Get to know Marek Guynup of the WJ Mouat Hawks
ABBOTSFORD, British Columbia — Marek Guynup has played basketball for eleven of his fourteen years. Marek currently plays for WJ Mouat Hawks Grade 9 boys basketball team.
Committed to his sport, Marek has his sights set on winning high school provincials with his team and playing college basketball. Marek strives to have a positive attitude during games regardless of what happens, good or bad.
Advice that has stuck with Marek is to be the hardest worker, in whatever he’s doing no matter what it is. This advice has been repeated by his coaches and mentors, and it’s stuck.
Recently when asked, Marek shared what it is about the sport that he likes most. It’s the speed of the game and the amount of skill it requires. He does not follow any particular pre-game ritual, but he does enjoy (like many 9th graders) hanging out with friends and engaging in other sports.
Being a member of a team has taught Marek that no matter how good you think you’ve become in your sport there is always another level to be reached. A line that is repeated a lot within his team is “The job’s not finished,” because there’s always another tournament or another round in the playoffs to prepare for.
Marek shared about the importance of team encouragement. Together encouragement has helped the team to get through a challenging moment and the potential loss to winning a game. “Our team was playing badly and kind of giving up, but then we started encouraging each other and working hard and we came back and won the game!”
About the team
Team Name: WJ Mouat Hawks
Sport: Grade 9 Boys Basketball
Coaches: Ish Birk, Aman Dhillon, Prab Sran
Team Leaders: Pehlaj Bhardwaj , Danny Aulakh, Eddie Geelhoed
This year the team championed at the Eastern Valley Athletic Association (EVAA) finals and earned their berth in the BC Grade 9 Provincials 2022 where they placed 5th. The team has its sights set on winning Junior Boys Provincials in the future.
A team belief: They all work hard together, celebrate wins, and remember the phrase their coaches use to support them as they continue to work towards their goals, “The jobs not done.”
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