CIS Hoops.ca

Wes Gilbertson's piece in the Calgary Sun on last night's Dinos loss to UBC Wild card the only path now for Dinos Rita Mingo's article in the Calgary Herald T-Birds spoil Dinos party also UBC puts boots to Dinos Also George Johnson from Calgary Herald writes about the Shocking result for Calgary cagers

Neate Sager's post on the CIS blog on last night's CW Final Four

Greg Layson's piece on the Big Man on Campus

Sunday's McGill(8-8) at Laval(13-3) Game Preview Laval heads into the playoffs aiming to hold serve at home and claim the QSSF championship which has eluded them for a few years now. After winning an unbelievable 13 games in a row in conference play, the Rouge et Or stumbled a bit last week-end on the road at Uqam, but head into this Sunday's matchup prime, angry and ready. That doesn't bold well for the pesky Mcgill Redmen, who finished the season with an 8-8 record, tied for 3rd place, but lost a tie-breaker and thus are forced to travel to Quebec city and face the Rouge et Or. The teams played each other 4 times this season, with Laval winning 3 of 4, but Mcgill did pull out a surprising Overtime win at Laval early in the season. When you start analyzing Laval, you start with one name: Jean-Phillipe Morin. The 5th year Senior has had a spectacular season for the Rouge et Or, winning player of the year in the QSSF and will no doubt be named All Canadian in the CIS as well. He's dominated game after game, with his great footwork in the post, tremendous scoring ability from everywhere on the floor, rebounding, shot-blocking and leadership. Laval is loaded at every position, has a deep and productive bench and their high octane transition game turns solid leads into blowouts. Coach of the Year Jacques Paiement loves to run and run some more with his team, but also has some of the best half court sets as well, which usually lead to easy baskets. Somehow McGill will try and slow down Laval, but that's obviously easier said than done. The Redmen always play Laval tough, and look for McGill to come out hungry after a crucial home loss to Concordia last week. McGill will have to decide how they want to defend Laval. Do they concentrate on stopping Morin, with double teams and traps, or do they let him get his points and concentrate on neutralizing Beaulieu, Turcotte, Baribeau and Cote? Either way, it wont be easy, especially at Laval's home court, where over 2,000 fans regularly cheer on their home team. For McGill to have any chance, they need to shoot the basketball at a higher percentage. They must take the ball to the basket and hopefully draw some fouls on Morin. Sean Anthony has played exceptionally well all season, but he will need some scoring help as well from Moustapha El Zanaty and Matt Thornhill. Having said that, the key for Mcgill will be controlling the glass. All season long, the undersized Redmen have gotten outrebounded by their opponents and if they don't keep the rebounding close with Laval, it will be a long day for them. Not many people are giving McGill a chance, Laval is as a strong a team in the CIS right now. They have all the ingredients to win this game rather easily, therefore it's essential for Mcgill to not let Laval dictate the pace of the game. Mcgill has to be aggressive yet at the same time not take any bad and quick shots, which will lead to transition opportunities for Laval. It's playoff basketball and as we've seen across the country the last few days, upsets are becoming the norm. Will the trend continue at Laval come this Sunday? It will be a major shocker if it did.

Peter Yannopoulos
Yanno Basketball Consulting

UBC Hands Dinos Painful Defeat The build-up was electric, the stands were packed, the signs were painted, and the anticipation was thick in the air as the Calgary Dinos took to the floor to play the UBC T-Birds in the Jack Simpson Gym Friday in front over 3,200 fans. But the weight of expectations and a stubborn UBC defense took the crowd and the Dinos out of the game, and the intruders from the Pacific celebrated a 77-69 win, propelling them to the CIS Nationals, and into the Canada West Final on Saturday. From the onset, the Dinos played like a team wound a little too tightly, and their offense was virtually non-existent, as they scored 13 pts. in the 1st quarter and a paltry 10 in the 2nd. Despite their struggles, Calgary had limited the T-Birds to only 28 pts., and trailed by 5 at the break. Surely, they would snap out of it in the second half. But, instead, their defense disappeared for most of the 3rd quarter, as the blue-shirted Pacific Champs rang up 32 points, many from open shots unimpeded by Dino defenders. Calgary made a bit of a run in the 4th quarter to close to within 7, but could not get timely hoops to make it close at the finish. UBC's Chris Dyck proved too tough to stop, hitting for 26 points as well as grabbing 10 rebounds. Brent Malish scored 14 and claimed 11 boards as the T-Birds beat the Dinos 47-32 off the glass. Calgary was led by Henry Bekkering with 19, and his brother Ross with 16, but the Dinos seemed out of synch at the offensive end and never displayed the movement or the finish necessary to threaten UBC. Calgary shot an excruciatingly cold 32% from the floor, while the 'Birds hit on 46% of their tries. Neither team shot well from the line, as Calgary was 17/26 (65%), and UBC 12/20 (60%). Calgary must now recover for Saturday's 5:00 p.m. 3rd place game against Brandon, with a possible CIS wild-card spot at stake.

Bears Top Bobcats In Game One The Alberta Golden Bears, behind 21 points from Alex Steele, came up big in the 4th quarter to catch and bury the #1 seeded Brandon Bobcats 85-79, and qualify for the CIS Nationals. The Bears, who also had Justin VanLoo (14), CG Morrison (15), and Richard Bates (12) in double figures, played an inspired 2nd half, and out-rebounded Brandon 43-34 on the game. The wild-card team in this Canada West Final Four after losing two straight to the Dinos here last weekend, Alberta dug down deep to move past the Bobcats and into Saturday's Championship Final.

Notes ...
> The Calgary-Brandon winner on Saturday will have to wait and hope that the #2 ranked Acadia Axemen win the Atlantic Tournament next weekend. The wild-card selection process is anything but cut and dried, with 11 criteria coming into play to make the choice, but both the Dinos and Bobcats would be in the running.
> The T-Birds seemed to get better energy from the big Calgary crowd, while the Dinos were almost like a reluctant performer in too bright a spotlight. Truly a crushing disappointment for a team seemingly on a path to Nationals. The crowd were almost as stunned as the Dinos team by the turn of events which saw the home side lose at 'The Jack' for the first time this season, in this, the biggest game they had played. The agony of defeat indeed ....

