...from Lakehead Sports Information
Wolves men’s basketball to host Brandon Bobcats
Thunder Bay, Ont. – The Lakehead Thunderwolves men’s basketball team will return to action this Friday and Saturday as they host the Brandon Bobcats in preseason nonconference action at the C. J. Sanders Fieldhouse in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Both games get started at 7:00pm.
The two game series will rekindle an historic rivalry between the two squads dating back to their days of battling in the GPAC conference. Brandon now plays in the Canada West conference (Prairie Division) while Lakehead is in the OUA.
Lakehead Thunderwolves
Lakehead will field a young roster with significant potential. Head coach Scott Morrison brought in one of the best recruiting classes nationwide for a second straight year and will be looking for contributions from several key players.
Point guard Greg Carter of Ottawa is one of the top defenders in the CIS and will lead the Wolves with fellow second year player, Yoosrie Salhia from Toronto, last year’s top CIS rebounder and a strong low post scoring threat.
Joining Carter in the backcourt will be Jamie Searle, a fourth-year combo guard with a dangerous outside shot.
Other key returnees include second-year post Brendan King who has made significant strides as a basketball player during the past year and Andrew Hackner, a fourth-year veteran who will give the Wolves a rugged athlete who can defend multiple positions.
Highlighting Morrison’s recruiting class is wing Matt Nagy, an Arkansas native with a combination of size, strength, and perimeter skills. Joe Jones, a transfer from Howard Community College will get an opportunity to contribute against the Bobcats and NCAA transfer Cam Hornby of Winnipeg will be a rotation player this season.
Up front, another transfer, Seb Kasiuk, formerly of the University of Guelph will be a big contributor for Lakehead, while first-year athletes Ryan Thomson from Oakville and Anthony McIntosh will fit into the team’s plans.
Cam Hornby, Yoosrie Salhia, Greg Carter, Andrew Quirion and Matt Nagy all sat out the Oct 3rd alumni game with injuries and will be assessed throughout the practices this week as to their status for the home series.
Brandon Bobcats
Brandon head coach Keith Vassell will lead a team into Thunder Bay that features several new faces with a strong core group of returnees. His team won the Great Plains Division before bowing out in the Canada West semi-finals to eventual national silver medalists UBC. They will likely factor into the CIS title race again this season with their strong guard and wing-oriented line-up.
Pacing the Bobcats is Dany Charlery of Montreal, a 6’3” Mike Moser Award candidate who averaged 21.1 points per game in 2008-09. His backcourt running mate is fifth-year point guard Tarik Tokar who transferred to the team last year from Manitoba.
Another strong point guard Andrew Kraus joins the team this year after transferring from Acadia. Kraus led the Axemen to a remarkable upset of perennial powerhouse Carleton, two seasons ago at the CIS championships.
Lakehead head coach Morrison is looking forward to seeing his team start off their competitive schedule.
"We are excited to tip-off our CIS season after a long and productive training camp. Injuries may shorten our bench a bit but will give us the opportunity to get our young players such much needed experience on the court against top CIS level competition. The next three weeks are going to give us a great chance to see our new people reacting to game situations and learning to play together."
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
SLAM! Sports article on NEDA Program
A discussion on the reminants of NEDA and a new initiative, termed REDA, being primed by ex-Guelph Gryphon player/assistant coach Tarry Upshaw and Assistant Coach and former SMU center Nate Phillipe, former SMU player, which appears on SLAM! online (with thanks from Neate Sager of The CIS Blog)
The Resurrection: Basketball Canada struggles to keep its only “prep school.”
by Tariq Sbiet
You grab 12 of the top high school players in Canada, put them in one gym, and what do you get?
It’s called NEDA—National Elite Development Academy, which can be compared to the top prep schools in America. This program gives student-athletes a unique opportunity to learn, mature and develop their skills both on and off the hardwood, with first-hand spokesmen to attest to its success.
Kelly Olynyk, a freshman at the University of Gonzaga admits, “I thought NEDA was outstanding. It was somewhere where you could play against the top players in the country everyday and improve your game by leaps and bounds.” In fact, Olynyk credits NEDA for his recent success, “Without it I don’t think I would be where I am today. It did so much for me and my game; I hope other kids get the same opportunity.”
The ‘08-09 roster saw five players commit to NCAA programs: Mike Allison and Murphy Burnatowski (Maine), Kelly Olynyk and Mangisto Arop (Gonzaga), and Roger Dugas (Elon).
As for the ladies, Natalie Achonwa (Notre Dame), Kayla Alexander (Syracuse), Kristine Lalonde (Vermont), Taryn Wicijowski (Utah), and Felicia Wijenberg (San Diego) are all products of the academy.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to keep the program afloat. I was sitting-in on a NEDA boys exhibition game last April at McMaster University when the manager of Men’s Elite Performance, Andrew Cook, informed me that the academy would be folding.
With all the progress made in such a small time span, how can its recent collapse be explained? “Basically Basketball Canada lost a lot of their funding. It’s unfortunate; having a banking background, I understand how the economy was going,” confesses Tarry Upshaw, former assistant coach for NEDA.
Despite financial shortage, Upshaw has been able to revive the program, using a similar concept with the same approach. NEDA has now been condensed into what is called REDA, a regional elite development academy.
Participants pay a fee of $2500, a price which covers travel expenses, practices, games and hotel accommodations on the road. “My kid plays rep hockey and it cost me $5000 this year… and he’s 10,” Upshaw explains humorously.
Although REDA has been compressed, this program still remains as the only platform in Canada for up-and-coming talent to develop and expose their skills at an international level to major scouts and coaches throughout the basketball season.
In short, this academy is the only “prep school” in the country; competing against college teams in Canada and the top prep schools in the States.
This REDA squad features promising prospects such as 6-2 point guard Jahenns Manigat, 6-2 guard Ryan Augustine and 6-10 center Lucas Nugteren who will look to maximize their REDA experience to make it to the next level. Coach Upshaw explains his philosophy: “I want to see them grow from being players that had talent to players that are polished.”
Assistant coach Nate Phillipe also professes, “I think the trend over the last few years [especially this summer] was our elite Canadian players going down to the U.S. for prep schools, but the reality is REDA is an opportunity for our elite players to stay home and get great exposure and attention from Division I coaches.”
Players participating in this program attend St. Mary’s High School in Hamilton, Ontario and some live locally while others have found a house to rent out. This builds team chemistry as well as arms these teenagers with responsibility for the next stage of their lives.
While funding has been an issue in the Canadian basketball system for years, Upshaw plans on taking it one step at a time to eventually bring back a national focus to the academy.
“It’s a project that I want to continue to grow. Eventually, if I can get enough sponsorship, I want to get it back to a full NEDA. That’s my goal, it might take a year, it might take two or even three years, but we’ll keep pushing.”
The Resurrection: Basketball Canada struggles to keep its only “prep school.”
by Tariq Sbiet
You grab 12 of the top high school players in Canada, put them in one gym, and what do you get?
It’s called NEDA—National Elite Development Academy, which can be compared to the top prep schools in America. This program gives student-athletes a unique opportunity to learn, mature and develop their skills both on and off the hardwood, with first-hand spokesmen to attest to its success.
Kelly Olynyk, a freshman at the University of Gonzaga admits, “I thought NEDA was outstanding. It was somewhere where you could play against the top players in the country everyday and improve your game by leaps and bounds.” In fact, Olynyk credits NEDA for his recent success, “Without it I don’t think I would be where I am today. It did so much for me and my game; I hope other kids get the same opportunity.”
The ‘08-09 roster saw five players commit to NCAA programs: Mike Allison and Murphy Burnatowski (Maine), Kelly Olynyk and Mangisto Arop (Gonzaga), and Roger Dugas (Elon).
As for the ladies, Natalie Achonwa (Notre Dame), Kayla Alexander (Syracuse), Kristine Lalonde (Vermont), Taryn Wicijowski (Utah), and Felicia Wijenberg (San Diego) are all products of the academy.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to keep the program afloat. I was sitting-in on a NEDA boys exhibition game last April at McMaster University when the manager of Men’s Elite Performance, Andrew Cook, informed me that the academy would be folding.
With all the progress made in such a small time span, how can its recent collapse be explained? “Basically Basketball Canada lost a lot of their funding. It’s unfortunate; having a banking background, I understand how the economy was going,” confesses Tarry Upshaw, former assistant coach for NEDA.
Despite financial shortage, Upshaw has been able to revive the program, using a similar concept with the same approach. NEDA has now been condensed into what is called REDA, a regional elite development academy.
Participants pay a fee of $2500, a price which covers travel expenses, practices, games and hotel accommodations on the road. “My kid plays rep hockey and it cost me $5000 this year… and he’s 10,” Upshaw explains humorously.
Although REDA has been compressed, this program still remains as the only platform in Canada for up-and-coming talent to develop and expose their skills at an international level to major scouts and coaches throughout the basketball season.
In short, this academy is the only “prep school” in the country; competing against college teams in Canada and the top prep schools in the States.
This REDA squad features promising prospects such as 6-2 point guard Jahenns Manigat, 6-2 guard Ryan Augustine and 6-10 center Lucas Nugteren who will look to maximize their REDA experience to make it to the next level. Coach Upshaw explains his philosophy: “I want to see them grow from being players that had talent to players that are polished.”
Assistant coach Nate Phillipe also professes, “I think the trend over the last few years [especially this summer] was our elite Canadian players going down to the U.S. for prep schools, but the reality is REDA is an opportunity for our elite players to stay home and get great exposure and attention from Division I coaches.”
Players participating in this program attend St. Mary’s High School in Hamilton, Ontario and some live locally while others have found a house to rent out. This builds team chemistry as well as arms these teenagers with responsibility for the next stage of their lives.
