Mohawks senior Ethan Egert signing his commitment with the University of Alberta Golden Bears on Friday (Photo courtesy of Colton McKee)

By Scott Roblin

Golden Commitment

Mohawks’ Egert commits to powerhouse Golden Bears program

May 1, 2020 | 6:31 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Few players have dominated high school basketball play in Medicine Hat like Ethan Egert, rising from a relative unknown commodity to southern Alberta star.

After years of elevating his game, Egert and his family celebrated a milestone event on Friday with the signing of a contract to join the University of Alberta Golden Bears.

“I’ve been working for it pretty much since Grade 7 when I started playing,” said Egert. “It’s a lot of emotions right now, I’m just pretty excited though to get it done.”

Egert became just the fourth player in Medicine Hat High history to commit to a U Sports program this week, recruited by a Golden Bears program that finished the season ranked third in Canada.

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“They’re a great school in the classroom and on the court,” said Egert. “They’re top in the country for both, they got great facilities, and they have pretty good team chemistry too. So, it was a pretty easy decision.”

Egert leaves Hat High with a bundle of Mohawks career records including most points (1784), rebounds (821), assists (270), and steals (189) in school history.

Head coach Chad Watson saw Egert take to the court over three years and said the growth he saw from the lanky forward was simply remarkable.

“Ethan kind of came out of nowhere as a Grade 10 player,” said Watson. “I didn’t expect him to have this big of an impact during his career. For him to sign at one of the top programs in Canada, it’s pretty special.”

Looking back on his own personal and team success, Egert himself couldn’t have imagined joining the University of Alberta when he arrived as a freshman in 2017.

“Honestly, I didn’t really think I’d ever get here,” said Egert. “But, when they contacted me I was pretty pumped about it.”

Egert’s game took major strides in the shortened 2019-20 campaign, posting an average of 26.9 points per game and being named co-MVP of the Southern Alberta High School Basketball League.

“I feel like over the three years I’ve developed a lot and this year was really the next step,” said Egert. “I just had a lot of ability to do what I want and my teammates trusted me. So, it was huge.”

The third-ranked Mohawks had finished the regular season with a 9-5 record and advanced to the 4A South Zone semi-finals with a 110-87 victory over Lethbridge’s Chinook Coyotes before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Watson said it’s disappointing that Egert wasn’t able to leave Hat High with a zone championship, but added he leaves a remarkable legacy for his younger players to learn from.

“His last game he scored 48 points and we got our zone win, I would have liked to see where this could have ended,” said Watson. “But, over his three years it’s pretty special on what he accomplished.”

Between U Sports and ACAC commitments, the Mohawks have now moved on 21 players to post-secondary teams over Watson’s 13 years at Hat High.