Inderbir Gill decided to put on a show.
He was, after all, playing in front of a home crowd for the last time in his career. But, what really drove the veteran guard for the UNBC Northern Timberwolves men's basketball team was the fact that his mom, Sital, was among the spectators.
The game, between the Timberwolves and the Columbia Bible College Bearcats, happened Saturday night at the Northern Sport Centre. The T-wolves romped to a 113-50 win and Gill scorched the visitors for a season-high 41 points.
Gill's mom traveled from her home in Spokane to see her boy play. And she hadn't seen him in action since his final high school game six years ago.
"The last time she came was my high school senior night," said Gill, a third-year member of the Timberwolves who is in his fifth and final year of playing eligibility in the B.C. Colleges Athletic Association. "I just wanted to play this game for her and for all the fans here.
"I wanted to show my mom what I can do. She has invested a lot of time in me and she lets me do in the summer time what I want to do, which is play basketball. I wanted to show my offensive skills and just my game. I'm happy that she was able to see that and that she was able to come up and see our team."
Gill will likely be remembered as the most dominant player in the history of UNBC basketball. In each of his first two seasons, he achieved All-Canadian status. The first year, he also led the Timberwolves to a surprise fourth-place finish in the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association national championship tournament and was picked as a tournament all-star. Last year, he was the most valuable player at nationals -- won by his T-wolves -- and was later chosen as the male athlete of the year in the entire CCAA.
Gill hopes to play professional basketball next season but, before he starts seeking out opportunities, he will be focused on winning provincial and national championships with the Timberwolves for the second consecutive year. Provincials start March 3 in Abbotsford and nationals are March 17-19 in Oshawa, Ont.
A second UNBC player, guard Matt Mills, also played his last home game on Saturday night. Mills is one of the purest outside shooters in all of Canadian college basketball and he was true to form against the Bearcats. The Abbotsford product went 6-for-11 from three-point country and finished with 25 points. Mills's dad, Wayne, saw the performance and so did the player's girlfriend, Riely.
For Mills, a third-year team member also in his last year of eligibility, the night was an emotional one.
"I've really enjoyed the past three years here, more than I ever could have imagined before I came up here," he said. "I'm sad that it's coming to an end. It's been amazing."
Both players, and their loved ones, were honoured in a pre-game ceremony.
UNBC head coach Todd Jordan has deep appreciation for Gill and Mills.
"They have both been unbelievable performers but also character guys that are role models in the community and work hard in the classroom," Jordan said. "Everyone in our program respects them and they set an example for our entire team and the program. You can't ask for better fifth-year leaders than those two guys."
Gill will graduate in May with a degree in finance. Mills will continue to work toward a bachelor of arts degree, with a major in geography, next school year. He'll probably attend the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford.
