The Wolves basketball teams before a recent road trip for exhibition games. They start their regular seasons today. Photo from the GPRC Wolves Facebook page.

By Curtis Galbraith

GPRC Wolves

Wolves basketball, volleyball teams return after last season lost to the pandemic

Nov 12, 2021 | 6:00 AM

After not having a season last year, the GPRC Wolves basketball and volleyball teams both start their regular seasons Friday.

The basketball teams are on the road for their first games. They will be in Camrose to play the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings.

Women’s coach Bill Bradley says it is a relief to be playing again.

He adds the unknown heading into this season compared to the pandemic and restrictions a year ago is much different.

“The unknown now is we’re training. There are going to be games. We’re ready to compete and we don’t know where other teams are at, what is our season going to look like,” Bradley said.

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“It is more of a positive unknown at this point and that just feels really good.”

He adds it is “huge” for the athletes to be competing again as getting back on the court is good for their mental health.

“Having that taken away from them for 15 to 18 months, you saw the effects of it and you saw the stress fractures in their mental health and you saw their moods were dropping.”

Bradley says getting back on the court is also good for the players academically.

“They are 18 to 24-year-old young adults, but having that structure in place is so helpful and it builds good habits for them to go forward into the workforce.”

Bradley says most of his players are from the Peace Country. He decided to concentrate on local kids when the college wasn’t sure if there would be a season or if there would be in-person or online classes.

“I thought I can’t ask somebody to move away from their support system on the off-chance there wasn’t a season, so I brought in quite a few locals.”

The volleyball teams open at home Friday night, also against the Vikings. The men’s game will start at 6 p.m. The women’s game will start at 8 p.m. Capacity is limited to 200 fans.

On Sunday, the volleyball teams will hit the road to Camrose to play the Vikings while the basketball teams come home for a return engagement with Augustana. The men’s game will again be at 6 p.m. and the women’s game at 8 p.m.

In previous seasons, the schedule always had the women’s game in the earlier time slot for volleyball and basketball. Bradley says the change will allow all teams a chance to be what he calls “the prime-time game.”

The game times will switch back and forth all season.