There’s more than one way to climb a tree, eat a kiwi, achieve a career in the NFL, or in the case of three new point guards for Dalhousie University, to make the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) league.
On Sept. 8, American sports media turned its attention to the Buffalo Bills and their 41-year-old kicker, Matt Prater, who, just a week earlier had been coaching youth football without a professional contract. On Sept. 7, he kicked a game-winning field goal in a last-minute comeback victory.
But Prater’s turbulent path to that moment goes beyond last week. Following his college football days at the University of Central Florida, Prater took three years and three releases to make it in the NFL. Playing in a top league is often not something that just happens.
Look at Taya Talbot, a new member of the Dal women’s basketball team.
Taya Talbot
“My dream has always been to study law at Dalhousie,” Talbot says.
But the 5-6 point guard from Truro wasn’t willing to compromise playing basketball. After Grade 12, she didn’t have an offer from Dalhousie and chose to play for Holland College in the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA), the second division university sports league
Talbot says her defensive skills have guided her throughout her career, saying she’s “not [always] a super confident player” and can sometimes get in her head.
In her first game for Holland, her team faced the Cape Breton Capers, an AUS team. When Talbot heard head coach Chris Connolly call her name to enter the game, she says she thought, “‘We’re playing CBU and we’re in the lower league, oh my goodness.’ I was really, really nervous.”
Talbot scored 12 points that game and earned her place as a starter.
“That was a big eye-opener of what I could really achieve,” she says.
Talbot carried that confidence and continued to develop her game. It was enough to impress Dalhousie women’s basketball coach, Tanya McKay, but not enough to capture the ACAA championship. That honour belonged to the Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics and another soon-to-be Tiger.
Amanda Pearcey
Amanda Pearcey spent four years at the Mount playing basketball while completing a bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology. When she started, the Newfoundlander didn’t intend to play in the AUS — in her first two years on the Mystics, she helped bring home two ACAA championships; Pearcey says she still thinks of the Mystics squad as family.
Heading into her third season, Pearcey realized she would have a year of eligibility left after her last season at the Mount; to stay in Nova Scotia and do a master’s in physiotherapy, she would have to attend Dalhousie University. She started training with the goal of reaching AUS level; as a point guard, she put a lot of work into her shooting.
The Dal women’s team had a difficult 2024-2025 season, going 2-18, and is looking to find a winning mindset. Head coach McKay, says that Pearcey and Talbot “both embody the competitiveness and energy [the Tigers] value, and we’re excited to see the impact they’ll make.”
McKay also spoke about the “relentless defensive presence” of both players and Pearcey’s “strong leadership qualities.”
Pearcey says hoisting the trophy in her final season is her most treasured Mystics memory, because she contributed much more than in previous seasons.
“I’m breathing it in, all my hard work paid off … it’s amazing,” she says.
With the Tigers, Pearcey says she’s developing her technical skills and adapting to play outside a small ball system, like the Mount favoured.
Junior Kazadi
Over on the men’s team, there’s a new point guard who likes Dal’s emphasis on building team chemistry.
Junior Kazadi started his post-secondary career with a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association national silver medal in his first year at Dawson College in Montreal. In his second year, he helped the Dawson Blues capture a Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Quebec silver medal. Kazadi says he enjoyed playing competitive basketball and contributing to a winning culture.
But Kazadi’s goal was always to play university ball, and it was a similar winning culture that attracted him to Dal. He says Dal’s team has no ego problem, despite being loaded with talent and athleticism, adding that the squad, while young, has maturity beyond its years.
His coach, Rick Plato, says he has high hopes for Kazadi and the rookies.
“I really think Junior will lead a rookie class which could be our very best in my time as head coach,” Plato says.
Reflecting on a disappointing 2024-2025 season, Plato says the Tigers were missing a “championship mindset.” He says Kazadi’s “defence first” disposition and mental toughness are key to reinstating a winning mentality.
Both teams play their first regular season games on Oct. 22 against Acadia University — the women at home and the men in Wolfville — as Talbot, Pearcey and Kazadi make their AUS debuts.
