Over the Edge - November 2

sports

EXCLUSIVE Q&A WITH INDERBIR GILL

Here is fhe Interview You Have All Asked For.

PUNEET HAYER
SPORTS EDITOR

Over the Edge recently caught up with UNBC alumni and athletics Hall of Famer Inderbir Gill. He answered questions on a variety of topics.

Q: Inderbir, what have you been up to
since the end of last season and your
graduation in the spring?

Inderbir Gill: After graduation, I
have been back at home in Spokane
continuing to work on my game and
pursuing opportunities to play profes-
sionally.

Q: You’ve often referenced your na-
tional championship victory as one
of your more “memorable moments”
at UNBC? Do you still feel that way
after graduating with a degree in Fi-
nance and having a chance to look
back at your career?

Inderbir Gill: Yeah, that was defin-
itely the most memorable moment.
Winning the championship is the ul-
timate prize for any team and its play-
ers. But equally memorable are times
that I spent with my teammates on
and off the court.

Q: Do you consider your academic
success or accolades on the basketball
court above the other, if so which part
are your more proud of?

Inderbir Gill: I have been very for-
tunate to have been recognized as
an academic all Canadian twice and
winning several awards in basketball
but I feel that highest honor was to
win Male Athlete of the Year in 2010
across all sports.

Q: Your family from Spokane, Wash-
ington and abroad were at your home
finale as a UNBC against Columbia
Bible last season? Can you describe
the aura of the building that night and
what your final curtain call at UNBC
meant to you?

Inderbir Gill: That was a special

night for my family and myself. I was
really excited to have my mom there
with me that night. It was the first
time she had seen me play live since
high school. I just wanted to show her
how good I was because she has been
so supportive throughout my playing
career. I guess my mom is my lucky
charm because I scored my career
high of 42 points.

Q: UNBC has seen an increase in first
year enrolees at all of their campuses.
As a UNBC success story, what ad-
vice do have for people going to
UNBC trying to find their way in the
world?

Inderbir Gill: I am a very proud
graduate of UNBC. It has a lot of re-
sources to offer to its students. My
advice to students would be to figure
out as soon as possible of what they
want to do in their time at UNBC so
they can make the most out of this
educational experience and utilize the
available resources.

Q: UNBC has received temporary en-
rolment in the Canada West division
of the CIS next year? What are your
thoughts on that and how do you think
the UNBC athletics stacks up going
forward in the CIS?

Inderbir Gill: First of all I want to
congratulate UNBC for being ac-
cepted, I know we have been trying to
go CIS for a long time. I think UNBC
will fare very well against the compe-
tition because we have very talented,
hardworking coaches and players in
all of our sports that are supported by
the best fans and community in Can-
ada.

RIVALRY WEEK

Here is an Idea for the NFL

PUNEET HAYER
SPORTS EDITOR

Q: This year’s men’s basketball team
had another strong recruiting season.
None of us are naive that athletics
uses your success at UNBC as a sell-
ing point to potential recruits. What
are your thoughts on that?

Inderbir Gill: I was very fortunate
to have been selected by UNBC who
gave me the platform to develop and
showcase my talent. I am very proud
that I can be of help to UNBC to at-
tract future great players. It is one
of the ways that I can give back to
UNBC who has given me so much
love and recognition.

Q: You’ve said in the past that ‘once
a T-Wolf, always a T-Wolf’. Do you
still feel that way and do you have
any plans to re-join UNBC in any
capacity? Furthermore, is it true that
Coach Jordan tried to put you on the
coaching staff for this year’s team?
Inderbir Gill: Yes, I feel that I am
always going to be a T-Wolf and
I would love to be a part of UNBC
community in any way I can be. In re-
gards to Coach Jordan, yes he wanted
me to become the assistant coach but
as of right now I am going to keep my
talent in Spokane, WA while I am ne-
gotiating to become the highest paid
assistant coach. (JK)

Q: Fellow Washington native and
newly found player Gabe Aubertin
told Over the Edge that ‘Inderbir set
the standard’ and that he ‘wants to
continue the tradition of great ath-
letes from the state of Washington at
UNBC’. What are your thoughts on
that?

