U SPORTS 2018 Men’s Basketball Final 8 – Acadia Alumni Interviews
Savior Joseph
Joseph is the current President of Colour, a digital marketing agency holding offices in New York, Toronto and Halifax. He played for the Axemen from 1997 to 2002; in 2003 he was selected in the Acadia University Connections Magazine as one of 20 Extraordinary Acadia Alumni in the past 20 years. In his final year at Acadia he was voted team MVP and Captain while being an AUS All-Star.
Years playing with the axemen and some of your best memories.
“Honestly, too many memories to count. I remember the first day I arrived on campus and met our team, which was a top 5 team in the country at the time. With a lot of seniors, it was an interesting experience in terms of developing, maturity and learning the professionalism of the game. Watching the work ethic and how the veterans operated, I took it all in and it helped me down the road; winning an AUS championship, playing in the final 8, all those amazing memories. Most of my best memories are all with the team - placing 5th in Nationals, winning exhibition tournaments like our Stu Aberdeen, these led to my success - being the MVP of tournaments, all-conference selection, the Gib Chapman award for leadership. Early on in my career, winning most improved for the team meant a lot to me; just knowing how hard I worked to improve every year. Finally, one of my favorite memories was a game-winner by one of my good friends, Phil Davis. Playing at the Metro Center, first game of the AUS weekend, here’s a guy who battled injuries, transferred from UPEI, I gave him a pass with seconds left and he drilled the shot for the win – something I’ll never forget. “
Connection with the program now.
“I’m now working with Len Hawley on an award in my father’s name for leadership and performance; something that displays what playing for the Axemen is all about. I still come to the games when I can, bring my son as he always loves the AUS weekend or the Final 8. Anytime I can meet a potential recruit and help in any way, I also do that. With that, I always tell people when they’re considering universities, how special this place and what it did for me long-term. “
What Acadia did for you in getting your degree and life after graduation.
“I would have been 21 or 22, first thing I did when I graduated; I got a job with the United Nations in western Africa and a position in using sport to bridge differences in terms of refugees and local communities. That role in using sport in my background of communications and business helped me a lot. Acadia’s diversity and small-town feel made it comfortable for to meet new people and cultures and become natural in different environments. because it was a smaller camp and Acadia was so diverse on campus, I felt relaxing with every person I met. I can truly say, without Acadia, I wouldn’t have had that opportunity. “
The culture at Acadia and basketball history.
“One of the reasons I chose Acadia was because of its history and its culture in winning. Legendary coach, Dave Nutbrown was here and you became instantly connected with Acadia’s past and learned about the stories from the all-time greats. I mean, stories from past players were told constantly… guys like, Jerome Carter, Ted Burn, Kevin Veinot, all these guys were brought up to me in how hard they worked and what it means to be in this program. It was amazing to hear how dedicated and competitive they were, just the responsibility you have when you put on the Axemen jersey. Also, they showed a certain way you had to behave and act in establishing an environment of winning - the numbers speak for itself, Acadia basketball was unbelievable back then. All those things, for us to have the most Final 8 appearances in the country, people need to know it. Another thing with the small-school aspect, the relationships you build across campus, in addition to the team, there’s nothing like it.
Today’s current team and their road to the Final 8.
“I’m excited about the type of student-athletes coach Duffie is recruiting and the culture they’re maintaining. They have very good individual players and the key to success is putting that together. They’ve shown when they do that, they’re very good. “