Mike Stoneburgh will be putting in his usual long hours at the upcoming B.C. High School Boys Basketball Championships expect this time in a much different role.
The tireless volunteer, who has done everything from game announcing to scorekeeping over the years, will not be available when the tournament tips-off March 9 at the Langley Events Centre (LEC). He has a championship calibre team to coach.
His Steveston-London Sharks will be riding a huge wave of momentum to the season’s biggest stage after a dominating performance at the Lower Mainland AAA Championships. The Sharks were the class of the 16-team tournament, capping a perfect three-game run with a 76-65 win over St. Thomas More in Friday’s title game at the Richmond Olympic Oval.
It’s hard to remember this is all such new territory for the Steveston-London program.
Sure, the Sharks were considered the pre-season favourite in Richmond and earned their first-ever provincial ranking. But they were also just a year removed from finishing eighth in city play and being bounced in the first round of the playoffs. Now, they have clearly established themselves as one of the teams to beat at the LEC with a dazzling 23-1 record since Jan. 1.
“This is new territory for me,” smiled Stoneburgh. “There’s going to be a lot of phone calls to (good friend and longtime coach) Paul Eberhardt and some other coaches too over the next couple of weeks. It’s a learning curve for me but it’s still just coaching basketball. I will prepare myself the same way for like every other game and that’s breaking down our opponents, come up with a game plan and get our guys ready.
“I’m so proud of my guys right now and I just hope they enjoy this experience. I never got to this as a player and I’m living this as a coach now. It’s like a dream.”
After a strong second half earned the Sharks an 80-63 semi-final win against Windermere, they next faced a St. Thomas More squad that was playing its best basketball of the season.
The Knights blasted McMath 98-56 in the quarter-finals and were 18 points better than No. 4 ranked Byrne Creek in its semi-final tilt. As dominant as the Burnaby Catholic school had looked, they had yet to deal with Sharks’ Grade 11 force Fardaws Aimaq.
The 6-foot-9 standout was a one-man wrecking crew as Steveston-London jumped out to a 24-12 first quarter lead.
The Sharks took a 44-27 advantage into the second half when the Knights mounted a couple of runs to twice pull within single digits. However, whether it was another key basket in the paint from Aimaq or a deep three from Ahmed Mohamud, the Richmond champs always had comfortable breathing room. Aimaq finished with 32 points to nail down tournament MVP honours. He added 38 the day before against Windermere.
“He is a special player and might be one of the toughest to guard in the province right now,” continued Stoneburgh. “I was kind of shocked they started the game by playing one-on-one defence on him. Fardaws can hit his shots and beat you up down low too.
“Our first half performance was amazing but give St. Thomas More credit too. They came out in the second half like they wanted it. Our guys responded well.”
Stoneburgh also had high praise for seniors Nigel Boyd and Taros Johal who have provided needed leadership for a team that leans a lot on its Grade 11 talent. Boyd was named to a first team all-star selection.
“Our Grade 12s have never won anything like this before,” he added. “Nigel’s shots were falling for him tonight but he plays such good defence and is such a leader on this team. Taros started for me for two years and is now my sixth man. He just goes out there and does his job every single game.”
Rounding out the Sharks all-star selections was Mohamud being named to the second team. Point guard Daniel Chen chipped in with 10 points in the final. Along with 6-foot-5 forward Pierce Strutt, four of the Sharks’ five starters are in Grade 11.
