Stephen Shields’s road to the University of Regina was rife with twists and turns.
The 6-foot-7, 260-pound post worked diligently to navigate the route and now he hopes his work ethic will motivate others.
“I want to lead by example,” Shields said Saturday after the Cougars beat the Winnipeg Wesmen 82-62 in Canada West men’s basketball action at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health and Sport.
“I’m not a huge rah-rah, loud guy. I’ll talk when I need to, but I feel like if I’m out there busting my butt, it’s going to get other guys to bust their butts too.”
That’s precisely what Cougars head coach Steve Burrows hopes to see from Shields, a 25-year-old product of Brandon.
“He’s an older guy who has been through adversity to get here,” Burrows said. “He tore his ACL last year and worked really hard to get back.
“He provides good leadership on and off the court. He comes to work every day. He did that when he was rehabbing and he’s doing the same thing for us.”
Shields played basketball and volleyball at Brandon’s Neelin High School before graduating in 2008.
After deciding to play volleyball at the next level, he spent two seasons (including one redshirt campaign) at Brandon University.
Shields left Brandon following the 2009-10 season and played the next season at Keyano College in Fort McMurray, Alta.
After that year, he decided he wanted to play basketball instead, so he returned to Brandon and suited up at Assiniboine Community College in 2011.
But Assiniboine’s ’11-12 season ended early because the majority of the roster (excluding Shields) flunked out. The team forfeited all of its games after Christmas.
Shields then took a job in Brandon, but eventually got the itch to continue his post-secondary basketball career. He got in touch with a former Neelin teammate, ex-Cougars guard Sterling Nostedt, who invited Shields to Regina to train.
Shields subsequently decided to play at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay in the 2014-15 season, but that never happened. During a pickup game in Regina last summer, Shields suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
He didn’t know the severity of the injury until an MRI was done in Thunder Bay. That news, as well as a coaching change at Lakehead, prompted Shields to call Burrows within a week of arriving in Thunder Bay.
“I said, ‘This is what’s going on. I have a torn ACL, but I know you guys wanted me. I don’t want to be here anymore, so can I come back?’ ’’ Shields said. “He was like, ‘Yeah, come back. We’ll set everything up for you.’ ’’
So Shields returned to Regina, had surgery and rehabbed the injury. He couldn’t practise because of his knee, but he hung around the Cougars and became part of the team.
Now he’s part of the rotation up front, averaging 5.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He had six points and three rebounds Saturday as Regina improved to 5-3.
“He’s still trying to get back to where he wants to be physically,” Burrows said. “He’s getting closer — and I know he won’t stop working.”
On Saturday, the Cougars used an 18-0 run to break a 50-50 tie en route to the victory.
Jonathan Tull had 23 points and Brandon Tull added 20 for Regina. Jelane Pryce had 12 points for Winnipeg (3-5).
Next up for the Cougars is the Phoenix College Holiday Classic, Dec. 28-30 in the Arizona city.
• Regina’s women’s basketball team cruised to an 80-44 victory over Winnipeg on Saturday at the CKHS.
The Cougars (7-1) had 72 rebounds, one short of their all-time high in Canada West play. Regina’s 31 offensive boards nearly matched Winnipeg’s rebounding total (33).
Alyssia Kajati had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Cougars, who got double-digit rebounding totals from Michaela Kleisinger (11), Charlotte Kot (10) and Alexi Rowden (10).
Megan Noonan scored 12 points for Winnipeg (1-7).
The Cougars are off until Jan. 9, when they’re to entertain the Trinity Western Spartans to resume conference play.
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