Members of the Cowichan Tribes U16 basketball team got a chance to work with a Canadian legend in the sport during a clinic just before Christmas.
Ken Shields, the all-time leader in wins among Canadian university basketball coaches, a four-time national coach of the year, and former head coach of the national men’s team, dropped by the Si’em Lelum Gymnasium on Dec. 19. Shields, who coached primarily at the University of Victoria, conducted a clinic to help the Cowichan Tribes players and coaches Eric George and Jordan Crocker prepare for the upcoming B.C. Junior All-Native Championships.
“Somebody of Ken’s stature, as a basketball legend in Canada and at UVic, inspires youth to reach their potential as athletes and good young people,” said Cowichan Tribes recreation coordinator Dano Thorne. “Ken has a lifelong relationship with First Nations from Haida Gwaii and Prince Rupert.”
Born in Prince Rupert, Shields coached the UVic men’s team from 1978 to 1989, winning seven national championships with the Vikes. He guided the national men’s team from 1990 to 1994, was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1998, and inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999. Shields’s wife, Kathy, was the head coach of the UVic women’s team from 1979 to 2001, winning eight national titles and also earning membership in the Order of Canada.
“There isn’t a bigger champion than Ken and his wife in the history of basketball in Canada, so it was a big honour for all of us,” Thorne said.
Thorne has been Cowichan Tribes recreation coordinator since September and is trying to use his vast experience throughout the province to build strong programs for young people in the area.
“I’m trying to enhance programs and offer some opportunities for our kids and sport leaders, and be open to offer broader programs for youth who may not be athletes,” he said. “Our youth are a vast resource. People like Ken Shields care for our youth.”
The B.C. Junior All-Native Championships will take place in Kelowna in March.
