By Reegan MacAulay

The Holland Hurricanes men’s basketball team was at a crossroads before the 2022-23 season.

After going 13-1 in the 2021-22 regular season and losing in the semi-finals at the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) Basketball Championships, the team was seeking a new head coach. Josh Whitty moved on after years of success, which included six ACAA championships in a row and four Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) national medals between 2014 and 2019.

Enter Tim Kendrick.

The former head coach of the Island Storm, a defunct team within the National Basketball League (NBL) of Canada, and the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) Panthers men’s varsity team, met with Athletics Director, Albert Roche, and Holland Hurricanes women’s basketball head coach, Chris Connolly, to discuss the open opportunity.

“It seemed like a great situation and a great opportunity. And it worked out great. For me, I really think (Holland College is) a great place. The academic side is very strong and I was also really drawn to how the athletic performance of the school has been good for so long. I think that’s attributable to the upper management, especially Albert (Roche). He’s been there for a long time and he’s done a great job, as well as all the people that work in the building,” Kendrick said.

The hiring proved to be the steal of the offseason in ACAA men’s basketball, as the program achieved its first ACAA title since 2019, going 13-5 in the regular season.

“It was a great thing. It was thrilling and it was exciting, but the biggest thing there were the players. They are the key ingredient. Winning a championship, they have to buy in. They have to work really hard and they proved it. We had some great leadership on that team. I think of Jaylen Menzies, (current assistant coach) Logan Rempel, some real great leaders. Jack MacAulay, not a real loud speaker, but was a leader in how he worked every day,” Kendrick said.

Heading into the 2023-24 season with plenty of momentum, the program experienced a major roster overhaul since many players from the previous roster were in one or two-year programs.

“It’s been a bit of a learning curve for me in terms of how we recruit. We’ve really had to look at that this year and see how can we do a better job recruiting as staff for the future. With two-year programs, running into a situation where a lot of kids are coming right out of high school, they’re looking for that four-year degree type thing. We’re looking at trying to show them the benefits of college,” Kendrick said.

Back from the championship-winning season were sophomores Ryan MacKinnon (guard, Summerside, P.E.I.) and Nick Mills (forward, Cornwall, P.E.I.). Two Nova Scotian guards, both from Dartmouth, joined the roster in their second year of eligibility, Tyrell Casimir and Romarie Johnson. Entering the ACAA for the first time were guards Aaron Simmons (Nassau, Bahamas), Dominic Sherrard (Centerville, N.S.) Nate Johnson (Hantsport, N.S.), and James Mullet (Gander, N.L.), center Demmoy Dozovado (Stratford, P.E.I.), and 6’9” forward Owen Parsons (Hebbville, N.S.)

Two players would rise as the biggest additions to the team. Fourth-year center Diangelo Woodside (Nassau, Bahamas) transferred to Holland College after playing for the NAIT Ooks in Edmonton, AB. Fourth-year guard Bryce Corless (Quispamsis, N.B.) was back with the program after an injury-riddled 2022-23 season, which included breaking his foot twice and having surgery. His return was highlighted by a reunion with coach Kendrick, who first recruited Corless when he played at UPEI a few years ago.

“My career has had ups and downs, such as injuries and COVID-19, but I’m glad that I’ve been able to push through and stay with the program. It’s been my home for the last five years and I’m so happy how things have went in my career. It’s been a roller coaster being here, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

“I couldn’t really prepare physically. Having surgery on my foot put a hold on the physical side of things, but mentally, it was tough. Showing up to practice unable to play and trying to figure out what kind of team we’d eventually be. At the start, I kept quiet because I couldn’t lead on the court, and being an introvert, I just watched until I was able to play. Because we had so many additions to our team, I tried to lead with my effort and body language and encourage my team as much as possible. It was my first time being a leader so I was learning how to go about things,” Corless said.

Corless wasn’t alone pain-wise as the team experienced plenty of it during the first half of the 2023-24 regular season. Despite starting the season with three wins in the first five games, the Hurricanes went on a four-game losing streak to finish the first-half 3-6. It was a time plagued with nagging injuries. Holland had never had a season with more losses than wins since 2008.

Corless said he and everybody else thought things would come easy to them due to Holland’s past reputation.

“Our attitude and work ethic were a bit poor first semester and we needed a reality check. Being a college athlete takes a lot of work and time in the gym to even be average in the league. Luckily, with some new additions in the second semester, they brought some maturity and work ethic that rubbed off on some of the guys and luckily got us going,” Corless said.

Enter Topaz Kana (Ottawa, ON) and Zachary Dawkins (Edmonton, AB), two second-year guards who would give the squad a well-needed offensive and energy boost heading into the second half. Holland went on a four-game winning streak in January, eventually closing out the season 9-9 and claiming the third seed in the standings.

Corless said the mindset wasn’t about how you start but how you finish.

