Rookie Khushal Shukla, who poured in 11 points off the bench, was one of four Griffins players in double digits for scoring in a balanced effort (Husain Dhooma photo).
Rookie Khushal Shukla, who poured in 11 points off the bench, was one of four Griffins players in double digits for scoring in a balanced effort (Husain Dhooma photo).
January 16, 2026

Detail-oriented approach, hard work leads Griffins to landmark first win over Calgary Dinos

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Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – With all their new coach has done for them this season, Friday afternoon was the moment for Griffins men's basketball players to pay him back.

David Kapinga was going up against his mentor and former coach with the Calgary Dinos – Dan Vanhooren – for the first time in Canada West competition.

What resulted was a 93-84 win for the Griffins – a landmark achievement as the program's first ever win over the Dinos since joining U SPORTS in 2014.

"We didn't speak about it, but I know for sure all the guys had that in the back of their minds," said captain Job Janda about wanting to win for Coach Kap. "To see it work out in our favour, we couldn't have wished for (anything better). Our perfect gift to him."

Kapinga spoke before the game with his former coach, who gave him a chance as a walk-on with the Dinos in 2015 and together they led Calgary to the 2018 U SPORTS championship title.

To best him in a head-to-head matchup means the world to Kapinga, who has nothing but love and respect for his mentor.

"It feels amazing," he said. "The greatest feeling right now for me is the players understood the points of today's game, they played their hearts out and they said, 'we're doing this for you.' I think the connection that we've built in just six short months speaks volumes on the culture and where we're going right now. 

"I was really, really happy with the result, obviously with the execution of the game plan. And even just battling with coach Dan was something. It's all love. It's competition. 

"He's somebody who's taught me a lot," he added. "Now I understand behind the curtain. I understand what he was going through to create the culture that we had. That's something I'm going through right now. It was really good talking to him about that. It just solidifies the love that we have for each other."

With the result, the Griffins snap an eight-game losing streak and improve to 3-10, keeping their playoff chances afloat. Calgary falls to 7-6.

The Dinos got double doubles from both Dre Francis (24 points, 16 rebounds) and Hayden Franson (14 points, 10 rebounds), while Mrigendra Dhaliwal had 19 points and six steals, and Eli Djordjevic bucketed 12.

MacEwan also had four players in double digits: Diego Presingular (15 points, six assists), Dami Osuma (14 points, five assists), Janda (12 points, eight rebounds) and rookie Khushal Shukla (11 points, nine boards and four assists).

"There are many guys who came up big," said Kapinga. "But the one that I really tip my hat today is Khushal. As a rookie coming in – 4-for-5 from the field, giving us a great defensive presence, being active with his hands, disrupting the other team, that's what we've wanted, talking about it all week. 

"He displayed that today and I think it really, really benefitted us."

Also impressive was the consistency the Griffins displayed throughout the contest. They led 23-18 after the first quarter, stretched it to 46-37 at the half and stayed on top throughout, matching Calgary (21-21 in Q3 and 26-26 in Q4) the rest of the way to post the win.

In past close games, they've found a way to lose, but once the Griffins got a 10-point lead late, Calgary played the foul game and MacEwan didn't flinch.

"It really just shows how far we've come, how much improvement with everything we've done in practice – the habits and sticking to our game plan," said Janda. "I would say today is for sure one of the best games that showcased how much we stuck to our details, just not taking our foot off the gas. It showed on the scoreboard."

Janda noted it was confidence and teamwork that drove the bus to the victory.

"The belief that everybody had within themselves and the ability to just play basketball," he said. "Again, keeping the pressure on them, not having them get too comfortable and going out there to hoop."

Now the challenge will be to repeat the feat against a Dinos team sure to make adjustments for the rematch on Saturday (5 p.m., David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).

"Tomorrow we've got to come prepared because I know what (coach Dan Vanhooren) does on Friday nights – that's studying and coming up with solutions," said Kapinga. "We've got to do the same thing, and we have to also try to predict what solution they're going to come up with and prepare for that."