When you鈥檝e coached as long as Ken Shields, people will have strong opinions about you, especially other coaches.
Shields鈥� friend and great University of Brandon Bobcats rival coach, Jerry Hemmings, will get to express his feelings in an amusing way as the headliner of the Ken Shields Roast on May 27 at 11:30 a.m. at Uplands Golf Club. Proceeds go to the Ken and Kathy Shields Award, a scholarship awarded annually to two University of Victoria basketball players 鈥� one man and one woman.
The always-colourful Hemmings was also the assistant coach under Shields with sa国际传媒鈥檚 national men鈥檚 basketball team in the 1990s.
As with any roast, the torrent of verbal barbs come hot and heavy.
鈥淚t could get ugly,鈥� said Jim Hubbard, with a chuckle.
Hubbard was the Mad Viking, the infamously gregarious University of Victoria basketball mascot, during the Vikes鈥� run to seven consecutive men鈥檚 national titles in the 1980s under Shields.
鈥淜en had such a major impact on so many of our lives, but that doesn鈥檛 mean we can鈥檛 get together and carve him up,鈥� said Ian Hyde-Lay, one of Shields鈥� former UVic captains, and co-organizer of the event with former Vikes star Rob Parris.
鈥淭his event is also in support of a great cause, and that will make Ken very happy.鈥�
The roasters will include Hemmings, Hubbard, Hyde-Lay, Parris, former UVic great and two-time Olympian Gerald Kazanowski, former Vikes stars Geoff McKay and Lindsay Brooke, former UVic assistant coach and now Thompson Rivers athletic director Ken Olynyk, among others.
Tickets are $125 and available at govikesgo.com/shieldsroast. Ticket sales conclude Tuesday.