“I was thrilled at how the last semester went and I was glad that I was able to compete in the playoffs,” Corless said.

Kendrick said the turnaround was a real tribute to the players after a rough first half.

“I thought our players in the second half really, really bought in hard and really worked hard. We lost a couple of guys in the first half, but to get back to where we were, obviously that wasn’t our goal,” Kendrick said.

But the most important time of the season was still yet to come.

Back in December 2023, it was announced that Holland College would host the 2024 ACAA Basketball Championships on March 1-3. Kendrick was thrilled when he heard the news.

“Any time your school or your area hosts an event of that magnitude is going to be a thrill for everybody. A lot of that is how you talk about it to the players. We talked about it all year about the ability to host. They were excited. I heard people say it’s tougher to play at home, there’s more pressure. I’ve honestly never bought into that theory. It’s always a great thing when you get the opportunity to play in front of your fans, school, and community.

“Knowing the reputation that Holland College has for hosting events, you know, people rave about how they did the soccer event. I was at UPEI and with the (Island) Storm, so I’ve been around for a dozen years, and I noticed that (Holland does) a great job at hosting events. We went in feeling very good about hosting and we knew that Albert (Roche) and his staff would run a top-notch event,” Kendrick said.

The team began the championships with a quarterfinal game against the sixth-ranked University of New Brunswick Saint John (UNBSJ) Seawolves, who went 7-11 and went 1-2 against Holland during the regular season. Kendrick knew the tournament would be all about survival.

“I think people don’t really understand very well the level of this league, and I didn’t coming into it. I now understand as fully as I should’ve, it’s very strong, and especially right now from what I understand, from talking to other coaches, the ACAA is a top level league.

“When we’re playing three versus six or four versus five or whatever, by that time of the year, I don’t think there are any real favourites at all,” Kendrick said. 

Survival was the motto of the Friday-afternoon quarterfinal match. Add an electric home crowd of Holland Hurricanes fans and it was a game for the ages.

In a match plagued by three-pointers and steals, both teams swapped leads for most of the game, with Holland having a slight edge. Going into the fourth quarter with the advantage, everyone was caught off guard by UNBSJ’s 13-point run leading into the final minute. But it wouldn’t be enough as Holland took the game 100-98.

“UNBSJ had a great year. Twice, we had leads on them, and they came back late to make it closer than it should’ve been. But to me, at that point, it’s like the NCAA championships. Survive and advance,” Kendrick said.

The pressure was on when Saturday arrived as the Hurricanes were tasked to play the second-ranked Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) Mystics in semi-final action. The Mystics went 13-5 and swept the season series against Holland 3-0.

With an even bigger crowd compared to Friday’s game, Holland took advantage of the McMillan Centre frenzy by jumping out to a 12-4 lead. Tragically, all it took was a nine-point run for MSVU to regain control and dominate the game from there till the end, winning 83-63.

“(MSVU was) a very tough, aggressive team who, with how we played against them all year, wasn’t a great matchup for us. The physical matchups were not great for us and it certainly hurt us. I honestly think we were a bit tired. We had been kind of playing playoff basketball for a month just to try to get into some better seeding because of our less-than-stellar performance in the first half. I think we were down a little bit, especially in the second half of the game. But all credit to MSVU. They were ready and they had the bye.

“To me, I always get a kick out of people that say they’d rather not have the bye. Well, I don’t know about that. I always say the easiest route to the championship is the safest. I think what we want is that situation where we get one of those top two seeds this coming season and play from there,” Kendrick said.

Despite the unfortunate ending, Corless said everything exceeded his expectations and the championships were an experience like no other.

“Playing in front of your home crowd is something else. Energy from the fans and the football boys is something I love. It’s everyone’s dream to play in front of a big crowd. The adrenaline you get from a bunch of people watching is something not everyone experiences, and the team was up for it and loving it. We needed the energy from the crowd in each game, and with the quarterfinal, it went in our favour. Unfortunately, the semi-final did not, but with playing the game the night before, it had us a little beat up and fatigued. 

“I think the team was so much better than the result I feel like if we had that bye, we for sure could’ve won the championship, but playing that quarterfinal, I thought that took quite a bit of energy from us. Back to back games are tough when it comes to basketball because there’s so much running and jumping. If we didn’t need to play that quarterfinal game, I think we would’ve won it all,” Corless said.

Corless had his best season yet, leading the ACAA in points (424) and points per game (22.3), and surpassing the 750 career points mark as a Hurricane. He was named to the 2024 ACAA 1st All-Conference Team and was named a CCAA Academic All-Canadian. Not only that, the Hurricanes recognized him as the Male Athlete of the Year and Men’s Basketball Most Valuable Player and Top Offensive Player.

“It all meant so much to me. Thinking back on how my career has gone and how much work I have put on and off the court, I am extremely happy that I was able to get those achievements. I am proud of myself and the player I’ve become. I’m glad I was recognized by the school,” Corless said.

