From Latvia With Love: Janis Assers

Janis Assers means Latvian for modest. No, that's not right it means a monstrous Center on the floor and down to earth kid off the court. Surprise! Both of those are dead wrong, that was me trying to be funny. You're welcome world. Jokes aside, the basketball season opened Friday night and it was a great showing by your Grant MacEwan Griffins. I commend you if you were a lucky few witness of this, if you're not I don't condemn you. Instead I encourage you to check out the season schedule

Photo by Aleah Elliott

Big man Janis Assers stands out, a big man, wears a funny hat, and on the court, spells trouble for the opposition. A 24-year old out of a small coastal town in the former Soviet State, plays a game that I would never describe as timid or shy. Aside from his dominant demonstration of the conventional and textbook definition of a centre, he excels outside of the key, using is speed and quickness to baffle defences. That my friends is Assers's bread and butter. When Janis 'takes his talents to other areas of the court' he can be unstoppable, just ask St. Mary's. Looking at Asser's previous game at RDC, it wouldn't be difficult to write him off as the 'average' centre. 

vs. RDC (Oct. 26)

6 PTS (2-4 FG), 2-2 FT, 4 TO

vs. St. Mary's (Nov. 2)

27 PTS (11-18) 5-5 FT, 0 TO

Quite unlike the stereotypical center  Assers hits his free throws, insert Shaq joke here. Numbers only say so much, his attitude is what in my mind, makes him an All-Star. That attitude? He doesn't want to be an All-Star at the expense of his mates. Janis is not at all ignorant to the fact that individual stats matter, and that his were stellar. He equates his night-by-night offensive output as "catching a wave" and tonight just riding that wave right to Player of the Game status. He's not ignorant, he knows a career high 27 points changed the complexion of the game. But he hardly attributes his performance to personal offensive prowess; instead is ultimate goal is for his performance, to benefit the performance of his teammates. He credits new look head coach; Eric Magdanz for his ability to make every cog in the Griffins offensive machine. According to Jannis, he was just the 'hot hand' in Friday's game, coach Magdanz has an innate ability to sense who's dropping dimes and who's jacking threes. He continues to re-iterate, "everyone has a chance to be the star" and this phenomenon is simply an "element . . . of coach's plan." The result of this plan was a career night for the 3-year veteran from Ventspils, Latvia.

For this Griffins beat writer, this means that postgame interviews at MacEwan will feature a plethora of talent. Have a great season everyone.