The Twitter hashtag for the Delta Pacers basketball program - Rise With Us - doesn't mean coaches Matt McKay and Scott Masse are spending their nights sleeping in the school gym.
It just seems that way. The enthusiasm and passion for coaching basketball are evident with both of them as they attempt to transform the Pacers varsity team into a consistent contender at the "AAA" level.
That comes with hard work, dedication and most importantly, setting the bar higher.
"It's changing the expectations," said McKay. We are happy to be coming out and playing (No. 1 ranked) Kitsilano hard and losing by 20 or leading (No. 10) Gleneagle at the half and losing by 12. We need to change the level of expectation from being happy to compete to expecting to win those games.
"It's going to come but it will take some time."
McKay has been running informal practices since the end of September. Masse is overseeing the junior varsity team but is also right beside McKay on the bench during senior game nights.
The two teams entered this week's play with 31 practices already under their belts. The systems being coached are complex enough that two of last year's starters - seniors Evan Messenger and Will Schwan - had yet to dress for a game since wrapping up their commitments with the school volleyball team nearly two weeks ago.
McKay has some promising talent to work with including Grade 11s Ryan Cowley, Andrew Jones and Gursarn Bajwa who all logged plenty of senior varsity minutes a year ago. Grade 11 Steveston-London transfer Bowen Bakken has looked impressive too.
McKay has also aged up the majority of the school's top junior players to give them three years of senior experience, something which is automatic with the province's top programs.
"There are lots of pieces that have a lot of potential," said McKay. "The guys are keen and want to put in the time. It will will be learning process throughout the year for this season. We are really young."
The plan is to get the Pacers as battle tested as possible for the playoffs in February. To do that, McKay has put together a schedule no DSS team has seen before.
They get a few days off for Christmas then get right back at it again, hosting St. Thomas More on Dec.
28. The team then heads to Bellingham Jan. 2 to face Sehome High School. It will be the first of four consecutive road games against U.S. schools. They will also take on Liberty High School from Issaquah, then a couple of teams from the Skagit County area.
Next month's Pacers Classic, which has now been renamed the Bill Kushnir Memorial Tournament after the longtime school principal, will be no cake walk either.
Delta would play No. 2 ranked Yale in the semi-finals should it get past its first round opponent - Heritage Woods.
"I think our league, from top to bottom, is the best in the province," said McKay whose team will have to deal with No. 3 White Rock Christian and No. 5 Tamanawis in the new year. "I think we can be right (in the mix). By the time we get to February and March, a lot of those young kids won't be young anymore.
"With the American schools, they always play hard and you will find out pretty quick what you're good at and what you're not. It's good thing for your kids to see the level they compete at."
At 32, McKay already has an impressive coaching resu-mé and is considered one of the top young mentors in the province. Two years ago, he coached the senior boys team at North Delta and the women's team at Kwantlen University, while teaching at Hawthorne elementary in Ladner. That's dedication.
At least now he is on staff at DSS and the gym is just a few steps down the hall from his classroom.
"I've been fortunate enough to be involved with some pretty good people," added McKay, who also runs Basketball B.C. programs and is director of coaching for the South Delta Steve Nash League. "I've been around guys like Ted Murray, Tyler Kushnir and Bill Edwards, experiencing the culture they have created.
"I've had the opportunity to work with a lot of good coaches and it definitely has been a blessing for me."