Kendrick said Corless is definitely a top player in the ACAA.

“He’s proven to many that he’s certainly one of the top players in the league,” Kendrick said.

Other Hurricanes who would be recognized for their efforts were Ryan MacKinnon (Leadership Award) and Aaron Simmons (Top Defensive Player).

“One of our guys that doesn’t get a lot of publicity is Ryan MacKinnon. We’re really looking for him to step up big for us next year. Aaron (Simmons) had a great year for us. He was really solid on both ends, and with him, you’re scratching the surface a little bit. He was a true rookie,” Kendrick said.

Simmons appreciated his first season as a Hurricane.

“The journey had a couple obstacles along the way, however, we overcame them and better developed as the season progressed,” Simmons said.

Kendrick also shouted out Diangelo Woodside and Zachary Dawkins.

“Diangelo (Woodside) was a tough inside presence for us. Zach (Dawkins) was a top player with a high ceiling,” Kendrick said.

Kendrick couldn’t say enough about the players for their hard-fought efforts all season.

“They battled hard, they played their hearts out, and they really bought into what we’re trying to do in terms of what we’re trying to do at both ends. After a first half like we had, you see other teams maybe not put in the right effort or right mental toughness, but for our guys, that wasn’t the case. They responded well and we got to where we did. We’re certainly not happy or satisfied, so we’ll try to get back to the championship round next year and try to get a little higher,” Kendrick said.

Corless shouted out Kendrick and rookies James Mullet and Owen Parsons.

“Tim is fantastic. He’s a man who loves repetition. Basketball needs a lot of reps to become good at the sport. His style of coaching is all about energy and that is extremely important in basketball. He loves to push us towards our team goals and makes sure everyone is putting in time to become better as individual players.

“James and Owen were around me the entire year asking me what they should do to become better players, and I said that it’s all about reps. They would be with me putting in work either in shooting or ball handling. I hope that, in time, they can be successful in their careers and have as many memories as me when they are done,” Corless said.

Looking toward the future of the program, Kendrick is excited for what’s to come. It all begins with an event on April 27, as the Hurricanes will be hosting a men’s and women’s basketball Recruitment Day. Kendrick expects up to 20 players to come from across the Maritimes.

“We’ve talked to all of them, we’ve seen them play on film and some live. But that’s the part that we’re very excited about coming up. We’ve also talked to other players around the world and we’re looking again to make sure that we get back to the place where people at Holland College expect us to be, and that’s right in the mix for a championship,” Kendrick said.

As for who’s returning, fans will be excited to learn that players like Bryce Corless, Aaron Simmons, and Ryan MacKinnon have confirmed their intentions to come back next season.

Corless said he felt like he would regret not playing his final year at Holland College, citing a bright future that he wants to continue to be a part of.

“As the reputation builds more and more, people are going to want to come play at the school. Hopefully, they will bring more success and energy. Holland has great energy when it comes to playing and it’s quite exciting to watch,” Corless said.

Corless thanked his parents, friends, and high school coach, Paul Vaughan, for supporting him through his ups and downs and helping him train and push to be a great leader.

Kendrick has high expectations and anticipation for the returning players.

“We expect (Bryce’s) production to increase next year. I’m not saying he’s got to score more or whatever, but I think his all-around game is going to improve even more. We’re excited to see him back along with Zach (Dawkins) and Aaron (Simmons), and I think we’re in a much better spot this year at this time than we were last year,” Kendrick said.

To conclude this story, we asked Kendrick why athletes should consider joining the program and why fans should come out and support Hurricanes men’s basketball.

“It’s a really, very sneaky, great product right now. I think some other leagues get a lot of the publicity, but if people were to come out (to our games) on a consistent basis, they would see for themselves how good the quality of this league and our players are. It’s a very exciting brand of basketball, an exciting up and down pace. I love the league and I think it’s very fan friendly.

“The other thing, our football team this year came out every day and it was just wonderful. We so appreciate the support, and not only them, but from the other teams. Everybody supports each other. I think that’s such a great thing for an incoming athlete to see that and to want to be a part of that. There’s such a positive environment. If you’ve got two hours on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and you want to see some top-flight college basketball right in your backyard in a beautiful facility and be very much entertained, come cheer wildly for your Holland Hurricanes,” Kendrick said.

The 2024-25 ACAA men’s basketball schedule will be released in the coming weeks, as will Hurricanes Booster Club memberships for fans wanting to secure season tickets for next season.

Connect with the men’s basketball ‘Canes at www.x.com/canesmbball and www.instagram.com/hurricanesbball.

For more information on the Holland Hurricanes, please visit www.hollandhurricanes.com, www.facebook.com/hollandhurricanes, www.x.co/hc_hurricanes and www.instagram.com/hollandhurricanes.

-30-