Also, Ben Matchett's report from Calgary Sports Info... T-BIRDS UPEND DINOS IN CONFERENCE SEMI CALGARY – The fifth-ranked UBC Thunderbirds handed the Calgary Dinos their first home loss of the season Friday night in the one game the Dinos couldn’t afford to lose. A 77-69 triumph for the T-Birds, seeded third coming into the Canada West Final Four in Calgary, completed a night of upsets in the Jack Simpson Gym and propels them into the Canada West Final on Saturday night against the Alberta Golden Bears, who upended the Brandon Bobcats 85-79 in the early semi-final. It also sets up a bronze medal showdown between the Dinos and Bobcats, who both need a win Saturday to have any chance at the wild card berth to the CIS Championship in Ottawa in two weeks’ time. “It’s disappointing. We didn’t play well, we didn’t shoot the ball well, and we beat ourselves in so many areas,” said Calgary coach Dan Vanhooren, whose team falls to 14-1 on home court this season. “You’ve got to give it to UBC for playing as physical as they did and really taking us out of our game and away from the things that work well for us.” A two-handed dunk by Henry Bekkering (4th year, Taber, Alta.) opened the scoring for Calgary, but the Thunderbirds went on a 12-2 run from there and never looked back. A long three by Ross Bekkering (3rd, Taber) made it 14-13 Calgary, but that was as close as they would get for the rest of the night. The Dinos shot just 8-for-33 in the first half (24.2 per cent), while the T-Birds fared little better at 36.4 and took a 28-23 lead into the break. Trailing by just five at halftime, Calgary got off to a disastrous start in the third quarter as UBC extended the lead to nine points in the first 24 seconds. The Thunderbirds shot an otherworldly 70 per cent in the third quarter, scoring 32 points and keeping the standing-room-only crowd of 3,244 from willing the hosts back into it. “In the second half we were scoring well, but we gave up 32 points in the third quarter,” said Vanhooren. We really have a better club than played tonight, and it’s disappointing to see that our fate, win or lose tomorrow, is going to come down to a committee to see if we go to nationals.” Second team all-star Chris Dyck (4th, Winnipeg) lived up to his billing with a 26-point, 10-rebound performance to lead the way for UBC, who gave up a late lead to the Dinos in the team’s only other meeting of the season back in November. He was joined in the double-double department by Brent Malish (2nd, Langley, B.C.) who potted 14 and hauled down 11. The Thunderbirds were successful in shutting down the Dinos off the glass, out-boarding Calgary 47-32 on the night. The Bekkering brothers were Calgary’s highest scorers on the night, with Henry pouring in 19 and Ross adding 16, but Henry struggled to go just 2-for-7 from the free throw line. Conference rookie of the year Tyler Fidler (1st, Calgary) played 29 minutes but went 0-for-10 from the field despite recording nine rebounds to match Ross’ team high. UBC moves on to play Alberta in the conference final at 7 p.m. MT, but the marquee match-up comes in the bronze medal game where the No. 3 Bobcats and No. 4 Dinos will do battle. “We have to win tomorrow’s game if we want to extend our season,” said Vanhooren. “Third place games are horrible games to play. You have two teams that are both really disappointed, and I think the team that just refocuses and finds themselves and doesn’t take it to heart as much will probably be successful tomorrow. It’s just too bad that it’s come to that with two of the top teams in our conference.” Tip-off goes at 5 p.m. MT in the Jack.

-UC-

It was an emotional evening at Concordia Gym tonight as the 3rd place Citadins were facing the Concordia Stingers for the 3rd straight time in the QSSF semi-final. The game could have marked the last game for the three best UQAM players - Samuel Johnson, Kevin Boucher and Mario Joseph.

The loud UQAM contingent making the trip to Loyola Gym pumped the Citadins earlier as they took a quick five point lead. The Stingers came back rapidly with a spectacular performance from point guard Damian Buckley. The first half was fast-paced as both teams pushed the ball hard in transition. UQAM up-tempo style of game was greatly matched by the Stingers. Concordia took the lead in the first minute of the 2nd quarter after some costly turnovers by the Citadins. Damien Buckley was simply on fire. He ended up with 20 points at the half.

The referees kept their whistles in their pockets for most of the half as very few fouls were called, especially on rebounds. Stingers got the message and started to be more agressive down low. They outmatched UQAM in the rebounds departement for the entire first half (10 vs 1 on offensive rebounds).

The third quarter was evenly match. Both teams created lots of turnovers. Concordia extended their lead to ten points at one point of the quarter. UQAM then came back with some clutch baskets by Mario Joseph, Jules Diagne and Kevin Boucher. Joseph Atangana showed everyone why he's one of the best blockers of the CIS, blocking 5 Concordia shots during the game. On of the key turning points of the game was Atangana blocking a Concordia shot in the 3rd quarter that led to one of his many dunks (+ the foul). Suddendly, UQAM was only down by 2.

The Citadins kept the momentum for most of the 4th quarter. Concordia's James Clarke and Andre Johnny fouled out quite early in the quarter. The Citadins didn't take advantage and let the Stingers back into the game. UQAM was leading the way by 4 with 3 minutes to play. UQAM turned the ball over two times on their next 3 possessions. Concordia was now leading by 3 with a minute to go. Levi Vann then drained an important three pointers, giving the Stingers a 6 points lead. UQAM came back with a three pointer with 4 seconds to go. Coach Dore called a timeout. The inbound was botched (middle of the field), UQAM stole the ball, Renaldo Maignan missed his 3 pointer, Kevin Boucher took the rebound, gave the ball to Sam Johnson, he got back to the 3 point line but never got the time to shoot the ball. Concordia advances to the QSSF final by the final score of 80-77. What a game!

