CALGARY– For the first time since February 2020, the Dinos men's and women's basketball teams return to the Jack Simpson Gym with the Calgary Cup non-conference tournament, Oct. 15-17. 

The Dinos men's team will play three games in three days, kicking off the weekend against the Manitoba Bisons Friday at 8 p.m. The Dinos will follow that up with a Saturday matchup against the Saskatchewan Huskies at 8 p.m., finishing the weekend by taking on the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack at 12 p.m. on Sunday. 

Calgary men's head coach Dan Vanhooren is looking for his team to get off to a fast start this season.

"We have a combination of team speed, shooting, and a general size that will create some versatility," Vanhooren said. "Our goals are lofty, and we expect to be in the mix at the end of the year."

When looking ahead to the first weekend inside Jack Simpson Gym, Vanhooren is thrilled for the early challenge the three opponents will bring to the table,

"All three opponents are strong teams. They have all been playoff teams for several years and will present significant learning opportunities for our young group. We're looking forward to working on our ability to defend and the learning we will bring into the start of conference play from these experiences."

Also over the weekend, the Dinos women's basketball team will face both Thompson Rivers and Manitoba. The Dinos will take on the Wolfpack Friday at 6 p.m. and the Bisons Sunday at 2 p.m.

Head coach of the women's team, Damian Jennings, is excited to take on both teams heading into the weekend,

"They are two very strong programs, both well-coached," Jennings said. "We just came back from Kamloops over the Thanksgiving weekend and had a very tough contest against TRU. We know that we will have a stiff test against them again, and we expect both teams will come at us very physically." 

CALGARY CUP SCHEDULE - JACK SIMPSON GYM