When any team in sports builds a significant amount of chemistry together, they can look at their teammates and perceive them, almost, as family.
For Owen and Will Coulthard, that idea is a reality. They are looking to carry that Coulthard chemistry throughout the rest of this season and the next, with the Wilfrid Laurier men’s basketball team.
Will Coulthard, a third-year guard for the Hawks, has already cemented himself into the starting lineup and is a prominent scorer and playmaker. Owen is in the middle of his first season as a Golden Hawk, and while he is still learning the ropes, he is a deadly sharp shooter who is quickly catching up to his brother.
For the Coulthards, basketball is deeply rooted in their family history and was an obvious choice for them growing up.
“Our grandfather had been playing basketball his whole life, and our dad [Dave Coulthard] played at York for five years and he was a great player there. And that’s kind of how we got into it, we just started playing when we were young and really took to it,” said Will.
While the brothers have grown up playing the same sport and playing together at home, they have never actually been on the same team.
“It’s a lot of fun sometimes. I try not to get too mad at him when he does something wrong but, it is pretty cool to play together,” commented Will.
“Probably the best part is that even though we never played together growing up on the same team, we watched what each other did in the game enough to be able to play off of each other well,” said Owen.
Part of their smooth transition to playing together is attributed to them growing up together and how Will has helped the process along by providing some brotherly advice on the court.
“I try to give him a few tips to help him out on the court. Stay ready, when you get the ball be ready to score because that’s what he’s here to do,” said Will.
Laurier was an obvious choice for the boys. They are a fan of the school atmosphere as well as the academics it offers. However, in terms of basketball, playing for head coach Peter Campbell was the deal breaker, as he has a special relationship with the Coulthard brothers.
“We’ve known coach Campbell pretty much our whole lives … he actually coached our mom when she was in grade seven, eight and in high school,” said Will.
Playing for Laurier was a transition for Owen this year, coming from high school, but he still felt like the team here was a great choice for his style of play.
“It didn’t really matter to me too much, I kind of figured that if I came here [Will and I] would both make a name for ourselves. It wasn’t really a big deal to me that he had already. I was not really worried about being in the shadow or anything,” he said.
The Coulthard brothers are not short on talent and they both know each other’s strengths. They each praised each other’s ability on and off the court.
“On the court, [Owen] is one of the deadliest shooters I’ve met. He is a pure shooter. Off the court he is just a really genuine, caring guy,” said Will, on his brother.
“On the court, definitely scoring and playmaking, one of the best shooters and playmakers I’ve played with. Off the court, good guy, real friendly, does his own thing, nice to everyone,” said Owen, about Will.
Compliments aside, when asked who would win in a one-on-one game as of now, neither of them budged, both confident in their own abilities. Eventually it was settled on ‘it would be interesting’ and ‘whoever is on their game that day.’
And when asked about the likelihood of the brothers being the starting backcourt for the Golden Hawks next year, Will was fairly confident.
“I think we definitely could, it is a possibility for sure,” he said.