While funding has been an issue in the Canadian basketball system for years, Upshaw plans on taking it one step at a time to eventually bring back a national focus to the academy.
“It’s a project that I want to continue to grow. Eventually, if I can get enough sponsorship, I want to get it back to a full NEDA. That’s my goal, it might take a year, it might take two or even three years, but we’ll keep pushing.”
Doug Smith's article on Canada Basketball
Doug paints a rosier picture for the previously-fledgling group both from an on-the-floor results perspective and surprisingly from a financial perspective as well.
Canada basketball gaining world recognition; Men's, women's teams off to worlds in 2010, junior programs start to pick up momentum
National programs pay dividends
Summer results for Canada's national basketball programs:
SENIOR MEN: Finished fourth at FIBA Americas qualification tournament, qualified for 2010 world championships. Returning to major international competition for first time since 2002.
SENIOR WOMEN: Finished third at FIBA Americas qualification tournament, qualifying for 2010 world championships. Will try to improve on ninth-place finish at 2006 world championships.
UNDER-19 MEN: Finished seventh at world championships.
UNDER-19 WOMEN: Finished fourth at world championships.
UNDER-16 MEN: Finished third at FIBA Americas qualification tournament, qualified for inaugural world championships in 2010.
UNDER-16 WOMEN: Finished second at FIBA Americas qualification tournament, qualified for inaugural world championships in 2010.
The trip has been long and at times painful, fraught with financial peril, petty jealousies, turf wars and goals that often seemed at crossed purposes.
But as Canada Basketball puts the lid on an extraordinarily successful summer for both genders and at all ages, the goal seems common now, the victories shared, the future brighter than it's been in years.
The hard journey has paid dividends.
When the senior women's team beat Cuba in overtime recently to earn a berth in the 2010 world championships, it continued to validate a process that sees the sport's governing body now developing programs now, and not just teams.
Coupled with the success of the senior men's team – back in the worlds next year for the first time since 2002 – and the emergence of the under-19 junior programs as international factors (the women were fourth this summer, the men seventh) Canada is re-emerging, if not as a force, at least as a factor globally.
"We used to occasionally see that we'd put all our money into a senior team and they'd go and do well, for a quadrennial," said senior women's coach Allison McNeill. "And then you have no development and you're back right where you started.
"I think we're finally investing in development and investing in senior teams and we're getting some results." That investment, a conscious effort by the overseers of the sport to instill some continuity to the game across Canada, has not been easy.
The basketball world in this country is relatively small and insular and oh so protective of its turf. There were decades-old issues that had to be resolved – officials in one region didn't trust others, there was little leadership or foresight at the national level – and the game was a mess at the boardroom level.
But by tying together disparate groups, and showing them that young Canadian teams could succeed and players could grow with the programs, something unusual happened: The program was inclusive, teams won and people got along.
"And as people begin to see the value of this kind of thing, I think they'll become more and more enthusiastic about supporting it," said Wayne Parrish, Canada Basketball's chief executive officer, who was able to coax, cajole and convince everyone to work to a common goal. "The real key about the family thing is there's not four different teams (operating independently), there's one program." The on-court success has been undeniable. Teenagers now see the junior program as something to aspire to, the juniors see the senior team as something they'd like to be a part of. It can't do anything but bring much-needed continuity and growth to the game."
"There's no way you can have any continuity in the program if you don't have every single aspect of it working together," said senior men's head coach Leo Rautins. "And it has to even go beyond the (under-16) cadet, junior, development and senior. It's also got to include the CP programs (the group's Centre for Performance initiative that identifies talent at a young age) around the country because if everybody's not on the same page, you're not feeding anything."
But the care and feeding requires as much financial support as anything and in the cutthroat world of finding corporate partners, success on the court was a must. When Parrish tries to sell his game this winter, the big selling point to companies has to be the ability for them to reach several teams, several age groups and a litany of young players who now see the national programs in a winning light.
Canada Basketball operated in the black in its latest fiscal year and although there is still debt, the money picture looks at least less dim.
Canada basketball gaining world recognition; Men's, women's teams off to worlds in 2010, junior programs start to pick up momentum
National programs pay dividends
Summer results for Canada's national basketball programs:
SENIOR MEN: Finished fourth at FIBA Americas qualification tournament, qualified for 2010 world championships. Returning to major international competition for first time since 2002.
SENIOR WOMEN: Finished third at FIBA Americas qualification tournament, qualifying for 2010 world championships. Will try to improve on ninth-place finish at 2006 world championships.
UNDER-19 MEN: Finished seventh at world championships.
UNDER-19 WOMEN: Finished fourth at world championships.
UNDER-16 MEN: Finished third at FIBA Americas qualification tournament, qualified for inaugural world championships in 2010.
UNDER-16 WOMEN: Finished second at FIBA Americas qualification tournament, qualified for inaugural world championships in 2010.
The trip has been long and at times painful, fraught with financial peril, petty jealousies, turf wars and goals that often seemed at crossed purposes.
But as Canada Basketball puts the lid on an extraordinarily successful summer for both genders and at all ages, the goal seems common now, the victories shared, the future brighter than it's been in years.
The hard journey has paid dividends.
When the senior women's team beat Cuba in overtime recently to earn a berth in the 2010 world championships, it continued to validate a process that sees the sport's governing body now developing programs now, and not just teams.
Coupled with the success of the senior men's team – back in the worlds next year for the first time since 2002 – and the emergence of the under-19 junior programs as international factors (the women were fourth this summer, the men seventh) Canada is re-emerging, if not as a force, at least as a factor globally.
"We used to occasionally see that we'd put all our money into a senior team and they'd go and do well, for a quadrennial," said senior women's coach Allison McNeill. "And then you have no development and you're back right where you started.
"I think we're finally investing in development and investing in senior teams and we're getting some results." That investment, a conscious effort by the overseers of the sport to instill some continuity to the game across Canada, has not been easy.
The basketball world in this country is relatively small and insular and oh so protective of its turf. There were decades-old issues that had to be resolved – officials in one region didn't trust others, there was little leadership or foresight at the national level – and the game was a mess at the boardroom level.
But by tying together disparate groups, and showing them that young Canadian teams could succeed and players could grow with the programs, something unusual happened: The program was inclusive, teams won and people got along.
"And as people begin to see the value of this kind of thing, I think they'll become more and more enthusiastic about supporting it," said Wayne Parrish, Canada Basketball's chief executive officer, who was able to coax, cajole and convince everyone to work to a common goal. "The real key about the family thing is there's not four different teams (operating independently), there's one program." The on-court success has been undeniable. Teenagers now see the junior program as something to aspire to, the juniors see the senior team as something they'd like to be a part of. It can't do anything but bring much-needed continuity and growth to the game."
"There's no way you can have any continuity in the program if you don't have every single aspect of it working together," said senior men's head coach Leo Rautins. "And it has to even go beyond the (under-16) cadet, junior, development and senior. It's also got to include the CP programs (the group's Centre for Performance initiative that identifies talent at a young age) around the country because if everybody's not on the same page, you're not feeding anything."
But the care and feeding requires as much financial support as anything and in the cutthroat world of finding corporate partners, success on the court was a must. When Parrish tries to sell his game this winter, the big selling point to companies has to be the ability for them to reach several teams, several age groups and a litany of young players who now see the national programs in a winning light.
Canada Basketball operated in the black in its latest fiscal year and although there is still debt, the money picture looks at least less dim.
Mary Caton's Windsor Lancer Preview
Trio of veterans to start for Lancers, Coach Oliver finalizes roster
The Windsor Lancers have finalized their 14-man roster for the upcoming OUA men's basketball season.
Life without CIS all-Canadian Greg Surmacz will revolve around veterans Nigel Johnson-Tyghter (fifth year), Isaac Kuon (fourth year) and Andre Smyth (fourth year).
"We're still working out the other two (starting) spots," Windsor coach Chris Oliver said Monday after announcing the roster for the 2009-10 season.
****The Lancers open the OUA season Nov. 6 at home to York but they'll be in action Oct. 15-17 in British Columbia playing Fraser Valley (Oct. 15), UBC (Oct. 16) and Simon Fraser (Oct. 17).
"The guard spots will sort themselves out in our pre-season tournaments," Oliver said.
The Lancers finished second in the West division at 15-7 a year ago before losing in the division final 98-66 to Western. They also lost the OUA bronze-medal game 73-59 to Ottawa.
No longer with the team is Leamington native Blake Pauls, a highly recruited six-foot-10 post.
"He felt like he couldn't handle the demands of everything," Oliver said of the freshman juggling his course load and varsity training schedule.
Training camp did yield a couple of surprises, one quite familiar to the Windsor basketball community.
Former Herman star R.J. Wells is back after spending time at junior college in the U.S. and Pickering guard Jameel Williamson made the team as a walk on.
"Jameel impressed us in tryouts with how hard he played," Oliver said.
The top three additions to the Lancers are six-foot-one point guard Josh Collins, six-foot-eight forward Lien Phillip and six-foot-six swingman Justin Wiltshire.
All three have been rated as top 10 nationally at their positions.
Other returning players include guards Monty Hardware, Matt Handsor, John Woldu and Corey Boswell.
New faces include forward Michael Godfrey (West Elgin) and guard Enrico DiLoreto (London Beal).
Not back although they had CIS eligibility remaining are Kevin Cameron, Tyler Carey, Matt Day and Conor Allin.
"We feel like everything is progressing," said Oliver of a team that finished No. 8 nationally last year.
"We're hoping to play 10 guys. We're hoping to play fast and we're hoping to play up and down. We have that ability this year because we're not trying to play one guy 38 minutes like we did with Surmacz."
The Windsor Lancers have finalized their 14-man roster for the upcoming OUA men's basketball season.
Life without CIS all-Canadian Greg Surmacz will revolve around veterans Nigel Johnson-Tyghter (fifth year), Isaac Kuon (fourth year) and Andre Smyth (fourth year).
"We're still working out the other two (starting) spots," Windsor coach Chris Oliver said Monday after announcing the roster for the 2009-10 season.
****The Lancers open the OUA season Nov. 6 at home to York but they'll be in action Oct. 15-17 in British Columbia playing Fraser Valley (Oct. 15), UBC (Oct. 16) and Simon Fraser (Oct. 17).
"The guard spots will sort themselves out in our pre-season tournaments," Oliver said.
The Lancers finished second in the West division at 15-7 a year ago before losing in the division final 98-66 to Western. They also lost the OUA bronze-medal game 73-59 to Ottawa.
No longer with the team is Leamington native Blake Pauls, a highly recruited six-foot-10 post.
"He felt like he couldn't handle the demands of everything," Oliver said of the freshman juggling his course load and varsity training schedule.
Training camp did yield a couple of surprises, one quite familiar to the Windsor basketball community.
Former Herman star R.J. Wells is back after spending time at junior college in the U.S. and Pickering guard Jameel Williamson made the team as a walk on.
"Jameel impressed us in tryouts with how hard he played," Oliver said.
The top three additions to the Lancers are six-foot-one point guard Josh Collins, six-foot-eight forward Lien Phillip and six-foot-six swingman Justin Wiltshire.
All three have been rated as top 10 nationally at their positions.
Other returning players include guards Monty Hardware, Matt Handsor, John Woldu and Corey Boswell.
New faces include forward Michael Godfrey (West Elgin) and guard Enrico DiLoreto (London Beal).
Not back although they had CIS eligibility remaining are Kevin Cameron, Tyler Carey, Matt Day and Conor Allin.
"We feel like everything is progressing," said Oliver of a team that finished No. 8 nationally last year.
"We're hoping to play 10 guys. We're hoping to play fast and we're hoping to play up and down. We have that ability this year because we're not trying to play one guy 38 minutes like we did with Surmacz."
Monday, 5 October 2009
Nice Acadia Preview from John DeCoste of NovaNewsNow
Re-tooled hoop Axemen ready to kick off pre-season this weekend
NOTE: Acadia has a pair of games against Atlantic Canada college teams Atlantic Baptist U. and Mount Allison before travelling to Ontario the following weekend to play in the Naismith Classic at Waterloo.
Acadia men’s basketball head coach Steve Baur is excited with the makeup of the 2009/ 2010 Axemen. Despite losing seven players from last year’s team, the Axemen, who open their pre-season this weekend in New Brunswick; will feature a good mix of veterans and talented newcomers.
Unless you’ve been really paying attention, you might not realize what a turnover the Acadia men’s basketball program has had this off-season.
Since the Axemen last took to the court in the AUBC playoffs in March, the team has bid farewell to Peter Leighton, Luckern Dieu, James Burke, Nathan Duncan, Chris Ogbuah, Marcel Hyde and J.D. Howlett.
Leighton and Dieu graduated; Burke, who had already graduated, completed his eligibility; Duncan, Hyde and Howlett have moved on; Ogbuah is still at Acadia, but concentrating on his studies.
Only Alex Traikov, back for a fifth and final year of eligibility; last year’s top rookies Casey Fox and Justin Boutilier, sophomore Matthew Doidge and senior Joe Nwabuzor, only playing basketball this year; remain.
Newcomers include Andre Grant, a former Axemen returning for his fifth and final year; recruits Anthony Sears, Owen Klassen, Jonathan Kamba, Alex McLaughlin and Dustin Poirier; Tyler Lutton, a transfer student in his third year of eligibility; walk-on Tom Filgiano and Colin Bebbington.
Axemen head coach Steve Baur says high-profile recruits Sears and Klassen “have both looked very good” in training camp.
Sears, a 6’3” point guard from New Brunswick, “has been every bit the player we thought he’d be when we recruited him,” to the point he will likely be one of the five Axemen starters.
The return of Traikov, a second-team all-conference player last season, will allow Klassen, a 6’7” forward from Ontario who has been “confident and aggressive” so far; to “play at the level he’s capable of playing” off the bench.
Both MacLaughlin and Poirier, a Central Kings grad from Waterville, “are likely looking at a steep learning curve” but, at the same time, “are both off to a good start.” Poirier, in fact, “has been a bit of a pleasant surprise” for Baur, in that he has been “very effective - especially on the offensive end.” Kamba, a 6’5” swing player, has been hurting; but should be ready to go this weekend.
“One through 12, we’re relatively young,” Baur says of the Axemen, who will feature 10 players in either their first or second year. That makes the return of Traikov and Nwabuzor and (after a few more years’ absence) Grant so important, as they are all fifth-year players. Lutton, who played two seasons at Douglas College in B.C., also has more experience than your usual newcomer.
Baur is looking to start Sears, Fox, Boutilier, Grant and Traikov; which will allow him the luxury of having Kamba, Klassen, Nwabuzor and others coming off the bench.
“We have a good mix, seniors at key positions and some young players who are really playing well.”
The Axemen embark October 9 on what Baur describes as “a busy pre-season,” beginning with games against Atlantic Baptist University and Mount Allison October 10.
Acadia will attend the Naismith Tournament Oct. 17 to 19 at the University of Waterloo, where they will play Waterloo, Toronto and Manitoba. The team then returns to the Valley to face Holland College Oct. 23 at NKEC, Royal Military College Oct. 29 at Kings-Edgehill and York Oct. 30 at Acadia.
NOTE: Acadia has a pair of games against Atlantic Canada college teams Atlantic Baptist U. and Mount Allison before travelling to Ontario the following weekend to play in the Naismith Classic at Waterloo.
Acadia men’s basketball head coach Steve Baur is excited with the makeup of the 2009/ 2010 Axemen. Despite losing seven players from last year’s team, the Axemen, who open their pre-season this weekend in New Brunswick; will feature a good mix of veterans and talented newcomers.
Unless you’ve been really paying attention, you might not realize what a turnover the Acadia men’s basketball program has had this off-season.
Since the Axemen last took to the court in the AUBC playoffs in March, the team has bid farewell to Peter Leighton, Luckern Dieu, James Burke, Nathan Duncan, Chris Ogbuah, Marcel Hyde and J.D. Howlett.
Leighton and Dieu graduated; Burke, who had already graduated, completed his eligibility; Duncan, Hyde and Howlett have moved on; Ogbuah is still at Acadia, but concentrating on his studies.
Only Alex Traikov, back for a fifth and final year of eligibility; last year’s top rookies Casey Fox and Justin Boutilier, sophomore Matthew Doidge and senior Joe Nwabuzor, only playing basketball this year; remain.
Newcomers include Andre Grant, a former Axemen returning for his fifth and final year; recruits Anthony Sears, Owen Klassen, Jonathan Kamba, Alex McLaughlin and Dustin Poirier; Tyler Lutton, a transfer student in his third year of eligibility; walk-on Tom Filgiano and Colin Bebbington.
Axemen head coach Steve Baur says high-profile recruits Sears and Klassen “have both looked very good” in training camp.
Sears, a 6’3” point guard from New Brunswick, “has been every bit the player we thought he’d be when we recruited him,” to the point he will likely be one of the five Axemen starters.
The return of Traikov, a second-team all-conference player last season, will allow Klassen, a 6’7” forward from Ontario who has been “confident and aggressive” so far; to “play at the level he’s capable of playing” off the bench.
Both MacLaughlin and Poirier, a Central Kings grad from Waterville, “are likely looking at a steep learning curve” but, at the same time, “are both off to a good start.” Poirier, in fact, “has been a bit of a pleasant surprise” for Baur, in that he has been “very effective - especially on the offensive end.” Kamba, a 6’5” swing player, has been hurting; but should be ready to go this weekend.
“One through 12, we’re relatively young,” Baur says of the Axemen, who will feature 10 players in either their first or second year. That makes the return of Traikov and Nwabuzor and (after a few more years’ absence) Grant so important, as they are all fifth-year players. Lutton, who played two seasons at Douglas College in B.C., also has more experience than your usual newcomer.
Baur is looking to start Sears, Fox, Boutilier, Grant and Traikov; which will allow him the luxury of having Kamba, Klassen, Nwabuzor and others coming off the bench.
“We have a good mix, seniors at key positions and some young players who are really playing well.”
The Axemen embark October 9 on what Baur describes as “a busy pre-season,” beginning with games against Atlantic Baptist University and Mount Allison October 10.
Acadia will attend the Naismith Tournament Oct. 17 to 19 at the University of Waterloo, where they will play Waterloo, Toronto and Manitoba. The team then returns to the Valley to face Holland College Oct. 23 at NKEC, Royal Military College Oct. 29 at Kings-Edgehill and York Oct. 30 at Acadia.
