Jason Hills
For MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – When you look through the history books of the MacEwan men's basketball program, there are many standout players and coaches that have made a big impact.
But there is one man, who's never recorded a single stat in a game for the MacEwan men's basketball program, who has left a huge impact and legacy as well.
What Scottie Mergaert has built with the program goes far beyond a program record being set, or big wins and losses.
Born with Down Syndrome, the 36 year old is in his 20th season as the team's assistant manager.
"It's been such a big part of his life. He's been there for 20 years, and he's 36 now... that's more than half his life," said Scottie's mother Cindy Mergaert.
"He's made such wonderful friendships there, and it's really enriched his life, and it makes us so happy to see him part of this."
Mergaert joined the Griffins as team manager at age 16 when his high school teacher Darrell Cleave coached MacEwan.
Some of Mergaert's duties included filling water bottles and giving the players fresh towels during games and practices – just helping any way he could with the team.
Over time, Mergaert has become part of the fabric of the program – you can't talk about MacEwan basketball without talking about Scottie.
Everyone has a story about him and how he's impacted them in some way. Friendships come and go, but the bonds he's made with players and coaches, past and present, will last a lifetime.
"Scottie is beloved by everyone who meets him," said former MacEwan basketball player Adam Boyd, who played for the Griffins from 2009-14.
"He's not only synonymous with the basketball program, but all athletics (programs) and their coaches. They all know him by name. He's a celebrity on campus and in the local basketball community."
On Friday night when the Griffins host the Manitoba Bisons (7 p.m., David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV), MacEwan will honour Mergaert for his hard work and dedication for his two decades with the program. The Griffins will also host the Bisons on Saturday (5 p.m.)
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"He's just so happy to be part of the program. Win or lose, he's always praising them, and cheering them on," said Cindy.
Cindy said Scottie has built lifelong friendships with so many former Griffins players and coaches over the years. He's been a groomsman for some of their weddings and has gone to places like Arizona and Kelowna for bachelor parties.
So many alumni over the years keep in contact with Scottie, and he will do the same with them.
"It's amazing the bond he has with so many from the program. It just fills my heart," said Cindy.
"He has such a great connection with them, and they treat him so wonderfully. To them, he's just like one of the guys."
Scottie Mergaert helps the Griffins men's basketball team with everything from providing basketballs to filling water bottles to giving players towels to lifting up their spirits (James Maclennan photo).
Mergaert said that she and her husband Jim were unaware that Scottie had Down Syndrome until he was born – but that never changed their outlook for their son in any way.
It can be overwhelming and scary knowing your child will have a lifelong disability, but they never wanted that fact to stand in Scottie's way.
"I think we just dug in. We wanted to make his whole life as meaningful and important as anybody else's," said Cindy.
"We let him try so many different things to see what he'd enjoy and make him happy."
Cindy recalls a time when they were living in Portland, Ore. and Scottie was just four. Her parents came down for a visit and brought him a Little Tikes basketball hoop, and his love for the sport was born.
"That's what started it all. I can remember us having to raise that hoop more and more. He just loved it," said Cindy.
"When we moved back to Edmonton, we put up a hoop in our driveway, and we were always out there with him shooting baskets – he had a love for it. It was his passion."
Boyd recalls the first time ever seeing Scottie was when he came to a MacEwan game in his senior year of high school. He had yet to decide on where he was going to play.
He remembers early on in the game a player was having a rough start, and when a timeout was called, he stormed off the court in frustration.
"Scottie hands him a water bottle as he's coming off and then takes a drink and then takes a couple steps and throws it and walks to the end of the bench and puts a towel over his head and was pretty upset," recalled Boyd.
"Scottie got up, walked very calmly behind the bench and picked up the water bottle and left the gym for a second to fill up the bottle with water. He came back in and handed the water to the guy and looked up at him and gave the guy a big pat on the back and just smiled.
"All the guys (on the team) watched him do that, and we're like 'man, if he's behind you, we're behind you, and we're going to get you out of your funk,' and he ended up getting player of the game that game.
"That immediately stuck with me, and I knew then Scottie had a special way about him."
Boyd said Scottie's impact in the basketball community in Edmonton spans much further than the MacEwan gym. Over the years, he's also worked with the former professional team, the Edmonton Energy, as well as local clubs like Good Hoops and Western Canada Prep Academy.
"Scottie's woven right in with the basketball royalty and the grassroots of Edmonton basketball," said Boyd.
Hockey and football fans in Edmonton all know what someone like Joey Moss meant to fans and teams like the Edmonton Oilers and Edmonton Elks, and you can argue that Mergaert has had a similar type of impact on the MacEwan men's basketball, and the basketball community in Edmonton.
"He loved Joey Moss. He notices a lot of similarities between him and Joey," said Boyd.
"He's very proud of those things and he's very much the spark, the energy and the intangible that keeps the program going."
Boyd said everyone who meets Scottie is immediately drawn to him, and his love for basketball has been that vehicle that's allowed him to show his personality in a way he may not have been able to do before.
"He doesn't have long detailed conversations with you. He's a man of few words, but those words are 100 per cent spot on a lot of the time," said Boyd.
"He knows what he's talking about when it comes to the game of basketball, the strategy, and the opponent. He's got this interesting brain; he hasn't forgotten a detail of a game in his 20 years at MacEwan.
"You can pull up the name of any player and he will tell you what number they wore and when they were there. He's not out there telling everybody what he knows, it's just so important to him, and his love for basketball comes naturally."
This has never been just a side-gig for Mergaert. He takes his duties and his role with the team seriously, and while coaches and players have changed, he's always been the constant presence.
"As much as he's got a jokey personality, he's very serious about his business, and that's why I think he's spent 20 years at MacEwan. It's not just a club or a place for him to hang out,' said Boyd.
"He really craves being there, and the program loves having him there as well."
If you go on the MacEwan Athletics website and look up the list of men's basketball coaches, you'll find Mergaert's profile, and one thing stands out – his job title.
Assistant Manager/Boss
That suits him perfectly.
"Anyone who has any form of employment, Scottie automatically puts them in the boss category, and his boss category is being the boss of MacEwan men's basketball. He got that title from (former head coach) Eric Magdanz," said Boyd.
"He got it formally changed on the website, and that was a pretty proud moment for Scottie, and we've made sure it's stayed up there ever since."
Boyd said while Mergaert has hit a major milestone with this mark, he doesn't envision his good friend stepping away in the near future.
His love for the game of basketball and the MacEwan Griffins runs far too deep.
"I can't see him leaving anytime soon. I think the program would have to fold, or they'd have to fire him, and they'd never do that. He's not going anywhere," said Boyd.
When a student-athlete commits to play basketball with MacEwan, they commit five years of their lives. That's a major life-changing commitment. Mergaert has done that four times over.
Throughout his tenure, he's worked with six different coaches and countless players within the program and each one has welcomed him with open arms and continued to make him a large part of the team every year.
He's part of the MacEwan men's basketball family. Their culture. Their fabric.
"He loves having that responsibility, it makes him feel like he's doing something for the team, and he's part of it," said Cindy.
"They've really become his second family, and our family is so grateful they've given Scottie this opportunity. It's fulfilled his life so much."
