Friday 25 December 2009

Merry Christmas

Best wishes for a healthy, happy and prosperous Holiday season to all. I had a coronary issue this past Monday, am home now and feeling much better. Best of luck to everyone for the remainder of the season.

Monday 21 December 2009

U. of Great Falls 79, Alberta 76

UGF men down Alberta

Guards Kevin Harris and Lukas Hambsch combined for 42 points to lead the University of Great Falls to a 79-76 victory over the University of Alberta Golden Bears in nonleague men's basketball Sunday night at McLaughlin Center.

Harris, a sophomore from Houston, scored a season-high 23 points on 11-of-15 shooting as the Argos snapped a five-game losing skid and improved to 4-8. Hambsch, a junior from Chandler, Ariz., drilled 4 of 5 three-point attempts en route to 19 points.

Harris also contributed a team-high eight rebounds, plus three assists and two steals.

...Continue Reading

BOX SCORE

Sunday 20 December 2009

BYU-Hawaii 69, Simon Fraser 59

SFU's web site originally had the Clan meeting Hawaii-Hilo however BYU-Hawaii was SFU's first of two opponents in Hawaii. BYU-Hawaii is an NCAA Division II school competing in the Pacific West Conference, the same conference that Chaminade plays in - Chaminade hosts an annual tournament that has several high D1 teams competing each season and going way back Chaminade was the team that upset Ralph Sampson's Virginia Cavaliers in the early 80's.

According to Simon Fraser's web site, the Clan will meet Hawaii Pacific University Sea Warriors (although the Sea Warriors site shows another game on the schedule).

BOX SCORE

Clan fall to Seasiders
Recap courtesy BYU-Hawaii Sports Information

Laie, HI—The seventh-ranked Brigham Young University Hawaii men’s basketball team used a decisive 23-4 run that closed out the first half to propel them to a 69-59 non-conference win over Simon Fraser tonight. The Seasiders, tied with the Clan at 21-21 with just under eight minutes to play in the opening period, surged to a 44-25 halftime lead on the strength of the run and held off the Canadian visitors in the second half despite hitting only seven shots from the field after intermission.

...Continue Reading

Montana Tech 82, Alberta 60

The Orediggers used a 22-4 run midway through the first half to build a 25 point halftime lead and cruised to an easy victory over the visiting Golden Bears, playing their first of three games in the state of Montana over a three day period. The Bears face the University of Great Falls Argos this evening. Montana Tech, an NAIA team looking to move up to NCAA Division 2 status, had defeated Lethbridge Pronghorns at home by 2 earlier this season and lost a tough 3 point game at NCAA D1 Weber State earlier in December. The Orediggers then built their largest lead of the game at 39 points at 74-35 with 8 minutes remaining in the game. Todd Bergen-Henengouwen led Alberta's offense with 11 points, though nine of the 12 players on the Bears' roster scored in the contest. FULL BOX SCORE


Article from the Montana Standard... Orediggers demolish Bears, 82-60
Tech's defense forces 21 turnovers in rout


Montana Tech's men's basketball team turned up the defensive heat Saturday at the HPER Complex, where the Orediggers blasted their way to an 82-60 non-conference victory over the University of Alberta.

The Golden Bears never got any offense moving as the Tech defense forced 21 turnovers and held Alberta to 29 percent shooting in the first half.

"We talked about pushing the ball because they were so big," said Montana Tech head coach Nate Larson. "We had to create offense with our defense. That was the fastest pace we played all year, but everything started on the defensive end."

...Continue Reading

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA — Khas Tobar 3-6 0-0 8, Harvey Bradford 1-5 2-3 4, Jordan Baker 2-10 3-6 7, Jamaal Bucknor 2-3 0-0 4, Rob Dewar 4-6 0-2 8, Scott Leigh 2-6 0-0 5, Ken Otieno 2-8 2-4 7, Matthew Cardoza 0-0 0-0 0, Todd Bergen-Henengouwen 3-7 4-4 11, Colin MacKinon 0-0 0-0 0, Nikola Manojilovic 0-0 0-0 0, Sahr Saffa 2-3 0-0 6. Totals 21-54 11-19 60.

MONTANA TECH (5-8) — Kellen Hasquet 3-8 0-0 9, Shawn Brooks 1-1 1-2 3, Dirk Anderson 2-7 3-4 7, Dean Colbray 4-7 3-4 14, A.J. Paine 5-8 3-3 14, Tanner Neumann 1-1 0-0 2, Josh Harris 0-1 0-0 0, Cole Conway 2-4 0-0 5, Brian Davison 5-6 1-2 12, Ivan Sljivar 4-8 1-2 10, Eric Schippers 2-5 0-0 4, Hart Greenwood 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 30-58 12-17 82.

Halftime: MT 48-23. Three-point goals: UA 7-16 (Tokar 2-4, Bradford 0-1, Leigh 1-4, Otieno 1-3, Bergen-Henengouwen 1-1, Saffa 2-3), MT 10-21 (Hasquet 3-6, Colbray 3-5, Paine 1-3, Conway 1-3, Davison 1-2, Sljivar 1-2). Rebounds: UA 35 (Baker 9, Dewar 6), MT 31 (Anderson 6, Hasquet 4, Conway 4, Davison 4). Fouls: UA 18, MT 16. Fouled out: none. Technical fouls: none. Assists: UA 12 (Tokar 3), MT 16 (Paine 5, Anderson 3). Turnovers: UA 21, MT 11. Blocks: UA 1 (Bucknor), MT 3 (Anderson 3). Steals: UA 4, MT 14 (Hasquet 3, Colbray 3, Paine 3).

Neate Sager article on Carleton's Decade of Dominance

As 2009 draws to a close, reflections of the past decade are beginning. Sun Media's Neate Sager (also founder of CIS Blog) takes an excellent look at the key elements that have contributed to CIS men's basektball's version of a dynasty at Carleton University.

Carleton Ravens: A decade of dominance

The Carleton Ravens only look at what they need to do, not what they’ve done.

The Ravens’ run under coach Dave Smart the past 10 years has given them the best regular-season winning percentage (.650) of any Ontario men’s basketball team dating to 1970-71.

The decade cannot end without a stab putting that at perspective, which means talking about … practice.

...Continue Reading

Pickering H.S. captures U of Windsor crown

Saturday, December 19, 2009
Consolation Final

Mississauga Joan of Arc 39-36 75
Whitby Anderson 36-49 85
Scorers:
Joan of Arc: Juwon Ogunnaike (17), Muzher Mirza (16)
Anderson: Dyshawn Pierre (32), Jake Hutchcroft (20), Justin Edwards (19)

Third Place
Windsor Catholic Central 41-42 83
Windsor Herman 29-48 77
Scorers:
CCHS: Matt Nuna (27), Tarrence Crawford (20), Mark Mitchell (13), Ayman Alwan (12)
Herman: Jordon Gauthier (24), Antoine Chandler (16), Matt Barker (12), Kyle Greening (10)

Championship
Toronto Henry Carr 27-28 55
Pickering 24-33 57
Scorers:
Henry Carr: Raheem Isaac (21), Shane Reader (11)
Pickering: Asher Tulloch-Lewis (15), Kaza Keane (14), Mikyle McIntosh (10)

All Tournament Team
MVP Kaza Keane (Pickering)
All Stars:
Justin Edwards (Whitby Anderson)
Jordon Gauthier (Windsor Herman)
Shane Reader (Toronto Henry Carr)
Raheem Isaac (Henry Carr)
Mikyle McIntosh (Pickering)

Saturday 19 December 2009

AUS First-Half Summary

After last season's mediocre performance at the CIS Nationals in which both AUS teams suffered first round blow-out losses (X to eventual national champions Carleton & Dalhousie to championship finalist UBC), the conference has enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence this season with two teams - X and Cape Breton - in the Top 5. For the first time in almost three decades, there will not be a major CIS championship tournament held in the city of Halifax as the fine folks of Cape Breton will host the AUS tournament in Sydney at Centre 200, which has capacity for 5,000 for hockey and up to 6,500 for concerts - basketball capacity has not yet been announced. However, next season Nationals return to Halifax Metro Center, promising to be bigger and better than ever.

After battling through a series of injuries early in the season culminating in a less-than-successful trip into Ontario in October, St. FX X-Men (5-0, 11-2 vs. CIS) have been on a roll, winning six in a row, while averaging over 90 ppg. Many of the headlines properly laud X's high-powered array of three-point shooters, led by 5'10" Christian "T-Bear" Upshaw and 6'0" Charlie Spurr, who lead the AUS with 18 3's made apiece and both shoot just under 50% from beyond the arc. However, somewhat lost in the discussion is the X-Men's "d", usually predicated on alternating variations of full-court pressure and traps to create turnovers. St. FX has given up only 71 points per game and allowed teams to shoot only 40% in AUS play. In Upshaw (AUS leading scorer at 23.4 ppg), X has an AUS POY candidate, who has played his best in the biggest games (30 points on 8-12 shooting from downtown at Dal when both teams were undefeated and in the Top 10; 27 points against Acadia, helping to hand the Axemen their first AUS loss and 26 in the rematch against Dal - another X victory). Spurr's season high is 24 points (on 8 of 10 shooting from beyond the arc) in X's home win against the Tigers. X has forced opponents to turn it over almost 20 times per game and the catalyst has been scrappy 5'9" Will Silver, who plays with no fear and has become a stat-sheet stuffer: 10.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 6.2 assists per game plus almost 4 steals per game, highlighted by his near-quadruple double effort in a battle of unbeatens against Acadia: 12 points, 11 assists, 8 rebounds and 8 steals as against only 4 turnovers. Injuries remain a factor as 6'6" Terrence Taylor has played in only 2 games all season and is sidelined with a knee injury which was examined earlier this week. 6'4" Dwayne Johnson also is likely done for this season, although he will have one more season of eligibility should he not suit up. X's best freshman has been 6'3" Jordan Clarke, averaging just over 7 ppg and is a rotation mainstay on the wing... Scoring has also not been an issue for Cape Breton Capers (4-1, 9-2 vs. CIS) as Coach Jim Charters deep, athletic roster leads the AUS at 94.2 ppg with 5 players averaging in double digits, led by 6'1" third-year guard Tremaine Fraser (16.8 ppg). Eleven players are averaging at least 10 minutes per game as Charters is able to shuffle fresh bodies in and out of the lineup, allowing Capers to play at a high pace usually without losing a step regardless of who is on the floor - defensively, CBU has forced opponents into over 20 turnovers per game, resulting in numerous run-outs (CBU shoots 45% from the field despite a 37% effort from beyond the arc). 6'2" U.S. import Jimmy Dorsey has quickly established himself as a legitimate AUS all-star candidate with 16.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 5.0 apg and 2.0 steals per game. Probably Cape Breton's top player is 6'3" Paris Carter who, after missing much of the pre-season with a hand injury, return to play in the final 3 games of the first half - all wins - highlighted by an 18 point effort including 4-6 3's in a Caper win at home against Dal. Although the Capers have defended the "3" very well all season, in their only loss against SMU at home, the Huskies shot at a 5-7 clip from downtown in the second half of their come-from-behind victory. This roster is one of the deepest and most talented in Canada and CBU should be a favorite for the AUS crown... After a promising start highlighted by a successful trip to Ontario, a strong performance at Laval tournament and an early-season Top 5 ranking, the Dalhousie Tigers (3-3, 10-4 vs. CIS) limped into the holiday break, losers of three in a row - all double digit setbacks. Last season's Tigers rode a very active and strong quarter-court defensive effort to the AUS championship and in the first two games of the season, Dal kept opponents in the 60's. However, the final 4 games were very un-Dal-like defensively, as the Tigers gave up more than 80 points in each of those games and teams are shooting 45% against the Tigers overall. 6'2" Simon Farine has again shouldered the majority of the decision-making, logging significant floor time (averaging over 36 mpg). Although he is still among the league-leaders in scoring (20.2 ppg), Farine has not shot the ball as well as in the past (16% from 3 point land; only 3 threes made the entire first half and shooting only 41% overall). Still, Farine's ability to take care of the ball (only 8 turnovers in 6 games) combined with 32 assists (more than 5 per game) indicate he is playing at an All-Canadian level, his shooting notwithstanding. 6'9" Joe Schow has been a presence inside offensively averaging over 12 ppg plus 7.5 rpg however fellow forward 6'7" Sandy Viet, while scoring more and working the glass, still can be plagued by foul trouble. The Tigers are clearly a better team with 6'3" fifth-year guard Andrew Sullivan on the floor given his experience, leadership and ability to play off Farine however the Tigers need more offense from this potentially-explosive wing (8.5 ppg/only 6 3's made thus far). The most productive of the newcomers has been 6'6" freshman Chris Hunt, a smooth shooting forward shooting 58% (14-24) from beyond the arc in 24 minutes per game. 6'3" Marcus Wong sat out the final two games of the first half due to injury and 6'5" William Yengue also missed time earlier. Dal has a chance to regroup at home at the Shoveller tournament with a view of re-establishing the sometimes-dominant defensive efforts of the past year or so as paramount to returning to the top of the conference... Without much question, the strength of the Saint Mary's Huskies (4-2, 7-8 vs. CIS overall) lies in their veteran backcourt tandem of 6'3" Mark McLaughlin (19.2 ppg) and 6'1" Joey King Handles Haywood (22.7 ppg), who together have accounted for just over 50% of the Huskies scoring thus far. McLaughlin, who had an AUS season-high 34 points in a win at Memorial, has been very efficient with an assist to turnover ratio of 5.3:1 - he has only turned the ball over 8 times all regular season. In addition, the fifth-year AUS POY candidate shoots 48% from three-point land and 82% from the line so the ball can and likely will be in his hands late in tight games. Haywood shoots 59% from the floor and has been described here previously loves to attack the rim and play up tempo, transition-oriented basketball - when he is going well, easy baskets are plentiful. Steady 6'5" Ike Uchegbu, in his fifth and final season, contributes over 7 rebounds per game and about 9 ppg while invariably having to guard bigger posts, which somewhat frequently leads to foul trouble for the sturdy inside Nigerian - he has fouled out of 2 games already this season. One of the bigger issues the Huskies must deal with is their ability to rebound the ball: SMU has been outrebounded in 4 of the 6 games in AUS play thus far including both losses (at CBU, at Memorial). Probably the best of the newcomers has been 6'3" Demitri Harris, a transfer from BCCAA, who logs over 20 mpg and contributes just over 6 ppg. However, Saint Mary's Head Coach Ross Quackenbush has not been shy going deep into his bench as at least 10 players average 10 minutes or more of time. Dal transfer Ryan deWinter missed the final three games of the first half and Mike Poole has picked up time up front as well as Ronald Vanel and Simon Marr as Quackenbush seeks to find the right combination up front to work with Uchegbu. In the end, expect the Huskies to continue to ride their slick guard combination (McLaughlin has played all but 13 minutes of league play with Haywood logging about 35 mpg) along with Uchegbu, who will play as long as fouls are not an issue and whoever else steps up... A pair of tremendous recruiting classes are quickly erasing the memory of last season's finish out of the AUS tournament for the Acadia Axemen (4-2, 7-4 overall vs. CIS), who rode an undefeated league record and seven game winning streak against CIS teams into the final weekend of the first half, with a road trip to X and CBU looming. Despite a pair of decisive, turnover-laden losses that somewhat-exposed the young Acadia backcourt and pushed the Axemen back down the standings and out of Top 10 consideration, it is clear that coach Steve Baur is assembling a wonderful array of talent that should continue to grow and mature together. There is still room to make noise this season however led by 6'6" fifth-year senior Alex Traikov (14.7 ppg/8.5 rpg), probably the toughest and best overall post player in the AUS thus far this season. Traikov shoots 57% from the floor and has grabbed 4 1/2 offensive rebounds per game. Traikov, the author of numerous double/doubles already this season, had 22 points and 16 rebounds in the loss to X but struggled with only 8 points and 3 boards in the loss to Cape Breton. 6'3" sophomore Casey Fox (15.8 ppg) has taken a team-leading 14 shots per game, shooting 41% but only 21% from beyond the arc. Fox found the going tough in the final two games as he averaged only 9 points but 7.5 turnovers in the two road losses at X and CBU. Axemen have also received a lift from veteran Andre Grant (12 ppg; 60% shooting), who adds another element of experience to the young group. 6'9" Owen Klassen continues to improve as Acadia's top freshman this season - he had 16 points including a perfect 4 for 4 shooting effort from beyond the arc at X, earning high praise from the X coaching staff. Another high-potential budding star, 6'3" Anthony Sears (8.0 ppg), could round into the decision-maker of the future for Acadia however he has struggled offensively (30% shooting including only 3-19 16% from downtown) while averaging almost 4 turnovers per game including 5 vs. X and 8 vs. CBU. 6'6" Justin Boutilier bounced back from an early-season injury with a 21 point/6 rebound effort against UNB however struggled against X and did not play vs. Cape Breton. 6'5" Jonathan Kamba and 6'3" Tyler Lutton (transfer from Douglas College) are both firmly in the rotation with Kamba starting 3 games on the wing and Lutton logging minutes as the back up point guard. The Axemen must improve at the free throw line from where they shoot only 57% as a team, another indicator of a younger group maturing mentally.. The much-improved Memorial Seahawks (1-5, 1-7 vs. CIS overall) have been in every game thus far and, with their top five scorers all in their third season or less, are building a foundation of young talent. Recently, 6'4" third-year wing Jason Shepherd (14.2 ppg - Black Rock, N.S.) has emerged as their top scorer, coming on late in the first half of the season by scoring 18 or more points in the MUN's last three games, including a near-triple-double 20 point, 14 rebound, 7 assist effort against Saint Mary's in MUN's lone victory at home, where the Hawks are just 1-3. 6'4" sophomore Robbie Habib, another Nova Scotia native, is MUN's top three-point shooting threat (57%) while 6'2" Ontario native Mike Helsby (11.2 ppg), a freshman, leads the team in minutes played at 33 mpg. Off the bench, 6'7" Ante Samodol (9.2 ppg/6.4 rpg/90% ft), a native of Denmark, has provided a spark up front, especially down the stretch of the first half, highlighted by a 16 point/7 rebound effort (7-14 shooting) in the victory at home against SMU. 6'6" St. John's native Steven Earles, who has started all 6 league games, began the season on fire, going off for 26 and 17 points in consecutive games at home against Acadia however has not scored in double digits since, but gets himself to the foul line (team leading 6.2 free throw attempts per game (shooting 78% from the stripe). If the Seahawks are to push for a playoff spot, they must take care of the ball better (averaging almost 20 turnovers per game), create some turnovers (only 9 turnovers created per game - lowest in the nation) and rebound (opponents grabbing 14 offensive rebounds per game). Another potentially telling stat for a team that has played 4 of 6 games at home is that opponents have committed about 6 fouls per game more than MUN has, highlighted by the 18 to 8 foul count in the SMU home victory... Another very young group looking to build a foundation is UNB Varsity Reds (1-6, 4-9 vs. CIS) which this site lauded as potentially one of the more improved teams in the CIS in the pre-season. Unfortunately, the Reds have not defended or rebounded with any consistency as UNB's defensive stats are among the worst in the CIS (giving up 89.3 ppg, allowing teams to shoot almost 53%, average rebounding margin of almost -8 per game including an average of 12 offensive rebounds allowed per game). 6'3" fifth-year wing Michael Anderson is the Reds player opponents most prepare for and generally regarded as their best. Anderson (14.7 ppg) had 32 in the Reds only win of the regular season against UPEI but has had his minutes limited by foul issues, already fouling out of 3 games this season. Underrated and undersized 6'4" Alex DesRoches has fashioned a very strong first-half, leading the Reds at 15.4 ppg and leading the entire AUS in rebounding at 10.4 rpg. The Reds shoot just 29% from beyond the arc as a team led by 6'0" freshman Daniel Quirion (7-18 for 39%). 6'6" Colton Wilson's minutes have gone down (19 mpg); he averages just over 9 ppg. At the point, the Reds have rode 6'0" second-year Queen's, NY native Antwann Parks (7.0 ppg, 3.2 apg, 1.5 spg in 29 mpg) to varying degrees of success but expect Parks to keep improving. Highly-touted 6'3" freshman Gamachu Ibrahim, listed at 140 lbs., has had trouble adjusting to the physicality of play in the AUS and has only one basket to his credit in 6 league games. His time has diminished as the season has worn on... UPEI Panthers (1-4, 1-10 vs. CIS overall) is another team that has not defended, giving up an AUS high 91.2 ppg and have turned it over often (20 per game). Panthers have a very promising top four in their rotation led by 6'5" Manock Lual, who has been the Panthers steadiest and best player over the first half (19.2 ppg/10.0 rpg/56% shooting in almost 34 mpg). 6'1" newcomer Terrence Brown (18.4 ppg/51% shooting including 57% (12-21) from downtown) is one of the toughest offensive guards in the AUS, as highlighted by his 28 point effort at home against St. FX, an effort highly praised by the X coaching staff. Unfortunately, Brown's minutes have been limited due to problems with fouls, having been disqualified 3 times already. Another newcomer, 6'5" Fanshawe College transfer Matt Fennell (14.0 ppg/7.2 rpg/second leading 3 point shooter on the club in 29 mpg), has brought his blend of strength, athleticism and perimeter skills to the table while 6'0" fifth-year guard Nick Toews (16.2 ppg but only 24% from downtown in a team-high 34 mpg) looks to become more consistent with his offense and decision making (5.6 turnovers per game). The Panthers average about 23 fouls per game, allowing for too many easy points for opponents at the foul line (opponents have shot 50 more free throws - 10 per game - than UPEI).