Sunday (Monday) Musings
As we move toward the Thanksgiving weekend, teams are finalizing rosters to prepare for a full month of pre-season action after which coaches hope to have a solid view of their rotations going into the start of regular season play in early November... The Brock Badgers are in Year Two of their re-engineering after their senior-laden group brought home the program's second-ever CIS National championship in 2008. Head Coach Ken Murray welcomes back six players from last year's roster, most noteable being 2009 CIS Rookie-of-the-Year 6'1" Didi Mukendi as well as reliable 5'11" point guard Joel Whitty to a young but high-potential backcourt. Murray had another tremendous recruiting class including a late addition who, if his OCAA career with the Humber Hawks is any indication, will be impactful immediately as a quality wing athlete: 6'1" Mike Cruickshank who played high school at Toronto Newtonbrook with ex-York Lion Eylon Zemer and then three seasons with the Hawks under Darrell Glenn. Cruickshank loves to get out, run and attack the glass and will benefit from the presence of the pass-first guard Whitty and the athletic Mukendi. Cruickshank had 16 points in Brock's recent intra-squad game. 6'4" freshman Clinton Springer-Williams led all scorers in the game with 23 points. Look for Brock to go with a very young starting lineup consisting of Mukendi (2nd), Whitty (2nd), Springer-Williams (FR), 6'9" freshman Brian Nahimana and 6'6" Mark Gibson (transfer/2nd Year/former Henry Carr Crusader). NOTE ON CRUICKSHANK (with thanks to Barry Hayes of Hoopstars Canada): He played for Humber in 2005-06 (7.8 ppg), spent a year away from the court, then transferred to Cape Breton and played the 2007-08 year there (conference stats: 4.4 ppg in 12.4 mpg). He was a second semester addition to Humber last year for his third year of eligibility... Word out of Southern Ontario is that 6'9" Terry Licorish, who played half of one season at McMaster in 2007-08 before sitting out last season, is back in school, practicing and, pending completing some academic requirements, looks to play for the Marauders in January. With 6'8" Mouchtar Diaby out until at least Christmas due to injury, the return of both of these quality bigs could help Mac down the stretch... As Windsor coach Chris Oliver prepares his group for a tough three-game swing through B.C. next weekend (UBC, Simon Fraser, Fraser Valley - three of at least 5 teams with playoff aspirations in the very tough Canada West Pacific Division), the Lancers roster has been finalized with a couple of updates, most noteable being the addition of 6'0" guard Jameel Williamson, a walk-on from Pickering High School, described as an athletic guard who impressed the Windsor staff in tryouts with how hard he played, especially on the defensive end. As well, 6'10" Blake Pauls decided to take some time off to focus on his adjustment to university and is not listed on the Windsor roster. In addition, a pair of former OUA All-stars join the Lancer coaching staff: Ryan Steer, who is teaching at Windsor Brennan and Geoff Stead, a second year grad student finishing his masters in education after eight years travelling the world. Many fans should remember Stead from the 90's when he led the country in rebounding, playing for Coach Mike Havey... One score that we neglected to report over the weekend was a decisive win for Coach Barry Smith and his St. Lawrence Kingston Vikings (OCAA/CCAA), who defeated visiting Concordia Stingers 81-62 after leading by 11 at halftime. The Stingers, who have had a large turnover in personnel from last season, finished their trip to Kingston 1-2 after defeating RMC on Saturday night and hope to have projected rotation players Decee Krah, Vali Lazarescu and Sasha Louis back soon from injury... Despite going only 1-2 on their trip through Eastern Ontario/Western Quebec this past weekend, Laval Head Coach Jacques Paiement Jr. was very pleased overall with his Rouge et Or. On Friday against Ottawa, Laval trailed by only one at 70-69 with 5 minutes remaining before some questionable decisions, turnovers and several Gee-Gees second chance points and big shots helped Ottawa finish the game on a 23-3 run to win by 21. Against Ottawa, Paiement singled out Gee-Gees Warren Ward as the difference maker. Paiement described Saturday's overtime thriller against Queen's as "very exciting with tons of lead changes". Although Paiement was pleased with his team's defense overall, the Gaels ability to exploit even the smallest missed rotation for open 3's hurt his side. Laval seemed to take out their frustration on RMC on Sunday with a 60 point win. According to Paiement, two rookies really stepped up in the rotation as 5'8" J.P. Renaud showed he can provide a real spark off the bench especially with his ability to guard the ball and 5'8" Richard Addaï who showed flashes of potential to be a solid CIS point guard even with his diminutive size. Overall, Paiement feels that playing the weekend without 6'3" J.F. Beaulieu-Mahieux will help Laval down the road as others got a chance to play significant minutes and the group competed against quality opponents without their star. Beaulieu-Mahieux continues to work through his injury and his status for Laval's trip to B.C. in a couple of weeks is still uncertain.
Laval shoots 77% from downtown and thrashes Paladins
Laval Rouge et Or salvaged one game from their trip to Eastern Ontario by hammering RMC 108-48 in Kingston on Sunday afternoon. After a pair of close losses to uOttawa in Gatineau on Friday and an overtime loss to Queen's on Saturday, Laval came out strong from the opening tip and dominated almost immediately, knocking shots down (17-22 from beyond the arc/60% for the game overall), running transition and sharing the ball well.
6'5" Etienne Labrecque led the way with 27 points (7-8 3's) while 5'10" freshman point guard Richard Addaï had 22 points (5-7 3's). Veteran 5'9" starting point Xavier Baribeau added 17 points and 6'2" Christian Trottier, starting in place of injured 6'3" J.F. Beaulieu-Mahieux finished with 12 points.
For RMC, who was led by 6'6" Matt Wookey with 14 points, "it was a good reminder how far we have to go to be able to compete", commented Paladins Head Coach Scott James. Laval was aggressive from the tip and transitioned very well shooting 60% fg for the game and a blistering 77.3% from 3pt.
6'5" Etienne Labrecque led the way with 27 points (7-8 3's) while 5'10" freshman point guard Richard Addaï had 22 points (5-7 3's). Veteran 5'9" starting point Xavier Baribeau added 17 points and 6'2" Christian Trottier, starting in place of injured 6'3" J.F. Beaulieu-Mahieux finished with 12 points.
For RMC, who was led by 6'6" Matt Wookey with 14 points, "it was a good reminder how far we have to go to be able to compete", commented Paladins Head Coach Scott James. Laval was aggressive from the tip and transitioned very well shooting 60% fg for the game and a blistering 77.3% from 3pt.
Sunday, 4 October 2009
Gaels edge Laval in overtime
Queen's improved to 2-0 vs. CIS teams after defeating Laval in overtime. Below is the game report from the Queen's web site plus the game box score Amazingingly, the teams combined for 78 three-point attempts (out of 139 overall attempts) - more than 50% of the shots taken were threes in this shootout. Laval again was without 6'3" J.F. Beaulieu-Mahieux who missed the game due to injury; regardless, Queen's showed this weekend that coaches Smart and Cowan will have this group ready to compete and with 6'6" Mitch Leger plus veterans 6'2" Baris Ondul and 6'2" Ryan Hairsine, there is battle-tested experience - the OUA East will again be strong at the top of the conference... In another game last night, defending national champions Carleton Ravens made 20 three-pointers while slamming Peterborough's Sir Sanford Fleming College, coached by former Ryerson Ram Bill Crowdis, 130-78. Fleming's guards gave the Ravens difficulty for much of the evening as Carleton gave up about 10 more points than normal in last night's game at the Raven's Nest. Carleton played without 5'11" starting fourth-year guard Mike Kenny who has been slowed by injury all pre-season... The work-in-progress that is the early-season version of the Concordia Stingers has been challenged with injuries to three rotation players including 5'11" third-year guard Decee Krah (knee), 6'3" William and Mary (NCAA D1) transfer Vali Lazarescu and 6'4" freshman Sasha Louis from John Abbott CEGEP. No word on when any of the three will be ready for action as the Stingers prepare to host their annual NIKE Invitational in Montreal this coming weekend (Thanksgiving weekend).
Bannister, Hairsine clutch in Gaels overtime win
KINGSTON, Ont. (October 3, 2009) – The Queen’s Gaels were on the right side of a close two-point overtime contest against Laval in men’s exhibition university basketball on Saturday. Queen’s received clutch three-point shooting from guards Dan Bannister (Newmarket, Ont.) and Ryan Hairsine (St. Mary’s, Ont.) in an 89-87 win.
Queen’s was 35.6% from behind the arch shooting 16 for 45 in the close contest. Harisine was 5-13 on three pointers on route to a game high 23 points. Bannister was seven for eight from the field including five three points for a total of 21 points and a team high seven rebounds.
Perennial OUA All-Star Mitch Leger of Kingston, Ont., was limited by foul trouble, but was a major factor in the overtime frame to finish with 19 points. The Gaels also got solid production off the bench from Jordan Kirchburger (Orleans, Ont.) who made his size felt with six rebounds and three blocked shots.
The first half was kept close, with the teams swapping leads, ending the half tied at 32-32. The second half was no different as foul trouble began to plague both teams. With the Gaels leading by three, Laval guard Christian Deslaurier-Trottier (Gatineau, QC.) hit a three with 17 seconds to go, to seal an overtime period.
Overtime provided more excitement as the Gaels held a two point lead with 27 seconds to go. Laval missed two three-pointers in the final 15 seconds, before turning the ball over with less than a second to play, securing a Gaels victory.
Five Laval players scored in double figures, led by Deslaurier-Trottier, while Étienne Labrecque (Jonquière, QC) finished with a game-high eight rebounds.
The Gaels remain undefeated in the preseason, and continue play October 23rd against the University of Quebec at Montreal and October 24th against the University of New Brunswick. Both games start at 8:00pm in Bartlett Gym on Queen’s Campus.
Bannister, Hairsine clutch in Gaels overtime win
KINGSTON, Ont. (October 3, 2009) – The Queen’s Gaels were on the right side of a close two-point overtime contest against Laval in men’s exhibition university basketball on Saturday. Queen’s received clutch three-point shooting from guards Dan Bannister (Newmarket, Ont.) and Ryan Hairsine (St. Mary’s, Ont.) in an 89-87 win.
Queen’s was 35.6% from behind the arch shooting 16 for 45 in the close contest. Harisine was 5-13 on three pointers on route to a game high 23 points. Bannister was seven for eight from the field including five three points for a total of 21 points and a team high seven rebounds.
Perennial OUA All-Star Mitch Leger of Kingston, Ont., was limited by foul trouble, but was a major factor in the overtime frame to finish with 19 points. The Gaels also got solid production off the bench from Jordan Kirchburger (Orleans, Ont.) who made his size felt with six rebounds and three blocked shots.
The first half was kept close, with the teams swapping leads, ending the half tied at 32-32. The second half was no different as foul trouble began to plague both teams. With the Gaels leading by three, Laval guard Christian Deslaurier-Trottier (Gatineau, QC.) hit a three with 17 seconds to go, to seal an overtime period.
Overtime provided more excitement as the Gaels held a two point lead with 27 seconds to go. Laval missed two three-pointers in the final 15 seconds, before turning the ball over with less than a second to play, securing a Gaels victory.
Five Laval players scored in double figures, led by Deslaurier-Trottier, while Étienne Labrecque (Jonquière, QC) finished with a game-high eight rebounds.
The Gaels remain undefeated in the preseason, and continue play October 23rd against the University of Quebec at Montreal and October 24th against the University of New Brunswick. Both games start at 8:00pm in Bartlett Gym on Queen’s Campus.
Stingers end Kingston trip with 9 point win at RMC
Concordia went 1-1 vs. CIS teams on the weekend, building a 12 point halftime lead before going on to defeat host RMC Paladins 70-61 Saturday night in Kingston. On Friday, the Stingers were dropped by Queen's. 6'3" Hamza Rahezamihige led the way for the Stingers with 13 points while 6'5" James Clark added 12, 5'10" veteran pg Pierre Thompson had 11 and 6'5" sophomore Evens Laroche finished with 10 in a balanced Concordia attack.
Despite the loss, Paladins Head Coach Scott James was encouraged with his group as RMC competed and stayed within 10 points of the perennially-strong Stingers. Freshman point guard Justin Hall (Halifax) had 14 points to lead all scorers while forward 6'6" Simon Dakin added 11 and 5'10" Gavin Viray-Cox, enjoying his new role focusing on the off-guard spot, added 11.
The teams have a chance to possibly meet again next weekend as both play in the four-team, two-day Concordia NIKE Invitational with the Stingers opening against Laurentian while RMC faces Laurier Golden Hawks.
Despite the loss, Paladins Head Coach Scott James was encouraged with his group as RMC competed and stayed within 10 points of the perennially-strong Stingers. Freshman point guard Justin Hall (Halifax) had 14 points to lead all scorers while forward 6'6" Simon Dakin added 11 and 5'10" Gavin Viray-Cox, enjoying his new role focusing on the off-guard spot, added 11.
The teams have a chance to possibly meet again next weekend as both play in the four-team, two-day Concordia NIKE Invitational with the Stingers opening against Laurentian while RMC faces Laurier Golden Hawks.
Blues handle press, Bruins
U of T Varsity Blues used a 27-11 run to close the first half, dealing with Sheridan's constant, full-court pressure and went on to grab leads as large as 20 in defeating the Bruins 84-68 in Oakville. 6'2" Rob Paris had 24 points to lead the way for the Blues while 6'7" forward Nick Snow added 14. Sheridan's press gave the Blues trouble early but with the Bruins up 19-17 in the opening moments of the second quarter 6'7" Andrew Wasik (10 points overall) was on the finishing end of some successful press breaks and Toronto switched to a zone defense in the half court allowing the Blues to stretch their lead to 14 by halftime.
The Blues substituted liberally early in the second half however when Sheridan started creating some turnovers and cut the lead to 8, Varsity coach Mike Katz reinserted his starters and Paris followed with a couple of bombs to restore a comfortable lead. 6'5" Drazen Glizic added 14 for Toronto.
The Blues substituted liberally early in the second half however when Sheridan started creating some turnovers and cut the lead to 8, Varsity coach Mike Katz reinserted his starters and Paris followed with a couple of bombs to restore a comfortable lead. 6'5" Drazen Glizic added 14 for Toronto.
Saturday, 3 October 2009
A look at FIBA 2010 Wild Card Possibilities
From a blog we found recently called The Painted Area with several good pieces on FIBA-related stuff including the recent Eurobasket 2009 competition.
A Look at FIBA 2010 Wild Card Candidates
18 teams qualified for 2010 FIBA Worlds with their play on the floor this summer. Four other national teams will try to impress the FIBA executives with more than just their on-court exploits.
On December 13th, FIBA executives will decide which four nations deserve wild-card berths for 2010. Teams are certainly judged on the quality of their on-court play over the last few years. Also, the teams are judged on the caliber of team they project to bring next summer. But FIBA will also take into account some off-court factors in their decision making process.
Basically, FIBA wants countries where the Worlds and basketball are highly marketable. How many eyeballs a country can get to watch in person or on TV is important to the FIBA brass. FIBA's also concerned with the level of organization of each country's basketball federation. (A summary of FIBA's procedure for choosing wild cards)
All four wild-card berths can't come from the same zone, three berths from one zone is the limit. The way I see it, Europe will get three berths (as they should) and the last spot will be awarded to either the Dominican Republic, Lebanon or Nigeria.
Right now, I have to believe Lithuania and Russia are veritable locks for Turkey, while the third berth from Europe will either be Britain or Germany (Poland can't be totally discounted, but their chances are remote).
Let's take a look at some of the national teams angling for a 2010 Worlds wild card:
FIBA Europe candidates:
Lithuania: Would be stunned if they don't get an invite to Turkey, even with their lackluster play this summer. This national team is perennially one of the best and basketball is close to a religion in this country of three & a half million. Fans are rabid and travel as well as any fanbase in int'l basketball. I am sure FIBA wouldn't mind having the 2011 Eurobasket host country in Turkey to build up more enthusiasm. You don't leave a team out that could likely contend for a medal if S. Jasikeicius and R. Kaukenas/A. Macijauksas decide they want to play next summer. And Sarunas recently stated he would be available if Lithuania did get a wild card. Have everything working in their favor for a wild-card nod.
Russia: Played above expectations this summer by advancing to the quarterfinal round without their two best players, Kirilenko and Vik Khryapa. Finished in 7th place, one spot away from the last qualifying spot. Obviously, huge population doesn't hurt Russia's case. Were passed over for a 2006 wild card, so don't see FIBA snubbing them a second time in a row. The 2007 Eurobasket title is a major bargaining chip in their favor. With a fully intact lineup, Russia can compete for a medal.
Germany: After Lithuania and Russia, Germany has the best resume of the remaining wild-card candidates. Silver medal at the 2005 Eurobasket is a huge gold star on their report card. A 5th place finish at the 2007 Eurobasket also helps their status. A solid showing at the 2006 Worlds where they finished 8th out of 24 teams. Kind of underachieved at the '08 Olympics where they lost to China, and failed to advanced to the playoff portion. Though I would say they overachieved this summer by advancing to the second round with a team devoid of any serious scoring threats. Were competitive in every game this summer. If the German federation can convince the FIBA board that Dirk wants to play next summer, this could seal the deal for a berth. Would be hard to deny a team a bid that had Dirk and possibly Chris Kaman on it. Wouldn't put it past Mark Cuban to secretly lobby the FIBA board NOT to extend an invite to Germany (I'm only half-kidding).
Britain: This summer was their first Eurobasket appearance since 1981 and they have never play at the Worlds or Olympics. I could see where FIBA would want the 2012 Olympic host country to get a taste of a major competition. A Worlds appearance could help build support and interest in Britain that could carry over into 2012. Clearly don't have the accomplishments on the court to justify a Worlds berth. Went 0-3 at Eurobasket '09, but understand they were in the toughest first round group with Spain, Slovenia & Serbia (all three made the semis), and Britain held its own in the three games. Could put a competitive team on the court if Luol Deng and Ben Gordon decide to play. Think they have a very legit shot of grabbing a berth. I think FIBA sees a potentially viable market in Britain (particularly London) that's worth building. FIBA might be willing to do anything to foster growth of basketball in Britain.
Poland: Longshot for a wild card, but do need some consideration as a candidate by the FIBA board. Recent resume does not match up to Germany's. Poland hasn't really accomplished much in recent history, but the Poles do have a promising future with a core of Marcin Gortat, Maciej Lampe and David Logan. Poland had a solid showing this summer and advanced to the second round at Eurobasket.
Non-Europe candidates:
Dominican Republic: Their resume on the int'l scene is pretty slim. Have only been to one World Championship tourney and that was in 1978. Finished in fifth place at this summer's FIBA Americas tourney after a tough four-point loss to Canada. Francisco Garcia didn't play vs. Canada because of an injured finger, so that needs to be taken into consideration. All of Dom. Republic's four losses came against the top four finishers of FIBA Americas and all the games were close. Have to give Dom. Rep. some leeway considering this was the first summer Horford, Garcia & Villanueva played together. Having three solid NBAers (possibly four, with Trevor Ariza) on the roster for next summer could make them more marketable than, say, Lebanon or Nigeria. Another plus for Dominican Rep is that their squad projects to be a more competitive team next summer than Lebanon's or Nigeria's roster.
Lebanon: Lost in the bronze-medal game to Mideast neighbor, Jordan, at this summer's Asian championship. Have been consistently strong at the Asian championships throughout the decade--earned a silver medal in '01, '05 & '07. Proximity to Turkey and the popularity of basketball are two favorable advantages for Lebanon. Seem to have strong grass-roots support for a Worlds berth in the country. Did not fare too well at 2008 Olympic Qualifying tourney, where they were blown out in both their games. At the 2006 Worlds, Lebanon did pull off an upset of France, but they did get pounded by another wild-card hopeful, Nigeria, 95-72 in group play. Finished in 18th place in '06. Their bid might actually be hurt by the presence of Iran and Jordan. FIBA might feel that the Middle East is already well-represented and three teams is enough from the Asian zone, which is weaker than the Americas zone (which currently has five teams in).
Nigeria: Another longshot for a wild-card slot. Probably the second most-talented team out of Africa, behind Angola, but have underachieved the last few years. Finished in 5th place at the last two African championships. Do have a decisive win over Lebanon at the 2006 Worlds to show for themselves. Not really sure what type of market Nigeria is for the sport of basketball. So the off-court tangibles might be lacking to persuade FIBA for a bid.
