Filewich’s fantastic season

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This article was published 02/04/2024 (540 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

He registered career highs across the board with 9.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per contest.

In a meeting against Souther Wesleyan in December, the product of Vincent Massey Collegiate exploded for 21 rebounds, the second most by any player in the country this season. Filewich also posted eight double-doubles in his first full campaign as a starter.

“It was really cool hearing your name getting called every single night. It’s something I enjoyed and something I’m proud of, for sure,” Filewich said in a phone interview. He won’t be the only Winnipegger down south next season as Tanah Becker recently committed to the University of Kentucky’s women’s team.

“I know there’s a lot of great basketball in Manitoba, so being the one to represent us at this level is something I take a lot of pride in. Hopefully moving forward we can get more players down here. I know there’s great coaching and a lot of good talent coming up so I’m hoping in the future we’ll get some more guys down here like me.”

He spent his first two seasons at Southern Illinois where he started 16 games as a freshman. With the team transitioning to a smaller lineup, Filewich entered the transfer portal where he was then picked up by Wofford.

He’s been a huge addition for the Terriers, and head coach Dwight Perry points to their 88-86 overtime victory at home against Western Carolina on Feb. 3 as the perfect example of what he’s brought to the program.

“They have a kid named Vonterius Woolbright and Kyler really bothered him down the stretch defensively and was able to get a stop as time expired,” said Perry. “When you look at a guy like Kyler, he shouldn’t be able to go against a guard who’s averaging close to a triple-double. But we thought that was our best bet to get a stop and that speaks to Kyler’s ability, and it also speaks to the type of mindset and mentality that he has and our team feeds off that. It’s infectious.

“Every single game, he’s up for the challenge.”

Wofford went 17-15 this season and lost to Chattanooga in the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference tournament.

After four college seasons, Filewich has yet to play in the NCAA tournament. He’ll have one more shot at it in 2025 in what will be his senior year.

Wofford last qualified for the big dance in 2019 as a No. 7 seed where they beat Seton Hall in the first round.

“I love to watch (March Madness), but at the same time, it really does hurt. All it does is really fuel me to be the best player I can be going into next season and I feel like it’s like that for all of my teammates as well,” said Filewich, a finance major who was named to the conference’s all-academic team last week.

“I’ve been working all my life to get to this point, and that just shows me that I got to make the most of this last year that I have.”

While university remains the focus, Filewich has aspirations to play at the pro level. He spends his summers back home and attended several Winnipeg Sea Bears games last year. The idea of playing in the Canadian Elite Basketball League for his hometown club definitely peaks his interest.

“It’s great basketball. A lot of fun to watch. So, I think that’s something I would love to be a part of, for sure,” said the 22-year-old. “I think I could do pretty well. I’ve obviously played against a lot of guys who play at that level. It’s great for the city, I think it’s a great league, and something I think I’d be ready for when I’m done playing college.”

He wouldn’t be the first person in his family to turn pro as his older sister Keylyn — a former U Sports star at UBC and then the University of Winnipeg — has been playing in the second division of Germany’s women’s pro basketball league with the VFL Astrostars since 2022.

“We’re both really competitive so we kind of make a little competition out of it here and there. But at the same time, she’s been kind of like a mentor for me,” said Filewich. “I’m super grateful for her for helping me not only becoming a better player, but also knowing the ins and outs of being a student-athlete, and also a professional.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

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