‘Special’ Spartan group grabs another banner

You’d be forgiven if you missed Neelin’s 76-70 win over Garden Valley at Westwood Collegiate in Winnipeg on Saturday.

With the Wheat City hosting myriad events over the course of the weekend, the Spartans quietly went about their workmanlike ways and brought home yet another Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association banner to hang in the Neelin gym.

A month after dropping the city championship to Vincent Massey, coach Don Thomson’s group had one last chance to regroup for the AAA provincials and end an incredible high school journey for graduating players.

They did just that, cementing their place as one of the all-time great groups of Spartan athletes.

“They’re what I call the COVID kids,” said head coach and Neelin athletic director Don Thomson, referring to their Grade 9 season when the pandemic was ending.

Tumultuous times led to a burgeoning bond within the group. What started as a ragtag bunch of gym rats ended with not just another banner, but them leaving with an unshakable, brotherly bond.

“The most special part about this group is the care they have for each other,” said Thomson.

“You can talk about the multi-athleticism and the things they’ve accomplished together, but the care they have for each other is among the best that I’ve ever coached.

“They care about each other and doing things the right way. That’s way more important than anything they do on the volleyball or basketball court. Those are life lessons that will stay with them.”

The majority of the basketball team played on the volleyball team as well, meaning most can now call themselves double champs after winning that AAA title in early December.

However, the basketball season wasn’t always the prettiest. After starting the season with a loss in the final of their home tournament, the Brandon Sun Spartan Invitational, then losing the city final to Vincent Massey about a month ago, they had a lot of work left to do.

So they called in a few favours, which graduates of the program were glad to oblige.

“We got thumped pretty bad in the city final, so we went to work for three weeks and we had alumni come back to help,” Thomson added.

“We’ve got guys like Max Winters off the BU team, Jeremy Slomiany and Irie Taylor, Wyatt Greer, provincial all-star calibre players, but I say that because our practices were elevated for those three weeks and became the highest level and intensity that we’d trained at all year long.

“It was pretty cool to see those guys give back to the program like that and it sure helped us this weekend. You smile when you reflect back on things. Sure you can say you won a championship, but it’s more that there are really good things happening for these young people,” said Thomson.

For a group that’s been through a lot, they aren’t ready for the ride to be over. At least two are moving on to play volleyball at the U Sports level, and there likely will be more moving on to the post-secondary ranks yet.

But no one argues the strength of this team doesn’t lie with individuals, it belongs to the group and the support they’ve been provided.

“We’ve been fortunate to have some really good kids, but their families support them and what we’re trying to do,” said Thomson.

“It’s a pretty neat culture that’s grown, support from the kids, their parents, and the biggest thing is that they are supporting everyone on the team, not just their own kid. That’s a really big piece of it all.” said Thomson.

After knocking off the host Westwood Collegiate in the opening quarterfinal 100-60 the Spartans took care of Linden Christian 84-64 in the semifinal.

Saturday’s final saw five players record double figures in scoring, led by Junior Martine’s 21 points, all of which came from beyond the arc. Owen Falk contributed 20 points while Kwali Taylor and Kal-El Wilson each finished with 10 points.

Ethan Olson was named tournament MVP while Falk earned all-star honours.

The group doesn’t pay much attention to stat lines or individual accolades. While it’s nice they’re more focused on taking care of the details and supporting each other.

And as such, they’ll have one final banner that will hang in the Neelin gym forever.

Or until the gym runs out of wall space.

» mpackwood@brandonsun.com