Banner Season: Badgers impress on home court to cap off OUA season with Wilson Cup win
March 26, 2022
St. Catharines, Ont. (via Brock Badgers) - The Brock men's basketball team ended a 30-year championship drought on Saturday, March 26.
The last time the Brock men's basketball team won a provincial championship, Brian Mulroney was Prime Minister, gas was 50 cents per litre and the Toronto Blue Jays were just months away from capturing their first World Series.
The No. 4 Badgers vanquished the No. 9 Queen's Gaels by a score of 95-75 during the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Wilson Cup Men's Basketball Championship in front of a sold-out crowd at Bob Davis Gymnasium in St. Catharines.
In just his second complete season as head coach, Willy Manigat and the Badgers hoisted the Wilson Cup.
"We fight. Every day is about fight, every day is about discipline, and every day is about being the best versions of ourselves," said Manigat, who joined Brock in 2019. "When you're doing that every day then these games feel like battles, and you build comradery. We have student-athletes that understand that. Understanding it's about buying in and doing their best. It's a credit to them."
The last, and only, time Brock won the Ontario conference championship was during the 1991-92 season when Brock defeated Concordia 111-87 in Waterloo.
On Saturday, the Badgers looked invincible as they outscored the Gaels in every quarter but the third which they tied 25-25.
Tajinder Lall, who was named MVP of the OUA West, proved the voters right by leading all scorers with 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
A trio of senior Badgers posted double-digit points: Daniel Caldwell went four-for-four from beyond the arc to finish with 17 points, while Godsman Kwakwah and Kascius Small-Martin each scored 15 and 12 points, respectively.
"We didn't even know if we were going to have a season this year, so to have it and win it all is unreal. It's a dream come true, honestly," said Small-Martin, who enrolled at Brock in 2017. "We just stuck to the plan, stuck to the script and worked hard day in and day out and we got the job done."
The Badgers are now preparing for the U SPORTS Men's Basketball Championships in Edmonton, Alberta from April 1-3.
"I'm excited for my players, having these guys enjoy this process, and to get to this stage and just treat it like every other day, it's all about buy-in and you don't have championship teams without buy-in," added Manigat. "We want to continue to build on this and it starts with our next practice because we still have practices to go."
The last time the Brock men's basketball team won a provincial championship, Brian Mulroney was Prime Minister, gas was 50 cents per litre and the Toronto Blue Jays were just months away from capturing their first World Series.
The No. 4 Badgers vanquished the No. 9 Queen's Gaels by a score of 95-75 during the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Wilson Cup Men's Basketball Championship in front of a sold-out crowd at Bob Davis Gymnasium in St. Catharines.
In just his second complete season as head coach, Willy Manigat and the Badgers hoisted the Wilson Cup.
"We fight. Every day is about fight, every day is about discipline, and every day is about being the best versions of ourselves," said Manigat, who joined Brock in 2019. "When you're doing that every day then these games feel like battles, and you build comradery. We have student-athletes that understand that. Understanding it's about buying in and doing their best. It's a credit to them."
The last, and only, time Brock won the Ontario conference championship was during the 1991-92 season when Brock defeated Concordia 111-87 in Waterloo.
On Saturday, the Badgers looked invincible as they outscored the Gaels in every quarter but the third which they tied 25-25.
Tajinder Lall, who was named MVP of the OUA West, proved the voters right by leading all scorers with 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
A trio of senior Badgers posted double-digit points: Daniel Caldwell went four-for-four from beyond the arc to finish with 17 points, while Godsman Kwakwah and Kascius Small-Martin each scored 15 and 12 points, respectively.
"We didn't even know if we were going to have a season this year, so to have it and win it all is unreal. It's a dream come true, honestly," said Small-Martin, who enrolled at Brock in 2017. "We just stuck to the plan, stuck to the script and worked hard day in and day out and we got the job done."
The Badgers are now preparing for the U SPORTS Men's Basketball Championships in Edmonton, Alberta from April 1-3.
"I'm excited for my players, having these guys enjoy this process, and to get to this stage and just treat it like every other day, it's all about buy-in and you don't have championship teams without buy-in," added Manigat. "We want to continue to build on this and it starts with our next practice because we still have practices to go."