STANDINGS
StFX 5-0 14 PTS
Acadia 4-2 12
Cape Breton 4-1 12
Saint Mary's 4-2 10
Dalhousie 3-3 8
Memorial 1-5 4
UNB 1-6 2
UPEI 1-4 2



SCORING
## Player-Team G FG 3FG FT Pts Avg/G
---------------------------------------------------------
1.Christian Upshaw-STFX.... 5 42 18 15 117 23.4
2.Joey Haywood-SMU......... 6 58 8 12 136 22.7
3.Simon Farine-DAL......... 6 43 3 32 121 20.2
4.Manock Lual-UPEI......... 5 36 1 23 96 19.2
5.Mark McLaughlin-SMU...... 6 41 15 18 115 19.2
6.Terrance Brown-UPEI...... 5 31 12 18 92 18.4
7.Tremaine Fraser-CBU...... 5 33 3 15 84 16.8
Charlie Spurr-STFX....... 5 29 18 8 84 16.8
9.Nick Toews-UPEI.......... 5 29 7 16 81 16.2
10.Jimmy Dorsey-CBU......... 5 27 16 10 80 16.0

REBOUNDING
## Player-Team G OFF DEF TOT Avg/G
----------------------------------------------------
1.Alex DesRoches-UNB....... 7 30 43 73 10.4
2.Manock Lual-UPEI......... 5 16 34 50 10.0
3.Alexander Traikov-ACA.... 6 26 25 51 8.5
4.Phillip Nkrumah-CBU...... 5 10 32 42 8.4
5.Joseph Schow-DAL......... 6 16 29 45 7.5
6.Matt Fennell-UPEI........ 5 6 30 36 7.2
7.Ikeobi Uchegbu-SMU....... 6 20 23 43 7.2
8.Alberto Rodriguez-STFX... 5 16 19 35 7.0
9.Simon Farine-DAL......... 6 9 28 37 6.2
10.Ante Samodol-MUN......... 6 11 25 36 6.0

FIELD GOAL PCT (Min. 3.0 made per game)
## Player-Team G FG FGA Pct
-------------------------------------------------
1.scott jaspers-fayer-CBU.. 5 21 33 .636
2.Steve Earles-MUN......... 6 22 35 .629
3.Will Silver-STFX......... 5 19 31 .613
4.Andre Grant-ACA.......... 6 30 50 .600
5.Joey Haywood-SMU......... 6 58 99 .586

Pickering / Carr Final in Windsor Tournament

Thanks to Mike Havey for passing along the results of the 53rd U. of Windsor High School tournament being held this weekend. Here are the results thus far:

Friday, December 18, 2009 / 3:30 PM
Game #1:
Riverside 36-38 74
Henry Carr 38-37 75
Scorers:
Riverside: Nick Tufegdzich (33), Igor Stepanovic (12),Markus Pelger (12)
Carr: Jahmal Greenan (20), Shane Reader (16), Raheem Isaac (16)

Game #3:
Anderson Collegiate 27-44 71
Herman 31-49 80
Scorers:
Anderson: Dyshawn Pierre (25), Justin Edwards (26)
Herman: Jordon Gauthier (38), Antoine Chandler (13), Charles Johnson (13)

Game #2:
St. Joan of Arc 23-24 47
Catholic Central 26-26 52
Scorers:
Joan of Arc: Muzher Mirza (13), Germain Bempong (12)
CCHS: Matt Nuna (20), Mychal Mulder (9)

Game #4:
St. Anne 13-24 37
Pickering 27-44 71
Scorers:
St. Anne: Andrew Loebach (11), Luka Celic (10)
Pickering: Mikyle McIntosh (13), Natiel McKenzie (11), Asher Tulloch – Lewis (10)

Saturday, December 19, 2009 / 8:30 AM / Consolation SF
Game #5:
Riverside 21-40 61
Joan of Arc 23-41 64
Scorers:
Riverside: Nick Tufegdzich (18), Nenad Preradovic (14),Igor Stepanovic (12)
Joan of Arc: Tremell Mayers (15), Muzher Mirza (13), Steven Bukvic (12)

Game #6:
Anderson 33-33 66
St. Anne 33-27 60
Scorers:
Anderson: Justin Edwards (35), Jacob Hutchcroft (17)
St. Anne: Travis Turnbull (21), Courtney Henry (16), Luca Celic (12)

Game #7:
Henry Carr 37-35 72
Catholic Central 23-38 61
Scorers:
Carr: Raheem Isaac (28), Jahmal Grennan (15), Shane Reader (13)
CCHS: Matt Nuna (21), Tarrance Crawford (9), Mark Mitchell (9)

Game #8:
Herman 36-49 85
Pickering 43-49 92
Scorers:
Herman: Jordon Gauthier (31), Antoine Chandler (15), Antwan Ferguson (12), Kyle Greening (11)
Pickering: Mikyle McIntosh (19), Natiel McKenzie (18), Kaza Keane (16), Asher Tulloch-Lewis (11), Haboubacar Mutombo (10)

Cape Breton Tournament Preview

Capers men to host Christmas Classic; Wilfred Laurier, Laurentian and UPEI to make the trip, Dec. 29-30

The head coach of the Cape Breton University Capers men’s basketball team hopes a new tournament his club is hosting will become a holiday tradition.

The first Capers Christmas Classic will be held at the Sullivan Field House, Dec. 29-30.

“I think we play five games in our first six days back, so it’ll give everyone a chance to get the rust off,” said Capers bench boss Jim Charters. He hopes the tournament could eventually grow to six or eight teams.

...Continue Reading

********************************************************************************

Bison Men's Basketball - 2009 Year in Review - Start 2009-10 season with a new head coach

The men’s basketball team (2008-09: 4-18 regular season and 2009-10 season: 3-6) completed the 2008-09 regular season and did not qualify for the post-season for the fifth consecutive season. They battled with Winnipeg until the last weekend of the 2008-09 season for a coveted playoff spot. Manitoba finished with eight points and was two points back of third place Winnipeg in the Great Plains Division. The Bisons had five games where they lost by six or less points this conference season and did beat McMaster, Lethbridge, Thompson Rivers and Winnipeg.

...Continue Reading

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Finally, I have no idea who Josh Tinsley is and how much influence he has over such decisions; however, Mr. Tinsley is putting forth the notion of the Big Ten conference expanding into Canada for future expansion to a 12th program and figures that the University of Toronto is the best choice.

TWU adds American D1 transfer Kyle Coston

TWU scores recruting coup, ink former Portland State standout Coston

Growing up just south of the border in Lynden, where he finished a star-studded high school career, Kyle Coston’s on-court compass had pointed him in every direction but true north.

While building a decorated basketball resume that included a Washington high school state championship in 2006 and later leading his Portland State Vikings to the NCAA Div. 1 basketball tournament in back to back years, the 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward admits he knew nothing about Canadian university sports.

When a coaching change last spring at Portland State convinced the 22-year-old that it was time for a change, he decided to follow his personal compass through customs to a new home in Langley with the Trinity Western Spartans.

...Continue Reading

Friday 18 December 2009

Jamie Searle Article in Belleville newspaper

A nice piece on the 6'1" fourth-year Belleville, ON native who is finally experiencing national-stage success in Thunder Bay with the Lakehead Thunderwolves.

Grinning and bearing it

Jamie Searle knew he wasn't in Belleville anymore when he noticed something unusual on campus.

"Bear traps," he said.

Now in his fourth year at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Searle is accustomed to the frigid winter temperatures, abundance of snow and even the bear traps.

"I live off campus now and one day I came outside and there was a bear, just sitting on my driveway," said Searle. "It followed us to school, then took off. You get used to it."

...Continue Reading

Thursday 17 December 2009

QSSF First-Half Summary

With just one team having a better than .500 record in CIS games and a 15-26 inter-conference record overall, the QSSF has been thus far maligned as comparatively the weakest in the nation. But occasionally numbers can be deceiving - for example, Laval played the most difficult pre-season schedule in the CIS, travelling out west and hosting three teams from last season's Nationals at their own tournament. Le Rouge et Or also played much of the pre-season without consensus QSSF pre-season POY 6'3" J.F. Beaulieu-Mahieux. UQAM Citadins are also rounding into form slowly getting their entire roster back while the young Bishop's Gaiters and Concordia Stingers roll with virtually entire new rosters. McGill Redmen have shown they can score with most teams on a given night. All five "Q" league teams will play in Holiday tournaments against other CIS competition (UQAM & McGill at UQAM tournament; Laval & Bishop's at Wesmen Classic; Concordia at Rod Shoveller Memorial at Dal), providing member teams the opportunity to dispell the current notion of the quality of the league as a whole.

The class of the "Q" league has been Laval (4-0 in league play, 7-7 vs. CIS overall) and le Rouge et Or have got it done on the defensive end, holding all four of their opponents to 69 points or less (61.8 ppg allowed), 26% three-point shooting and only 36% overall fg% - most impressively, opponents have scored only 42 points total in the fourth quarters of games (10.2 points/fourth quarter). Much was made of the very difficult pre-season schedule and it appears to have served Laval very well in the first half, with their closest game being a five point victory at Bishop's - all other games were double digit wins. With another fine recruiting class and several high-quality returning vets, Head Coach Jacques Paiement Jr. in his first official season at the helm has the luxury of going at least nine deep. Beaulieu-Mahieux has rebounded from his early-season injury and is second in Q scoring at 17.0 ppg however Laval's team MVP thus far could be 5'9" Xavier Baribeau, the scrappy point guard who makes most key offensive decisions and loves to take big shots. Baribeau (13.8 ppg) shoots 48% (13-27) from downtown and average over 3 3's per game. 6'5" Etienne Labrecque (15.3 ppg/8.5 rpg) sits third in Q league scoring and leads the entire conference in rebounding while steady 6'5" F.O. Gagnon-Hebert shoots 61%, cleaning up misses and finishing inside. Laval may have one achilles heel as they shoot only 62% from the free throw line. The best of the freshman has been 5'8" J.P. Renaud, averaging 6.8 ppg including 47% from downtown while logging over 25 mpg.... After a slow start in the pre-season, UQAM Citadins (3-1 in QSSF, 6-7 overall) have established themselves as a legitimate contender for the league title, playing Laval very tough in Quebec City before fading late. The Citadins look to use their stable of athleticism to pressure opponents defensively, push the ball in transition to attack the rim and, when going well, make a living on the offensive glass. Coach Olga Hrycak can go at least eight deep and got an excellent first half out of 6'3" Arthaud Plesius (14.8 ppg), their leading scorer in 3 of 4 games. Both of UQAM's incumbent QSSF all-stars, 6'4" Jules Diagne (off-season illness) and 6'4" Adil El Makssoud (academics), started the season slowly but appear to be rounding into form while 6'4" Eric Cote and 6'3" Thierry Justin help round out a balanced lineup with the defensive versatility to press, switch out without creating matchup problems and rebound at both ends. Little wonder then that the Citadins lead the conference with 15.3 offensive rebounds per game and a plus 6 rebounding margin overall. Last season's Quebec rookie-of-the-year 6'4" Gregory St. Armand is an established rotation guy as UQAM has six players averaging at least 7 points per game. UQAM also creates 21.3 turnovers per game out of their opposition - when things are going well, the Citadins score alot off their transition and second chances. The ability of UQAM to take care of the ball and not get hurt with size disadvantages should help dictate how successful this group is in the second half. Whispers around the league had 6'5" former CIS rebounding champion Leonil Saintil, studying at McGill in the first half but not playing, potentially joining the Citadins in the second half. However, Saintil, a very strong (3.2/4.0 gpa) student, appears to be focusing on academics with a view to a career in teaching and may not play at all this season in order to concentrate on his studies... It has been a challenging, rebuilding season for John Dore and the Concordia Stingers (2-4 in league, 7-6 vs. CIS overall) have shown their youth in several instances, leading the Q at 18.7 turnovers per game while allowing opponents to shoot 42% from downtown. Most telling is the offensive production as the Stingers, perennially a high-scoring group especially in the confines of their cozy gym, averaged only 68.2 ppg, lowest in the Q. 6'1" Decee Krah (13.3 ppg) leads the Stingers in scoring but is only 10th in Q race - Krah has been streaky from downtown but does have a pair of games in which he made five 3's. Concordia is receiving steady production from 6'4" sophomore Evens Laroche (12.0 ppg/7.7 rpg - 2nd in Q), who blossomed late last season as a freshman. Much was made about the arrival of NCAA D1 transfer 6'3" Vali Lazarescu and, for the most part, he has not disappointed averaging 11 ppg however he did sit out the Stingers final game of the first half against UQAM. The Stingers have found it difficult to replace Quebec league Defensive Player-of-the-Year 6'8" Jamal Gallier however 6'5" James Clark has shown flashes of potential with a pair of double/doubles in the first half. After a two point win at home to Bishop's, the Stingers lost 4 of their last 5 going into the break including the return match at Bishop's plus a 26 point loss at Laval and a 21 point loss at UQAM... Offense, especially three-point shooting has not been an issue with McGill Redmen (2-3 in QSSF, 5-9 vs. CIS overall) as Craig Norman's crew scores at a piping-hot 80.8 ppg clip while shooting a sizzling 53% (42-80) from downtown. Virtually every game except for the loss at Concordia qualified as shootouts with McGill giving up 84 ppg defensively and allowing teams to shoot 47% from the field. Although 6'4" Matthew Thornhill (20.2 ppg/6.2 rpg) has led McGill in scoring 4 times including a Q league season-high of 35 points in a win vs. Bishop's, by most accounts Redmen MVP has been steady 6'4" forward Michael White (14.4 ppg/4.4 rpg), who has a nice mid-range game and is very difficult to control around the glass. 6'5" Pawel Herra has been sharp from beyond the three point arc (12-18, 67%) while 6'7" freshman Nick Langley continues to improve from game-to-game, coming off the bench to average 7.8 ppg (4th on the team). Guard play has been steady with 6'1" freshman Olivier Bouchard (18:11 assist to turnover ratio while playing 20 mpg) and Jeff Cumming (team-leading 23 assists). 6'4" Jesse Woods has started all 5 games and averages 6 points. The aforementioned Saintil remains listed on the Redmen roster for the UQAM Holiday Classic and his length, skill and tenacity on the "o" glass would help most programs... Bishop's Gaiters (1-4 in QSSF, 3-10 overall vs. CIS) got back in the playoff race with a character-building come-from-behind win at home over Concordia before dropping a tight game the following night to UQAM in which they competed. Unlike some matches in the pre-season when the Gaiters were outclassed by halftime, coach Rod Gilpin's stable of new talent appears to be moulding into a solid group, especially defensively. 6'2" freshman Onnex Blackwood had a strong finish to the first half as he continues to get comfortable and 6'1" Oraine Green has improved steadily as the full-time point guard. 6'7" veteran Hermon Tesfaghebriel (14.6 ppg/5.4 rpg/68% fg% - leads Q) creates an offensive presence inside while scrappy Tim Hunter provides strong minutes. Talk in the pre-season had the Gaiters adding a pair of potentially-impactful forwards in 6'6" wing Chris East, from ASA Institute in Brooklyn, NY, (recovering from knee surgery) and 6'5" Chris Kuete, a native of Cameroon who was the Most Valuable Player in Malaysian National Basketball League in 2008. Despite the roster churn and injuries, Bishop's was very competitive down the stretch of the first half and have a chance to build on their confidence at the Wesmen Classic where they have been placed in the easier side of the draw.

SCORING
1. Matthew Thornhill-MCGI ...20.2 PPG
2. J-F. Beaulieu-Maheux-LAVA ...17.0
3. Etienne Labrecque-LAVA ...15.3
4. Arthaud Plesius-UQAM ...14.8
5. Hermon Tesfaghebriel-BISH ...14.6
6. Michael White-MCGI ...14.4
7. Onnex Blackwood-BISH ...14.0
8. Oraine Green-BISH ...13.8
9. Xavier Baribeau-LAVA ...13.8
10. Decee Krah-CONC ...13.3

REBOUNDING
1. Etienne Labrecque-LAVA ...8.5
2. Evens Laroche-CONC ...7.7
3. Tim Hunter-BISH ...6.2
Matthew Thornhill-MCGI ...6.2
5. Jerome T-Routhier-LAVA ...5.8
6. Hermon Tesfaghebriel-BISH ...5.4
7. Eric Cote-Kougnima-UQAM ...5.3
8. Vali Lazarescu-CONC ...5.0
Adil El Makssoud-UQAM ...5.0
10. Jesse Woods-MCGI ...4.6

FIELD GOAL PCT
1. Hermon Tesfaghebriel-BISH 27-40 .675
2. F-O. Gagnon-Hebert-LAVA 14-23 .609
3. Nicolas Langley-MCGI 14-25 .560
4. Michael White-MCGI 28-51 .549
5. Matthew Thornhill-MCGI 35-66 .530

FREE THROW SHOOTING
1. Oraine Green-BISH 19-21 .905
2. D. Thomas-Anderson-BISH 11-13 .846
3. Arthaud Plesius-UQAM 16-19 .842
4. J-F. Beaulieu-Maheux-LAVA 21-29 .724
5. Matthew Thornhill-MCGI 18-25 .720

Windsor H.S. Christmas Tourney Preview

from the Windsor Star....

Oliver to look at local talent U of W hoops tourney draws future recruits

The basketball talent from across the city is just as intriguing as the influx coming from across the province, according to Windsor Lancers basketball coach Chris Oliver as he prepares for the 53rd annual University of Windsor high school invitational.

This holiday prep tourney is a chance for Oliver to bring potential Lancer recruits through the doors of the St. Denis Centre and that's exactly what will happen Friday with four first-round games starting at 3:30 p.m.

As usual, the out-of-town entries feature a couple of high school heavyweights in Toronto Henry Carr and Ajax Pickering but Oliver will also keep a close eye on Riverside, Catholic Central, St. Anne and Herman.

...Continue Reading

Cape Breton Christmas Classic Details

CBU CAPERS MEN’S BASKETBALL CHRISTMAS CLASSIC

Tuesday, December 29th and Wednesday, December 30th 2009

SCHEDULE:
Tuesday, December 29th
Wilfred Laurier University vs. UPEI 5pm
Laurentian University vs. CBU CAPERS 7pm

Wednesday, December 30th
UPEI vs. Laurentian University 3pm
Sydney Academy Wildcats vs. Riverview Royal (Boys Basketball) 5pm
Wilfred Laurier University vs. CBU CAPERS 7pm

The CBU CAPERS are the #5 ranked team in the nation, and the highest scoring team in the country at 94.8 points per game.

Wednesday 16 December 2009

Joe Scanlon's thoughts on conference strength

When I unveiled my personal views about the top 10 men’s teams in CIS basketball, I inevitably reflected my view of the relative strength of the various conferences – not necessarily the overall strength of the conference but the strength where it counts, at the top.

In women’s basketball, I find it relatively easy to state with confidence that, “the West has the strongest teams,” or “the OUA West is stronger than the OUA East”.

I find that more difficult when it comes to the men.

One way – in my view – to get a sense the relative strength of the various parts of the country is to look at the results of the last five CIS men’s championships. There is inevitably a slight distortion because three of the last five tournaments were held in Halifax (meaning an extra AUS team) and two were in Ottawa (meaning an extra OUA team). It is also true of course that turnover can change relative strength from season to season.

However here are the results:

OUA East 15-5

OUA West 6-7

AUS 8-10

Quebec 2-5

Canada West 8-12

Obviously those results reflect the fact that Carleton has won four of the last five championships. (Yes I know the Ravens won the previous two as well but I have gone through only the results for the past five seasons.) The Ontario dominance is even more obvious when the OUA East and West are added together since Brock won two years ago when Carleton didn’t. The OUA teams are 21-12 over the past five years.

I have included only games in the championship side of the bracket. That means I have included the games when there were 10 teams but have not included the consolation games.

By the way it’s possible two of the teams I talked about – Ottawa (not ranked) and St. FX (ranked) -- about will meet at the Rod Shoveller tournament January 1-3. Ottawa U plays Acadia and St. FX plays Laurier in the same half of the draw. If Ottawa and St. FX win they will play each other in the second round and the game is to be webcast. (If they both lose they would also meet; but I don’t see that as likely.)

By the way, I sometimes wonder whether the Canada West men’s teams are always facing an uphill battle at the Nationals because of jet lag. That would be especially true in Halifax but also a factor in Ontario, especially for teams from British Columbia. It seems to me it’s about time the tournament moved west, perhaps to Alberta, better still to British Columbia. I look forward to going back to Halifax – the Metro Centre is an excellent downtown location and Halifax is one of my favourite cities – but surely CIS ought to be looking at moving the tournament around the country after Halifax. I have always hoped McMaster would host it – there are so many teams in the area – but it’s long overdue, in my view, for a move west.

I know the CIS is determined to make money out of the Nationals but I still have fond memories of the knowledgeable crowds at Waterloo – a small turnout by today’s standards but a wonderful atmosphere. Because so many wanted to see the game there were even (as I recall) spectators crouched along the sidelines, always just far enough back so they would not interfere with a throw-in.

It was a course a Waterloo tradition that the crowd would stand clapping rhythmically until Waterloo got its first basket. It was that Waterloo custom eventually led to the introduction of the shot clock. I was lucky enough to be there – I had gone there with Bob O’Billovich and the Ottawa U team – when Brian Heaney the coach of St. Mary’s decided he would try to get ball control then have his point guard Mickey Fox stall until the crowd got tired of clapping. When he did that, the spectators kept clapping but as the minutes passed did not know what to do. Eventually they had to give up: the half time score in that game was Waterloo 6, St. Mary’s 2. That was enough for the rule makes: they decided to introduce the 30-second shot clock.

Joe Scanlon

Holiday Tournaments

SCHEDULE UPDATES: UVic will travel to Bellingham, WA on Dec 28-29 to play games against Green River Community College and Whatcom Community College. Both teams play in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (JUCOS)... In another tournament taking place in Halifax, Memorial and Cape Breton will participate in the Dyrick McDermott Memorial Tournament hosted by Mount Saint Vincent University from Jan 1-3, 2010. This is a six-team tournament that includes traditional OCAA power Humber College Hawks, King's College, Ste. Foy CEGEP Dynamiques and the host MSVU Mystics.

*******************************************************************************

We are a couple of weeks into a well-deserved break for student/athletes as they complete their first term exams although for the harder-working coaches there is little time to rest as a slew of high school tournaments are being held across the country, making this period an important one in the recruiting cycle. We are just over two weeks away from the resumption of play for several CIS teams although a significant number of teams are travelling south for training camps and scrimmages against U.S. competition. Here is a summary of games involving CIS competition in the coming weeks prior to the regular season restarting in early January.

Alberta Golden Bears will take a trip into the state of Montana for three games against U.S. competition before a mini-training camp after Christmas. All 3 opponents are members of the NAIA Frontier Conference. Coach Greg Francis and team will play the following games beginning next weekend:
Saturday, December 19th: @ Montana Tech Orediggers (NAIA - Frontier Conference) in Butte, MT, 7 PM MT; The Orediggers are currently 4-8, having defeated Lethbridge Pronghorns in October by two at home and recently losing by 3 to NCAA D1 Weber State Wildcats. Follow Alberta at Montana State
Sunday, December 20th: @ University of Great Falls Argos (NAIA - Frontier Conference) in Great Falls, MT 7 PM; The Argos are 3-7 and were 22 point winners over Lethbridge in early October. The Pronghorns will meet Great Falls again on 30th December, this time in Lethbridge. Follow Alberta at Great Falls
Monday, December 21st: @ MSU - Northern Lights (NAIA - Frontier Conference), Havre, MT; 7 PM The Lights are 6-4 and will also meet Lethbridge in the new year. Follow Alberta at MSU-Northern

Alberta's Greg Francis interview on a local Edmonton radio station

POST-CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENTS: Three teams, Laurentian, Laurier and Acadia, will be busy as the Axemen will play six games (3 at UQAM tournament; 3 at Rod Shoveller tournament at Dalhousie) while the Voyageurs and Golden Hawks will tune up for the Shoveller with a pair of games against AUS foes in Sydney, N.S.

Laurentian, Laurier, UPEI visit Cape Breton, each playing a pair of games pitting OUA and AUS foes:
Tuesday, December 29th:
Laurier vs. UPEI
Laurentian at #5 Cape Breton
Wednesday, December 30th:
Laurentian vs. UPEI
Laurier at Cape Breton

UQAM Tournoi des fêtes This unique six-team event in Montreal is set up to maximize the number of inter-conference games. Teams are divided into two, three-team pools and play 3 games against teams only in the other pool. In all, nine inter-conference games will be played as Brandon, Waterloo and Brock will meet McGill, Acadia and the host Citadins. Games will be played at various times over four days as UQAM is also hosting a six-team women's tournament staged in the same two-pool format.

Pool A - Hommes / Men
Acadia
McGill
UQAM
Pool B - Hommes / Men
Brandon
Brock
Waterloo

Sunday, December 27th
8 PM McGill vs Brandon

Monday, December 28th
NOON Acadia vs Brock
4:30 McGill vs Waterloo
9 PM UQAM vs Brandon

Tuesday, December 29th
10 AM McGill vs Brock
2:30 Acadia vs Brandon
9 PM UQAM vs Waterloo

Wednesday, December 30th
NOON Acadia vs Waterloo
4:30 UQAM vs Brock

NOTE: the winner of the tournament will be determined by using FIBA rules (tie-break procedure)

Winnipeg tournament The 43rd annual Wesmen Classic, a holiday tradition at the University of Winnipeg, is set to kick off on Monday, Dec. 28th at the Duckworth Center, beginning at noon Central time. This season's tournament is highlighted by the pleasant-surprise story of the first half, #9 Lakehead Thunderwolves, leading the OUA West at 7-1 plus the leaders in the "Q", Laval Rouge et Or. There are also a pair of American teams: Minot State Beavers (10-4 including 100-76 victory over Regina), an NAIA school which is currently a candidate NCAA Division II program and Valley City State University Vikings (7-4 including a nine point loss to Lakehead and a 25 point loss at Minot State in NAIA Dakota Athletic Conference play). The Lakehead vs. Minot State game pits two of the better teams in this tournament in the first round with the winner meeting the winner of Laval vs. Thompson Rivers.

Monday, Dec. 28th
NOON #9 Lakehead - Minot State
2:00 Laval – Thompson Rivers
6:00 Winnipeg – Bishops
8:00 Manitoba – Valley City

Tueday, Dec 29th
NOON Consolation Round game
2:00 Consolation Round game
6:00 Semi - Final #1
8:00 Semi - Final #2

Wednesday, Dec. 30th
NOON 7th Place
2:00 Consolation Final
4:00 3rd Place
8:00 Wesmen Classic Championship Game

ROD SHOVELLER MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT AT DALHOUSIE Once again, this Holiday traditional at the Dalplex in Halifax has heavy AUS representation as 4 Atlantic Canada programs participate including #3 X. Acadia Axemen make an appearance for the first time in several years and play in their second tournament of the holidays. Acadia meets Ottawa Gee-Gees to kick off the tournament. Four of the teams participating played in last year’s CIS Final 8.

Fri. Jan. 1st
1 PM Acadia vs. Ottawa
3 PM #3 StFX vs. Laurier
6 PM Saint Mary's vs. Concordia
8 PM Laurentian at Dalhousie
Sat. Jan. 2nd
1 PM Loser Acadia/Ottawa vs. Loser X/Laurier
3 PM Loser SMU/Concordia vs. Loser Laurentian/Dal
6 PM Winner Acadia/Ottawa vs. Winner X/Laurier
8 PM Winner SMU/Concordia vs. Winner Laurentian/Dal
Sun. Jan. 3rd
9 AM Seventh Place game
11AM Fifth Place game
1 PM Bronze medal game
3 PM Championship Final

TEAM-BY-TEAM HOLIDAY SCHEDULE SUMMARY:
Canada West Pacific:

Victoria: Bellingham Dec 28-29 and play games against Green River Community College and Whatcom Community College. Both teams play in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges. (JUCOS)
UBC: trip to Hawaii
TWU: nothing scheduled
SFU: Dec. 18th at Hawaii-Hilo Vulcans, Dec. 20th at Hawaii Pacific Sea Warriors (neither game listed on opponent's sites as official game); Dec. 29th host Pacific Lutheran Lutes (Northwest Conference, NCAA Division III)
UFV: training camp with scrimmages against colleges
TRU: at Winnipeg Tournament vs. Laval Dec. 28th

Canada West Prairie:
Calgary: in California; Dec. 28th at San Diego Christian College (Calif.) El Cajon, CA 8:00 PM; Dec. 29th at Biola (Calif.) La Mirada, CA 6:30 PM Live Stats ; Dec. 29th at Azuza Pacific Azuza, CA 8:30 PM
Alberta: 3 games vs. NAIA schools in Montana before Xmas then training camp after Xmas
Saskatchewan: BCC Holiday Classic in Florida, Dec. 29th and 30th
Lethbridge: Dec 30th at 7pm host University of Great Falls; Jan 1st/2nd- Ameritel Invitational Tournament at University of Montana-Northern.
Brandon: at UQAM tournament beginning Dec. 27th vs. McGill
Winnipeg: hosts Wesmen Classic vs. Bishop's Dec. 28th
Manitoba: at Wesmen Classic Winnipeg vs. Valley City Dec. 28th
Regina: at Williston State on Jan. 2nd

OUA West
Lakehead: at Winnipeg tournament vs. Minot State in first round Dec. 28th
Windsor: Northwood University Tournament, West Palm Beach, Florida; Dec 29th #4 Bethel College (In) vs. #8 Cedarville University (Ohio) 5:00PM; #3 Northwood University (FL) vs. University of Windsor (ON) 7:00PM; Dec 30th ; Consolation Game 5:00PM, Championship Game 7:00PM
Western: host Rochester Institute of Technology on Jan. 3rd
McMaster: trip to Florida
Waterloo: at UQAM tournament beginning Dec. 28th vs. McGill
Laurier: at Cape Breton & at Dalhousie tournaments
Guelph: training camp at home with scrimmage vs. Guelph Phoenix Sr. Men's team
Brock: at UQAM tournament beginning Dec. 28th vs. Acadia

OUA East
Carleton: trip to Florida
Ottawa: at Dalhousie tournament
Toronto: at Humber College on Dec. 22nd; Dec. 28th at Findlay College (rematch of thrilling October game won by the Blues) then Dec. 29th/30th at Notre Dame (Ohio) Falcons tournament (NAIA)
Ryerson: Tue Dec 29 host Sr. Men's team; Wed Dec 30 host Sheridan College (both games at 8 PM)
Queen's: nothing scheduled
Laurentian: at Cape Breton & at Dalhousie tournaments
York: nothing scheduled
RMC: nothing scheduled

