Jamie Mountain
For any local sports league to run smoothly, a set of rules must be enforced and adhered to by its players.
Such is the story for the Fort Frances Men’s Basketball League, which runs every Tuesday night in the Fort High gym.
League co-ordinator Conrad Dueck has been trying hard this season to make sure league rules are followed, but that players also are having a good time playing and developing their skills.
“The challenges in running the league have decreased the longer I have been in this position while the joys have increased,” noted Dueck, who took over as co-ordinator from Todd Richards at the start of the 2015-16 season.
“Challenges have included organizing teams so they are competitive, collecting fees, dealing with guys who, at times, put too much stock in winning, and keeping the focus on having fun, getting exercise, and letting people of all skill levels play.”
The league is comprised of six teams this season for the first time in its history–and even implemented a pre-season format.
Those teams include Arctic Cat, BDO Ballerz, the senior Muskies, RBC Lions, Sunset Landscaping, and Revco Renegades, whose sponsor provides jerseys for its respective team.
Each team has between eight-11 players.
Dueck said adding the pre-season games, and jumping from five teams to six, has been a great benefit to the league this season.
“The biggest improvements this year have been in the fact we had a pre-season format, which allowed us to evaluate the teams and make a few trades to even things out,” he noted.
“Also, by just having six teams, it will make our playoff format simpler and keep the schedule running smoothly, which has been really helpful.
“Last year with five teams, one team was always forced to play two games a night,” Dueck recalled.
“And the competition in the league is pretty good, so that second game was always a tough one because many of us older guys were pretty tired.
“Scheduling is also much easier with six teams, and the extra fees gathered means there is a financial cushion that allows us to buy things like extra jerseys, a game ball, etc.,” he added.
Games begin at 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday, which each feature two 20-minute halves.
Time runs continuously during the game, except for the last three minutes of the second half.
Each team gets two time-outs per half and substitute players must be buzzed in before going onto the court.
Two of the biggest rules on the court are no excess roughness or foul language, which Dueck noted referee Toby Munro does a good job of enforcing.
“Generally speaking, the guys are pretty good at following the rules,” Dueck remarked.
“Toby Munro does most of our reffing, and he is consistent in his enforcing of the rules and does his best to educate those players who think they understand things better than he does.
“Because guys want to win, games can get pretty intense,” Dueck admitted.
“But there is a mutual respect in the league and guys are quick to apologize when they step over the line, which is something that shows maturity as well as good sportsmanship.”
Another new thing Dueck is bringing to the league this season are a pair of all-star games, which will take place March 27.
One game will feature a U.S. versus Canada format while the other will be a “Mediocre Game,” which will feature players who score less than eight points a night on average during league play.
“It will be fun to see all the skill players on the court at the same time,” Dueck enthused.
“[But] we are also going to have a ‘Mediocre Game,’ which will feature the rest of the league facing off in an under-30 versus over-30 matchup of guys, like me, who try hard but maybe just aren’t as gifted in playing the game,” he added.
“It will fun to see who steps up to be the skilled stars in that game.”
The league currently is on a two-week holiday break, with action set to resume Jan. 9.
Five weeks into the season, RBC leads the way with a perfect 5-0 record.
Sunset Landscaping is a close second at 4-1.
BDO and Revco are tied for third at 2-3, with Arctic Cat and the senior Muskies occupying last place at 1-4.
