Trio Of Former Central Cyclones Part Of Clippers Big Year

By Robert Thomas

With the Briercrest Clippers to host the ACAC (Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference) men’s basketball championships Feb 27th to March 1st there is a Moose Jaw connection.

A connection for three Clippers team members leads to the Central Cyclones and being members of provincial high school championship teams.

Two players - Riley Seaborn and Kayden Banilevic - as well as head coach Shane Sowden once donned Central Cyclones jerseys.

Kayden Banilevic lines up a shot at practice on Friday - MJ Independent photo

“We had a great grade 12 year. We win provincials and the team culture (at Central Collegiate) was amazing, Kayden “Benny” Banilevic said, adding “I also think the team culture is amazing here.”

“We won provincials in grade 12 and man it was a spectacular season. It was right after COVID so everyone was super excited to be playing again.”

Playing with the Cyclones went beyond playing basketball it helped form his character.

“The player I am today is because of Central. I was a leader there and I think those qualities were transferred here. Integrating that into my faith has also been huge.”

Banilevic attended Moose Jaw’s Central Collegiate from 2018 - 2022. He was part of the Cyclones 2022 provincial high school senior boys champions.

He is in his third year with the Clippers.

While at Central Collegiate he played basketball for three years - one on the junior team and two years on the senior boys squad. One year was lost due to COVID - 19 restrictions.

COVID restrictions shut down organized basketball but the game went on in pickup games played on outdoor courts.

“During the COVID summer guys were doing nothing so the only outlet we really had was basketball. We were going to Bell Park Just playing and staying out of trouble. We were just doing our thing and having fun and obviously that transferred to grade 12,” he said.

“(Coach) Shane (Sowden) had messaged me right after my senior season to come out and be a member on the squad and I said yeah so I’ve been here for three years,” he said.

Banilevic said it was a big jump and different basketball than playing for the Cyclones.

“You are playing a lot more and you’re lifting. It’s a lot better competition compared to high school basketball. But in terms of the community and how the guys play together I would say this is just as fun if not more fun than Central (Collegiate).”

“I was a deer in headlights man. I didn’t know really what to expect. I was like holy there was a bunch of buff college guys and I’m a skinny little six foot kid from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan who had nothing to his name at the time,” Banilevic said.

“It definitely was a big change but it was a good change.”

Asked what life lessons basketball has instilled in him Banilevic said it’s being a team player and focusing on problems not to help one’s self but everyone.

“Just putting the team first. Always being there for the guys when they need help and their issues and stuff. Bring like a team first guy I feel it’s a good attribute to have when it comes to life. Putting people before yourself in situations when that is needed.”

“It’s been amazing ,” he said about his time at Briercrest College.

Riley Seaborn gets some air at practice on Friday - MJ Independent photo

For 23 year old Riley Seaborn, who is in his sixth and final year at Briercrest College, the time he spent playing for the Cyclones was a memorable one.

“Yeah a lot of great memories. Memories that will last a lifetime. Friends that will last a lifetime from high school and that’s cool,” Seaborn said.

He was part of the Central Cyclones 2019 team that won the 4A provincial senior boys basketball championship.

In 2020 he was awarded the ACAC rookie of the year.

“Playing for Central (Collegiate) was a great experience for me. Playing football and basketball but playing basketball specifically was great.”

Knowledge and basketball skills were honed as a member of the Central Cyclones.

“I credit a lot of my skills and knowledge of basketball to Mr (Ryan) Boughen,” he said.

Despite his dad Barry Seaborn coaching the team Riley found out there were no favourites out on the court.

He remembers when his dad Barry coached and the other players would be having fun and he was running laps on the outside because “I had back talked him.”

“Being from Moose Jaw it’s only 15 minutes away. I had been to Clippers camp and all these camps for basketball here but I didn’t know what ACAC was until I came here,” he said, adding “it’s incredible basketball. I didn’t realize how talented and skilled people are out here,” Seaborn said.

He wishes he knew how good the basketball was while attending Central Collegiate as he would “have driven out here to watch the games. It’s good basketball and you learn a lot just watching it.”

While a member of the Cyclones Seaborn was part of teams that in his grade 10 and grade 11 made it into the provincial playdowns.

In his grade 12 year Riley was part of a team coached by his dad Barry Seaborn that captured the provincial 4A senior boys crown.

