At the end of the U-Sports regular basketball season, awards are given out for each division in Canada. These awards consist of all-star teams, MVP’s, rookie of the year, and defensive player of the year - all very classic basketball awards. However, there is one aspect of University sports that seems to get passed by when it comes to awarding accomplishments at the end of the season, being overall improvement. The Most Improved Player award (MIP) is probably my most favorite award that the NBA gives out because it’s always really cool to see players be rewarded for the massive leaps in their on-court production from previous seasons. The best part for me is when an NBA player who has been arguably underwhelming for the majority of their career wins MIP, almost like it’s a freak occurrence.
Victor Oladipo and Jimmy Butler both experienced massive improvements about 5 years into their careers and as a result won MIP awards. This displays such a consistent work ethic from both of these guys, considering young players can be labeled a “bust” 2-3 years into their careers by the almighty press. So when it comes to university sports, most athletes experience significant improvements in their 4-5 years of competition. It can range from consistent improvement each year to an insanely large jump in production as compared to the previous season. Especially in a sport like basketball, where your opportunities and role on the team can change each season. That being said, it’s a little confusing to me why U-Sports hasn’t created a MIP award or most improved all-star team. The MIP team would be easier to decipher than the all-rookie team for sure, it’s uncommon to receive a legitimate first year player that’s going to walk in and make a difference right away. Improvement is extremely common in U-Sports and more specifically, the Canada West division that I played in. Since U-sports has refused on numerous occasions to make changes to the end-of-season awards, I figured I’d give them a freebie and delegate my own nominees for the men’s MIP in Canada West this season.
Tyrell Laing
UNBC Timberwolves
4th Year Guard
2018-2019 Stats
9.6 ppg - 1.9 rpg - 1.6 apg - 43.1% FG - 40% 3pt - 80% FT
2019-2020 Stats
21.9 ppg - 3.3 rpg - 3.3 apg - 44.9% FG - 36.8% 3pt - 86.4% FT
Tyrell is a former teammate of mine, so your first question might be about my bias towards him. All I’m going to say about that is look at these damn stats...I’ve never seen someone make a 13.4 point per game jump from the previous season, that’s unheard of. Tyrell’s stats have always been pretty good, the 43% FG and 40% 3pt from the 18-19 season are enough to decipher that. The biggest difference between this season and last season for Tyrell is minutes played. 18-19 : 20 minutes per game - 19-20 : 34.5 minutes per game. Tyrell has bided his time for a solid 2 years. UNBC has had a deep and talented guard rotation in previous seasons, which kept Tyrell from playing excess amounts of minutes in his 2nd and 3rd year campaigns. From being his teammate through those years, I can speak for all of us when I say that we are not surprised he’s dominating right now.
Tyrell has been capable of this for awhile, he was a top level recruit coming out of highschool and has had some big games in previous seasons proving his abilities (25 points in an upset win over Alberta last season). The fact that he’s taking about 8-9 more shots per game and has a higher FG% than the previous season is outstanding. Not many guards can display that level of efficiency with the looks that Tyrell gets. Ty’s offensive repertoire is as big as a Sears catalogue. He’s an elite level shooter with a great handle and the ability to play off the ball, he can get to a pull-up or knife his way to the rim regularly because of his speed and agility. His 3pt% has dropped more due his role changing from a spot-up shooter to a full fledged shot creator. The level of difficulty of his 3 point shots has increased significantly, 36.8% is still a crazy good clip taking that into account. A big part of his game that’s been overlooked this season is his on-ball defense, especially in the full court. He would regularly come off the bench and ruin the opposing point guard’s life for a good 5-6 minute spurt in previous seasons. 3.3 assists per game is also good enough for top 20 in the Canada West, which makes you think about the total amount of scores he creates for UNBC each game (a metric ton). He can give it to you any way you want it. It's been extremely satisfying for me to watch him rain terror on talented defenses like Calgary and UBC this season. I personally know how much effort, commitment, and passion Tyrell has put into his craft. I’ve never met a dude who has the moxy to emergency start some games in his rookie season and carry the team for large portions of those games. It would take a lot more than one paragraph to explain how much he deserves all the praise he’s now getting, especially since he had to sit on the bench and watch ME play in his early years (I imagine that wasn’t easy to watch). To sum it up, I’m incredibly proud of the player and human being he’s become over the last 4 years.
(Apparently not an all-star though - Thank you Canada West...)
