‘It’s expected’: 24 straight seasons of playoffs for Cougars

For the 24th straight season, the University of Regina women’s basketball team will be making an appearance in the Canada West playoffs.

The team clinched a playoff spot with its weekend sweep over the UBC Okanagan Heat – something it has accomplished since the 1996 season.

Dave Taylor has been with the team for 26 seasons – 13 as an assistant coach and 13 as the head coach. He said keeping the program consistent has been the reason for sustained success.

“Even when we’ve turned it over we’ve got a good base of local players and we’ve done a good job, I think, developing them and then we’ve filled in with players from outside the Regina area when we’ve needed too.”

Taylor’s team has hit the jackpot on a few recent out-of-town recruits. Kyanna and Kyia Giles, twin sisters from Manitoba, have both become key contributors to the team, with Kyanna being named the 2016-17 U Sports Rookie of the Year and a Canada West first-team all-star in 2017-18.

The team also found a star in Carolina Goncalves, a second-year player from Oeiras, Portugal, who was the 2017-18 U Sports Rookie of the Year.

“He works us hard and the girls he recruits are hard-working and just want success as well,” Kyanna said.

Kyanna has become one of the leaders on the team during her first few years, and said while making playoffs is good for the program, it’s not their overall goal.

“Making playoffs is expected of us, I don’t really think about that, getting into Canada West finals is a bigger goal for me and our team,” Kyanna said.

While the team has clinched a spot in playoffs and is currently sitting fourth in Canada-West, along with being ranked 10th in the nation, Taylor said the season so far has felt a bit disappointing in a way.

“We’ve dropped some games I didn’t think we should’ve and that just sets what our standards are,” Taylor said. “I think talent-wise we should be a little bit better than that.”

He said because of those few loses, the team could be on the road in the playoffs earlier than they have been over the years.

“That’s going to be tough, Canada West is deep and the quarterfinals, the first round of playoffs, are going to be tough, so I think our road is going to be tougher than it’s ever been.”

And even after 26 years with the program, Taylor says he plans on sticking around for a while yet.

“I’ve got a few more years, my youngest kids are only in Grade 7, so I’ve got a few more bills to pay.”

Currently The U of R, University of Saskatchewan, Calgary and Alberta have all clinched playoff spots.

The Cougars are in action Friday and Saturday night as they meet the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack.