They trail Ottawa 79-78 in the Elam Ending, with the target score set at 80. As they defend, one more bucket scored against them will end their entire season. When Ottawa’s shot clanks of the rim, point guard Trae Bell-Haynes hustles for the loose ball, sprints up the court at breakneck speed, and elevates in between three defenders for the season saving bucket. He lets out an emotional roar as he gets mobbed by his teammates, their rocky start is now in the past. They are in the playoffs. 

If you’ve followed Trae Bell-Haynes’ basketball career, the emotion was surprising, the play was not. 

Bell-Haynes is known in basketball circles as a steady, consistent leader as a starting point guard. He’s applauded for his pesky defence and his efficiency around the basket. Understandably, he leads his River Lions in assists, steals and field goal percentage. To Bell-Haynes, his role is simple.

“Take care of the ball, set the tone,” said Bell-Haynes, “I just make sure that we’re executing our game plan, whatever that may be.”

Niagara’s head coach knows the position well. Vic Raso was a two-time CIS champion at Carleton as their starting point guard. Known as a trusted and consistent player throughout his entire university career, he can tell first hand how the position should be played. For Raso, Bell-Haynes certainly fits the criteria. 

“He’s our engine. He’s just our most solid guy, all the time. He never gets too high, never gets too low,” said Raso, “He’s an extension of me on the floor for the most part, we are constantly having conversations and he makes good decisions.”

This isn't Bell-Haynes’ first rodeo either. Despite being only 24 years old, he’s been thrown into many high pressure situations before. In fact, he’s been fighting through pressure his entire life.

“Back when I was a kid, I had a tough dad and he was in the crowd yelling at me, ‘You got to do this!’ or ‘You got to do that!’,” said Bell-Haynes, “Just putting pressure on myself and having someone who puts pressure on me kind of helped me at a young age, prepared me for when other people are putting pressure on me, it doesn’t matter as much.”

From there, Bell-Haynes began his ascension into the upper echelon of young hoopers in Toronto. In his senior season in high school, he teamed up with Saskatchewan Rattlers guard Rashawn Browne at Bill Crothers to win a Provincial Championship. Together, they grew close, but also developed the competitive edge that you see in Bell-Haynes today. 

“I love him off the court, that’s my brother,” said Browne, when asked about facing Trae in the CEBL, “But once we step on the court I bet he’s thinking the exact same way, he’s trying to kill me and I’m trying to kill him.”

College was more of the same. Despite coming to the University of Vermont as a 19 year old kid, he started 132 of 139 career games for the Division 1 school, and his team went 119-42 in his four years with the Catamounts. Oh, and he also won back-to-back conference Player of the Year awards, one of only eight players in the history of Vermont’s conference to do so. 

It’s safe to say Bell-Haynes has gotten ample experience leading his team in winning situations. Therefore, with the River Lions in dire need of a victory, he channeled his past successes, and he was certainly prepared for the moment. 

“It’s just poise down the stretch. The more you’re put in situations where every single possession matters, the more prepared you are for it,” said Bell-Haynes, “Being in that situation in college, as a pro you just got to take that experience and take it here.”

It’s clear that Bell-Haynes has loads of knowledge and wisdom to pass onto his teammates. That’s why you can commonly see him grab a teammate after a bad play, or comfort a player when he’s feeling down. Despite all this, Bell-Haynes’ voice rarely projects. He stays relatively quiet and calm at all times. Instead, he prefers to lead a different way.

“I lead by example. I come in every day, ready to go, locked in on whatever coach has to say,” said Bell-Haynes, “I’m probably one of the more level-headed guys on the team, so when the team gets up or down or when the energy’s wrong, I’ve got to be that guy who brings everybody back to focus and be even keel.”

It seems like his leadership has worked on his teammates. Despite being the second youngest player on the roster, he's earned the respect of the entire team, even the veterans. Forward Tyrone Watson has been playing pro ball for six seasons, and carries a large voice in the locker room. He’s fully behind Bell-Haynes, and has even helped craft a nickname tailored to his point guard.

“I actually call him Tim Duncan, but he’s young so we call him Baby Fundamental,” said Watson, “He can get his match lit and we feed off his energy and he’s been producing for us at a steady pace this whole tournament and we’ve built a lot of trust and confidence in him.”

When Bell-Haynes hit the game winner against Ottawa, his energy was certainly felt. Despite his cool, calm demeanour, he knew when to turn on the emotion, and his entire team celebrated in unison. In reality, that fire is always inside him, he just picks and chooses when to show it. Much like his game, Bell-Haynes is patient and selective, but he always knows when to turn it on. 

Despite all of the issues the River Lions have faced this season, the simple fact remains, they are headed to the playoffs. Trae Bell-Haynes has won his entire career, and he doesn’t plan on changing that anytime soon. While uncertainty still lies, the team can feel confident that their quiet, but deadly point guard is ready to lead the way.

“It’s all about winning all of the time and I think I help the team know we’re not here for any of the other stuff,” said Bell-Haynes, “We’re here to do a job, we’re here to win and we’re here to get to the Championship game, and hopefully we can win it.”

You can catch the Niagara River Lions play the Hamilton Honey Badgers in the Quarter Finals of the CEBL Summer Series on July 6 2020 at 5:00 PM ET. All games live on CBCSports.ca and on Twitch.