On September 27 and 28 the King’s University Basketball Men’s and Women’s Teams are traveling to Princeton to host four basketball games at the Princeton Secondary School Gymnasium. The Men’s team traveled through last fall on their way down to the Lower Mainland and enjoyed their time so much they thought they would explore the opportunity to host the games in Princeton. Columbia Bible College from Abbotsford signed on to play, and the event was all set.
There are a number of Princeton connections to the games as the King’s Women’s team includes local PSS basketball star Makenzie Johnston, and the Men’s team is coached by Jesse McLean and Jason Leslie who are both graduates of PSS. Makenzie is going into her fourth year of eligibility and is primed for a big season as she becomes a veteran leader on a young team. Last season, the Women’s team went 21-2 and were nationally ranked all season, spending most of the time at #3 in the nation. The team lost three key members of that team and now look to re-emerge with a lot of new faces, and Johnston will play a big role in leading the team. Johnston will start at the point guard position for King’s and will be expected to cover the opposition’s best guards. Jesse McLean is entering his fourth year with King’s and third year as Head Coach. The team has improved their win totals every season since McLean took over and is primed for a run to the playoffs this year in the ACAC.
“I am excited both for our teams to get to play these games, but I am also excited to bring this high level of basketball to Princeton. These are elite athletes performing at an extremely high level and I think that the people who come out to watch will be very impressed with the basketball being played,” said McLean, “On our Men’s team we have many players who play above the rim, five or six of them that could throw down a dunk at any time.”
King’s University plays in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) and is part of the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA). King’s plays against 14 other member schools in the ACAC including NAIT, MacEwan, and SAIT. Columbia Bible College is part of the PacWest Conference, playing schools such as Douglas, Capilano and Camosun, and is also a member of the CCAA.