Both team had a terrific night. Concordia shot for 46,9% vs 46,6% for UQAM. The Stingers won the game on the rebounds, outrebounding one of the best CIS rebounding team (ratio - for / against), 37 to 21.

As for individual efforts, Damien Buckley ended his night with 30 points. Jamal Gallier was a monster for Concordia. He finished the game with 18 points and 10 rebounds. On the other side, four Citadins got more than 10 points (Mario Joseph - 16, Joseph Atangana - 15, Jules Diagne - 14, Kevin Boucher - 13).


Thanks to Mark Wacyk for allowing me to post recaps after UQAM game. It was a fantastic season for me and for the Citadins. I really hope you enjoyed my recaps. I'll be back this summer with more news on the Citadins and/or the QSSF conference.

After tonight's action, here is an update on the confirmed and possible participants in the CIS Nationals to be held in Ottawa in two weeks:

1. Carleton (hosts)
2. Alberta (Canada West qualifier)
3. UBC (Canada West qualifier)
4. * OUA East champion (if Ottawa defeats Carleton tomorrow)
5. OUA West champion (winner of Western at Brock)
6. Quebec league champion (Concordia, Laval and McGill remain)
7. AUS champion
8. Wild card selection

* If Carleton wins OUA East championship game, then Ottawa travels to play the loser of the OUA West championship game for the third Ontario spot.

Tomorrow's Games:
2 PM ET Western at Brock (OUA West championship)
7 PM ET Brandon at Calgary (Canada West Bronze medal game)
8 PM ET Ottawa at Carleton (OUA East championship)
9 PM ET Alberta vs. UBC (Canada West championship game)

Sunday's Game:
2 PM ET McGill at Laval (QSSF semi-final playoff game)

UBC 77, Calgary 69 In the second upset of the evening, the T-Birds blew the game open in the third quarter by continually getting scores in transition after doing a solid job inside and typically limiting Calgary to one shot to advance to the CIS Nationals. 6'3" Chris Dyck led UBC with 26 points including 14 in the second half and got help in the wild third quarter, when the T-Birds outscored the Dinos 32-24 and led by as many as 16, as the T-Birds went on a 10-2 run led by 6'6" Brent Malish, who had 4 consecutive points including a dunk and then later hit a 3 from the corner when the Dinos went to a 1-3-1 zone to try to slow the Birds. 6'7" Matt Rachar (17 points) also made a big contribution during the game-deciding run scoring inside including a dunk on an "and 1". The first half was a defensive struggle which UBC led 28-23 but UBC got going immediately at the start of the third. Calgary's 6'8" Henry Bekkering (19 points but many after UBC had taken a double digit lead) ignited the Dinos and the crowd with an early slam but for the most part UBC defended well inside, aiding by the Dinos settling for perimeter jumpers.

Tomorrow's championship final pits UBC against Alberta while the third place game could have significant wild card implications depending upon what happens in other conferences, namely the AUS, as Brandon and Calgary square off with loser almost certainly falling out of consideration for a wild card.

Concordia 80, UQAM 77 The Stingers blew an early third-quarter 8 point lead to fall behind 74-70 with 5 minutes left until 6'1" Damian Buckley took over, scoring most of his 10 second half points down the stretch including a steal and "and 1" with about 2 minutes remaining to give the Stingers the lead for good as Concordia advanced to next weekend's QSSF championship game. Buckley had a game-high 30 points (20 in the first half), 5 rebounds and 6 assists while 6'8" Jamal Gallier had his best game since before Christmas with 18 points and 10 rebounds including 5 on the offensive glass and a key bucket to tie the game at 74 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining. The Citadins got a tremendous effort from 6'3" Joseph Atangana, who was spectacular around the rim at both ends, blocking 5 shots and slamming home a pair of dunks including a freakishly athletic play in which he caught the ball with his back to the basket in the low post going away from the rim but somehow immediately rose up and slammed it with 2 hands over his head, leaving the overflow crowd in disbelief. Concordia led by five at halftime and then started the third quarter on a 5-2 run before 6'4" Mario Joseph started a big UQAM run with a clutch 3 pointer which energized the Citadins. UQAM then began creating turnovers and getting out in transition for easy scores. In the half court, the Citadins played small ball, creating difficult matchup problems. When Concordia coach John Dore tried a zone, the Citadins were able to get the ball inside at will. But then Buckley went to work to save the Stingers at home. UQAM had 5 players in double figures led by Joseph with 16 points while Atangana had 15 points, 6 rebounds and 5 resounding blocks but it wasn't enough as Concordia won at home against UQAM for the third time this season in a season-series in which the home team won all five games.

Alberta 85, Brandon 79; Bears advance to CIS Nationals and Canada West Championship game BOX SCORE 6'2" Canada West MVP Alex Steele put the Bears on his back with 16 second half points as Alberta advanced to the CIS Nationals with a come-from-behind victory over the Bobcats. With Alberta up 41-39, Brandon's 6'5" Adam Hartman hit back-to-back 3's early in the third quarter to give the Cats a four point lead which Brandon maintained through the end of the third quarter. But Steele, who added 10 rebounds and 6 assists in a near-triple-double performance, began to heat up and 6'3" Justin Vanloo (14 points) and 6'1" point guard C.G. Morrison (15 points) also had big second halves as the Bears outscored Brandon by 11 in the final quarter. 6'9" Yuri Whyms was a monster inside and on the offensive glass for Brandon, leading all scorers with 27 points and added 15 rebounds including 7 on the offensive glass while Hartman added 24 points. 6'3" Dany Charlery added 11 but only 2 after halftime while 6'1" Yul Michel had 9 for Brandon, who awaits the loser of the second game of the Canada West semi-final between UBC and Calgary. Brandon needs to win that third place game to maintain hope for a CIS Nationals. 6'9" Richard Bates kept Alberta in the game in the first half with 12 points for Alberta.

Game Report from Calgary Sports Information GOLDEN BEARS HEADED TO OTTAWA AFTER UPSETTING BOBCATS; By Jack Neumann, UC Sports Info. CALGARY - Alex Steele scored 21 points as the University of Alberta Golden Bears upset the number three ranked Brandon University Bobcats 85-79 in Canada West semi-final men’s basketball action in Calgary. With the win Alberta advances to the Canada West Final tomorrow evening against either the University of Calgary or University of British Columbia and also have secured a spot at the CIS national tournament in Ottawa next month. The Bears entered the four team tournament as the Wild Card team while the Bobcats were Great Plains Conference champions and were CIS national finalists last year. Steele, the Canada West Player of the Year also had 10 rebounds and six assists as the Bears overcame an 11 point deficit in the third quarter. Steele was 7-for19 from outside and added another eight points from the free-throw line. The win for Alberta marked the third time that Bears have beaten Brandon. Alberta led 20-13 after ten minutes thanks to strong inside play from Richard Bates who came off the bench and made several key baskets. The Bobcats slowly clawed their way back into the contest and tied the game at 37-37 at the half thanks to strong outside shooting and taking advantage of several Alberta turnovers. Steele had a chance to put the Bears in front in final second but his desperation shot at the buzzer was well off the mark. Brandon outscored Alberta 24-19 in the third quarter as the Bears were plagued by foul trouble and the Bobcats hit their free throw attempts and led 63-61 with ten minutes remaining. The lead changed hands several times with no team being able to take control. Steele and C.G. Morrison then proceeded to take control with key treys and Alberta went ahead 77-71 with 2:43 remaining in the contest. The Bobcats cut the margin to 77-74 with just over 90 seconds left but Harvey Bradford’s basket with 76 left staked the Bears to a 79-74 lead that Brandon could not penetrate. Yuri Whyms led the Bobcats with 27 points while Adam Hartman chipped in with 24. Morrison added 15 points for Alberta and Justin VanLoo chipped with 14 off the bench, many of them at critical times in the second for the Bears. Alberta shot 44% in the contest while Brandon shot 40%, however, Alberta hauled down 43 rebounds as compared to 34 for Alberta.

-UC-

The second and third spots (of a total of eight to be determined by a week from Sunday) at the CIS Nationals will be confirmed this evening as Canada West stages their Final Four semis tonight in Calgary where an overflow crowd is expected. In the 5 PM MTgame, Alberta faces Brandon. These teams have met twice this season, once in the pre-season at the Guy Vetrie Memorial tournament in Victoria and then later in November in Edmonton in a Canada West regular season game with Alberta winning both games. In the 7 PM MT game, UBC Thunderbirds meet home-town Calgary Dinos; the Dinos came up with a 5 point home-court win in November during a UBC road trip. Rita Mingo of the Calgary Herald does a nice job of breaking down tonight's UBC at Calgary semi-final Not exactly familiar foes Wes Gilbertson of Sun Media on tonight's Calgary/UBC game Dinos hoopsters have sights set on Nationals berth. Here is the view from Vancouver as Howard Tsumura of the Vancouver Province previews tonight's game Hanson's team slows it down and the interviews T-Birds Coach Hanson Hanson's Birds set for start of CW Final Four Dan Stinson's article in the Vancouver Sun T-Birds won't be gentle with giant

Stewart Pallard of the Gauntlet, Calgary's campus newspaper, has a piece on Dino freshman Tyler Fidler Basketball's rockin' rookie makes his mark

Here is a link to Ben Matchett's CW Final Four preview (previously published)

Both games can be viewed LIVE! on NUTV Calgary's video webcast link

MORE ON BRANDON'S DROP IN THE RANKINGS DESPITE NOT LOSING (allegedly).... The boys from the Scrum talk to an apparent oversight by most coaches voting in the most recent NABCC Top 10 poll The Coaches screwed up In my opinion, the rule that the boys allude to is assinine... why does a governing body try to legislate to disregard a single loss in a Best-of-3 series, even if that loss was at home in a playoff game. By this very questionable logic, a loss in a playoff game is less punishing to a team in the polls than a loss in pre-season tournament. Needless to say, my take is that a loss is a loss, especially in a regulation 40 minute game with referees, timekeepers, fans etc. at home with two weeks to prepare for a playoff game.

QUEBEC PLAYOFFS TONIGHT
7 PM UQAM at Concordia The teams split a four regular season games. The winner of tonight's game advances to the Quebec league championship game next weekend against the winner of McGill at Laval which will be played this coming Sunday at 2 PM in Sainte-Foy.

*** Neate Sager's piece on last night's playoff action *** Hoops: Windsor washed away


Here is the latest post from the boys in Brandon Enough is enough

As well, their latest podcast (Podcast XI) features a strong interview with Windsor Head Coach Chris Oliver, completed a couple of days prior to last night's Lancers loss Scrum Podcast with Chris Oliver

The boys also announced that Carleton Head Coach Dave Smart is scheduled to be interviewed on the Scrum's podcast next week (Podcast XII).

The new and improved Canada Basketball site has a section in which Head Coach Leo Rautins provides his thoughts on several basketball issues and in his most recent post, he has articulated his views on the top players in the CIS. Click here for the link to Leo's blog... Below is the text of the blog entry with the relevant CIS material (thanks to Wellsie for point out the link)

I have people asking me about CIS players, and if there are any National team prospect out there. I’m always watching and talking to contacts across Canada, looking for players that can help us win. I think it’s important for people to understand that just because a player has success at CIS or NCAA school, it doesn’t mean that it will translate to the National Team level. I often hear that this player, or that player, should be on the team – but in reality, they may not be able to play at our level.

However, I am always trying to find the players that can help Canada win. I have put together some names of the top players (in no particular order) in the CIS – for you to look for with the playoffs in full gear.

By the way, I’m betting on ‘five time’ (my nickname for Carleton Head Coach, Dave Smart, who also coaches by my side on the National Team) to win his sixth consecutive CIS Championship. I can’t tell you how impressed I am by his numbers and successes – amazing at any level! Dave has won championships by simply out-coaching, and his players, out-executing, his opponents. The University of Victoria, under Ken Shields, won seven straight titles - but from what I saw, had far greater size and talent (their National Team presence and impact at the time, supports this) relative to their competition, than Smart has won with at Carleton. Their first big test comes Saturday vs. Dave DeAveiro’s Ottawa Gee-Gee’s, in the OUA Final, at the Ravens Nest in Ottawa.

Players to watch:

Aaron Doornekamp – a forward on the undefeated Carleton Ravens…Aaron played for Canada last summer at the Pan Ams and was in the final 15 with the Qualifier team…versatile player that can play inside or outside…outstanding passer…tough and scrappy…will beat you dropping 30 - or do it with defense and rebounding.

Ryan Bell – a guard with the Ravens…played for Canada in Las Vegas…with Ryan I know exactly what I get – every time he steps on the floor…can run the team…excellent rebounder and defender at the 1 or 2 spot…can hit the open shot…tremendous competitor…great attitude.

Henry Beckkering – best athlete in the CIS…you can read about this high flyer in last weeks Sports Illustrated (surprisingly, in an article on dunking!)…transferred from Eastern Washington to the U of Calgary…21 and 7 rbs on the season…put up huge numbers when his brother Ross went down recently…versatile…finally getting a chance to show what he can do on the floor.

Ross Beckkering – has been out with an ankle injury…picked him out of an open tryout camp last summer in Toronto – loved his energy and aggressiveness around the hoop…Ross made the World University Team…also at U of C with his brother…6’8”…great athlete…hops…works hard…huge upside.

JP Morin – led the CIS with 24.5 at U de Laval in Quebec…6’7” inside – outside scorer…goes to the glass…3 man skills but plays better at the 4 in National Team camps…physical…solid offensive player.

Leonil Santil – the rebounding monster from Acadia – broke the conference record for single season rebounding – 13.9 rpg…also dropped 18+ a game…size could be an issue moving up.

Greg Surmacz – the U of Windsor forward was #8 in scoring at 19.5 and also grabbed 8.2 boards a game…tough on the offensive glass…versatility allows him to score inside and step out for the J as well.

Josh Gibson-Bascombe – plays for DeAveiro at Ottawa…at 6’4” good size for a point guard…long arms – can get after you defensively…scores…not afraid to attack the basket…played for the World University Team last summer.

Others to watch:


Danny Charlery – Brandon U
Tyler Richards – St. FX
Andrew Spagrud – U of Saskatchewan
Erfan Nasajpour – U of Winnipeg
Alex Steele – U of Alberta
Nick Pankerichian – U of Guelph


Also, while surfing around the new and improved Canada Basketball site, I came across an excellent blog by Matt Slan on CIS basketball

Alex has asked that I post this after some recent conversations he had...

Good morning esteemed reader,

In my UQAM / Laval recap from last week, I wrote that Jérôme-Turcotte Routhier (from Laval) lost his cool during the game, flipping the bird to Samuel Johson from UQAM.

First of all, I got to admit that it was more a Rafael Nadal (vamos) gesture (that can be use as an obsene gesture, than a middle finger - even if both gesture can be done has one at once).

I spoke to Jérome earlier this morning and cleared everything out. The bottom line is that I misinterpreted Jérôme's gesture. Altough he did do a Rafael Nadal type of move, it was only to CELEBRATE and NOT an obsene gesture towards Samuel Johnson.

What led me to believe that is that Jérôme did look at Johnson while doing so and that it happened just after he lost his temper (and he acknoledged that he did overreact).

So, I want to apologize to Jérôme Turcotte-Routhier for misinterpreting his gesture. He is a great rookie player and will be one of Laval main players for years to come. I don't want his name to be tarnished because of what that misinterpretation.

Alexandre Tourigny

Mary Caton of the Windsor Star reports on last night's Western upset win over OUA West regular season pennant winners Windsor Lancers Lancers out early

Morris Dalla Costa of the London Free Press on Mustangs big win at Windsor

Jim Wallace of the St. Catharines Standard provides his recap of last night's Brock Badgers win at home Badgers advance

Greg Layson's Big Man on Campus blog has all the details of last night's Brock win

Calgary Herald article providing the Dinos perspective on the recent Canada West all-star announcements Dinos will deal with All-Star snub on court

CISHOOPS.CA Media Poll gets some run in the Edmonton Journal

A short note/plea to those in the OUA office or whoever is responsible for scheduling Saturday's OUA West championship game in St. Catharines. With the OUA East championship already scheduled for 8 PM, please, from the perspective of CIS/OUA fans, consider scheduling Western at Brock in the afternoon or some time not in direct competition with Ottawa at Carleton. From a marketing perspective, allowing fans to watch/follow both games would be much more appealing.

Friday's Final Four Games Promise Fierce Action Four Canada West teams have dreams of a trip to CIS Nationals, and each are one win away from achieving that goal. These are the four best in the league over the entire season, and each team has reason for optimism when considering their chances of success.

Alberta Golden Bears (16-8) vs. Brandon Bobcats (22-3)
#4 seed - unranked in CIS #1 seed - # 3 ranked in CIS

The Bears own a 2-0 record over the Great Plains Champions this season, with one win in October 86-80 at Victoria, then their league win at home 106-93. Alberta has played four games on the Calgary floor, albeit with no joy in any of them, but they have played in front of this crowd, and they may have some 'familiar court advantage'. Alex Steele, their 5th year Canada West MVP can score from anywhere on the floor, and his match-up with David Yul Michel, the defensive player of the year in the league, should be a classic. Brandon has a scoring advantage in the post, as both Yuri Whyms, their big man down low, and Adam Hartmann, who can wheel and deal in the high post, are bigger threats to score than Alberta's Richard Bates, Harvey Bradford, or Justin VanLoo. Andrew Parker, Neb Aleksic, and CG Morrison must out-play the veteran Bobcat back-court, and corral their dangerous scorer, Dany Charlery. Both these teams like a fast pace, and the Bears can match Brandon defensively; Coach Don Horwood may find a way to convince his team they can be winners in this gym, and Brandon may find Alberta just as tough the 3rd time around. The Bobcats have made a habit, in the last 30 years, of representing Canada West at Nationals, as they have 24 appearances at the Finals, with 4 Canadian Titles. Alberta has 14 appearances with 3 National Crowns. Game time is 5:00 pm MST on Friday.