Mason Foreman
Calgary Dinos
3rd Year Forward
2018-2019 Stats
7.3 ppg - 4.5 rpg - 1.1 apg - 45.8% FG - 20% 3pt - 78% FT
2019-2020 Stats
17.3 ppg - 8.6 rpg - 1.5 apg - 49.8 FG% - 29.6% 3pt - 79% FT
I’m willing to say Mason has benefited from winning a National Championship in his 1st season. That kind of exposure is incredible for developing winning habits. Mason has experienced significant improvement in every major statistical area, the 10+ ppg increase is comparable to Tyrell’s; meaning it’s an extremely rare occurrence. 8.6 rpg puts him in 9th in the Canada West in rebounding. His front-court comrade Brett Layton finished in 1st with 14.4 rpg, you simply don’t get rebounds when you play Calgary. The fact that he’s managing to board at that rate with a teammate who usually gobbles up every single missed shot is impressive. 49.8% from the field is more than ideal for a power forward, especially playing beside the 64.3% FG of Brett Layton (these guys should not be allowed to play on the same team). Mason’s steady improvement from the 3 point line has created much more opportunities to attack close-outs and score efficiently. Most importantly, Mason is a very mobile big man with a sound back-to-the-basket game. He gets up and down the court quickly and can capitalize on rim runs or trailer 3’s better than someone who is slower footed, or he’ll take you down to the block in a half-court set. This makes him a solid defender for the same reasons, he’s more agile than most of his match-ups. He fits into Calgary’s defense-forward identity and is part of the best big man combo in the Canada West. From an energy bench player to at least a 2nd team all-star, Calgary keeps developing their role players into hoopers. Mason’s more than ready to be handed the keys to the Dino’s dynasty in his 4th and 5th years.
Alexander Dewar
Saskatchewan Huskies
2nd Year Guard
2018-2019 Stats
9.9 ppg - 1.7 rpg - 0.5 apg - 44.8% FG - 31.3% 3pt - 73.2% FT
2019-2020 Stats
17.6 ppg - 3.4 rpg - 0.8 apg - 51.0% FG - 35.7% 3pt - 79.3% FT
Rarely ever does a sophomore guard shoot it at a 51.0% clip in the Canada West, usually they’re not taking too many shots if that’s the case. Alex happens to be averaging 17.6 points per game all while only taking two 3-point attempts per game, proving that 90’s basketball isn’t fully dead yet. That’s seriously impressive to a guy like me who rarely ever stepped inside the arc. Alex has an ideal physical profile for a wing slasher, he’s extremely hard to stop once he gets going downhill. This coincides with his ability to get to the free throw line, he’s 3rd in Canada West when it comes to free throws made. His combination of strength/speed makes it hard for defenders to keep him out of the lane, resulting in more fouls being committed. His finishing around the rim through contact is elite, he often leaks on fast breaks and ends up barreling through 2-3 defenders to convert the hoop. Ok so just gap him? No that doesn’t work either, he goes to a nice mid-range pull-up when you give him space going to the rim. Sag off at the 3 point line? Not advised either, he’s much improved his catch and shoot game. Not many guys are this offensively dynamic in their 2nd year playing University ball. Alex has always been racking up numbers though, his 60 point game in high school at the Western Canadian’s was a record for a little while (UVIC 1st year guard Diego Maffia put up 96 points in a game a year later….huh?). Even star high school players don’t evolve as fast as Alex has in University, he’s a shoe-in for a Canada West all-star.
Chad Oviatt
Lethbridge Pronghorns
3rd Year Forward
2018-2019 Stats
5.6 ppg - 3.0 rpg - 0.3 apg - 52.6% FG - 42.9% 3pt - 44.4% FT
2019-2020 Stats
15.6 ppg - 7.5 rpg - 0.7 apg - 55.3% - 34.2% 3pt - 59.3% FT
Chad definitely has the most unorthodox play-style out of our nominees for MIP. He’s a deceptively athletic/bouncy forward who has been great in pick and rolls with Lethbridge’s talented passers; Kyle Peterson and Brett Warren. The key to being a great roll man is finishing in the lane, which Chad does at an excellent clip. He gets high enough in the air on his jump to see above the defender’s hands and glide in for a lay-up. If you manage to step in front of him, he’ll usually just go to a nice spin move and finish on the opposite side. He’s 6’6, but only 185 lbs, which makes his ability to finish and rebound more impressive. Chad isn’t the strongest guy, but he’s surprisingly explosive, making him a tough match-up for slower power forwards. If I had to describe what he does on the court, I’d say he’s more of a role player, but his numbers are pretty damn good. 15.6 ppg for playing a role is outstanding, Chad makes the most out of the touches he gets and rarely ever takes bad shots. He doesn’t shoot an excess amount of 3’s, but he’s more than reliable enough out there for you to close out to him. Despite his funky looking release, he can get hot from outside, I’ve seen it first hand (32 points on UNBC in 2018 - 2019 season, 7 made 3’s). A big reason for Chad’s improvement is his minutes per game increasing, his percentages have been good across both years (maybe minus free throws). He rebounds the hell out of the ball, 7.5 rpg may not sound like a lot, but a ton of those boards are on the offensive glass. His second jump off the ground after hitting the floor is exceptionally good. His timing has to be on point due to the fact he’s not overly physical. I don’t want to call Chad a garbage man, that term just doesn’t sound like a compliment. He’s elite in his role, he doesn’t play outside of himself, and just plays his ass off. Sometimes that’s all you have to do to make a significant impact.
