Now in Grade 12, Sabean is a co-captain, top scorer and team leader for the Horton D-1 boys’ basketball team, not to mention a highly regarded university recruit.
Growing up in an athletic family – his father Rod is a long-time basketball coach (currently at Central Kings) and his older brother Jalen is a former player – Sabean gravitated toward basketball at an early age.
“I played soccer when I was younger, and I did track in Grade 8,” he said. Otherwise, it’s always been basketball.
The support and encouragement of his family has been key in making him the basketball player he is today, he adds.
“My dad coached me some when I was younger, mostly in the summers,” he said, while older brother Jalen has been an inspiration. “I always looked up to him when I was younger, and he’s still a big part of my life. He videotapes all my games.”
Ending up at Horton was “a combination of academics and athletics” for Sabean. When his mother moved from Coldbrook to Port Williams, Sabean ended up at Horton. He made the D-1 Griffins in his Grade 9 year, and has been part of the team ever since.
“I’m happy here,” he says. “I think it was a good decision.”
Great team
In Grade 9, he said, there were “a couple of pretty solid Grade 12s. In my Grade 10 year, I started to take on the role I have now” – as a #3 (combination guard-forward), specializing in shooting from the perimeter.
“I’m a shooter,” he says.
The six-foot-five guard can go inside, but hasn’t played that position.
“High school teams in Nova Scotia, tend to be small,” he said, so his height allows him to create real match-up problems for opponents.
Griffins’ co-coach Kevin Veinot describes Sabean as “an exceptional student-athlete who excels at both ends of the court. His athletic ability sets him aside from most athletes in Atlantic Canada.”
Veinot believes Sabean has the potential to make his mark at the university level as well.
“His quickness along with his length makes him a perfect fit for the CIS stage,” he said. “Add his impressive basketball IQ to his skillset and you have the best Grade 12 player in Atlantic Canada. I expect him to be an all-star at the university level as he continues to develop his skills.”
This year’s Horton D-1 boys’ team is among the best in the province, with only two losses all season entering a tournament Feb. 5-6 at Horton that featured many of the top D-1 teams in Nova Scotia.
This year’s Griffins, Sabean says, “have a similar core” to last year’s team, and “players who have developed together and have a good chemistry.”
The team’s maturity – many players have been together for at least three years – plus seeing the girls’ team enter February unbeaten has helped the team along, Sabean said.
“When we have a tournament together, it’s a lot of fun. No one is coming in here and winning, against either our boys or our girls.”
Home court will likely be an advantage when the Horton boys host the NSSAF D-1 provincials the first weekend in March.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” he predicts. “Our goal all season has been to win at provincials.”
In order to ensure success, the Griffins “will have to basically improve on everything we’re doing now as a team – a lot of little things, and put them all together.”
Looking ahead
Like any elite athlete in Grade 12, part of Sabean’s mind has to focus on where he goes from here, in terms of post-secondary academics and athletics.
“I’m not sure yet,” he said of his plans for next year and beyond. “Several schools are interested. The furthest away in Canada would be UBC, and there are a couple in the U.S as well.”
He’s narrowed his choice down to two schools - including Acadia.
The bottom line, though, is making the right choice.
“My choice will end up being the best fit for me, both academically and athletically,” he says. He plans to study business in university, although he is still undecided on his future after graduation.
Sabean believes that being part of “something that’s structured” - like a varsity sports team – while in high school, it can be a real advantage once you reach university.
“If you’re part of something structured, you’re expected to have relatively good marks,” he said, adding that in university, the expectation is the same.
Did you know?
Grade 12 senior Gage Sabean is making his final year at Horton arguably his best. At the Irving Classic in Moncton in December, Sabean had 30 points in the final against C.P. Allen (a 75-72 Horton win) and 38 points in a 104-74 semifinal win over Auburn Drive, the only two teams to defeat the Horton boys so far this season. At a tournament in Charlottetown, Sabean had 33 points in a win over Leo Hayes and 31 points in the final against Fredericton – a game Horton trailed 43-19 at one point before outscoring Fredericton 45-11 the rest of the way. Sabean was MVP of both tournaments.
