Lakehead University

The name Jim Zoet brings a surge of great memories to Lakehead and Canadian basketball afficionados.  The “Big Man” played for the then Lakehead Norwesters for two seasons (1976-77 and 77-78) and led Lakehead to its only CIAU (now) CIS national championship game 30 years ago.

 

The 7 foot 1 inch Port Perry, Ontario native was a major force in the paint and averaged 19 points per game at Lakehead; 22nd on Lakehead’s All Time scoring list.   He was a CIAU First Team All Canadian in his first season at Lakehead and a Second Team All Canadian in his second season.

 

 

Zoet went on to become a member of Canada’s national and Olympic team, saw short service in the NBA with the Detroit Pistons, and then went on to play pro ball in Holland, England, the Phillipines, Argentina, and Mexico.

 

He was named to the Top 100 Players in Canadian Basketball History by Frozenhoops.com and has been nominated for the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame.

 

Zoet began his collegiate career at Kent State but was not happy with his playing time in the NCAA and decided to head north to Thunder Bay.   Zoet said it was a great decision.  “I went to Lakehead in the summer of 1976.  There were a lot of great memories while I was there. Some of the road trips we went on were quite long at times but it was a great way to learn all about your teammates and yourself.  I made many good friends while I was there and still see the odd person from those days now and then.”

 

 

In his first season, Lakehead won the GPAC conference title and qualified for the national championships being held in Waterloo.  Lakehead made it to the championship finals where they lost a heartbreaker to the St. Mary’s Huskies.  Zoet has fond memories of the first season and the run to the finals; but the national title loss still stings 30 years later.  “The first year was a great year because we made it to the finals but the loss in the final game has always been a sore spot with me.  Most people you may talk to that were there say we got done in by the refs but we can't change what happened and life goes on.”

 

Zoet is especially proud that he played the entire first season at Lakehead with an injured knee and still had a stellar season.  The injury was incurred while working at a grain elevator in Thunder Bay the summer before the season began.  The knee was deemed inoperable during the season due to a viral infection and so Zoet just taped up the knee before each game.   

 

In his second season, Lakehead lost the GPAC title game and were not invited as an at-large team; another sore spot with Zoet.  “I always thought we should have gone as a wild card but it never happened.”

 

In the summer between his two Lakehead seasons; Zoet began his career with the Canadian national team; a powerhouse team that qualified for the 1980 Moscow Olympics.  Unfortunately for Zoet and the rest of Team Canada; the Moscow Games were boycotted and Zoet’s Olympic dream was never fulfilled.  “I missed my chance to go so that was hard to take, but just another one of life's lessons.  The 80’s team was an awesome team, and any time I would see (then National Team) Coach (Jack) Donohue he always said it was one of the best teams he had ever coached, so that says something of guys I got to play with.” 

After completing his second season at Lakehead, Zoet put off finishing his Phys-Ed degree as he decided to pursue his goal of a pro career.   

 

 

 Zoet (No. 12) and 1980 Canadian Olympic Team

 

Zoet has even dabbled in acting; appearing in the US television series made in Toronto called The Hoop Life in 1999-2000 where he portrayed a Russian basketball player.  During this thespian stint; Zoet got to meet former NBA stars Julius Erving and Kurt Rambis.

 

Zoet has lived in Mississauga, Ontario for the past 25 years and has been an employee of The Beer Store for 23 years. He is married to wife Su and the couple have two kids; daughter Samantha who is 19 and son Jackson who is 12.  Zoet is a proud hockey and lacrosse dad for Jackson and is very involved watching his son playing the two sports.

 

Zoet said his two years at Lakehead made him some life-long friends and also taught him about the discipline needed in later life.  “I think the biggest thing about playing varsity sports is that I've taken the work ethic that was demanded into the real world and I try to put everything into it, even when I'm involved with my son’s sports.”