The PACWEST basketball championships will be held at home on Camosun courts this year, and the Camosun Chargers teams couldn’t be more excited. The championship brings together the top six teams in the league, who will face off in the quarterfinal and semifinal games; teams that win the semifinals will move on to play in the provincial championship, and that winning team gets a seat in nationals.
The Chargers men’s and women’s teams have made it into the top six in the league this year: the men’s team is at the top of the PACWEST rankings for the first time in its history, and the women’s team is in sixth place. As the championship takes place on March 5, 6, and 7, both teams are training as much as they can for a shot at provincials.
David Finch, a small forward on the Chargers men’s team, is proud that the team has done so well and hopes they can keep that energy going into the finals.
“We’re tied for the first spot in the league right now. This past weekend, we just beat VIU twice. We swept VIU, who was in first place, so we’re tied with them for first now. And I think it’s the first time in my four years that we’ve ever swept VIU, that we’ve beaten them two games in a row,” says Finch. “Camosun has never been the number one seed going into playoffs in our, whatever it is, 30-plus year history. So I think the guys are feeling really good right now and a big sense of pride and accomplishment for what we’ve done this year, and hopefully we’ll be able to keep that rolling into the championships.”
The Chargers hope that by hosting the championship on campus this year more students will attend their games. Finch says that the Chargers have a history with low student engagement, but he hopes that the excitement of provincials will promote a larger student presence.
“I mean, nobody knows at Camosun, nobody knows that there’s athletics programs unless you are somebody who has a class in PISE or is a friend of somebody who plays on a Camosun athletics team,” he says. “So I hope that, you know, [the championship] kind of just puts our programs on the map a little bit so that we can have some support from students. There is a little bit of support, but I mean, the gym’s pretty much empty most of the time we’re playing. And it would be awesome if people showed up to the games and supported us.”
Abby Rauh, a shooting guard on the women’s basketball team, says she and the team are looking forward to an extra special championship game after a victorious season.
“It’s pretty exciting for us that we get to host it in our home gym… It means a lot, especially because not all teams make it to the provincials each year. I know the girls are super excited,” says Rauh. “I think we’re just, we finally match up well against a lot of teams, and we definitely think we’re capable of taking wins off a couple. Like this entire season, the women’s teams have been pretty fluid in their rankings, and there’s been upsets in the league, so that’s kind of what we’re hoping for when we go into it. We don’t like to stand firm, but we don’t feel like we’re sixth in the league.”
The PACWEST championship will land in midterm season, providing the Camosun community with a fun break in between all the chaos that comes with the latter half of the semester.
“Provincials is a really exciting atmosphere,” says Rauh. “I’m hoping it’ll bring more people out. It’s really exciting. There’s food, the stands are always full. I’m hoping for more student engagement. I know there isn’t a ton, but I think it’s a really fun atmosphere to be in… I know people are just kind of finishing up midterms, so, like, a nice break.”
Rauh says that the women’s team has been training hard while scouting out the competition to be well prepared for what they’ll be up against once the championship starts in March. She says that the team is optimistic after all their hard work.
“We’ve got a pretty good scout on all the other teams, so we feel pretty confident, I feel good. I mean, this is my last season, I’m finishing up my schooling, so I’m hoping for a good outcome and I’ve worked really hard,” says Rauh. “I know all the other girls have worked really hard, so I definitely think it’s within reach. We just gotta hammer to the nail now kind of thing. Don’t go easy on it now. We made it this far.”