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.
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.
"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
Air turbulence: When can it become dangerous?
Flight turbulence like that encountered by a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday is extremely common, but there's one aspect of severe turbulence an aviation expert says can lead to serious injury.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
WATCH Why today's inflation numbers are good if you have a mortgage
New inflation data is 'welcome news' for consumers and an economist says it could signal the possibility for a interest rate cut as several core measures also continue to ease.
Conservatives kick off return to House with new call for Speaker Greg Fergus to resign
Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives returned to the House of Commons on Tuesday with a renewed call for Speaker Greg Fergus to resign, this time over 'very partisan' and 'inflammatory' language used to promote an upcoming event.
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Trump campaign calls 'The Apprentice' 'blatantly false,' director offers to screen it for him
Donald Trump's reelection campaign called 'The Apprentice,' a film about the former U.S. president in the 1980s, 'pure fiction' and vowed legal action following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But director Ali Abbasi is offering to privately screen the film for Trump.
Feels like mid-30s in parts of Canada, while other areas expecting snow
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
Nestle to sell $5 pizza, sandwiches in the U.S. for Wegovy, Ozempic users
Nestle NESN.S will market a new, US$5 line of frozen pizzas and protein-enriched pastas in the United States which it says it designed specifically for people taking drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss.
How much more Canadian consumers are paying, compared to this time last year
Canada's annual inflation rate slowed to a three-year low of 2.7 per cent in April, matching expectations, and core measures continued to ease, data showed on Tuesday, likely boosting chances of a June interest rate cut.