Recap: Pack The Jack

By Rodrigo Verney, February 1 2024—

Pack the Jack is one of the most celebrated traditions in the University of Calgary. The basketball game that precedes the Crowchild Classic and brings incredible numbers of attendees to cheer for the team. The game also symbolizes the shift from regular season to playoffs happening in different sports. This edition of the game put the Dinos against the Trinity Western Spartans in both the women’s and the men’s teams.

The first game of the night opened with the women’s team led by athlete of the week Myriam Kone, a name that has been representing the Dinos as their acting point guard ever since joining the team last season. Her exceptional passing skills guaranteed a connection with Louise Rouse, the forward who dominated the paint to get 12 points that night — the duo was unstoppable. Head Coach Damian Jennings took full advantage of the height difference between the two teams and ran a paint focused offence that generated many easy baskets for the Dinos.

The score was also aided by a breakout night led by the aforementioned point guard. It seemed as though Kone, who registered 24 points in total, couldn’t miss from behind the arc. She was taking risky shots but the defence couldn’t keep up as she shot 4-6 three-pointers. The threat of her barrage of threes made the defence collapse their density around her which freed Pollynna Storie, the guard that sank four threes and 5 shots to finish the night on 14 points coming off of many Kone assists. The Dinos completed their night taking the win at the home game 90-63. It was time for the men to secure the home game as well.

The Dinos were ready for a physical game inside the paint as the Spartans have an average height of 6’2 on their roster. Their defence is well regarded as one of the best in the West. It would take a lot of effort to get the looks the Dinos wanted off the glass. Their hottest zone would be clogged by tall capable defenders. The team was getting ready for a battle that would take a lot of energy if they wanted to win. 

Head Coach Dan Vanhooren came well-prepared to face them. His adjustments were clear from the first minute of the game. The squad was much more daring on the defensive side taking more chances to throw their matchups off while maintaining coverage at three point line. This was maintained throughout the whole game and resulted in a total of eight steals for the team. 

The offense was commended by Nate Petrone and athlete of the week Noah Wharton who made are creating offensive paring like we have never seen before. Petrone is a daring character who is never afraid to take difficult shots that often result in a point for the amazement of the team and the audience. Warton on the other hand commanded a tight offense with quick passes back to whoever was behind the arc and careful use of screens to shift the defensive density and throw the Spartans off their rhythm by forcing the switch.

Even when the Dinos luck ran out in the paint as they were getting blocked by the Spartan defensive juggernaut Aristote Kalala, the squad managed to find Javier Ramos-Yzquierdo who would fight his way to the line for easy baskets. The game ended 110-70 on a dunk by Johnson Beckett to finish the game off with a powerful statement. Wharton finished with 12 points and two assists while Petrone scored 24. Ramos-Yzquierdo was an incredible help in this win and finished his night with 16 points. Pack The Jack concluded on a monstrous dunk, a crown of 600 people and the Dinos taking it all.