A Look at FIBA 2010 Wild Card Candidates
18 teams qualified for 2010 FIBA Worlds with their play on the floor this summer. Four other national teams will try to impress the FIBA executives with more than just their on-court exploits.
On December 13th, FIBA executives will decide which four nations deserve wild-card berths for 2010. Teams are certainly judged on the quality of their on-court play over the last few years. Also, the teams are judged on the caliber of team they project to bring next summer. But FIBA will also take into account some off-court factors in their decision making process.
Basically, FIBA wants countries where the Worlds and basketball are highly marketable. How many eyeballs a country can get to watch in person or on TV is important to the FIBA brass. FIBA's also concerned with the level of organization of each country's basketball federation. (A summary of FIBA's procedure for choosing wild cards)
All four wild-card berths can't come from the same zone, three berths from one zone is the limit. The way I see it, Europe will get three berths (as they should) and the last spot will be awarded to either the Dominican Republic, Lebanon or Nigeria.
Right now, I have to believe Lithuania and Russia are veritable locks for Turkey, while the third berth from Europe will either be Britain or Germany (Poland can't be totally discounted, but their chances are remote).
Let's take a look at some of the national teams angling for a 2010 Worlds wild card:
FIBA Europe candidates:
Lithuania: Would be stunned if they don't get an invite to Turkey, even with their lackluster play this summer. This national team is perennially one of the best and basketball is close to a religion in this country of three & a half million. Fans are rabid and travel as well as any fanbase in int'l basketball. I am sure FIBA wouldn't mind having the 2011 Eurobasket host country in Turkey to build up more enthusiasm. You don't leave a team out that could likely contend for a medal if S. Jasikeicius and R. Kaukenas/A. Macijauksas decide they want to play next summer. And Sarunas recently stated he would be available if Lithuania did get a wild card. Have everything working in their favor for a wild-card nod.
Russia: Played above expectations this summer by advancing to the quarterfinal round without their two best players, Kirilenko and Vik Khryapa. Finished in 7th place, one spot away from the last qualifying spot. Obviously, huge population doesn't hurt Russia's case. Were passed over for a 2006 wild card, so don't see FIBA snubbing them a second time in a row. The 2007 Eurobasket title is a major bargaining chip in their favor. With a fully intact lineup, Russia can compete for a medal.
Germany: After Lithuania and Russia, Germany has the best resume of the remaining wild-card candidates. Silver medal at the 2005 Eurobasket is a huge gold star on their report card. A 5th place finish at the 2007 Eurobasket also helps their status. A solid showing at the 2006 Worlds where they finished 8th out of 24 teams. Kind of underachieved at the '08 Olympics where they lost to China, and failed to advanced to the playoff portion. Though I would say they overachieved this summer by advancing to the second round with a team devoid of any serious scoring threats. Were competitive in every game this summer. If the German federation can convince the FIBA board that Dirk wants to play next summer, this could seal the deal for a berth. Would be hard to deny a team a bid that had Dirk and possibly Chris Kaman on it. Wouldn't put it past Mark Cuban to secretly lobby the FIBA board NOT to extend an invite to Germany (I'm only half-kidding).
Britain: This summer was their first Eurobasket appearance since 1981 and they have never play at the Worlds or Olympics. I could see where FIBA would want the 2012 Olympic host country to get a taste of a major competition. A Worlds appearance could help build support and interest in Britain that could carry over into 2012. Clearly don't have the accomplishments on the court to justify a Worlds berth. Went 0-3 at Eurobasket '09, but understand they were in the toughest first round group with Spain, Slovenia & Serbia (all three made the semis), and Britain held its own in the three games. Could put a competitive team on the court if Luol Deng and Ben Gordon decide to play. Think they have a very legit shot of grabbing a berth. I think FIBA sees a potentially viable market in Britain (particularly London) that's worth building. FIBA might be willing to do anything to foster growth of basketball in Britain.
Poland: Longshot for a wild card, but do need some consideration as a candidate by the FIBA board. Recent resume does not match up to Germany's. Poland hasn't really accomplished much in recent history, but the Poles do have a promising future with a core of Marcin Gortat, Maciej Lampe and David Logan. Poland had a solid showing this summer and advanced to the second round at Eurobasket.
Non-Europe candidates:
Dominican Republic: Their resume on the int'l scene is pretty slim. Have only been to one World Championship tourney and that was in 1978. Finished in fifth place at this summer's FIBA Americas tourney after a tough four-point loss to Canada. Francisco Garcia didn't play vs. Canada because of an injured finger, so that needs to be taken into consideration. All of Dom. Republic's four losses came against the top four finishers of FIBA Americas and all the games were close. Have to give Dom. Rep. some leeway considering this was the first summer Horford, Garcia & Villanueva played together. Having three solid NBAers (possibly four, with Trevor Ariza) on the roster for next summer could make them more marketable than, say, Lebanon or Nigeria. Another plus for Dominican Rep is that their squad projects to be a more competitive team next summer than Lebanon's or Nigeria's roster.
Lebanon: Lost in the bronze-medal game to Mideast neighbor, Jordan, at this summer's Asian championship. Have been consistently strong at the Asian championships throughout the decade--earned a silver medal in '01, '05 & '07. Proximity to Turkey and the popularity of basketball are two favorable advantages for Lebanon. Seem to have strong grass-roots support for a Worlds berth in the country. Did not fare too well at 2008 Olympic Qualifying tourney, where they were blown out in both their games. At the 2006 Worlds, Lebanon did pull off an upset of France, but they did get pounded by another wild-card hopeful, Nigeria, 95-72 in group play. Finished in 18th place in '06. Their bid might actually be hurt by the presence of Iran and Jordan. FIBA might feel that the Middle East is already well-represented and three teams is enough from the Asian zone, which is weaker than the Americas zone (which currently has five teams in).
Nigeria: Another longshot for a wild-card slot. Probably the second most-talented team out of Africa, behind Angola, but have underachieved the last few years. Finished in 5th place at the last two African championships. Do have a decisive win over Lebanon at the 2006 Worlds to show for themselves. Not really sure what type of market Nigeria is for the sport of basketball. So the off-court tangibles might be lacking to persuade FIBA for a bid.
Exciting, young Cascades should push for CW playoff spot
After reaching CW Pacific division playoffs in coach Barnaby Craddock's first season as mentor of at University of Fraser Valley with a primarily-veteran group in 2007-08, the Cascades rebuilt virtually from scratch last season with a very young lineup that stayed in most games and produced the Canada West Rookie-of-the-Year. Despite not making the playoffs last season, Craddock's underclassmen matured rapidly and with the return of a top recruit who missed all of last season due to injury and a pair of potentially program-changing transfers, UFV should be right in the mix for one of the four playoff spots in the Pacific, which features at least 5 teams good enough to contend but only 4 playoff spots available in the revamped Canada West playoff system.
Expect UFV to be able to score with anyone given their strong stable of guards and wings, beginning with 6'3" Sam Freeman, who was the Cascades best player as a freshman last season and was rewarded with ROY honours. Freeman has what Craddock describes as "NBA range" on his jumper and can also attack the rim off the dribble. Much is expected of Freeman as a scorer again this season as he builds on his 13.2 ppg average. In 6'0" Laurentian transfer Craig Bauslaugh, the Cascades get a very good complement to Freeman on the wing given his ability to finish, knock shots down and make sound decisions. The experienced Bauslaugh will be in the rotation at the wing spots where in Craddock's offensive system twos and threes are rarely distinguishable. The third wing in the mix is 6'4" Joel Friesen, a prized recruit last season out of Abbotsford Yale H.S., where he was M.V.P. of the B.C. Provincial tournament while leading his club to the championship. Unfortunately, Friesen missed all of last season while rehabbing a torn ACL but is healthy and ready to go in what will be his freshman season. With the ability to play anywhere from the 1 to the 4, expect Friesen, who bulked up in his rehab year, to push for UFV's second consecutive CW ROY honour.
Setting the table for Cascades impressive set of wings is 5'10" Zeon Gray, a Californian who played the past two seasons at Whatcom Junior College in Bellingham, WA where he was a stats-sheet stuffer (10 ppg/4 apg/2 spg) without generally looking to score alot. Described as a "pass first" point guard, Gray has already shown in pre-season practices the mature decision making and leadership at the lead guard to warrant a starting role. Another Yale H.S. grad, 5'11" Sheldon Bjorgaard, cut his teeth running the point in spells last season, gaining valuable experience and showing off his quickness and ability to knock down 3's (40% shooter from downtown). Bjorgaard, who originally signed with Morehead (MN.), a Division II school where he redshirted before returning home to play his freshman year for Craddock last season, should be a very solid backup to Gray, ensuring the point is well taken care of for 40 minutes.
Craddock will look to spread the floor and let his array of points and wings break defenders down off the dribble to create either to the rim or for kick outs and to play this style, it is desireable to have bigs who can stroke the ball when left alone. In 6'7" third-year forward Kyle Grewal and 6'6" second-year four-man Josh Kufske the Cascades have what they regard as two complementary fours. Grewal, who has the most returning experience in the program, is ready for a "breakout year" according to Craddock. Grewal started 13 games last season and has a nice blend of perimeter and inside skills and is much stronger after a diligent summer. The muscular Kufske, another Yale H.S. graduate, is a catch-and-shoot big who has evolved his game from being mainly a banger previously.
Another top recruit highlights a pair of solid five men as 6'8" 235 lbs. Australia native James Elliott, a transfer from Lakeland College of the ACAC where he averaged`14 ppg last season looks to assume a starting role. Elliott shot 50% from downtown, garnering second team ACAC all-star status but also has solid post skills especially on the defensive end where Craddock feels the Cascades must win battles to contend. 6'7" Jasper Moedt, the fourth member of UFV from Yale, is a pure 5 who will bang, get on the glass and finish inside.