Calgary Dinos (20-4) vs UBC T-Birds (20-5)
#2 seed 4th ranked in CIS #4 seed - 5th ranked in CIS

Calgary is 14-0 on their home court this season, and they will be playing in front of a full house, mostly of Dinos fans, and they come off an impressive pair of wins over their Alberta rivals, the Golden Bears. The last time these two teams met was in November as the Dinos opened the season with a 73-68 win over the T-Birds. In that game, Calgary's 6'8" post, Ross Bekkering, had a 20 pt. and 14 rebound double- double, while his more ballyhooed brother Henry was held to 14 pts., and got a bit of a rough ride from UBC's Bryson Kool. The Thunderbirds Coach Kevin Hanson has made a point of urging more physical play from his posts, so Friday's match could be hammer and tong time. Calgary's three men up front will present a problem for UBC, as the two Bekkerings combine with Robbie Sihota to average over 50 points and close to 30 rebounds a game. UBC counters with Kool at 6'8", and Brent Malish at 6'6" with 6'10" Balraj Bains off the bench seeing more action late in the season. On the perimeter, both squads have capable point guards who will look to run ... Calgary's Jeff Price has been a tenacious defender, and a threat from 3 pt. range, while UBC starts Brett Leversage at 6' , but plays Alex Murphy, 6'2", who has more offense, and will look to penetrate. UBC's Chris Dyck is a shooter who must be respected by the Dinos defense, as he averages 18.4 ppg, and he has Matt Racher, a 6'7" wing man to help with 10.3 pts. UBC, in fact has more scoring by committee, and they put up 84 pts. a game, which is on par with Calgary's 85, and UBC limits their opponents to 74 pts. a game compared to Calgary's 75. The stats seem to even out, and we can expect a close game. The X-factor for Calgary has to be the home court, and also their shooting guards Cody Darrah and Tyler Fidler. Both can hit from long range, and they compliment their teammates well. Calgary only has 4 appearances in the CIS Nationals with no National titles as yet, while UBC has made the trip 15 times and captured 2 Championships, the last being in 1971-'72. The last time these teams met in the Canada West Final Four was in Brandon in 2004 with Calgary defeating UBC 92-87 to claim the Canada West Title. This should be another high scoring game with great intensity from both teams ... Calgary looks to extend their home streak to 15 games, and carve out some history of their own in CIS play. game time is 7:00 pm MST.

Notes ... Do not call anyone ... anyone ... looking for free tickets to this Tournament. There are none to be had, and you will be disappointed at the door. Heightened interest in CIS Hoops in Calgary as the gym is expected to sell out with 4,400 tickets printed, and sales racing towards capacity. Phone 220-7749 or online at tickets@ucalgary.ca the lines should be easier this week with two games on tap and fans trained to arrive early. The attendance at the U of C far out-strips that in any of the other playoff venues this season, and could set a record for the Final Four.

The CIS announced yesterday the broadcast schedule for the Nationals as per below. One thing that caught my eye was the 11:30 AM start for the first quarter-final on Friday, probably not a slot teams envy.

CIS MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Dates: Friday, March 14 - Sunday, March 16
Location: Carleton University, Ottawa (at Scotiabank Place)

Friday, March 14 (all times LOCAL)
11:30 am Quarterfinal 1
2:00 pm Quarterfinal 2 (The Score / video webcast)
6:00 pm Quarterfinal 3
8:00 pm Quarterfinal 4 (The Score / video webcast)

Saturday, March 15
11:30 am Consolation 1
1:30 pm Consolation 2
6:00 pm Semifinal 1 (The Score / video webcast)
8:00 pm Semifinal 2 (The Score / video webcast)

Sunday, March 16
12:30 pm 5th Place
3:30 pm Final (The Score / RDS / video webcast)

* No Bronze game

QSSF PLAYOFF PREVIEW

Uqam at Concordia.

It's semi-final playoff time in the QSSF, and for the 3rd year in a row, the Uqam Citadins travel to Loyola Gym to face the defending league champions Concordia Stingers. For those who have forgotten, two years ago, Uqam barely sneaked into the playoffs and faced the highly ranked and powerful Stingers on their home court. Everyone thought it would be a blowout, but Uqam walked into Concordia and upset them, thanks in large part to a player named Claude Delmas. Delmas the former Dawson College star only played a few league games at the end of the season that year and despite claims by Concordia Head Coach John Dore that he should have not been eligible to play, league officials allowed him to play, and he was the main reason why Uqam beat Concordia and Laval on the road and won the QSSF championship. Last season, both teams matched up again, but this time the first place Stingers easily handled Uqam (minus Delmas) and went on to the Nationals ranked and seeded #1. Unfortunately, Concordia lost in the 1st round and their dream for a national championship was gone with the wind. This year's matchup seem's to be much more even. Concordia at (9-7) and Uqam (8-8) played each other 4 times this season, and the home team won each game. There is a respect factor from both teams,starting from the coaches down to players, but it is clear that these two teams do not like each other. The Delmas factor still leaves a bad taste for the Stinger program, and with both teams playing a very athletic and physical style of basketball, look for a serious battle come Friday nite. The build up is there but lets talk about the players now. Concordia is not the same team without Dwayne Buckley, out for the year with a knee injury. But brother Damian has picked it up to another level this year, and is probably the best point guard in the country( I still love Yul Michel). Buckley can change a game around at any second and he wants to get back to the Nationals. However, knowing coach Olga Hrycak like I do, she will have something very strategic planned for Mr. Buckley. The Stingers are not the Stingers of years past, they are not deep, they don't run as much and don't score as much either. Jamal Gallier has battled injuries all season, and does not look fit. He had a solid double-double vs McGill last week, but he's unable to log major mins. Concordia has some quick guards, but are very untested at this level. Levi Vann, Pierre Thompson and Decee Krah have not played significant mins in the playoffs before, and it will be interesting to see how they perform.

Uqam on the other hand, has come back from an 0-5 start to finish in 3rd place. They have battled injuries as well, but are playing inspired basketball at this moment. It all starts with 6-4 250lbs(his weight fluctuates) PG Mario Joseph. Joseph who has played the foward position all his life, has been asked to run the point for Hrycak this season. He's a player who can defend all 5 positions on the floor and dictate's the pace for the Citadins. He's looked more to pass this season, but don't be surprised to see him more in the post in this game and score inside for Uqam. We all know that Sam Johnson is a pure shooter, whose improved his mid-range game this season. He can now put it on the floor and attack the basket. The player that changes the game with his "freak" athleticism is Joseph Antagana. Whether he's blocking shots on defense, or throwing down monster dunks on offense, "Jo" is feared. Players get out of his way, and with him in the lineup(just like two years ago when he really impacted the game along with Delmas), he ignite's the fast break for Uqam and controls the boards. The other versatile Uqam player is Jules Diagne. He's a player that Concordia has a hard time matching up with because of his size and lenght and he create's problems with his scoring and offensive rebounding. Diagne is full of potential, that hasn't really fully developped quite yet, but he's capable of having a breakout game at anytime. This game will be a very tough and physical war. Uqam is strong, agressive and hungry. Concordia on the other hand, always plays well in their small and tiny home court. Having said that, if Uqam gets their motion offense in gear, control the glass and get their fast break going, the Stingers will have a hard time keeping up. Buckley will be flirting with triple-double again, but who steps up with him? Im not sure anyone really can. Uqam is more experienced and i think that Joseph will score inside, Diagne, Johnson and Antagana will be too much for the Stingers too handle. It should be quite a batlle come Friday nite.

Peter Yannopoulos
Yanno Basketball Consulting.

Western 77, Windsor 71 6'6" Brad Smith hit the go-ahead hoop with 1:20 remaining and then 6'3" Alex Brzozowicz added a clutch 3 with 10 seconds remaining on a feed from 6'1" Matt Curtis as the Mustangs shocked an overflow crowd of over 2,500 to advance to the OUA West championship game at Brock on Saturday. 6'1" Jason Milliquet continued his recent white-hot shooting by knocking down back-to-back long 3's late in the game to give Western a 3 point lead with under 3 minutes remaining. But 6'5" Kevin Kloostra gave the Lancers their final lead including a steal and score that gave Windsor their last lead, setting up Smith's clutch shot. The Lancers jumped out to a nine point lead midway through the first quarter but Western coach Brad Campbell called a timely timeout and the Mustangs finished the quarter on a 5-0 run including a late 3 by Curtis to bring Western back to within 4 after 1. Western then led by 4 at halftime and extended the lead to as many as 9 late in the third quarter before Windsor finished the quarter on a mini 4-0 run. The Mustangs now travel to St. Catharines on Saturday to face Brock; game time tba.

Brock 78, Guelph 74 The Badgers held off a late Guelph comeback attempt with clutch free throw shooting to advance to the OUA West final. Brock was in control up 13 with just over 3 minutes remaining when 6'4" Jay Mott had a conventional 3 point play that started a 10-0 run that brought Guelph back to within 3 at 70-67 with just under a minute to play. But 5'10" Brad Rootes was fouled by Mott after an upfake on the baseline in a somewhat-controversial call that left Mott on the floor nursing a sore jaw. Rootes made the first and missed the second free throw but 6'8" Dusty Bianchin grabbed the rebound and Brock proceed to close the game out on the foul line. Brock was completely in control of the game for 37 minutes, leading by 9 at halftime and then extending to a double digit lead by pounding the ball inside to 6'7" Owen White (game-high 25 points) in the third quarter. The Badgers got balanced scoring inside and out, including only 3 3's to take a 9 point halftime lead. Mott led all scorers with 13 1st half points while 6'8" Duncan Milne was saddled with 2 early fouls and entered halftime with 3. Milne led Guelph with 19 and 6'3" Nick Pankerichan, Mott and 6'4" Borko Popic 18 apiece. 6'0" Scott Murray hit his second 3 of the half in transition off a nice feed from Rootes to give the Badgers their largest lead just before the break. Rootes had scored the final 4 points of the first quarter during a 5-0 run which broke a 15-15 tie to give Brock the lead after 1. 6'4" Jonathan Moscatelli was not in the lineup for Guelph. Brock now faces the winner of Windsor/Western.

An excellent preview of this weekend's Canada West Final Four in Calgary

DINOS HOST CONFERENCE’S BEST AT FINAL FOUR CALGARY – For the first time since the introduction of the Final Four format in 2002, the Canada West men’s basketball championship takes place in the Jack Simpson Gym. In fact, it’s the first time a men’s hoops conference championship of any kind has hit the hardwood in Calgary since Richard Bohne hit ‘the shot’ to defeat the Victoria Vikes in 1993 to send the Dinos to the conference final – which they won in two games over the Saskatchewan Huskies. This time around, fans will be treated to the best basketball in the country this side of the CIS Final 8 in Ottawa. Three of the top five teams in the country will take to the floor in a single elimination tournament, and with only two guaranteed trips to our nation’s capital available, Friday night’s semi-finals take on increased significance. The Dinos made it this far with a perfect 14-0 record at home, capped off by a two-game sweep of the Alberta Golden Bears last weekend in the Central Division final. Calgary has thrived in the Jack, outscoring their opponents by an average of nearly 20 points per game and hauling down 10 more rebounds than the opposition. Their statistical dominance on home court has been striking – the Dinos boast wide margins in field goal percentage, free throw percentage, free throw attempts, steals, and blocked shots in the friendly confines. Extending that streak to 15-0 Friday night would guarantee the program’s first berth to the national tournament since 2004, when they won the conference title and fell by two points to eventual national champion Carleton in the CIS semi-final in Halifax. However, there are four very good teams at this tournament with similar designs on the conference title standing in the way. Here’s a team-by-team look at the Canada West Final Four which, incidentally, features the same four teams from 2004 when the Dinos last won it all:

