Moose Jaw’s Dylan Boughen will be joining the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Men’s basketball program in the fall.

Boughen accepted a scholarship to the school recently, and under normal circumstances, he’d be finishing out his senior year at Central Collegiate trying to win another provincial title. Instead, he and other players are forced to practice and workout at home due to the pandemic.

Boughen realizes how fortunate he is to get a scholarship during a year when the pandemic has wiped out high school sports.

“With COVID and everything, I wasn’t sure how this season was going to play with recruiting and stuff,” Boughen said. “I’m really excited that I get an opportunity to keep playing. I’m doing my best to get as much work in as I can before I go up there. But I’m really excited about the opportunity that has been given to me.”

Boughen not only played for the Cyclones during his high school years but also the provincial U16 team that went to the Western Canada Games in Swift Current in Aug. 2019, where he won a silver medal, as well as for the Spartans club team in Moose Jaw.

He said he was thrilled to be able to sign and play close to home, one of the reasons he chose the school.

“It’s home,” he said. “I know I’m going to have my family supporting me, going to the U of S. I have a cousin who plays on the football team, so it kind of feels like home for me. I’ll have some of the hometown fans and I know my family will be watching and supporting me through it all.”

In between now and the fall, while he won't be able to play any high school ball, he will be putting himself through the paces of working out and training to get ready for camp.

“It’s been hard but I do stuff at home, like dribbling at home, just as much as I can,” said Boughen. “I do some on my back shooting, just to keep my form to where it needs to be, and pretty much doing as much as I can. As the gyms start opening again, I’ll be working on the legit shot and stuff like that.”

Boughen is believed to be the first player on the Huskies men’s hoops team from the Moose Jaw area since Peacock grad Troy Gottselig in 2010, who spent some time at Medicine Hat College before joining the Huskies.