The four members of the Cascades from Yale H.S., located just 5 minutes from the UFV campus, were all mentored and coached by long-time Head Coach Al Friesen who is the father of former CIS great Adam Friesen, an assistant on Craddock's current staff.
Craddock feels that his nine-man rotation, despite the relative youth (all rotation players enter their third or less season of eligibility), will score with any team in the nation and produce an exciting offensive brand of basketball. How well the group finishes should be predicated on their ability to stop teams. Craddock, a former CIS COY at Brandon four years ago, has a proven track record of getting teams to play and expect UFV to be right there at the end in CW Pacific.
Expect UFV to be able to score with anyone given their strong stable of guards and wings, beginning with 6'3" Sam Freeman, who was the Cascades best player as a freshman last season and was rewarded with ROY honours. Freeman has what Craddock describes as "NBA range" on his jumper and can also attack the rim off the dribble. Much is expected of Freeman as a scorer again this season as he builds on his 13.2 ppg average. In 6'0" Laurentian transfer Craig Bauslaugh, the Cascades get a very good complement to Freeman on the wing given his ability to finish, knock shots down and make sound decisions. The experienced Bauslaugh will be in the rotation at the wing spots where in Craddock's offensive system twos and threes are rarely distinguishable. The third wing in the mix is 6'4" Joel Friesen, a prized recruit last season out of Abbotsford Yale H.S., where he was M.V.P. of the B.C. Provincial tournament while leading his club to the championship. Unfortunately, Friesen missed all of last season while rehabbing a torn ACL but is healthy and ready to go in what will be his freshman season. With the ability to play anywhere from the 1 to the 4, expect Friesen, who bulked up in his rehab year, to push for UFV's second consecutive CW ROY honour.
Setting the table for Cascades impressive set of wings is 5'10" Zeon Gray, a Californian who played the past two seasons at Whatcom Junior College in Bellingham, WA where he was a stats-sheet stuffer (10 ppg/4 apg/2 spg) without generally looking to score alot. Described as a "pass first" point guard, Gray has already shown in pre-season practices the mature decision making and leadership at the lead guard to warrant a starting role. Another Yale H.S. grad, 5'11" Sheldon Bjorgaard, cut his teeth running the point in spells last season, gaining valuable experience and showing off his quickness and ability to knock down 3's (40% shooter from downtown). Bjorgaard, who originally signed with Morehead (MN.), a Division II school where he redshirted before returning home to play his freshman year for Craddock last season, should be a very solid backup to Gray, ensuring the point is well taken care of for 40 minutes.
Craddock will look to spread the floor and let his array of points and wings break defenders down off the dribble to create either to the rim or for kick outs and to play this style, it is desireable to have bigs who can stroke the ball when left alone. In 6'7" third-year forward Kyle Grewal and 6'6" second-year four-man Josh Kufske the Cascades have what they regard as two complementary fours. Grewal, who has the most returning experience in the program, is ready for a "breakout year" according to Craddock. Grewal started 13 games last season and has a nice blend of perimeter and inside skills and is much stronger after a diligent summer. The muscular Kufske, another Yale H.S. graduate, is a catch-and-shoot big who has evolved his game from being mainly a banger previously.
Another top recruit highlights a pair of solid five men as 6'8" 235 lbs. Australia native James Elliott, a transfer from Lakeland College of the ACAC where he averaged`14 ppg last season looks to assume a starting role. Elliott shot 50% from downtown, garnering second team ACAC all-star status but also has solid post skills especially on the defensive end where Craddock feels the Cascades must win battles to contend. 6'7" Jasper Moedt, the fourth member of UFV from Yale, is a pure 5 who will bang, get on the glass and finish inside.
The four members of the Cascades from Yale H.S., located just 5 minutes from the UFV campus, were all mentored and coached by long-time Head Coach Al Friesen who is the father of former CIS great Adam Friesen, an assistant on Craddock's current staff.
Craddock feels that his nine-man rotation, despite the relative youth (all rotation players enter their third or less season of eligibility), will score with any team in the nation and produce an exciting offensive brand of basketball. How well the group finishes should be predicated on their ability to stop teams. Craddock, a former CIS COY at Brandon four years ago, has a proven track record of getting teams to play and expect UFV to be right there at the end in CW Pacific.
Friday, 2 October 2009
Gaels use hot start to dump Stingers in Kingston
Jumping out to a 25 point halftime lead primarily bouyed by a 23-7 second quarter run, Queen's Gaels (2-0 overall, 1-0 vs. CIS) trounced visiting Concordia Stingers 73-57 Friday night as the first weekend of CIS pre-season action opened in Kingston. During the key first half run, the Gaels were able to care of the ball (only 6 turnovers), convert in defensive transition and contested Concordia's looks, holding the Stingers to only 14 first-half points - 7 in each quarter on 5-27 shooting including 1-7 3's.
6'6" Mitch Leger led Queen's with 16 points and 10 rebounds but struggled with foul trouble all evening. After picking up his third foul early in the third quarter, Leger had to sit down and the Stingers subsequently turned up the defensive pressure, getting easy scores in transition to bring the game back to 13 by early in the fourth quarter. Despite 20 second-half Gael turnovers, Queen's with Leger back on the floor for much of the fourth quarter were able to win comfortably.
Dan Bannister added 13 points for Queen's while fifth-year wing Ryan Hairsine added 11 points on 3-5 shooting from downtown. Queen's received an encouraging performance from 6'7" 260 lbs. Jordan Kirchberger, who previously played for the football Gaels and took up the slack when Leger was down with fouls. 6'4" second-year wing Kurtis Lawes added 8 points and 8 rebounds for Queen's.
The Stingers, who are finding their way after several years with the talented Buckley brothers leading the way, took some time to get in synch before unleashing their team athletic ability. Concordia was led by slender 6'3" Hamz Rahezamihige, a big guard from Rhawanda who finished with 15 points, going 4 for 10 from downtown in 29 minutes. 6'0" freshman point guard Duane Gero-Carvery from Halifax had 13 points (3-10 3's) in 30 minutes while last season's top rookie 6'4" Evans Laroche logged a team-high 35 minutes and finished with 9 points/9 rebounds.
Concordia meets RMC tomorrow while the Gaels entertain Laval Rouge et Or tomorrow night as the weekend series continue.
6'6" Mitch Leger led Queen's with 16 points and 10 rebounds but struggled with foul trouble all evening. After picking up his third foul early in the third quarter, Leger had to sit down and the Stingers subsequently turned up the defensive pressure, getting easy scores in transition to bring the game back to 13 by early in the fourth quarter. Despite 20 second-half Gael turnovers, Queen's with Leger back on the floor for much of the fourth quarter were able to win comfortably.
Dan Bannister added 13 points for Queen's while fifth-year wing Ryan Hairsine added 11 points on 3-5 shooting from downtown. Queen's received an encouraging performance from 6'7" 260 lbs. Jordan Kirchberger, who previously played for the football Gaels and took up the slack when Leger was down with fouls. 6'4" second-year wing Kurtis Lawes added 8 points and 8 rebounds for Queen's.
The Stingers, who are finding their way after several years with the talented Buckley brothers leading the way, took some time to get in synch before unleashing their team athletic ability. Concordia was led by slender 6'3" Hamz Rahezamihige, a big guard from Rhawanda who finished with 15 points, going 4 for 10 from downtown in 29 minutes. 6'0" freshman point guard Duane Gero-Carvery from Halifax had 13 points (3-10 3's) in 30 minutes while last season's top rookie 6'4" Evans Laroche logged a team-high 35 minutes and finished with 9 points/9 rebounds.
Concordia meets RMC tomorrow while the Gaels entertain Laval Rouge et Or tomorrow night as the weekend series continue.
Gee-Gees open season with convincing win over Laval
Riding a 54 point second half that broke open a one-point halftime game, uOttawa Gee-Gees defeated Laval Rouge et Or 93-72 in a game played at Heritage College, a CEGEP in Gatineau, Quebec. Ottawa pushed the tempo at both ends, pressing Laval virtually all evening and forced 25 turnovers. 6'5" sophomore Warren Ward led Ottawa offensively with 21 points and 11 boards as the Gee-Gees led by 11 after three quarters and then turned things loose in the fourth quarter against a worn-down Laval group shorthanded without star 6'3" wing J.F. Beaulieu-Mahieux, who missed the game with a hamstring injury.
6'5" F.O. Gagnon-Hebert, a fourth-year center, led Laval with 15 points on a nice array of jump hooks in the low post while 5'9" third-year point guard Xavier Baribeau added 12 points on 4-8 shooting from downtown but was charged with 7 turnovers against constant Gee-Gees ball pressure. Burly 6'5" Etienne Labrecque finished with 11 points as did 6'2" Christian Deslauriers-Trottier, the usual sixth man who saw more time in the absence of Beaulieu-Mahieux.
Ottawa had 6 players in double figures including 6'3" veteran fifth-year wing Donnie Gibson with 14 (but only 1-8 from downtown), 6'0" Max Clarkson with 12 including a couple of big second-half baskets, 6'6" Nemanja Balatic with 11 and 6'4" Josh Gibson-Bascombe with 10 points (only 1-6 from downtown). Despite going only 6-25 from the beyond the arc, the Gee-Gees took advantage of 19 offensive boards including several by 6'2" freshman Ryan Malcolm-Campbell, who showed his strength and tenacity at both ends and finished his first official CIS game with 12 points. Ottawa was without freshman Kamesh Edwards who is out with the flu.
Laval continues their tour of Eastern Ontario with games in Kingston tomorrow night at Queen's (7 PM) and Sunday afternoon at RMC (4 PM). Ottawa is off for a couple of weeks when they travel to Montreal for the Redmen Classic at McGill.