#1 BRANDON BOBCATS

20-2 Canada West, 2-1 playoffs, 27-7 overall

CIS Top Ten: No. 3 • cishoops.ca Media Poll: No. 3

The Bobcats got a rude awakening last Friday night in their 87-85 loss to Regina at home – the team’s first home loss since the conference championship game last season. A comeback for the ages it almost was, with Brandon rebounding from a 29-point deficit to make a game of it, but the Cougars sent them to the brink of elimination. Like all good teams, the Bobcats responded well, crushing the Cougars 105-70 in Game 2 and winning the series with an 89-67 victory in Game 3, earning their second straight Great Plains Division title. Brandon makes a rare appearance in the Jack as the top seed at the tournament and will face the wild card-winning Alberta Golden Bears in the early semi-final Friday night. The Bears have caused problems all season for the Bobcats, who won the CIS silver medal a year ago. Alberta took an 86-80 win at a pre-season tournament in Victoria back in October, then won the lone conference meeting between the teams 106-93 in Edmonton. First team all-star Dany Charlery leads the Bobcats’ attack with 18.5 points per game, while second team all-star Adam Hartman adds 17.5. Point guard David Yul Michel, the conference’s defensive player of the year, is playing his final CIS season and is among the league leaders in assists (2nd), assist/turnover ratio (3rd), and steals (12th).


#2 CALGARY DINOS

18-4 Canada West, 2-0 playoffs, 24-6 overall

CIS Top Ten: No. 4 • cishoops.ca Media Poll: No. 2

The host Dinos face the UBC Thunderbirds in the other semi-final match-up on Friday night in just the second meeting between the two teams this season. The first came in week one of the regular season, where the Dinos erased an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win 73-68. While second team all-star Henry Bekkering has gotten most of the headlines this year, including an interview and photo in last week’s edition of Sports Illustrated, he is surrounded by a strong supporting cast and all have stepped up their game in the post-season. The team played its best game of the year last Saturday night against Alberta to clinch the Central Division pennant with a 90-66 win. Bekkering leads all players in playoff scoring, averaging 29 points per game in the two wins over Alberta. Among players still involved in the post-season, Brandon’s Yuri Whyms sits second in that statistical category with 17.3 points per game. Ross Bekkering was more than effective in his return to action after missing five games with an ankle injury at the end of the year, scoring 32 points, hauling down 18 boards, and recording seven swats in the two-game sweep of the Bears, where he went 16-for-17 from the line. Robbie Sihota scored 17 each night, while conference rookie of the year Tyler Fidler played quality minutes in the Dinos’ series win.

#3 UBC THUNDERBIRDS

18-5 Canada West, 4-0 playoffs, 24-5 overall

CIS Top Ten: No. 5 • cishoops.ca Media Poll: No. 6

After four seasons without appearing in Calgary, the Thunderbirds will meet the Dinos for the second time this year with a berth to the CIS championship on the line. UBC rolled through the Pacific Division playoffs with relative ease, winning four games at home over the Fraser Valley Cascades and Victoria Vikes to advance to the Final Four, where they hope to repeat as conference champions. Defence was the story for UBC in those four games, where they allowed 70-plus points just once. They have also shot the ball very well in the post-season, leading all teams with a field goal percentage of .480 and connecting on 22 of 53 attempts from beyond the arc (.415). The Thunderbirds bring the experience of several conference championships, appearing in their third straight Final Four and their fifth in six seasons. Chris Dyck, a fourth year guard that transferred from Manitoba, was UBC’s lone all-star, appearing alongside Bekkering on the second team. His 18.4 points per game led the T-Birds by a considerable margin, and he was the only UBC player to appear in the top 30 in conference scoring. UBC’s offence is well-distributed, with six players averaging eight points or better per game over the regular season.

#4 ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS

16-6 Canada West, 2-3 playoffs, 23-10 overall

CIS Top Ten: Not ranked • cishoops.ca Media Poll: Not ranked

Despite losing the Central Division final to Calgary last weekend, the Bears make the return trip down the QE2 for the Final Four as the wild card team, beating out the Victoria Vikes. Led by conference MVP Alex Steele and coach of the year Don Horwood, the Bears have beaten every team attending this weekend at least once this season, including two wins against first round opponent Brandon. And, after going 1-5 against the Dinos this season, the Bears will be relieved to play anybody but the host Dinos. “Right now, anybody is better for us than Calgary,” said Horwood when his team was given the wild card berth. Steele, a fifth year guard, was the offensive catalyst for Alberta all season, averaging 21 points per game and connecting on 84.1 per cent of his free throw attempts. C.G. Morrison’s 13.2 points per game has paced the Bears in their five post-season games behind 15.8 from Steele, but it will be Alberta’s ability to pound the ball inside against Yul Michel and the tenacious Brandon defence that will determine their success. With one national wild card berth to the CIS Final 8 available, it’s very possible that three of these teams will advance to Ottawa in two weeks’ time – but each of the four certainly wants to earn the spot on their own merits, and that means a win on semi-final Friday.

Ticket sales for the Final Four have been brisk, and Dinos Athletics expects sell-out crowds both nights. Fans are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets in advance by calling (403) 220-7749 or via email at tickets@ucalgary.ca. A very limited number of tickets will be available at the door, and line-ups are expected to be very long.



-UC-



2007 Canada West Men’s Basketball Final Four; Jack Simpson Gym, University of Calgary

Friday, Feb. 29

5 p.m. - #1 Brandon vs. #4 Alberta

7 p.m. - #2 Calgary vs. #3 UBC


Saturday, Mar. 1

5 p.m. – Bronze medal game

7 p.m. – Conference final

All games will be streamed LIVE by NUTV at www.nutv.ca/streaming.