Former Kelvin athlete makes the jump to NCAA

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This article was published 02/04/2018 (3077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg’s Daniel Sackey is aiming to make a mark in the NCAA when he joins the Valparaiso University men’s basketball team this fall.

Sackey announced his commitment to the NCAA Division 1 team earlier this year. The 18-year-old guard previously attended Kelvin High School for two years, played with the Winnipeg Wolves basketball club and for Team Manitoba.

He recently wrapped up his senior season playing with Thornlea Secondary School in Markham, Ont., in the
Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association, when the Thunder were knocked out of the OSBA championship. Nevertheless, Sackey was named to the league’s first all-star team.

“It’s been great,” Sackey said of his time with Thornlea. “A lot of ups and downs this season but mostly a lot of ups.

“I’ve learned a lot of things. I’ve learned how to be more of a leader. I’m the oldest on the team now so I’m taking that role in teaching the younger guys and being a role model for them,” he added.

A 5-9 guard, Sackey said he’s had to work to make a name for himself on the court but is proud of what he’s accomplished in his last year of high school ball.

“I think I’ve proven myself on a bigger stage and showed that it doesn’t matter what size I am, I can be doing what I’m doing regardless,” he said.

On March 18, Sackey was also named to the Bio-Steel All Canadian Team and will play in a showcase event on April 8 and 9 in Toronto.

The move to college ball has been a lifelong pursuit for Sackey, who got his first exposure to the game as a child watching his uncle, Stephen Tackie, coach teams around Winnipeg.

“I’ve been around basketball my whole life,” Sackey said. “All of my older cousins, my older brothers they all played basketball. My uncle… he was the coach of the University of Winnipeg Wesmen when I was a young age, and he also coached my older brother when he went to Sturgeon Heights.

“So I would always go to the U of W practices, my brother’s high school practices, and I would always go to the games.

“I saw how fun it was, I saw how passionate guys were for it, and I learned to love basketball.”

With a number of colleges recruiting him, Sackey said making the choice to join the Valparaiso Crusaders simply felt right. The coaching staff at the Indiana-based university has been in close contact with Sackey and his family since last April.

Two guards are graduating from the program this spring, Sackey added, leaving a void for him to hopefully fill in his freshman year. He’ll attend Valparaiso on a full scholarship and intends to study athletic therapy.

“The number one goal in my first year is to get to the NCAA tournament,” Sackey said. “Being a point guard, I want to change the program and I can be really useful from the jump.”

The last time Valparaiso played in the NCAA tournament was in 2015, and Sackey acknowledges that coming in as a freshman to drive the team is a lofty ambition, but it’s one he’s intent on reaching.

“I owe it to myself, I owe it to my parents and all the sacrifices they’ve made, I owe it to my family, and my grandmother that if I’m going to do this I need to give it my all,” he said.