Diego Maffia of Oak Bay enters the 69th annual Island high school boys鈥� Quad-A basketball championship tournament having done something not even two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash or UVic legend and two-time Olympian Gerald Kazanowski came close to doing during their respective high school basketball days at SMUS and Nanaimo District.
Maffia鈥檚 feat of scoring a sa国际传媒 high school record 96 points this season is already the stuff of legend.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 even know what to think,鈥� he said, about destroying the former sa国际传媒 high school single-game record of 82 points held by Greg DeVries of the L.V. Rogers Secondary Bombers of Nelson. DeVries went on to win two U Sports national championships with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, coached by the legendary Don Horwood, formerly of Oak Bay.
Maffia鈥檚 next goal can be to target the sa国际传媒 high school championship tournament record 75 points scored by Nathan Vogstad of the Queen Charlotte Secondary Saints in a game in 2014.
But first, the Bays must get there, which they will try to do through the Island Quad-A championship that opens tonight in their own gym.
Maffia鈥檚 previous career best was the 67 points he scored earlier in the season against Walnut Grove of Langley.
鈥淥ur mentality is to get the No. 1 spot on the Island and a good seeding for the sa国际传媒 championship tournament [March 6-9 at the Langley Events Centre],鈥� said the six-foot-one point guard.
Also looming is the decision on a university career.
鈥淢y dream is to play in the NCAA Div. 1,鈥� said Maffia.
鈥淏ut most of the offers right now are from U Sports, including UVic, UBC and Calgary.鈥�
But first things first and that鈥檚 an opening game in the Islands today against Spectrum.
鈥淲e鈥檙e motivated and excited to get going, especially on home court,鈥� said Maffia.
鈥淭his could be the toughest year to get out of the Island,鈥� he added, pointing to the likes of the Belmont Bulldogs, Claremont Spartans and Nanaimo District Islanders.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be exciting to see who comes out.鈥�
And Maffia isn鈥檛 the only Godfather of this Bay鈥檚 team.
鈥淓very one of our players has the attitude and confidence to shoot the ball and make plays,鈥� said Maffia.
Also, the tempo tends to slow down in the post-season and championships rarely come down to the flashier aspects of the game.
鈥淒efensive rebounding is going to be the key,鈥� said Maffia.
Maffia and the South No. 1 Bays open today at 2 p.m. against South No. 5 Spectrum, while the North No. 2 Dover Bay Dolphins play South No. 3 Claremont at 4 p.m. The evening bracket has North No. 1 Nanaimo District meeting the South No. 4 Mount Douglas Rams at 6 p.m. and the North No. 3 Cowichan Thunderbirds playing South No. 2 Belmont at 8 p.m.
The consolation side begins Friday at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. with the semifinals at 6 and 8 p.m. There are four games Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. and culminating with the championship game at 8 p.m.
The top two Island teams advance to the sa国际传媒 championship tournament at the LEC.
The third-place team can challenge the Island runner-up for the second sa国际传媒 berth if those teams have not already played in the Island tournament. The challenge game would be played Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the gym of the second-place team.
Meanwhile, the Island boys鈥� Triple-A championship begins tonight and runs through Saturday at John Barsby in Nanaimo, the Double-A Islands at Ladysmith and the Single-A tournament at Glenlyon-Norfolk.
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