QSSF
Laval: at Wesmen Classic Winnipeg; Dec. 28th vs. Thompson Rivers
UQAM: hosts tournament beginning vs. Brandon Dec. 28th
Bishop's: at Wesmen Classic Winnipeg; Dec. 28th vs. Winnipeg
McGill: at UQAM tournament beginning Dec. 27th vs. Brandon
Concordia: at Dalhousie tournament; Jan. 1st vs. Saint Mary's

AUS
St. FX: at Dalhousie tournament; Jan. 1st vs. Laurier
Cape Breton: hosts Laurentian and Laurier Dec. 29th & 30th; Mt.St.Vincent tournament Jan.1-3 in Halifax.
Dalhousie: hosts Rod Shoveller tournament; Jan. 1st vs. Laurentian
Acadia: at UQAM tournament beginning Dec. 28th vs. Brock then at Dalhousie tournament
Saint Mary's: at Dalhousie tournament; Jan. 1st vs. Concordia
UPEI: at Cape Breton vs. Laurier and Laurentian beginning Dec. 29th
UNB: nothing scheduled
Memorial: Mt.St.Vincent tournament Jan.1-3 in Halifax

Tuesday 15 December 2009

OUA Historical Highlights

Shawn Whiteley, Sports Information & Marketing Coordinator at Brock University passes on a note letting us know that he has completed a comprehensive history of OUA basketball dating back to 1970. We look forward to seeing the entire piece however in the interim here are a few men's basketball facts that he has highlighted:

Carleton
- 194-12 (.942) since 2000-01
- 400-218 (.647) entering this season (highest winning percentage since 1970)
- fewest points allowed in a season since 1970: - 2005-06 (57.5 - 4th), 2004-05 (57.6 - 5th), 2003-04 (57.7 - t-6th) and 2007-08 (59.9 - t-10th)

York
- 395-217 (.645) entering this season (2nd highest winning percentage since 1970)
- now 4 wins shy of 400 since 1970

Brock
- Head Coach Ken Murray will coach in his 1000th overall career game in the new year vs Waterloo (Jan. 6)
- Clinton Springer-Williams on pace to become third rookie in Brock history to lead the team in scoring (Ken Murray and Didi Mukendi)
- Freshman standout Clinton Springer-Williams - 362 points in 16 games this season (22.6 PPG)
- interesting OUA career rebounding statistic with maximum games played at the time in history
Ken Murray (659 reb, 60 GP (10.98 RPG) / OUA all-time rebound leader Kevin Dulude 1165 reb, 109 GP (10.69 RPG)

Ryerson
- Boris Bakovic on pace to break Kevin Dulude's (RMC) OUA scoring record possibly in just 4 seasons
- Dulude (2092 PTs - 109 GP (19.1 PPG)
- Bakovic (1675 PTs - 73 GP (22.9 PPG) entering 2nd half

OUA All-Time Leading Scorers
Kevin Dulude (RMC) - 2092
Kiraan Posey (Lakehead) - 1879
Kevin Stienstra (Brock) - 1737
Norm Hann (Laurentian) - 1723
Brad Rootes (Brock) - 1704
Boris Bakovic (Ryerson) - 1675

Monday 14 December 2009

OUA Mid-season update

The OUA West took the interlock portion of the schedule during which 64 total games were played, winning 37 games and losing 27. Putting the standings together can provide one perspective of the top teams in the OUA (and the also-rans thus far - the three teams with the worst records in the OUA are all from the OUA East).

Lakehead 7-1
Carleton 7-1
Windsor 6-2
Ottawa 6-2
Western 5-3
Waterloo 5-3
Toronto 5-3
McMaster 5-3
Guelph 3-5
Queen's 3-5
Brock 3-5
Ryerson 3-5
Laurier 3-5
Laurentian 2-6
York 1-7
RMC 0-8

