Success in high school b’ball lands player university chance

Michael Swampy managed to lead his team to a city championship in his final season of high school ball. And now the 18-year-old point guard, who will be graduating from Edmonton’s Jasper Place High School in June, can look forward to playing college basketball.                              
Swampy, who is Cree, had athletic representatives from several Alberta colleges interested in him.

He decided Augustana, the Camrose campus of the University of Alberta, is the place he wants to be. He’ll be taking physical education classes there and playing for the Augustana Vikings’ basketball squad.

“A lot of my friends are going there,” said Swampy.     
“They (team is) average. But I think by going there I’ll get more playing time,” said Swampy of the squad he will suit up for starting this fall.

Swampy, who is 6-foot-1, was a dominant force with the Jasper Place Rebels this past season.  He led the club to a perfect 13-0 regular season record in its Edmonton high school league.  

Swampy and the Rebels then continued their successes in the post-season and went on to capture the city title. It was believed to be the first time in 15 years that Jasper Place had won the Edmonton championship.  
The Rebels, though, came up short in their efforts to also capture some hardware at the provincial championships.They placed fourth at the Alberta tournament, which was held in Lethbridge.

“I’m a little disappointed,” Swampy said. “We should have done better.”

Including their playoff results and tournament action, the Rebels registered an over-all record of 30-8 this season.
 Rebels’ coach Rick Stanley knew his club’s chances for success this season were enhanced with Swampy on the court.

“He is one of our top defensive players,” said Stanley, whose own descendants are from the Salteaux Plains First Nation. “He’s extremely team-oriented and he’s been a bit of a workhorse for us.”

And there’s also another reason why Stanley often called upon Swampy.

“He’s not afraid to take on the toughest guy from the other team,” Stanley said. “Whenever I need some toughness or grit out there, I’ve got Michael out there because he’s the first one to step up and challenge the other team’s top offensive threat.”

 The Rebels’ roster this season also included another player with Aboriginal connections. Jon Dosunmu, who is in Grade 11, was a forward with the team. Dosunmu’s mother is Métis.

  As for Swampy, he is confident he can now step up and play at the college level.                    

“I’ve been working out and doing a lot to prepare,” he said.

 Though his high school season is over, Swampy is still playing basketball. He plays the sport year-round with his Hobbema-based club team, the Maskwacis Warriors. The Warriors, an under-19 Aboriginal team, play tournaments.