DIDSBURY - After a solid university career, a local basketball player is heading to Spain to play professional ball there after signing a contract.
Didsbury's Zac Overwater played five years for the University of Lethbridge after graduating from high school.
Overwater, a 6 - 8 forward, recently played for the Edmonton Stingers of the professional Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). In the first season for the league, Overwater helped the Stingers reach the CEBL semifinals.
Overwater was raised in Didsbury and went to school in the town until Grade 10 when he moved to Lethbridge to attend school there.
"I've been down here ever since," said Overwater of Lethbridge. "My parents still live by Didsbury on an acreage. My father has a company based out of Didsbury and we have a house. I come down and visit whenever."
Overwater has been playing basketball pretty much his whole life.
"I'm sure I had a ball in my hand as soon as I could hold something," he laughed. "My dad used to play and my mom too. So it kind of runs in the family."
Overwater first began organized basketball in Grade 6 at Westglen School in Didsbury and has kept playing.
"I began to play club basketball in the springs," he said. "I played for one in Airdrie and then an Olds team. After that we had our own in Didsbury. My dad started a club program. We had an Under-15 and Under-17 team. I played on both teams."
After playing Grade 9 basketball at Didsbury High School, Overwater transferred to Lethbridge Collegiate Institute (LCI) to play against tougher competition and become a better player.
"It was a really good experience," he said. "High school basketball here is extremely popular. The community is super-involved. It was a ton of fun. It was very fast paced; some of the best basketball in the province."
After graduating from LCI, Overwater received several offers to play at universities across Canada. However, he chose to stay in Lethbridge and play for the local University of Lethbridge Pronghorns.
"I certainly don't regret that decision at all," he said. "It was good. It went by insanely fast. The first year we had a few guys go down with injuries but overall it was OK. I was selected to the Canada West all-rookie team. I started almost every game for us, which was a pretty good opportunity for a rookie. I was pretty grateful for that."
The Pronghorns did much better in Overwater's second year, making the Canada West playoffs.
"It was another great year," he said. "We had to say goodbye to several seniors that had taken us young players under their wings. They were big role models for me."
In Overwater's fourth year, he had a breakout season that ended with him being selected Canada West third team all-star. He also set the Pronghorns' team scoring record with 49 points in a single game.
"Our best player, our point guard, went down early in the season with a knee injury," he said. "That was tough, but then we got on a roll and were playing really well. That's when I took the next step in my own game. I had some really good games."
Overwater said the 49-point game was extra special because the team ended up beating powerhouse University of British Columbia (UBC) in overtime.
"That's one of those games I'll remember my whole life," he said. "They had one of the best players in the country. That was a huge win for us."
The Pronghorns ended up making it to the Canada West semifinals before losing to the University of Alberta that year.
In his fifth and final year, which was last year, Overwater had an up and down season.
"That went by even quicker," he said. "We had a talented team but we gave away a lot of games we shouldn't have. We put ourselves where we had a real tough journey in the playoffs."
The team once again fell to the University of Alberta in the playoffs. Overwater ended up averaging 19 points per game and was chosen to the Canada West first all-star team.
"It was a good memorable year," he said. "Our team was full of great guys. It had a bitter ending but the year was still nice."
After graduating from the University of Lethbridge, Overwater got a chance to play for the Edmonton Stingers of the professional Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), in the league's inaugural season.
Overwater said he knew the coach, who was the head coach of the University of Alberta, and got a chance to try out and ended up being selected.
"I had a good training camp and ended up making the team," he said. "I was there all summer playing for them."
The Stingers are one of six teams in the CEBL, which also includes Niagara, Saskatchewan, Hamilton, Guelph and Fraser Valley.
"It was a cool experience," he said. "It was the first year but it went well. The league has tons of talent. The basketball is really good. Our crowds in Edmonton were great and super loud. We had a lot of community involvement as well. We did tons of activities in the community and volunteered."
The team ended up losing in the semifinals by two points to the eventual league champion Saskatchewan Rattlers.
"They were a really good, hard-working team," he said.
Overwater is already on his way to Spain to play professional basketball. He signed an eight-month contract with Club Vic near Barcelona.
"It should be a good experience," he said. "It'll be nice to live and see a different culture; see the world a bit. I'm really looking forward to it."
Overwater graduated with a bachelor of fine arts with a focus on new media. He is hoping to eventually become a screenwriter but for now he is happy to continue playing basketball for a living.
"I've made a couple of short films and done some writing," he said. "It's nice you can do it from anywhere."
Overwater really enjoyed growing up in the Didsbury area and living on a small acreage with his family.
"I loved it," he said. "We lived on an acreage. I had it good growing up. I had two very supportive parents who helped me get where I am. They pushed me to be a better player and, more importantly, a better person. I had two siblings that have been nothing but supportive of me."
