U of R Cougars coach meets former bench boss with Nationals at stake

The Regina Cougars women's basketball must beat former longtime coach Dave Taylor for a shot at the U SPORTS Final Eight. Jacob Carr has more.

In a story straight out of a sports movie, University of Regina Cougars interim women’s basketball coach Michaela Kleisinger will face her former mentor, Dave Taylor, and his UBC Thunderbirds in Friday night’s Canada West semifinal.

Taylor led the Cougars to nine national tournament berths during his 19-year tenure as head coach, while Kleisinger aims to guide the team to its first nationals appearance since her playing days in 2018-19.

“You couldn’t write it better,” Kleisinger said. “We were just waiting to see who it was going to be in the semifinal, and it is Dave. In some ways it’s really great, and in other ways it’s a fun twist to the end of our season.”

The winner of the semifinal will automatically qualify for the eight-team national tournament, as the top two teams in Canada West earn automatic spots.

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Second-year forward Izzi Fust says the younger players are motivated to win for the Cougars’ fourth and fifth-year athletes: Brenna Metz, Rachel Vanderhooft, Cara Misskey, and Jade Belmore – who have yet to play at nationals.

“It would mean so much if we could help them get there,” Fust said. “We’re such a tight-knit group that we’re playing for them; we’re doing it for them. So, for us it means everything.”

Kleisinger said the team deserves the opportunity to compete at the national level.

“It makes me emotional. I went to nationals four times as an athlete, and I completely took it for granted. These kids deserve to go, not just our fifth years, but this group means a lot to this program and how we’re going to move it forward,” she said. “Going to nationals is so motivating – you taste it and you want to go again. It’s important for this year and the program’s future growth.”

Tip-off Friday is slated for 8 p.m. CST at the University of British Columbia. The winner will face the winner of the other Canada West semifinal between the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and the University of Calgary Dinos.