Bhatti, Dyer named BU’s athletes of month

Put the numbers, the accolades and the wins aside for a second, and you see a totally different version of Sultan Bhatti.

He’s still scoring and rebounding at an elite clip, near the top of Canada West men’s basketball. That’s why he’s the Brandon University male athlete of the month of November, along with Nerissa Dyer on the women’s side.

But the fifth-year forward is simply enjoying this game again.

It was most evident during the second half against Regina on home court, when he hit a contested layup, then slid on the floor before getting up with a giant grin on his face as the Healthy Living Centre crowd roared.

“I was having fun finally, man. I told everybody after the game, like, ‘That’s why I like to play basketball,’” Bhatti said.

“Last year, yes, I was scoring, but I was not having fun. I was barely smiling. You can ask anybody, now I’m on the basketball court just smiling, having fun, so for sure, it’s a way better season than last year.”

The Bobcats finished 7-13 last year, needing to win three of their last four games to squeak into the playoffs.

They’re 6-6 now, heading into the break in fifth in Canada West’s Prairie Division.

Bhatti is averaging 19.6 points per game (third) and 9.9 rebounds (second) while leading Canada West with six assists per contest.

The second-team all-Canadian has shown he has no issue deferring to anyone who can deliver.

“This year, our rookies are pretty good. Munroop (Gill) and Arjun (Hehar) are two rookies that can score the ball a lot, so it makes my job way easier,” Bhatti said.

“Sometimes coach (Gil Cheung) is looking at me like, ‘Do you not want to score?’ Yes, I want to score, but if they can score easier, why do I have to score?”

Bhatti played the point-forward role last year, bringing the ball up and creating a lot of BU’s offence.

He said it’s a lot easier on his body this year, even when he played all 45 minutes of a 102-99 overtime loss to Saskatchewan last weekend.

“I went back to the hotel, and I was not tired at all,” Bhatti said.

“These rookies, Travis (Hamberger), everybody’s doing a better job than last year, which makes my life way easier.”

DYER DOMINANT IN WIN

Dyer had a statement match last weekend, piling up 14 kills with just one error on 22 attempts as the Bobcats earned their first win of the women’s volleyball regular season, 3-2 over UBC Okanagan on Friday.

“She’s stepping into more of a leadership role,” Carly Thomson said of Dyer, who was writing an exam during Thursday’s announcement.

“She’s more of a quiet person, but this year she’s less shy. It’s nice to see her come out of her shell, be more enthusiastic and get excited for others.”

The Barbados native has 62 kills and 24 errors this year, hitting .241 while leading the Bobcats with 27 blocks and .75 blocks per set.

She has become one of the most reliable options Thomson has played with during her four years at BU.

“I can put the ball up to a spot and she can do so much with it,” Thomson said.

“I don’t even need to hear or see where she is, I’ll just put the ball there, and she’ll come out of nowhere and put the ball away.”

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com