Dave Taylor Confronts Former Team in Pivotal Canada West Semifinal
After an impressive 32-year tenure with the University of Regina Cougars women's basketball program, veteran coach Dave Taylor now finds himself on the opposing bench. Taylor, who departed Regina last July to join the UBC Thunderbirds, will face his former team for the first time this Friday night in a highly anticipated Canada West semifinal matchup in Vancouver.
A Coaching Legacy Meets New Beginnings
Taylor's connection to the Regina program runs deep, having served as head coach for 19 seasons from 2006 to 2025, preceded by 13 years as an assistant coach. His departure marked the end of an era for the Cougars, who now compete under interim head coach Michaela Kleisinger, a former player under Taylor's guidance from 2015 to 2020 and an assistant coach for the past three seasons.
"It will be fun," Taylor remarked about the upcoming confrontation. "Quite frankly, I'm glad we're playing at UBC; Regina is a tough place to win. And obviously they're such a talented group too."
Familiar Faces on Both Sides
The emotional complexity of this matchup extends beyond the coaching staff. Taylor personally recruited much of Regina's current roster, including fifth-year players Jade Belmore, Cara Misskey, and Rachel Vanderhooft. These athletes helped propel the Cougars to a strong 17-3 record in the Prairie division this season, securing second place before advancing to the semifinals with a decisive 74-48 quarterfinal victory over UBC Okanagan.
Meanwhile, Taylor's new team, the UBC Thunderbirds, enters the contest with momentum of their own. After leading the Pacific division with a 16-4 regular season record, UBC demonstrated resilience in their quarterfinal matchup, overcoming an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat the Alberta Pandas 75-69 on Sunday.
National Championship Implications
The stakes for Friday's semifinal extend far beyond personal history. The winner will advance to the Canada West final, where they will face either the Saskatchewan Huskies or Calgary Dinos, who compete in Saskatoon on Saturday. More significantly, both Canada West finalists earn coveted spots in the national championship tournament—the U Sports Final 8—scheduled for March 5-8 in Quebec City, hosted by Laval University.
Taylor acknowledged the unique circumstances surrounding this game but emphasized the competitive priorities. "This week, I've had a bunch of people kind of reach out and ask me and kind of go, like, 'Hey, is it kind of weird?' I go, 'Honestly, not really,'" he explained. "I'm in that coach mode where we're just playing a really, really good team that I happen to know their personnel."
Balancing Loyalty and Competition
The veteran coach revealed he has been cheering for his former team throughout the season—until now. "When I say I know them, I know how good they are. And I've said this all year, I've been cheering for them every game they've played. This is the first game they've played this year that I won't be cheering for them," Taylor admitted.
Despite the personal connections, Taylor recognizes that both teams share the same ultimate objective. "At the end of the day, we're both playing for a shot to get to nationals... Obviously, if you ask them, it's more important to win to go to nationals than that they're playing their former coach or anything."
A Transformed Roster
While Taylor possesses intimate knowledge of Regina's players and coaching staff, he noted that this year's Cougars squad differs significantly from the team he coached last season. In the previous year's playoffs, Regina fell to UBC in the quarterfinals, adding another layer of narrative to this year's rematch with roles reversed.
As Friday's semifinal approaches, the basketball community watches with anticipation as one of Canada West's most respected coaches navigates the emotional and strategic challenges of competing against the program he helped build over three decades, with a national championship berth hanging in the balance.
