethbridge, who is the host team.
If the Queens finish second they receive a bye into the final, if not they’ll be involved in the play-in games.
The hockey teams are both off this weekend while volleyball squads finish their regular season as they host NAIT Friday at NWP Saturday.
The Kings have already wrapped up first place in the South at 15-2 while the Queens (10-7) can secure second place with a weekend sweep.
Danny Rode is a retired Advocate reporter and member of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame who can be reached at danrode@shaw.ca