'A dream come true': Sask. Rattlers players rekindle childhood friendship
From the Windy City to the Bridge City.
Saskatchewan Rattlers players Scottie Lindsey and Lawrence Moore are set for a reunion nearly 20 years in the making.
The pair grew up in Chicago and first met when they made the same travel basketball team as children. Over the years that followed, Moore and Lindsey would end up playing against each other in high school before the sport separated them.
Now the lifelong friends are taking their talents to SaskTel Centre this summer as professionals in the Canadian Elite Basketball League.
“My childhood friend still playing basketball, and we end up meeting like 20 years later. So it's like excitement and almost a dream come true,” Moore said.
The pair took two different paths to get here.
Moore arrived at the University of Saskatchewan in the fall of 2016 to play for the Huskies after two years with Bakersfield College.
The guard better known as “Bam” to his friends and teammates quickly became a Canada West star.
Since then, Moore has put roots down in Saskatoon, staying in the area full-time and playing with the Rattlers since the league’s inaugural season in 2019.
Lindsey stayed in Illinois to play for the Northwestern Wildcats in the NCAA. He has since played in Portugal and a few NBA G League teams.
The idea of taking the court together again is still sinking in.
“This is just full circle. Just thinking about it and thinking about where we were, and for us to still be playing almost about 20 years later. That's something special so we definitely don't take that for granted,” Lindsey said.
Moore says he would go as far as calling Lindsey a brother.
And once they get their chemistry back, teams around will take notice.
"I felt like I could walk down a dark alley and come out with no scratches. That's my guy. When we start clicking as a group we will be a very tough team,” Moore said.
Moore and Lindsey have spent lots of time together since training camp started last week, It got Lindsey thinking of all the success the two shared as children.
"Honestly, it’s something crazy to think about, but I mean, that's how life works. You just never know,” Lindsey said. “I’m glad it came full circle that we could connect. Hopefully, we can have the same type of success we had when we were younger.”
New head coach Dean Demopoulos has the tough task of getting his team to jell immediately with the season fast approaching. But he knows he doesn't have to worry about Moore and Lindsey’s familiarity.
"It's amazing the connections in the basketball world, and that's just one of them,” Demopoulos said.
If the Rattlers need a basket for the win late in the game, Moore knows who he's passing the ball to.
"If you look at his Instagram name, it's Big Shot Scott — and that's what he is,” Lawrence said.
The pair will take to the court together when the Rattlers open the 2022 season at SaskTel Centre on Wednesday. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.