Bains happy to be home

Richmond's Pasha Bains trying to catch on with nats

Don Fennell, Sports Editor

Now he's happy to be back home, looking forward to playing at Simon Frser University (even though he again has to sit out a season because of transfer rules) and trying to catch on with Canada's national team.

It's been an interesting road for the former Richmond High star, who led the Colts to a provincial high school title as a Grade 12 after which he was heavily recruited and opted for a full-ride scholarship at the University of Wyoming. But when his coach, Larry Shyatt, bolted for greener pastures of Clemson and the highly-regarded Atlantic conference, Bains followed suit.

Forced to sit a season because of the transfer, he made an immediate impact during his first full campaign.

"This is a good chance for me," Bains says of the invitation to try out at the national team's 10-day regional camp being held through Friday at The Basketball Centre.

"I've already learned a lot from (coach) Jay Triano, particularly foot work and reading screens. One thing I really noticed at Clemson was I was getting stagnant as far as learning the game. I didn't get a chance to (learn) much because there was such a team aspect."

He says the same is true working out at SFU under the guidance of coach Scott Clark.

"It's like going back to the basics and learning the game. And I'm a student of the game."

His passion was clearly waning at Clemson, especially after his playing time evaporated last season after a strong start.

"It was really tough, especially when you love game so much," says Bains, who despite the turn of events still views his experience at Clemson as a positive one. And he still recommends local players consider opportunities in the U.S., but take more time than he did to review the situation.

"It Show how important systems are," he says. "The problem wasn't that I couldn't play against those guys, it's just a matter of finding the right fit."

Bains says when he did get to play, he scored. But apparently that wasn't enough and midway through the season Shyatt decided he wanted to make a change in the system and also began playing less-experienced players.

He had several opportunities to go elsewhere in the NCAA, but the idea of having to sit out another season just to play one more after that soured him. Working out at SFU revived his enthusiasm and he couldn't be happier.

"I'm not looking at this as a step down, in fact it's a kind of resurection."

Bains, who is close to acquiring a degree in English, has also gotten some interest from pro teams in Europe and is still hoping he might get a try out with the NBA team when his college days are done.

During his season off, Bains says he plans to work hard at improving his defensive game so he can become a more complete player.