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Two locals playing for Saskatoon basketball team in inaugural season of Canadian Junior Basketball League

Humboldt’s Aidan Rowe and Annaheim’s Kody McGinn are both playing for Saskatoon-based Bridge City in the inaugural season of the Canadian Junior Basketball League.
Aidan Rowe Bridge City
Aidan Rowe of Humboldt is one of the two area athletes that are playing for the Saskatoon-based Bridge City in the inaugural season of the Canadian Junior Basketball League.
HUMBOLDT, ANNAHEIM — Two area athletes are pioneers on the hardwood this winter.

Humboldt’s Aidan Rowe and Annaheim’s Kody McGinn are both playing for Saskatoon-based Bridge City in the inaugural season of the Canadian Junior Basketball League. For players 18-20, the CJBL fills “the gap between post-secondary basketball and the conclusion of high school sport,” the league’s Instagram page states.

“Playing on the team has made me understand just how much work is needed to be put in to make it to that next level,” McGinn said. “It’s made me more intense and hustle harder than ever.”

McGinn learned about the CJBL from Rowe, his former Humboldt Collegiate Institute teammate. In turn, Rowe’s father told him about the new league.

“I am thankful that he told me about it because, with COVID, a lot of people didn’t get to finish their high school careers,” he said.

 

CJBL

In its debut season, the CJBL features 10 teams. All are located in Western Canada – from Kamloops to Winnipeg. Queen City, a second Saskatchewan squad, is based in Regina.

“Several players in this league are being recruited to NCAA D1 schools as well as U Sports and college teams,” Bridge City head coach Greg Jockims said. “The level of play is very good. The majority of players in the league have the potential to play at the next level.”

Jockims is one of the CJBL coaches who come to the league with a history of accomplishment. He led the professional Saskatchewan Rattlers to the inaugural Canadian Elite Basketball League championship in 2019. Jockims piloted the University of Saskatchewan men’s basketball team to a 2010 national championship.

“What I have enjoyed most about playing for Bridge City is having the opportunity to learn from such distinguished coaches and skilled players,” Rowe said. “I look forward to going to every practice because I know there will be something I pick up from it. It’s a really fun environment where everyone is competing and trying to improve.”

The CJBL plays one weekend a month from October to February. All of its teams gather in a host city for that weekend and each squad plays three games.

“Playing in different cities with teams all over western Canada has been a great experience for me,” Rowe said. “It has exposed me to a higher level of basketball that I have never played against before. Everyone is a lot bigger and more athletic than what I faced in high school. It's also really cool having a bunch of college and university coaches watching your games. It really motivates you to give it you're all every chance you get.”

Some CJBL players work, while others go to school. For example, Rowe is a University of Saskatchewan student. He said he is able to balance classes with the team’s practices, which are usually held about three times a week.

 

Kody McGinn

McGinn plays small forward for Bridge City.

“The strengths of his game are his speed and quickness, his work ethic and he is a very good perimeter defender who likes to rebound the ball,” Jockims said.

The head coach called McGinn “our energy guy.”

“He plays recklessly and with little or no fear,” Jockims said. “He is always in ‘attack mode’ and that helps our team maintain its aggressiveness on both sides of the ball.”

McGinn is the son of Blair and Tammy. Their backing has played a role in his basketball career.

“[They] have always told me to do what I want and supported every decision, so their support has impacted a lot,” McGinn said.

 

Aidan Rowe

Jockims said that Rowe is “very quiet but very intense.”

“He is one of our more competitive players,” the coach said. “When the game is on the line, he is regularly the player that wants to take the last shot and win the game.”

Bridge City deploys Rowe at shooting guard.

“The strengths of his game are his toughness and tenacity on O and D and his ability to shoot the ball from the three-point line,” Jockims said.

The son of Dave and Cheryl Rowe appreciates how his parents have supported his basketball career. He said his dad helped a lot over the years.

“When I was younger, and there was no basketball for my age in Humboldt, he drove me into Saskatoon a couple of times a week to play [Saskatoon Minor Basketball Association],” Rowe said. “He’s also a teacher at the high school, so there were a lot of nights where he would open the gym and shoot with me. He has always been super supportive with any sports I played as a kid, and he always motivated me to try and be the best I can be.”