Former Calgary high school student Clayton Henry leads New Mexico State in March Madness upset
It didn't take long for March Madness to kick in Thursday, and one of the biggest upsets of the tournament's first day came with a Calgary connection.
That was the shocker between New Mexico State Aggies and the Connecticut Huskies, which New Mexico State won, 70-63.
One of the Aggies it turns out is Clayton Henry, one of three Albertans playing in March Madness.
Henry is a former student at Bishop McNally high school in Calgary who got started playing hoops here – and he hasn't forgotten his roots.
"It was a team out of Calgary," Henry said. "I give them all the credit for starting my career."
The 24-year-old now plays guard for the Aggies, who had to knock off the Abilene Christian Wildcats 66-52 in their conference final last weekend to gain a spot in the NCAA tournament.
And Henry was one of the biggest reasons why the Aggies won, says Paul Sir, the executive director of the Alberta Basketball Association.
"He had one of his best games of the season when it mattered most," Sir said. "He had 15 points and played a bunch of minutes. And he's Calgarian!"
As unlikely as it seems that Calgary is producing NCAA hoops heroes, Henry's not the only Alberta repping the wild rose this March.
He joins Edmonton's Aher Uguak, a forward for the Loyola Ramblers, along with a second Calgarian.
"Yvonne Ejim," Sir said. "She was the Sixth Woman of the year in the West Coast Conference!"
Ejim is a sophomore on the Gonzaga woman's team, and Sir thinks her future might include playing in the pros.
"I think she has a legitimate chance at playing in the WNBA," Sir said.
The buzz about Alberta basketball is growing this week, Sir added.
"With the CBL being in Calgary (with the Edmonton Stingers) having the BCLA's going on, that's because they want to bring a pro franchise to Calgary," he said.
"And Calgary's made a great impression."
It's creating a lot of interest in basketball circles, in a sport where top Canadian players mostly hail from Ontario and Quebec.
"Calgary is a hotbed of basketball," Sir said. "I have coaches from across the country saying you folks in Alberta are not far off Ontario."
It's a time of year that has the possibility of inspiring a whole new generation of young athletes who can tune in Saturday on TSN to see if Clayton Henry can help propel the New Mexico State Aggies into the Sweet 16.
"To be able to watch March Madness and see Albertans out there not just competing but competing successfully," said Sir, "It to me is the ultimate Alberta inspirational stories."
And before Henry and New Mexico State takes on an opponent to be determined Saturday, Ejim and the Gonzaga Bulldogs face off against Nebraska Friday at 1:30 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
The remains belonged to three adults, a teenager and a newborn baby, according to a statement from the Latebra Foundation, a historical organization based in the Polish city of Gdansk, published Thursday.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh confirms his party will support the Liberals' federal budget
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will support the federal budget, ending any speculation that the party could pull out of its deal with the minority Liberal government.
Dental care program accepting claims for 1 million seniors
Citizens' Services Minister Terry Beech says 1,200 seniors have already visited a dentist and had their claims processed by the federal government's new dental care plan.