CIS Hoops.ca

The boys have their server issues taken care of and are back with a vengence, detailing their views on the Canada West playoffs which begin tonight Like Jimmy the Greek, without the lunatic ravings

While most university's and athletic departments attempt to provide MORE media coverage for their sports programs including broadcasting live via the Internet and/or campus radio, the CIS Blog is reporting that the University of Waterloo appears to be going in the opposite direction

An article by Greg MacVicar that appeared in the Cape Breton Post recently that I can't seem to find the link to... Playing basketball at CBU a family affair for point guard Mark McGarrigle By Greg MacVicar, Cape Breton Post SYDNEY — Members of the Cape Breton University Capers men’s basketball team often allude to the squad’s “family atmosphere” but for Mark McGarrigle the term is literal. “I love it,” said McGarrigle, a Capers point guard whose father Tim was coach of the team for several years until the mid-1990s and whose maternal uncle Jim Charters is the current Capers head coach. But McGarrigle calls his uncle “coach” just like his teammates. Charters will be depending on leaders like his nephew when the Capers host their biggest rivals, the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men, at 8 p.m. tonight at CBU’s Sullivan Field House. “He made a huge commitment to put his own personal well-being at risk to play this season,” said Charters of McGarrigle, who tore his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) at a basketball camp last July and decided to play when his doctor gave him the go-ahead in late August. “It says volumes about the type of character person he is and that’s why he’s one of our captains,” added the head coach. McGarrigle, who’s in his third season playing for the Capers, wears a brace on his knee for the injury and may still face surgery after this season’s play is wrapped up. “Right now I’m just trying not to think about it,” said the 20-year-old who was born in Cape Breton and raised in Hammonds Plains, N.S. “It hurts after games, after practices. But it’s nothing too bad.” Despite his injury, McGarrigle is third among Capers scorers with an average of 10.3 points per game, first in three-point field goal attempts at 6.2 per cent, leads the team with 2.3 three-pointers per game, and is second on the team with a free throw percentage of .943. “I’ve been playing more each year,” said the bachelor of business administration student. “As a rookie I didn’t play a whole lot, last year a little more, and this year a starting role.” McGarrigle said the Capers (14-3, 40 points) will be challenged by the X-men (11-5, 32 points). “St. FX are our biggest rivals in the league,” he said. “Not only that, standings-wise, it means a lot. They’re coming off a tough road loss at Acadia, so they’ll be coming here looking for something to prove. They’re the only team to beat us on our home court so far this year.” He added that this is the Capers last home game of the season and the team wants the win for veterans Eric Breland and Paul Blake.
“We definitely don’t want to send Eric and Paul, our two fifth-year seniors, off on a bad note,” said McGarrigle. “It’s a little added pressure this weekend.” Charters said his Capers have to slow the X-Men down. “Their transitioning is very strong, they’re a very athletic team,” he said “We need to control the tempo of the game. And rebounding is always very important.” Charters said Acadia is likely to finish first in the AUS, which means the Capers would be battling for second place and the bye to the conference semifinals. NOTE: The Capers women’s soccer team will be honoured between the men’s and women’s hoops contests tonight, as their 2007 Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship banner will be raised to the rafters. Also, varsity athletes who are graduating this year will be recognized.

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Finally, although not directly related to CIS basketball, we are happy to pass along the following note and share in the celebration of a significant milestone in the career of Phil Allen of Lakeland College in the Alberta college league and CCAA who is poised to win his 800th game as a coach. Congratulations and best of luck Coach Allen...

Phil Allen goes for 800th win as basketball coach (Lloydminster, Alta. – Feb. 15, 2008) — Two of the wins were national championships and 10 wins resulted in Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference (ACAC) championships. Those are just 12 of the 799 victories Phil Allen has as a post-secondary basketball coach. Tonight (Friday) he goes for victory 800 as the Lakeland College Rustlers play The Kings University College in Edmonton. The Rustlers are in first place in the ACAC North Division standings. With each Rustler men’s basketball victory, Allen adds to his record of most wins by a Canadian post-secondary basketball coach. He has held the record since Dec. 28, 2005 when he coached the Rustlers to a 70-61 win against MacEwan Griffins. With that win, Allen surpassed previous record holder Jerry Hemming, the long-time University of Brandon basketball coach who accumulated 734 wins during his career. Allen is in his 26th season of coaching at the college level. He spent 14 seasons coaching the SAIT Trojans and seven years at MacEwan. Allen has coached the Rustlers at Lakeland College since 2003. In all his seasons coaching, he’s only missed the post-season twice. He’s been named ACAC Coach of the Year three times and the Canadian Colleges Athletics Association Coach of the Year once. Wins that stand out in Allen’s mind include the two national championship games won with SAIT in 1982 and 1986. “Winning a provincial silver medal with Lakeland College in only our second year of competition in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) was also very special. We were able to build a very competitive program in a short period of time and I’m proud of that,” said Allen, who is also the director of marketing and enrolment management at Lakeland. To compare Allen’s winning ways to coaches in the United States, Bob Knight holds the record for most wins in NCAA Division 1 basketball with 902 wins. There are only four other coaches in the NCAA Division 1 who have 800 wins and only one – Eddie Sutton – is still coaching.
Provincial accomplishments
10 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference championships
Two silver medals
Two bronze medals
National accomplishments
Ten trips to the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) national championships
Advanced to championship game six times
Won gold medals in 1982 and 1986 (SAIT)
Four silver medals
Two bronze medals

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