There’s confidence, and then there’s Martin Bogajev.
The second year Capilano University Blues guard has never met a shot he didn’t want to take.
“It’s always green,” Bogajev said before a recent game, discussing what the shot-selection traffic light in his brain looks like. “No matter what. Even if I miss like seven in a row, the next one is going in.”
His coach confirmed that Bogajev’s light, at least in his own mind, glows green at all times.
“What makes Martin the best shooter in the league is his mindset,” first year Blues head coach Cassidy Kannemeyer said. “Whether I think Martin’s shot selection is great or below average or whatever, Martin doesn’t care what I think.”
It’s true, Bogajev doesn’t care what his coach thinks about his shot selection. And it’s also true that Bogajev is, without a doubt, the best shooter in the PacWest league.
True to his sharpshooter reputation, Bogajev was the league’s top scorer, averaging 21.8 points per game. He’s first in the league in three-pointers made with 65 and also first in the league in three-point percentage at 43.3 per cent. He’s also first in the league in free throw percentage, making 88.9 per cent of his shots from the line.
On Tuesday, he was named to the circuit’s first all-star team as the team prepared for yesterday’s PacWest quarterfinal against Douglas College (past the NOW’s deadline).
There are two parts to his shooting prowess, said Kannemeyer. The first is his technical form, which the coach called “simple and repeatable.”
“Martin gets his feet set better than anyone in the league and drives up through his toes so he always has his lower body behind his shot,” he said. “Really what his arms do is they just follow the lower body. … When he shoots it his shot is so straight and his form is always the same – they all look like they’re going in. The ones that miss are close misses.”
The second, and most important, part of the package is his confidence: It’s unwavering.
“Martin believes in his mind that every shot that he takes is going to go in. A great shooter has to think like that,” said Kannemeyer. “Martin never (questions his shots). Martin has the same mindset going into every game: that he’s the best shooter on the court and that every shot he takes is going to go in, and that’s what makes him a great shooter.”
Bogajev was born in North Vancouver but his family moved to Burnaby when he was an infant. Basketball came into his life in elementary school because he “couldn’t afford to play hockey,” he said. But once he was on the hardwood, he was hooked.
“When I was little I always wanted to shoot threes,” he said. “I used to shoot from my hip. That was always my thing. I just camped out there.”
His skills earned him a prominent place on the senior team at Burnaby South secondary, a squad that was tagged for greatness led by Jermaine Haley, who is now a redshirt at NCAA Div. 1 school New Mexico State. But the results for the Rebels never quite caught up to the excitement, something that Bogajev partially blames on chemistry issues.
“There were a lot of egos. We should have done better than we did.”
Kannemeyer believes those days at Burnaby South helped shape Bogajev into the competitor he is today.
“At Burnaby South they lost some big games,” he said. “I think Martin plays with passion and plays with a lot of resiliency knowing that he doesn’t want to make those same mistakes again, or let his teammates make those mistakes. I think that’s why he does a great job of coaching guys on the bench and coaching them on the floor. He’s been through scenarios where there’s been a lot of adversity. … Everything was always against them. They were almost like the villains of B.C. high school basketball. They had so much talent so everybody was rooting against them. That’s what makes Martin such a great competitor in this league. He’s been through those fires.”
Kannemeyer knows Bogajev well, having coached him on provincial age-group teams. He knows to expect one completely ill-advised shot per game. He also knows that those ill-advised shots will still go in a lot of the time.
“He takes one shot a game where I go, ‘that is not the shot we need.’ And 40 per cent of the time he makes it,” he said. “It’s a ‘No, no, no … yes!’”
The Bogajev traffic light, however, is not always green in Kannemeyer’s mind. If Bogajev takes an outrageous shot that does not go in, the coach will watch what happens on the defensive end the next possession. If Bogajev takes a risky gamble, it’s a sure sign that he’s tired and needs a breather. But if he plays tough, straight up defence, he’ll be free to stay in the game and let ‘er rip.
What helps Bogajev stay on the floor is that he’s a willing and able playmaker as well. He starts at shooting guard but often slides over to play point guard when substitutions are made. When he’s playing point his shooting and passing combine to open up defences – Bogajev is eighth in the league in assists, one spot behind teammate Brendan Bailey.
“Martin is the best on our roster at reading screens,” said Kannemeyer. “He’s going to draw one, two, three defenders – everybody is going to be worried about him – and that’s going to get everybody else open. And he’s unselfish – he’ll share the ball.”
Add it all up and Bogajev has helped the Blues stay competitive in a year in which the team’s roster is made up entirely of first- and second-year players. The young Blues will host the Douglas College Royals in the final game of the regular season Friday starting at 8 p.m. (the women play at 6 p.m.).
The Blues men and the Royals are tied for fourth in the league with identical 10-10 records, meaning the winner on Friday will stay in that spot and the loser will finish fifth. No matter what, however, the two teams are locked into an opening round 4 vs. 5 playoff game at the provincial championships scheduled for March 3-5 at the Capilano Sportsplex.
Kannemeyer is hoping for a big crowd to spur on the Blues as they go for provincial gold on their home court.
“They need to be loud,” Kannemeyer said of what he’s hoping for from the Capilano fans during provincials. “I think that come March 3, it’ll be a great atmosphere.”