Now in Grade 12, Sabean is a co-captain, top scorer and team leader for the Horton D-1 boys’ basketball team, not to mention a highly regarded university recruit.
Growing up in an athletic family – his father Rod is a long-time basketball coach (currently at Central Kings) and his older brother Jalen is a former player – Sabean gravitated toward basketball at an early age.
“I played soccer when I was younger, and I did track in Grade 8,” he said. Otherwise, it’s always been basketball.
The support and encouragement of his family has been key in making him the basketball player he is today, he adds.
“My dad coached me some when I was younger, mostly in the summers,” he said, while older brother Jalen has been an inspiration. “I always looked up to him when I was younger, and he’s still a big part of my life. He videotapes all my games.”
Ending up at Horton was “a combination of academics and athletics” for Sabean. When his mother moved from Coldbrook to Port Williams, Sabean ended up at Horton. He made the D-1 Griffins in his Grade 9 year, and has been part of the team ever since.
“I’m happy here,” he says. “I think it was a good decision.”
Great team
In Grade 9, he said, there were “a couple of pretty solid Grade 12s. In my Grade 10 year, I started to take on the role I have now” – as a #3 (combination guard-forward), specializing in shooting from the perimeter.
“I’m a shooter,” he says.
The six-foot-five guard can go inside, but hasn’t played that position.
“High school teams in Nova Scotia, tend to be small,” he said, so his height allows him to create real match-up problems for opponents.
Griffins’ co-coach Kevin Veinot describes Sabean as “an exceptional student-athlete who excels at both ends of the court. His athletic ability sets him aside from most athletes in Atlantic Canada.”
Veinot believes Sabean has the potential to make his mark at the university level as well.
“His quickness along with his length makes him a perfect fit for the CIS stage,” he said. “Add his impressive basketball IQ to his skillset and you have the best Grade 12 player in Atlantic Canada. I expect him to be an all-star at the university level as he continues to develop his skills.”
This year’s Horton D-1 boys’ team is among the best in the province, with only two losses all season entering a tournament Feb. 5-6 at Horton that featured many of the top D-1 teams in Nova Scotia.
This year’s Griffins, Sabean says, “have a similar core” to last year’s team, and “players who have developed together and have a good chemistry.”
The team’s maturity – many players have been together for at least three years – plus seeing the girls’ team enter February unbeaten has helped the team along, Sabean said.
“When we have a tournament together, it’s a lot of fun. No one is coming in here and winning, against either our boys or our girls.”
Home court will likely be an advantage when the Horton boys host the NSSAF D-1 provincials the first weekend in March.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” he predicts. “Our goal all season has been to win at provincials.”
In order to ensure success, the Griffins “will have to basically improve on everything we’re doing now as a team – a lot of little things, and put them all together.”
Looking ahead
Like any elite athlete in Grade 12, part of Sabean’s mind has to focus on where he goes from here, in terms of post-secondary academics and athletics.
“I’m not sure yet,” he said of his plans for next year and beyond. “Several schools are interested. The furthest away in Canada would be UBC, and there are a couple in the U.S as well.”
He’s narrowed his choice down to two schools - including Acadia.
The bottom line, though, is making the right choice.
“My choice will end up being the best fit for me, both academically and athletically,” he says. He plans to study business in university, although he is still undecided on his future after graduation.
Sabean believes that being part of “something that’s structured” - like a varsity sports team – while in high school, it can be a real advantage once you reach university.
“If you’re part of something structured, you’re expected to have relatively good marks,” he said, adding that in university, the expectation is the same.
Did you know?
Grade 12 senior Gage Sabean is making his final year at Horton arguably his best. At the Irving Classic in Moncton in December, Sabean had 30 points in the final against C.P. Allen (a 75-72 Horton win) and 38 points in a 104-74 semifinal win over Auburn Drive, the only two teams to defeat the Horton boys so far this season. At a tournament in Charlottetown, Sabean had 33 points in a win over Leo Hayes and 31 points in the final against Fredericton – a game Horton trailed 43-19 at one point before outscoring Fredericton 45-11 the rest of the way. Sabean was MVP of both tournaments.