“Probably the biggest memory (of Central Collegiate) was winning provincials. Practicing everyday and like grinding and stuff like that.”

The hard work at Central Collegiate paid off in the major jump from high school to college player.

“The jump was pretty intense. Looking back at it you’re so small and you don’t know being from Saskatchewan…when you go outside of province you realize how big everyone else is. How strong, how physical, how well people dribble and shoot…it’s a whole different game,” he said.

“Everyone is more skilled than in high school so you cannot just rely on your skills (alone). You have to rely upon hard work to put it all together.”

Given this is his final year Seaborn will graduate with a degree in business and a minor in kinesiology.

Despite graduating Seaborn is hoping to continue playing basketball “professionally maybe overseas or something.”

He has yet to look into the opportunities out there but desires to give it a try.

Basketball has taught Seaborn a lot of life lessons.

“It’s taught me a lot about hard work and a lot of life lessons about life. Moving past the last play and not focusing on the mistakes made more just what you can do better.

Briercrest Clippers head coach Shane Sowden at practice on Friday afternoon - MJ independent photo

Briercrest Clippers head coach Shane Sowden has nothing but fond memories of his years - 1993 to 1997 - with the Central Cyclones.

He was a member of the Cyclones junior boys team for a single season and then spent three years playing on the Cyclones senior boys team.

In his senior team years he had three different coaches - Bob Semeniyk, Mark Gottselig and Ryan Boughen.

The Cyclones would capture the silver medal in 1994 and then in his final year the team would win the provincial championship.

The Cyclones would win the city championships against Caronport in Caronport. The Cyclones would go on to defeat Caronport at HOOPLA in Regina at the Agridome (Brandt Centre).

“They brought the court out onto the ice and set it up. It was really good,” Sowden said.

Asked about how he felt playing in such a large venue he said “it was very different. I would much rather play in these other gyms. It was a fun experience though,” Sowden said, adding “it was fun playing in front of that large of a crowd when you’re 18 years old. It was a super fun experience.”

Attending Central Collegiate brings back fond memories for Sowden.

“I loved it. I really enjoyed my time at Central (Collegiate). I had great teachers and I really enjoyed the sport scene. I played volleyball and basketball all those four years. I’m still in contact with my teachers and coaches,” he said.

The highlight for the team was walking down to the former Moose Jaw Times-Herald at noon and picking up a copy of the newspaper to check out the basketball coverage from the night before.

Clipping from the now defunct Moose Jaw Times-Herald when the Central Cyclones senior boys ended the Peacock Toilers 11 year hold of the city senio boys championship

“We use to think it was just great to see ourselves in the newspaper,” he said adding how much press they received “compared to other centres,” Sowden said.

“We were in the paper all of the time.”

Sowden would head of on an adventure only to return to Moose Jaw for love.

“Growing up my dad asked me what are you going to do with your life? I said I want to be a pastor or a teacher. I left teaching and went to the States for five years played baseball down there. I ended up meeting a girl here and came back and got the job out in Caronport (in 2005),” Sowden said.

For Sowden basketball and sports can be tools to build better people. It’s a mixture of his Cyclones years and faith.

“It’s always been about impacting youth and young men through sport. I think it’s the best way whether it’s going to the high school level or elementary (level). You get to know the kids. You get to improve their lives and you get to be a positive influence,” he said.

Despite the Clippers success on the court this year the true measure of success is the positive effect of sport to help develop better people, Sowden said. He went on to state the program’s success is more than just measuring it by wins and losses.

“You want to win basketball games they’re all competitive. I get it. But there has to be more than that. We’re a Christian institution, we belive in the Bible, we believe in God. So there is our foundation. There has to be something more than hey we’re just trying to win basketball games,” he said.

The goal and real win will be 20 years from now where hopefully the Clippers athletics program has created better husbands and fathers.

It’s had a major effect on the Clippers and their play. It’s a message he brought to the team at Friday’s practice.

Sowden says it’s a major pillar of their on and off court successes.

“You guys work great together. By ourselves we are just average. But once the collective comes together you guys care about each other,” he said.

Asked about other big memories as a Cyclone he said it has to be defeating the Peacock Toilers after they claimed the city senior boys championship 11 seasons in a row.

“I have a lot of great memories from Central,” he said.