Griffins head into home opener with optimism, competitive fire under new head coach Kapinga
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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28 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 88 |
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7 | 19 | 21 | 13 | 60 |
Team Stats
Winnipeg
| Game Statistics | Winnipeg | MacEwan University |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (31-65) | (21-62) |
| Field Goal % | 47.7% | 33.9% |
| Rebounds | 48 | 27 |
| Assists | 18 | 5 |
| Turnovers | 20 | 13 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 11 | 14 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 17 | 6 |
| Pts in the Paint | 32 | 28 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 12 | 14 |
| Bench Pts | 36 | 26 |
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – To understand how competitive new Griffins men's basketball head coach David Kapinga is, consider this answer about what it would be like to face his brother Freddy – who is a player on the Saskatchewan Huskies – last weekend.
"That's going to be super special," he said in an interview the morning before MacEwan won their season opener 82-80 over the Huskies last Friday. "That's something we talked about the moment I got the job, the moment the schedule came out.
"We have a lot of love for each other, but we're so competitive that we barely talked this week and we usually talk almost every day," he added. "When we did talk it was about family. It had nothing to do with basketball this week. That just tells you a little bit. I don't want to give anyone an edge over me. Whether that's my brother or my mom when it comes to the basketball court.
"Funny enough, at breakfast, he walked right in front of the window, and I just turned around. That was super funny."
It's clear the Kapinga era is here and it's going to be entertaining, competitive and inspiring.
He will lead the Griffins men's basketball team into its home-opening weekend vs. Winnipeg (Friday, 7 p.m. and Saturday, 3 p.m., both David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).
PURCHASE TICKETS FOR FRIDAY (Saturday's game is part of MacEwan Open House, so it's free. MacEwan students are always free)
"It's going to be a battle," said fifth-year veteran Job Janda, who is back as captain of the team for a second-straight year. "(Winnipeg's) a good team. They're a well-coached team. They play basketball really well together. So, just sticking to our fundamentals, doing what we do, play our game the best we can and following the scout."
Janda was a perfect choice for Kapinga to be the leader of a team that is meshing eras. As one of 11 returning players, he is also well respected by the 10 newcomers.
Job Janda muscles in a hard-fought two points for the @MacEwanGriffins, who are tied 21-21 with @HuskieAthletics after the opening quarter in their season opener.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/II1LK9zSmU
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Basketball Team (@Griffins_MBB) October 25, 2025
"There is no one on this team who would say Job doesn't do the right thing all the time," said Kapinga. "I think that's a very important skill to have as a leader. That's something I try to do as a leader, too.
"You have the right mixture of 'I know Job because I've coached him before and I know his expectations.' I can relay those expectations down to the team. You have the right mixture of 'I was there last year, so I'm not a stranger to everyone and the new guys coming in also know who I am because they played against me.' For us, it was finding that bridge of the old system, the old team and the new team."
The new team is laying a foundation for future success, but it's already been established how competitive Kapinga – the MVP of the 2018 U SPORTS nationals after leading the Calgary Dinos to the championship as a player – is, so expect them to challenge all comers this season, too.
"To be honest, numbers I'm not quite sure, but competitive is the expectation," said Kapinga when asked about expectations. "We have the players, we have the system, we have the Athletics program to help us accomplish those things.
"For us, the biggest thing is 'are we competing every night for a win?' That, I think, is something we can definitely do. When it comes to numbers, I'll say middle to bottom tier. I think it's a safe expectation, but I'm not someone who's being safe. If I were to write it down, that's what I would write down, but that's not what I believe in my heart."
He believes the sky is the limit for this team.
Janda can certainly see something is building here that is generating excitement. Their first win was borne on the details of playing the right way for the full game.
"There were a lot of details that previously we have lacked on," he said. "The consistency in those small details really does play a big factor.
"Kap always says each possession could be the determining factor of the game at the end of the day. So, we're trying to be perfect with every play and making the most out of it. That one play that you did right could be the thing that keeps you on top."
VICTORY!
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Basketball Team (@Griffins_MBB) October 25, 2025
New head coach David Kapinga has his first win in his first game as the @MacEwanGriffins edge @HuskieAthletics 82-80 in #YXE#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/QmpPc41JBZ
Janda is part of the 2-3 group of position players that are interchangeable, in Kapinga's eyes. Former Brandon Bobcats guard Elisha Ampofo was the leader of that group, but he suffered an injury last Saturday. So, it will be up to others to step up.
"For us right now, there's a lot of movable pieces with our height – Hugo (Alonso) at 6-7, Judson (Weir) at 6-5, Job at 6-4. The 2-3 are interchangeable. We have great length at those positions and a lot of good smarts from our 2s and 3s."
At point guard, both Marcus ISO Moore and Diego Presingular have been training to be more pass-first guys this season, but after Ampofo went out, more scoring may be thrust upon them moving forward. Both are capable of either duty or a combo of both.
"Diego last year was a scorer foremost and we've needed him to become more of a point guard and playmaker," said Kapinga. "That's something he wasn't used to. But that's something he developed really, really fast. In practices and in games, you can see the wheels turning in his head – 'last year I would have shot this, but now I got to pass this here.' That's something I'm very proud of him taking on that task and challenge. I think he's going to come a long way this season in terms of a playmaker and a leader on our team.
"Same thing with Marcus. He used to be a scorer and we're needing him to be a little bit more of a playmaker, a little bit more of a leader. That's the challenge that he's taken on. And with his defence, he's been excellent at it."
Marcus ISO Moore is being leaned on for passing and scoring from the guard position (Carter Berge photo).
Then there are the inside men – a deep and lengthy forward/post core. The Griffins have a big for every occasion.
"It's very important to have lots of big men," said Kapinga. "It's one of the most important positions on the basketball court. And you need, not just a lot of them, but you need a lot of variety because you don't know what kind of big man's going to win the game today.
"Is it a brute one? Is it a finesse one? Is it a shooting one? That's kind of what we have. Milan (Jaksic) and Favour (Igbinyemi) are shooters, Favour is a playmaker also. Dami (Osuma) is a playmaker, but bigger and can play in the post. Then Ben (Pearso0 is very similar to Dami. Then Nate (Ntumba) is brute force, just grabbing every rebound, smashing every rebound.
"For us, it was about having the option to decide what kind of inside game we're going to play that night. That's very necessary and important for us to have."
First U SPORTS win for Coach Kapinga. ��
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Basketball Team (@Griffins_MBB) October 25, 2025
First season opener win in 5 years.��
The new era of Griffins basketball starts NOW. ����↕️#GriffNation #GoGriffs pic.twitter.com/DoQmdnqzSi
Ultimately, they have a group that believes. After last Friday's win, they dumped water on Kapinga's head in a viral video of them celebrating his first U SPORTS victory. It showed most of all the pure joy that surrounds this squad.
"We all just had something," said Janda of multiple bottles of water being tossed. "We wanted to do it right there and then (after the game). But that was the best moment to do so."