Lakehead's tremendous first-half has been widely lauded here and in other forums and the underlying key to their great start was how well they were able to turn it on in the fourth quarter and down the stretch of games, especially on the road when the T-Wolves came back at Queen's, at York and at Laurentian to pull out wins, the mark of a team learning quickly how to close games out. Lakehead's depth has been key and with Andrew Hackner leading the OUA in three-point shooting (12-22 55%), plus 4 others with double-digit 3's made, the T-Wolves can shoot their way back into games... With arguably the top recruiting class in Ontario this side of St. Catharines, much was made in the pre-season around how Windsor Lancers would integrate their stable of newcomers. In 6'0" Josh Collins, the Lancers have a point guard with savvy and the confidence of his teammates who has produced (greater than 2:1 assist to turnover ratio while playing more than 18 mpg); Collins gets closer each game to taking this team over at the lead guard spot. Freshman Enrico DiLoreto has also been productive, averaging just over 9 ppg in 21 mpg and is quickly becoming acclimated to this level of play. However, the Lancer veterans continue to lead the way, especially Isaac Kuon, who averages 16 ppg while shooting a solid 46% from the floor, while inside Nigel Johnson-Tyghter and Andre Smyth have been instrumental especially in tight games at Ottawa, at Toronto and at Ryerson, all of which the Lancers have pulled out. Last season, Lancers overall decision-making on the offensive end down the stretch of the season was not of championship calibre and as such Windsor fell short of reaching the Nationals - whether or not this element comes from the vets or one or two freshmen this season, it should be the key factor determining Windsor's success... McMaster Marauders received an early Christmas present late in the summer when 6'6" Keenan Jeppessen was accepted into the MBA program at Mac and was thus able to play his fifth and final year of eligibility at home and clearly the slick swingman has not disappointed, authoring an All-Canadian-type season to this point. Jeppessen is the only Marauder averaging double figures, leading the OUA West in scoring at 21.6 ppg, adding 9.1 rpg among the league leaders. Mac does have several other weapons including 6'1" Tyrell Vernon, 6'7" Cam Michaud and scrappy 6'3" freshman Victor Raso, who injects energy off the bench and is not afraid to take big shots, however consistency has been an issue for the entire supporting cast. After a strong start in the pre-season, 5'11" Jermaine DeCosta's game fell off rather dramatically once OUA play kicked off and while 6'4" Scott Laws is emerging into a very good lock-down defender, he will need to contribute offensively as well. The Marauders also need a more consistent effort from 6'7" Ryan Christie and may have to deal with some roster churn if 6'8" Mouchtar Diaby and 6'9" Terry Licorish join the roster after the break...The very young Brock Badgers, with a starting lineup comprised entirely of first and second year players, are getting better by the day, led by their 6'4" CIS Freshman-of-the-Year candidate Clinton Springer-Williams and the top freshman in the CIS last season, 6'1" Didi Mukendi. However, Coach Ken Murray has lamented on several occasions what has plagued this maturing group: taking care of the ball and the stats are telling as Brock is among OUA leaders in turning it over. Brock has maybe the highest potential athletic forward combination in the country with 6'9" freshman Brian Nahimana and 6'6" sophomore Mark Gibson. Nahimana especially has shown dramatic improvement even since the start of the regular season at both ends with his length and long arms. As has been the case over the years, Murray likes to ride his first five - all starters average at least 23 mpg with sophomore point guard Joel Whitty (36.1), Mukendi (33.5) and Springer-Williams (35.4) all among OUA leaders in minutes played. Experience usually becomes a key in the second half of the season and with the arrival of 6'1" Mike Cruickshank, an OCAA transfer from Humber College Hawks, the Badgers get an athletic, battle-tested wing/guard who has been through the wars playing in meaningful, rival-type games against the likes Sheridan Bruins. Expect Cruickshank's presence to allow Murray to lighten up minutes for Whitty and Mukendi... The veteran-laden Waterloo Warriors finished the first half strong with a pair of resounding wins at home despite not having probably their best overall player 6'4" Ben Frisby, in the lineup. Frisby had one of the better halves ever against a Carleton Ravens team this decade, scoring 19 first-half points in what turned out to be a blowout Warrior loss in Ottawa but then injured his ankle later in that game and missed the final weekend. 6'3" Cam McIntyre shouldered much of the offensive load in Frisby's absence, highlighted by a 7-13 performance and a season-high 27 points against York. It was McIntyre's third 20+ point performance including 21 at home in a close win against Queen's. The Warriors are undefeated at the PAC this season including 4-0 in league play and a perfect 3-0 mark at their Naismith tournament... Laurier Golden Hawks need to get much more consistent offensive production from their 6'5" all-OUA West forward Kale Harrison, who has only scored in double figures once after starting the season with 23 at Toronto, 17 at Ryerson and 20 vs. RMC. 6'2" Jesse MacDonald, a fifth-year veteran who plays with much confidence, was the best overall Hawk in the first half while Laurier has an emerging conference all-star of the future in 6'6" Max Allin, who brings one of the best all-round games for a freshmen in the country, with his combination of scoring (10.6 ppg including 13-34 38% 3's), rebounding (7.5 rpg) and intangibles like shot blocking, grabbing loose balls and court savvy... With two last-second losses and two others (3 point loss to Toronto, 5 point loss to Ryerson) that could have gone either way, 3-5 Guelph Gryphons are a couple of breaks away from being near the top of the OUA West standings. 6'4" fifth-year wing Jay Mott is Guelph's top offensive threat at 21.1 ppg incuidng 28 3's (42.4% from downtown) however a better (and healthier) second half is expected from 6'4" Jonathan Moscatelli who again missed games yet still averaged 15.8 ppg in the five he played. More consistent point guard play from 6'1" Mike Patrella, especially at key points in the game, may help close out ball games more effectively however Patrella is showing signs in his third year that he could emerge into an all-conference guard when all is said and done. The development of Guelph's young big guys is very important if the Gryphs are to contend for the West crown... After heavy graduation losses from his CIS Final Four team of last season, Western's Brad Campbell has done one of the better coaching jobs in the OUA West thus far with only two seniors, including 6'5" Andrew Wedemire, who has finally been assigned the lead offensive role and the slick forward has delivered with five 20+ point games this season already. Almost unstoppable in the post one-on-one with his quickness, Wedemire (18 ppg/4th in OUA West + 7.3 rpg/5th in OUA West) has drawn double teams consistently and has developed the ability to get teammates involved for open looks. 6'1" Ryan Barbeau (15 ppg) continues to develop as the primary lead guard. Always a three-point shooting threat playing off former guard Matt Curtis, Barbeau can still shoot it, especially when Wedemire is doubled and as the ultra-strong point develops his mid-range game and ability to get to the rim, Western's offensive possibilites open up further. 6'6" Garrett Olexiuk (11.6 ppg/6.1 rpg) continues his maturation as a top-of-the-rotation guy. Both newcomer imports, 6'1" Marcus Barnett (9.1 ppg/5.1 rpg; transfer from NCAA D1 William & Mary) and 6'5" David Harder, have been rotation contributors. Barnett had 24 points in a loss at Ottawa while 6'1" Jason Milliquet provides his usual defense-stretching three point range; expect the veteran guard from Sarnia to shoot it better than 34% from three in the second half in this his fifth and final season... While remaining near-dominating at home thus far, Carleton Ravens have shown that they have come back to the pack this season especially on the road with a loss and two other close calls in OUA play. 6'8" Kevin McCleery has established himself as the best pure post player in Canada, culminating in a dominant effort at McMaster to end the first half. When the Ravens are right, the offense goes through McCleery who is virtually unstoppable when no double comes and is very savvy at finding open shooters or cutters when a second or third defender comes. 6'3" Elliott Thompson has emerged as one of the more consistent Ravens offensively while 6'4" Cole Hobin has been a lock-down defender all season. 6'1" Willy Manigat, working through the loss of his father during the first half, provides energy off the bench and usually strong on-the-ball "d". Carleton needs to get more out of 5'11" Mike Kenny, who was tremendous in his first three seasons playing off other decision-makers but struggled in the first half as the main man at the point. The best of young guys is 6'5" Tyson Hinz however 6'3" Anthony Ashe is also emerging as a three-point shooting threat... Unlike many prior seasons, Ottawa Gee-Gees are getting it done with consistent defense and rebounding. Ottawa has allowed the fewest points in the OUA and has one of the better rebounding margins. Ottawa's underrated set of bigs, led by 6'8" Louis Gauthier and supported well by 6'9" Mathieu Riendeau and 6'8" Matt Michaud have been terrific, especially cleaning the defensive glass and also finishing numerous slick looks inside from Ottawa's 6'4" All-Canadian Josh Gibson-Bascombe, who is enjoying another banner season. The Gee-Gees would like a bit more consistency from 6'3" fifth-year wing Donnie Gibson who is their main perimeter threat while 6'6" Warren Ward is a tremendous scorer in the open court and when an appropriate one-on-one matchup presents itself. Ward, only a sophomore, continues to work to improve his decision making and defensive rotations. 6'1" Max Clarkson has been very productive playing both guard spots and brings a scrappy, aggressive edge at both ends... In the pre-season, Toronto Varsity Blues overcame injuries with consistent production deep into their bench. Fortunately, the Blues got healthy toward the end of the first half, especially 6'8" Nick Snow who had several games becoming of an all-conference forward and the usual great effort from their veteran back-court of 6'1" Nick Magalas and 6'2" Rob Paris, because that bench that had been so productive lagged. Underrated 6'6" Drazen Glizic continues to improve steadily, especially as a big-time rebounder (9.9 rpg) while 6'6" Andrew Wasik is able to take advantage of certain matchups. The veteran-laden Blues also received some strong efforts from 6'3" Patrick Sewell. The Blues, who lose the majority of rotation to graduation after this season, have already moved to restock their roster with a verbal commitment from 6'4" Alex Hill, the former Toronto Eastern Commerce high school star who accepted a scholarship from Cornell University but has decided to return home to play for the Blues, eligible next season. Expect Hill to evolve into a Rob Paris-type wing scorer who can stroke it beyond the three point arc... In 6'6" Mitch Leger, the Queen's Golden Gaels (did I get that correct ?) have their first All-Canadian-type player probably since current Carleton coach Dave Smart led the country in scoring in the early 90's. Leger demands attention in the low post and out to the three point line and his added bulk has made him very difficult to muscle. 6'2" Baris Ondul is another tough, scrappy guard who helped the Gaels finish the first half strong with a buzzer-beating three against Brock, a shot which was filled with controversy, first over the amount of time remaining and second whether or not Ondul travelled on the play. Queen's had a very impressive road win at Windsor in a game they won comfortably however a last-second loss to Lakehead and a blow out loss to Guelph, both at home where they are 1-3 in league play, prevented the Gaels from a top two first-half finish in the East. Regardless, the Gaels should always be in games with their team-oriented offense and ability to consistently prevent teams from getting to the rim... After a winless vs. CIS pre-season, Ryerson Rams opened the OUA regular season with a pair of home wins against Waterloo and Laurier. The Rams then lost 5 of their last 6 games of the first half however four of the five losses (at Brock, at Lakehead, Windsor, Western) all came down to the final minutes and Ryerson did come from behind to win at Guelph. Clearly, 6'7" Boris Bakovic (22.9 ppg/10.6 rpg) leads this group offensively, having another All-Canadian calibre season while playing over 37 minutes per game. 6'1" sophomore Josh Budd (13.6 ppg/43% 3's/33.5 mpg) has shown signs of becoming an all-conference guard down the road with consistency from game-to-game the next step necessary to that goal. Budd needs to be the catalyst in improving Rams average of more than 17 turnovers per game (3rd worst in OUA). Maybe the most improved Ram is 6'10" fifth-year center Joey Imbrogno who has been much more diligent with his preparation and fitness and it has showed, especially on the defensive end with his ability to block or alter shots. Imbrogno has battled some minor injuries. 6'3" Ryan McNeilly is making decisions becoming of an experienced upper classman. In general, Ryerson has made a more impactful committment to defending and rebounding and should be right there to host a home playoff game in the East... Whispers around the CIS scene have York Lions Head Coach Bob Bain contemplating retirement as early as the end of this season. Bain, now in his 35th year, is the Dean of OUA coaches and has had a wonderful career: 11 OUA East Division championships, six Wilson Cup OUA championships, eight CIS/CIAU national championship appearances plus two CIS and nine OUA coach of the year awards. The Lions could look to use this as a potential rallying point as they generally struggled, especially on the road, facing double-digit first-half deficits in all 4 league games. Usually a team that can score, York shot under 40% in 5 of their 8 league games and went only 12 for 41 from beyond the arc in their final 5 games including 3-14 in their only win at home against Brock. Bain continues to spread time around generously as nine players average at least 15 minutes per game led by 5'10" David Tyndale, York's leading scorer at 14.4 ppg. York's pair of 6'10" bigs, fourth-year senior Stefan Haynes and freshman Dejan Kravic, have combined to block about 3.5 shots per game and together average about 20 points and 12 rebounds per game. The Lions are starting to tighten up defensively however still are among the leaders in points allowed and have allowed teams double digit offensive rebounding totals in almost every game thus far... Another team that has struggled out of the starting gate on the road is Laurentian, falling behind early in decisive losses at Western, Windsor, Laurier and Waterloo. Ben Avery Gym remains a very tough place for opponents to play as the Vees seem to feed off the crowd's energy as both of Laurentian's wins (Brock, Guelph) have come at home. Vees 6'6" fifth-year post Matas Tirilis (11.8 ppg/7.8 rpg/29.3 mpg) continues to provide maximum effort as he has done throughout his career however he is learning to deal with being the focus of opponent's preparation. Laurentian remains very young at the lead guard spot with 6'0" freshman Manny Pasquale supported by 6'1" sophomore Andrew Lalonde, part of the reason why the Vees lead OUA in turnovers per game, although turnovers have been spread around. 6'3" Isiah Pasquale averages almost 5 made 3's per game and together the brothers are averaging almost 30 ppg between them... RMC Paladins had an injury-filled first half, creating the need to play alot of zone. Scrappy freshman Justin Hill averages 12.8 ppg while shooting 42% from three point land however must improve on his almost 4 turnovers per game average. While RMC plays hard every game, the results just have not been there with most losses by 30 points or greater, the closest being 23 points... NOTE: Readers may note that the Canada West review already posted and in-progress and soon-to-be-completed reviews of Quebec and Atlantic Canada contain much more relevant and accurate team and individual statistics given the comparative ease of finding the data on their web sites as compared to the OUA's site which, in a time-constrained environment where cumbersome navigating, incomplete and inaccurate listing of players (two Mitch Leger's as an example) and other time-consuming challenges, does not allow for simple analysis; thus, the analysis of OUA stats suffers and as a result the ability to tell the story to the fan base also suffers.


OUA EAST STANDINGS
Carleton 7-1
Ottawa 6-2
Toronto 5-3
Queen's 3-5
Ryerson 3-5
Laurentian 2-6
York 1-7
RMC 0-8

January 5, 2010
8:00 pm Queen's at RMC
January 8, 2010
8:00 pm Toronto at Queen's
8:00 pm Ryerson at RMC
8:00 pm Laurentian at Carleton
8:00 pm York at Ottawa
January 9, 2010
3:00 pm Toronto at RMC
8:00 pm Ryerson at Queen's
8:00 pm Laurentian at Ottawa
8:00 pm York at Carleton

OUA EAST SCORING LEADERS
Boris Bakovic (4th) - Ryerson 22.9 PPG
Mitch Leger (4th) - Queen's 21.0 (estimate because OUA web site shows 2 Legers)
Warren Ward (2nd) - Ottawa 18.4
Josh Gibson-Bascombe (5th) - Ottawa 17.3
Kevin McCleery (5th) - Carleton 16.5
Rob Paris (5th) - Toronto 16.0
Isiah Pasquale (1st) - Laurentian 15.5
Nick Magalas (5th) - Toronto 15.4
David Tyndale (2nd) - York 14.4
Manny Pasquale (2nd) - Laurentian 13.6

OUA WEST STANDINGS
Lakehead 7-1
Windsor 6-2
McMaster 5-3
Waterloo 5-3
Western 5-3
Brock 3-5
Guelph 3-5
Laurier 3-5

January 6, 2010
8:00 pm Waterloo at Brock
8:00 pm Western at Windsor
8:00 pm Laurier at Guelph
January 8, 2010
8:00 pm McMaster at Lakehead
January 9, 2010
3:00 pm Laurier at Western
4:00 pm Guelph at Waterloo
8:00 pm McMaster at Lakehead
8:00 pm Brock at Windsor

OUA WEST SCORING LEADERS
Keenan Jeppesen (5th) - McMaster 21.6 PPG
Jay Mott (5th) - Guelph 21.1
Clinton Springer-williams (1st) - Brock 21.0
Andrew Wedemire (5th) - Western 18.0
Isaac Kuon (4th) - Windsor 16.0
Jesse Macdonald (5th) - Laurier 15.8
Jonathan Moscatelli (4th) - Guelph 15.8
Cam Mcintyre (3rd) - Waterloo 15.6
Dan Mccarthy (2nd) - Guelph 15.2
Ryan Barbeau (3rd) - Western 15.0

Saturday 12 December 2009

Greg Carter Article by Neate Sager of Ottawa Sun

St. Pat's grad Greg Carter holds court in CIS; Spurs Lakehead resurgence, featuring historic win over Carleton

Ottawa’s Greg Carter is not caught up in being part of the turnaround team in the OUA, if not the entire country.

