Gill to play familiar role for Bobcats

Write Munroop Gill off at your own risk.

The five-foot-11 guard from Surrey, B.C., is more than used to it. Often the smallest player on the floor, the Brandon University Bobcats rookie has scratched and clawed for every bucket and every opportunity in basketball.

It was that way long before he started playing organized hoops in high school.

“I’m the youngest of four brothers, so everything’s been a battle for me,” said the 18-year-old, who has brothers aged 26, 25 and 20. “I’ve been playing against grown men my whole life.

“They weren’t taking it light on me, so I had to be a menace out there.”

The Gills certainly didn’t take it easy on Munroop, blocking every shot he’d put up. He had to learn ways to overcome big mismatches.

“In the moment, I was mad at them, I was mad at myself, I just wanted to score,” Gill said.

“Looking back, that’s the best thing they could have done for me because it made me so much more creative.”

Gill lost his freshman year of high school to the COVID-19 pandemic, but that was when he put serious work into his game.

Three years later, he led Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary to Surrey’s city championship, dropping 44 points in the final against fellow BU rookie Arjun Hehar, whom he refuses to let forget it.

Gill didn’t have any U Sports offers after that, though, so he spent the 2024-25 season at Canada Topflight Academy West in Calgary. He said it helped significantly in his preparation for university ball, learning to cook and clean at his own place while spending more time than ever on the court.

At the Bobcats’ last practice before Thursday’s pre-season opener, Gill was a clear vocal leader with the second unit.

Senior guard Travis Hamberger has been impressed with the rookie so far.

“He’s a pest. He loves doing all the dirty work, stuff guys don’t want to do,” Hamberger said.

“He’s going to pick you up 94 (feet, the length of the court), he’s being gritty, he’s small, but he’s crashing lanes any time you can. “If it gives us an extra possession, it’ll land him minutes.”

The Bobcats headed to Regina to face the Lethbridge Pronghorns on Thursday. The game ended after deadline.

They take on the host Cougars today at 7 p.m. CDT.

Next week, BU heads to the Memorial University of Newfoundland for three more exhibition games. Hamberger and all-Canadian Sultan Bhatti won’t make the trip, leaving plenty of opportunities for the young players to prove themselves.

Hamberger’s advice to them is simple.

“It’s buying into the system,” he said. “You look at these guys, they all came from their own individual teams where they were the guy. It’s putting aside their pride and ego and knowing they need to play for the system and play for the team instead of themselves.

“This past month, getting to know them, they’ve done it.”

Gill admits he needs to work on his shot more, but for now, he knows what he can bring to the lineup.

“I know every team can use a hustle guy, control the offence. That’s what I want to be,” Gill said.

“My favourite offence is defence leading into offence, easy layups … it’s the easiest way to score, and you gotta be hectic on defence.”

• • •

The BU men’s volleyball team is off to Puerto Rico this weekend to represent Canada at the NORCECA Final Six tournament. A small schedule change occurred: Suriname has replaced Cuba as BU’s first opponent on Monday.

Only Brandon’s Canadian athletes are eligible to compete, as it’s a national team tournament. Canada has lost the final in each of the past four years, including the last two against the United States.

• • •

The Bobcats and Assiniboine College Cougars women’s volleyball teams are taking on the Briercrest Clippers this weekend.

The Saskatchewan-based college heads to AC on Friday to play the Cougars at 6 p.m., then the Bobcats at 7:45.

They play again on Saturday afternoon at BU’s Healthy Living Centre.

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