Take me to your leader
Darius Mole leads Cougars from the bench
Autumn McDowell
Sports Editor
For Darius Mole, being a leader is what he knows, whether it’s on or off the court.
Currently a redshirt member of the University of Regina men’s basketball team, Mole is just as much a part of the team now as he was before he experienced a season-ending knee injury during the off season.
“[My] role hasn’t changed,” Mole said. “On the court it’s changed, as you see the guys have to deal with me not being on the court, but as far as being the leader that I am I still have to do those same things off the court as well.”
Although fans may have to wait another season to see the playmaker back in action, fans can still see him every game cheering on his team.
“If you come to the games you will hear me screaming and yelling,” Mole said. “Right now my voice is raspy. I still have to be part of the team. The guys look to me for leadership so I still have to have those qualities in my game.”
Even though he can’t contribute on the scoreboard, Mole believes the team still has the ability to give him even more to cheer about, as the race for the final playoff spot continues.
“We have to win our games,” he said. “I think that we have to have great weeks at practice, we have to have a good week of practice this week to get ready for the teams that we have coming up. We just have to worry about the first game come Friday, and at the end of the game we have to know that we played our best and get the ‘W.’”
While it is impossible for Mole to suit up with the Cougars this season, his recovery time is always in the back of his mind.
“My first goal is to get the surgery; I haven’t had my surgery yet,” Mole explained. “After that I have a long goal, I mean, the recovery for an ACL is eight-to-nine months, so I am going to have a big goal and my goal is to come back better than when I left.
“I had a great off-season this year but it got cut short so I think of it as me having two off-seasons so I kind of like it; at the same time I want to play, but now I have to get better at what I wasn’t good at before.”
Despite not having Mole on their active roster, the Cougars were able to earn two key wins against the Winnipeg Wesmen last weekend in front of their hometown crowd.
Paul Gareau put on a show for the Cougars Friday night, racking up 31 points en route to the team’s 86-79 victory. Things weren’t so certain on Saturday night, but a big fourth quarter allowed the Cougars to seal a 79-72 win over the Wesmen, completing the much-needed sweep.
With Mole watching from the sidelines, he was proud of what his team was able to accomplish.
“It’s great. It’s good to get two home wins,” he said. “We haven’t had two home wins in a while. The guys are excited, they’re still in the team room dancing around, so it’s a fun time right now.”
The Cougars (5-10) will continue their quest for a playoff spot against the visiting Alberta Golden Bear’s (10-6) this weekend. Game time is slated for 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health and Sport.
