It’s always been an uphill climb for Prince Rupert baller Kyler Reece.
Reece is five-foot-nine, which automatically puts him at a disadvantage against guys that are closer to seven feet. But he embraces his underdog status.
“I’ve always been overlooked, I’ve always been the underdog. I’d like to prove people wrong and benefit myself along the way,” he said.
Being undersized has been one of Reece’s biggest challenges, he said. That’s especially true in the Canadian Inter-university Sport (CIS) league, where Reece plays as a member of the Thompson Rivers University (TRU) Wolfpack. The guys in the league are bigger and stronger, but Reece is used to battling for every inch.
He wasn’t recruited to play basketball at TRU, but made the team as a walk-on in an experience he said is the hardest thing he’s done in his life.
“The training camp was insane. There were three workouts a day, five days a week for three weeks,” he said.
Seeing that practice jersey for the first time, knowing he had made the university team is one of the highlights of his young career.
“I went into the tryout with high hopes, but to see that jersey and actually wear it, it’s a great opportunity for me and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world,” Reece said.
His size and being a player from the lonely north may have put him at a disadvantage, but Reece stays positive. One thing he loves about basketball is the potential for growth.
“There’s never a ceiling on your capability, how good you’re going to be. You can be as good as you want to be, it just depends how hard you work,” he said.
Reece is in his second year at TRU, where he plans to get his Bachelor of Education in hopes of become a high school English teacher.
His hoop dreams have always been in his blood. His family played it before him and it was only natural that he would too. Basketball has always been his primary sport.
It started with playing minor ball in Grade 7, but Reece didn’t get serious about the game until Grade 8. Playing as a Rainmaker in Grade 12, he and the team placed third in provincials in what he says is his biggest achievement as a player so far.
“We had a great team with guys I can call my brothers for life,” he said.
Reece also played on several All Native teams at the All Native Basketball Tournament (ANBT), both juniors and intermediates at the main event.
One of his favourite memories is playing alongside his brother on the Hartley Bay intermediates. His brother was captain and Reece was co-captain.
“The environment here is unreal and that’s what I love about it,” he said.
Reece speaks passionately about why he loves basketball so much.
“You could be having a bad day and you can take your frustrations out on basketball. It’s a safe haven out there, nothing matters when you’re on the basketball court,” he said.
Like many other athletes, sports has become a distraction, a safe place for him. It takes all of his focus and becomes a platform for him to prove he is capable.
Another reason the love of basketball burns inside him is because he was born and raised in Prince Rupert. It’s hard not to love something the entire city seems to agree on.
“I would say the community, we have a mutual love for the game of basketball. Prince Rupert is a basketball town,” Reece said.
There’s a certain kind of pride that comes with representing the coastal city, as well as the Charles Hays Rainmakers. Reece tells a story about how he met someone in the United States last year who asked his coach if anyone knew the Rainmakers.
“We have a Rainmaker right down here,” answered his coach, pointing at Reece.
That’s when the Rupert product realized having the opportunity to learn basketball as a Rainmaker can take you places, and he’s already starting to enjoy some of those opportunities.
Being a basketball player has given Reece openings he never would have otherwise, like travelling. He has been to Calgary, Winnipeg, California and more for basketball games, and that’s a big advantage for him.
“Basketball has taken me places I wouldn’t expect to go in my lifetime,” he said.
When asked about his favourite place, he first answers Edmonton. But then he adds, “but it was very cold there,” so he changes his answer to Calgary.
It hasn’t been an easy journey and Reece doesn’t expect it’s about to get easier. But he’s a firm believer that hard work pays off and that is his game plan for the foreseeable future.
“For now, it’s just get better and maybe climb the ladder on my team and hopefully, eventually it will come,” he said.