The Lakehead Thunderwolves being off to their best start in 40 years with a 7-1 OUA record and No. 10 CIS ranking is water off a duck’s back. That said the 5-foot-10 point guard and quiet leader has had a pied-piper effect on the Thunder Bay team.

"Getting him as a recruit last spring legitimized us," says coach Scott Morrison. "Most kids in Ontario knew him. Once we got Greg, it went a long way in terms of making us someone people listen to when we call them.

...Continue Reading
Kingston Whig-Standard provides an update on Stu Turnbull, who is playing professionally in Germany

Stu Turnbull: 'Playing basketball as a job -- not too bad at all' Former Frontenac Falcon has elevated his game in the German Pro B league

Stu Turnbull's baptismal season in professional basketball has been a near-daily learning experience for both the former all-Canadian Carleton Raven and his opponents in the German Bundesliga.

The opponents, for starters, have learned to respect the sturdy, six-foot-two guard who, after an inauspicious start, has caught fire for the Rist-Wedel club in the Pro B loop. Through the club's first 11 games he's averaging 17 points and six rebounds.

...Continue Reading

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Dream come true: Norris proud to be only Nova Scotian to make Rainmen roster

Devon Norris, the only Nova Scotian on the Halifax Rainmen roster, says playing for his ‘hometown’ team is a dream come true.(Peter Parsons / Staff)

Devon Norris realizes he won’t get the floor time — or the accolades — of some of his more heralded teammates on the Halifax Rainmen.

The former Dalhousie Tiger understands he’ll play limited minutes in a supporting role, but that doesn’t diminish the sense of accomplishment he feels in being the only Nova Scotian named to the roster of the Premier Basketball League team earlier this week.

"It’s basically a dream come true to be able to play professional basketball in my hometown of Halifax," said the 23-year-old, who grew up in Upper Tantallon.

...Continue Reading

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Expectations rise for Wolves basketball club

Three months ago, Scott Morrison would gladly have accepted five wins in eight first-semester games.

Things have changed.

...Continue Reading

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Western Mustangs Backcourt Club site honours Alex Brzozowicz, one of the keys to last season's Final 4 team, as Alex receives Academic All-Canadian award. The site also provides an update from Brad Smith who leads his English pro league in scoring.

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High school basketball in B.C. heats up with tournament action

'Biblical' B.C. basketball battle a rematch

White Rock Christian Academy takes on Vancouver College in boys’ final, while Handsworth takes on Riverside in girls’ final

Point guard Eli Mara of the White Rock Christian Academy Warriors in action this week at the HSBC Classic. Mara's Warriors take on the Vancouver College Fighting Irish in Saturday's boy's final.

It's not quite Jonah and the Whale. Nor is it David vs. Goliath. That's not to say it won't be a battle of biblical proportions when White Rock Christian Academy Warriors face the Vancouver College Fighting Irish in the boy's final of the HSBC Classic Saturday at UBC's War Memorial Gym (7 p.m. tipoff). The game will be a rematch of last year's Telus B.C. AAA semifinal encounter between the Christian and Catholic private schools.

...Continue Reading

Friday 11 December 2009

Wayne Thomas presents his Canada West first half honour roll; New UPEI recruit

Mid-season CW All-Stars and Highlights

It’s not yet time to declare our all-star picks for Canada West, since we have more than half the season still to be played for most teams, and the biggest games down the stretch usually turn the votes one way or the other.

Rather than select 5 players, we give ourselves the luxury of including a few more candidates, since there are so many players having great seasons. Some of our picks are, naturally from the leading teams ... UBC, Calgary, SFU, Saskatchewan ... others are having good individual campaigns despite their team’s lack of success to this point.

...Continue Reading

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Wayne also looks at the Canada West first half on a team-by-team basis

Dinos and Huskies should be #1 and #2

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Coach Matt Davies and UPEI Panthers have an announced an early recruit for next season - a local Prince Edward Island product

NABCC President comments on Bill Malley's proposal

James Hillis provides our readers with comments on the recent CIS tournament proposal outlined by Bill Malley.

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Mr. Malley:

I am responding to your post regarding the proposed modifications to the national championship format as president of the NABCC. We appreciate your interest and welcome constructive feedback including ideas about how to make our game better in all aspects.

Your post and idea for a modification to the national championship in Men’s basketball is based upon a flawed premise that there are six conferences in the CIS. In actual fact, there are four conferences or Regional Associations in the CIS: CWUAA ("Canada West"), OUA ("Ontario"), QSSF ("Quebec"), and AUS ("Atlantic Canada"). Each Regional Associations makes their own individual decision about how to best split their teams for their own competitive objectives. These splits form competitive divisions within the Regional Associations. The fact that the OUA has maintained a berth for the OUA West division champion is a decision made at the OUA level.

CIS has assigned two berths to the OUA for them to partition out via their playoff format. In Canada West, there is no berth automatically assigned to a division champion. This was true when CWUAA had three divisions (GPAC, Central and Pacific) and remains the same now that the CWUAA has realigned into two divisions, Prairie and Pacific.

At one point in time their were six conferences. Canada West, GPAC, Ontario West, Ontario East, Quebec and Atlantic were what we were all familiar and comfortable with. Things however have changed and it is within the new Regional Association framework that any new formats must work. The CIS has also expressed a strong desire to maintain a host in any model going forward.

The relative merits of the Regional Association model versus the old conference model is not for the NABCC to debate. It is within those parameters that a revised tournament format has been architected. Two models were put forward by the NABCC to the CIS sport committee for an expansion of the national championship format. Sport committee, in conjunction with the marketing committee makes an initial decision which then goes forward as a recommendation to the general membership to vote on the motion. Sport committee enthusiastically endorsed the three regional model feeding into a Final 8 tournament.

The three-regional-into-eight-team format also supports and highlights the importance of the Regional Association Championship games and tournaments. The Champion goes through directly to the Final 8 weekend, others must qualify through the regionals.

The comments about financing and referee neutrality and travel are simply incorrect. These points were all addressed in the proposal.

James Hillis,
Head Coach, University of Regina
President, NABCC

Wednesday 9 December 2009

Canada bids for major FIBA men's event

CANADA IN RUNNING TO HOST 2011 FIBA AMERICAS CHAMPIONSHIP FOR MEN

(Toronto, ON) – Canada Basketball submitted a letter of interest to FIBA Americas to host the zone championship tournament for men in 2011. Canada is one of five countries bidding for the coveted event that serves as the qualifier for the 2012 Olympic Games.

“This is a great opportunity for Canada to host some of the best basketball players in the world,” said Wayne Parrish, Executive Director and CEO for Canada Basketball. “With the recent successes of our men’s and women’s national teams around the globe and the rise in popularity of our great sport right here at home, the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship is an ideal forum to showcase Canada’s passion for the game of basketball.”

2009 was a banner summer for the elite squads, as Canada successfully qualified for all four 2010 world basketball events (Senior Men, Senior Women, Cadet Men, Cadette Women). Joining dominant countries like Argentina, Australia, Spain and USA, Canada is one of only five FIBA nations to achieve this distinction.

The other four nations bidding to host the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship include Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Puerto Rico. Each of these countries hosted a FIBA Americas event in 2009, the most recent being the World Championship qualifier in San Juan, Puerto Rico where Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team finished in 4th place to earn a berth to the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

“I am very excited about the opportunity for our team to play at home,” commented Leo Rautins, Head Coach of the Senior Men’s National Team. “Our guys, the Road Warriors, play all around the world and rarely get a chance to compete in front of friends, family and Canada’s passionate basketball fan base. There is no better way for us to prepare for the chance to compete at the 2012 Olympic Games.”

Up next in the bid process, FIBA Americas will provide all interested countries with the bid and tournament criteria details in January. Canada Basketball and the other federations have until March 19, 2010 to confirm their bids.

“We plan to work diligently with private and public sector partners over the next few months to submit a viable and vibrant bid package to FIBA Americas that is reflective of our unique diverse nation,” added Parrish.

The FIBA Americas Evaluation Commission will review all applications, conduct a site visit with each of the bidding nations and submit a report to the Executive Committee. Finally, each federation will have an opportunity to make a short presentation in San Juan, Puerto Rico before the official decision is made on June 25, 2010.

The last Olympic qualifying tournament for men was hosted in 2007 by USA Basketball in Las Vegas. Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team finished in fifth place at the event, clinching a spot in the 2008 FIBA World Olympic Qualifier in Athens, Greece.

The top two finishers of the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship will receive automatic qualification to the 2012 Olympic Games. The next three teams will have a chance to compete in the 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifier.

Gallimore, Norris sign with Halifax Rainmen

Rainmen add height, CIS Alumni

The Halifax Rainmen have their man – big man that is.

In need of more size underneath the basket, team owner Andre Levingston helped fill that void yesterday by signing six-foot-11 centre Mark McCarroll, who played NCAA Division 1 basketball with the University of Pittsburgh.

McCarroll, 29, brings plenty of professional hoops experience to Halifax, including for Porvoon Tarmo in Finland where during the 2007-08 campaign he averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds per game.

“He is a player …. just very talented,” said team owner Andre Levingston, adding they’re still looking to bring in “another wide body” before the start of the season. “He’s a proven veteran overseas.”

But as one marquee player comes in, another goes out. The Rainmen also announced yesterday five players have been released, including point guard Jason McLeish, who was pegged to be the team’s starting point guard for the start of the regular season next month.

McLeish is a former NCAA Division I standout with the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and most recently played in the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association with the East Kentucky Miners, averaging 18.6 points and 3.8 assists last season.

“It was nothing off the court, it was just a mixture of him getting sick – he was extremely sick … and then he just came back and had no energy,” Levingston said, adding the team will now be out to find a replacement for him.

“He just didn’t look like he was ready to play basketball. I know that may not be a fair assessment, but he just didn’t have a good camp. He wasn’t the same kid we saw in the summer.”

The Rainmen also announced three more signings – including two with local connections. On board are former Atlantic University Sport guards - Devon Norris of the Dalhousie Tigers and Garry Gallimore of the St. Francis Xavier X-Men.

“Garry probably had the best camp out of all our players,” Levingston proclaimed. “He really impressed us.”

...Continue Reading

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WolfPack limp into Christmas break

TRU WolfPack men's basketball head coach Thom Gillespie is disappointed with his team's 0-8 start to the Canada West season.

Thom Gillespie is understandably disappointed.

Winless through eight games at the Christmas break, the head coach of the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack men’s basketball squad didn’t expect to start the season 0-8.

...Continue Reading