Inderbir Gill: Thanks for the compli-

#12 will be missed.

PUNEET HAYER

ment. Washington has a lot of talent
and I hope that players from here keep
getting a chance to represent UNBC.

Q: What are your thoughts on this
year’s squad and how do you feel
about Kevan Madsen and Jose Araujo
coming back to UNBC? Do you have
a prediction of how they fare this
year?

Inderbir Gill: I feel that Coach Jor-
dan has assembled a very strong team
and with the addition of Jose and
Kevan makes UNBC one of the top
teams in the country. I know they will
do great and have a chance to win
the National title but they need to
keep working hard and getting better
throughout the season. However, I am
mad that Kevan and Jose didn’t come
last season because we would’ ve def-
initely won the national champion-
ship.

Q: How would you like to be remem-
bered?

Inderbir Gill: I will leave this for the
people at UNBC to answer. Hopefully
“the best,” lol.

Q. How does it feel for the 2009-2010
to be the Ist Prince George based
team in over 30 years to win a nation-
al championship?

Inderbir Gill: Winning the Cham-
pionship was like a dream come true
and to do it with such a special group
of teammates and coaches made it
even more exceptional. I feel that we
put UNBC and the city on the national
stage. It feels great to have won it for
the city of Prince George because of
their tremendous support over the
years.

Some of us love football and can’t get
enough of it. The National Football League
knows it, so it seems like the application of
an expanded NFL season will happen at some
point, probably within the next ten years.
This topic, therefore, probably came up at the
fall owners meetings last month in Houston.
However, most of us probably don’t consider
the many logistics involved with expanding
the current 16 game schedule. There would
be major resistance from the players union
(NFLPA) as we learned in the summer, rosters
and budgets would have to be expanded and
it would be difficult to determine scheduling.

However, if you really think about it, Ma-
jor League\Baseball may be on to something.
It is clear that a successful multi-billion dol-

lar enterprise like the NFL does not need to
take ideas from a waning sports league like
Major League Baseball... until now. In the
mid 2000’s, Major League Baseball intro-
duced ‘Rivalry Weekend’ in hopes to stimulate
interest in inter-league play and re-establish
rivalries. For instance, they placed the Toronto
Blue Jays against the Philadelphia Phillies, to
make fans remember Joe Carter’s heroics in
1993. Also, this was another chance for Major

League Baseball to have the New York Mets |

and Yankees play each other. This approach

did work for a while for Major League Base-»

ball, but the depth and dominance of the Na-
tional League proved to make it obsolete.

So you ask, how does this relate to the NFL?
Well, the simplest way for the NFL to expand

their schedule is make it an 18 game schedule
instead of a 16 game schedule. Subsequently,
this would reduce the 4 preseason game sched-
ule to 2 games. This would allow the NFL to
maintain their 20 game schedule. Plus, it would
allow the NFL to keep their division structure
intact, where there are 4 teams in each division
that play each other twice. Then you ask, who
plays in the extra two games? This is where
rivalry week comes in.

A team from the NFC would play a team
in the AFCetwice each year, with both teams
getting a home game. The NFL could do this
every year during the World Series and Herit-
age Classic to, garner eyen more interest over
Major League Baseball and the NHL. This
would be a great way to rejuvenate state rival-

ries: Cowboys-Texans, 49ers-Raiders, Eagles-
Rams-Chiefs,
Jets-Giants etc. Or it could bring back some

Steelers, Ravens-Redskins,
championship rivalries: 49ers-Bengals, Cow-
boys-Steelers, Bears-Patriots, Eagles-Raiders,
Vikings-Chiefs etc. Of course, there would
have to be new rivalries like Chargers-Lions,
but that would create rivalries.

This just makes a lot of sense, the more you
think of it. If any of the major sports league
were to be proactive and do this, it would be
the NFL. No major sports league catersto the
fans quite like the NFL, which makes it the
best pro sports league period.

PUNEET HAYER

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