Keiran Zziwa
Manitoba Bisons
5th Year Guard
2018-2019 Stats
8.3 ppg - 2.3 rpg - 1.8 apg - 41.1% FG - 35.0% 3pt - 67.9% FT
2019-2020 Stats
14.6 ppg - 4.4 rpg - 2.8 apg - 41.3% FG - 33.3% 3pt - 65.9% FT
I personally identify with Keiran’s style of play the most out of all of our candidates, he’s a complete microwave (heats up quick). Keiran’s numbers were excellent starting the season, at certain points he was averaging upwards of 17 points per game. His numbers above are a little deceiving, he’s easily capable of putting up 25 points on your head any given night. Manitoba is a very talented team though, and Keiran doesn’t have to force the issue to put up points when he’s alongside James Wagner and Rashawn Browne (16 ppg and 19 ppg respectively). If you let him get some good looks to start the game, he really starts to pile it on, which was proven with a couple 30 point outbursts this season. He’s shifty and decently explosive going to the rim, and he maneuvers his way around ball screens effectively. This usually causes the defender to sag off him, but like I said, he’s a microwave. Keiran gets hot from outside super easily, the 33% from distance doesn’t represent that exactly. Not many guys hit 7 3’s in a game during their season though. His shot creator style varies his field goal attempts in mostly every game. They have 3-4 players on Manitoba that are capable of putting up big numbers on any given night, which makes it important for those guys to be able to pick their spots. Keiran’s ability to pick his spot alongside that talent is valuable, his only real volume shooting nights come when he’s red hot. The biggest bullet point for his case to be MIP would be that he’s only playing 6 minutes more a game this season compared to the 18-19 season. That represents some significant improvement in gameplay, and not just a massive minutes increase. He’s gone up in all of the major statistical categories across the board, and barring a couple of off-nights to end the season, he’d probably be up for a 3rd team all-star at least. Sidenote: He had a nasty game-winning buzzer beater against Saskatchewan this season and I implore you to go watch it.
Like most nominee lists, I want to touch on some honorable mentions. Just in case some of you wanted to murder me for leaving players out.
Spencer Ledoux - UNBC Timberwolves Forward
Spencer went from below 5 minutes a game to being a starter next season. Usually that culture shock would be too much for a player but he shot 63.6% from the field for 8 points per game (last season : 1.0 ppg). Unfortunately due to a concussion he only played 8 games this season, which takes him out of our top 5. However, UNBC struggled without him in the lineup, which keeps him in our nominees list.
Matt Ellis - UVIC Vikes Forward
Matt’s had an awesome season - 14.6 ppg on 55.9% from the field. Tack on 7 rebounds per game and you’re looking at Victoria’s top producer. Matt’s last season played was with Calgary in 2016-2017 however, which makes it harder to measure improvement on a season by season basis.
Carter Millar - Regina Cougars Forward
Carter would be an easy MIP candidate for me if he didn’t miss any time this season, he’s gone from 11.2 ppg to 19.3 ppg in similar minutes played both seasons. I gave the edge to Keiran on the top 5 purely for more games played/season point differential + epic buzzer beater. He'll most likely be an all-star anyhow. If we had a top 6, Carter would be in, but nobody in modern day history has ever done a top 6 for anything.
Ivan Ikomey - Alberta Golden Bears Guard
Ivan is a different case, he’s only improved his scoring by 1 ppg (11 to 12 ppg). However, He’s shooting the 3 ball phenomenally at 44.4%, all while being 2nd in 3pt makes at 64. His percentages have increased significantly(38% to 44.4%), making him probably the most dangerous shooter in Canada West at this moment. Alberta went 19-1 this season which makes Ivan's production hard to ignore.
Sukh Bains - UFV Cascades Guard/Forward
Sukh has seen a 4 ppg increase since last season (12 - 16 ppg), and it’s simply from better shooting numbers. 42% from the field compared to 32% the year before is a massive jump. That alone was the biggest boost in his overall stats. If he jumped a little higher in the ppg
column then he’d be in our top 5 for sure.
Post Edit: I finished writing this before the season awards were released. Tyrell and Keiran are
the only players in the top 5 who did not receive an all-star.
Yes, you heard that correctly. The leading scorer in the Canada West didn’t receive an all-star.
Thank you Canada West.
Comments