6'5" F.O. Gagnon-Hebert, a fourth-year center, led Laval with 15 points on a nice array of jump hooks in the low post while 5'9" third-year point guard Xavier Baribeau added 12 points on 4-8 shooting from downtown but was charged with 7 turnovers against constant Gee-Gees ball pressure. Burly 6'5" Etienne Labrecque finished with 11 points as did 6'2" Christian Deslauriers-Trottier, the usual sixth man who saw more time in the absence of Beaulieu-Mahieux.
Ottawa had 6 players in double figures including 6'3" veteran fifth-year wing Donnie Gibson with 14 (but only 1-8 from downtown), 6'0" Max Clarkson with 12 including a couple of big second-half baskets, 6'6" Nemanja Balatic with 11 and 6'4" Josh Gibson-Bascombe with 10 points (only 1-6 from downtown). Despite going only 6-25 from the beyond the arc, the Gee-Gees took advantage of 19 offensive boards including several by 6'2" freshman Ryan Malcolm-Campbell, who showed his strength and tenacity at both ends and finished his first official CIS game with 12 points. Ottawa was without freshman Kamesh Edwards who is out with the flu.
Laval continues their tour of Eastern Ontario with games in Kingston tomorrow night at Queen's (7 PM) and Sunday afternoon at RMC (4 PM). Ottawa is off for a couple of weeks when they travel to Montreal for the Redmen Classic at McGill.
Tonight's Games
A pair of very interesting games in Eastern Ontario tonight as Ottawa and Laval tangle at Heritage College in Gatineau at 6:30 PM while Concordia visits Queen's in Kingston tonight at 7 PM. At 2:30 PT/5:30 ET Simon Fraser Clan hosts University of Vancouver Island. Stay tuned for further information.
Canada West Recruiting Summary from Wayne Thomas
Calgary Dinos superfan Wayne Thomas, who provides a wonderful service to Dinos alumni and friends with his frequent newsletters, has published his thoughts on recruiting in Canada West. We are grateful to Wayne for the tireless work he does helping to promote Dinos/Canada West basketball and especially for allowing us to share his great work with our readers. New revelations from Wayne's report include Kamar Burke transfering to UBC from Thompson Rivers and also former SFU wing Melvin Mayotte also to UBC.
Transfers Dominate Canada West Recruiting by Wayne Thomas
Do you go with a “quick fix” or take your time and build from within? That is the dilemma constantly facing the coaches in Canada West as they try to replace 5th year grads and bolster their line-ups with an eye toward chasing a championship. The successful recruitment of an outstanding high school talent such as Jarred Ogunbemi - Jackson, a two-time Manitoba HS Player of the Year, is a big coup for Calgary Dinos oach Dan Vanhooren and he says,”Jarred is a rare player, who brings such great athleticism and skills right out of high school ... he will contribute right away.” Calgary also landed Andrew McGuinness from Vancouver, another highly sought-after guard, who “can flat-out shoot it,” according to Vanhooren. Dan Tilleman from Phoenix, AZ, the son of Dinos legend Karl Tilleman, has “looked good in practice, and his versatility and size will help us”, commented the coach. These three are joined by Patrick Walker, a 6’8” post man from Airdrie, who looks like he could be a real find, and this group gives Calgary a wealth of young talent in a league which appears to be favouring transfers from U.S. or Canadian colleges to high school players.
If we look at Trinity Western Spartans, we see no fewer than 9 transfers from other colleges, including high profile additions Tyrell Mara (Portland St.) and Calvin Westbrook (Cal St.-Stanislus) giving TWU the most impressive incoming class on paper. UBC, where the T-Birds try to replace All-Canadian Chris Dyck and two strong forwards in Matt Racher and Bryson Kool, have nabbed 3 big transfers in Denny Dumas (N. Dakota), Kamar Burke (Thompson Rivers), and Melvin Mayotte (SFU). Victoria has also jumped at several college transfers, most notable being Nick Adair from nearby Camousen College.
Incoming Alberta Head Coach Greg Francis has bucked the trend by re-tooling largely with high school stars including Harry Ainlay’s Jordan Baker, and Rob Dewar, Guelph, ON, both of whom played on Canada’s Jr. National Team this past summer. Four other players directly from high school make the Bears the youngest squad in Canada West. Lethbridge also added five 1st years including Jeremy Stanley, Wm. Aberhart, Wes Chapman, Beaverbrook, Taylor Norum from High River, and teammates at Chestermere, Kyle Wilson and Sean McCormick. The ‘Horns really could be among those ‘Top 5 Classes’ as well.
Top 5 Recruiting Classes (as ranked by Wayne Thomas)
1.Trinity Western Spartans -
Tyrell Mara 6’6” F (transfer/Portland State
Calvin Westbrook 6’5” G (transfer/Cal. State-Stan.
Niko Monachini 6’6” F (transfer/Yuba JuCo)
Luke Braund 6’5” F (Vancouver, St. George’s)
Kurtis Osborne 6’6” F (Surrey, BC/Southridge)
Clint Wickham 6’8” F (transfer/Langara College;
Elijah Nakagawa 5’9” PG (transfer/Columbia Bible)
2. Calgary Dinos -
Andrew McGuinness 6’3” G (Vancouver,Handsworth)
Dan Tilleman 6’5” G/F (Phoenix, AZ/Desert Vista)
Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson 5’10” PG (Winnipeg, MB/Garden City)
Patrick Walker 6’8” F (Airdrie /George MacDougall)
Terrence Blake 6’1” PG (transfer/SAIT)
David Laskin 6’7” F (PhD student)
3. Alberta Golden Bears -
Todd Bergen-Henengouwen 6’5” F (Picture Butte)
Jordan Baker 6’7” F (Edmonton )
Jamaal Bucknor 6’7” F (transfer/Concordia Coll.)
Rob Dewar 6’11” C (Guelph, ON/NEDA)
Khas Tokar 6’1” G (transfer/Grand Prairie College)
Jordan Hone 6’2” G (transfer/Mount Royal College)
Ken Otieno 6’2” G (Lethbridge)
Nikola Manojlovic 6’9” C (Hamilton, ON)
Brett Kallio 6’2” G (transfer/Concordia College)
Colin McKinnon 6’10” C (Edmonton, AB)
4. UBC Thunderbirds -
Denny Dumas 6’2” G (transfer/North Dakota )
Chad Posthumus 6’10” C (Winnipeg )
Tommy Nixon 6’5” F (Vancouver )
Jas Gill 6’0” PG (Oliver, BC )
Melvin Mayotte 6’4” G (transfer/ Simon Fraser)
Kamar Burke 6’5” G (transfer/ Thompson Rivers)
5. Victoria Vikes -
Zac Andrus 5’10” PG (transfer/Whatcom JuCo )
Nick Adair 6’8” C (transfer/Camosun College )
Omid Davani 6’3” G (transfer/Kwantlen College)
Dan Evans 6’3” G (transfer/Capilano College)
Trevor Scheurmann 6’6” F (Winnipeg, MB)
Transfers Dominate Canada West Recruiting by Wayne Thomas
Do you go with a “quick fix” or take your time and build from within? That is the dilemma constantly facing the coaches in Canada West as they try to replace 5th year grads and bolster their line-ups with an eye toward chasing a championship. The successful recruitment of an outstanding high school talent such as Jarred Ogunbemi - Jackson, a two-time Manitoba HS Player of the Year, is a big coup for Calgary Dinos oach Dan Vanhooren and he says,”Jarred is a rare player, who brings such great athleticism and skills right out of high school ... he will contribute right away.” Calgary also landed Andrew McGuinness from Vancouver, another highly sought-after guard, who “can flat-out shoot it,” according to Vanhooren. Dan Tilleman from Phoenix, AZ, the son of Dinos legend Karl Tilleman, has “looked good in practice, and his versatility and size will help us”, commented the coach. These three are joined by Patrick Walker, a 6’8” post man from Airdrie, who looks like he could be a real find, and this group gives Calgary a wealth of young talent in a league which appears to be favouring transfers from U.S. or Canadian colleges to high school players.
If we look at Trinity Western Spartans, we see no fewer than 9 transfers from other colleges, including high profile additions Tyrell Mara (Portland St.) and Calvin Westbrook (Cal St.-Stanislus) giving TWU the most impressive incoming class on paper. UBC, where the T-Birds try to replace All-Canadian Chris Dyck and two strong forwards in Matt Racher and Bryson Kool, have nabbed 3 big transfers in Denny Dumas (N. Dakota), Kamar Burke (Thompson Rivers), and Melvin Mayotte (SFU). Victoria has also jumped at several college transfers, most notable being Nick Adair from nearby Camousen College.
Incoming Alberta Head Coach Greg Francis has bucked the trend by re-tooling largely with high school stars including Harry Ainlay’s Jordan Baker, and Rob Dewar, Guelph, ON, both of whom played on Canada’s Jr. National Team this past summer. Four other players directly from high school make the Bears the youngest squad in Canada West. Lethbridge also added five 1st years including Jeremy Stanley, Wm. Aberhart, Wes Chapman, Beaverbrook, Taylor Norum from High River, and teammates at Chestermere, Kyle Wilson and Sean McCormick. The ‘Horns really could be among those ‘Top 5 Classes’ as well.
Top 5 Recruiting Classes (as ranked by Wayne Thomas)
1.Trinity Western Spartans -
Tyrell Mara 6’6” F (transfer/Portland State
Calvin Westbrook 6’5” G (transfer/Cal. State-Stan.
Niko Monachini 6’6” F (transfer/Yuba JuCo)
Luke Braund 6’5” F (Vancouver, St. George’s)
Kurtis Osborne 6’6” F (Surrey, BC/Southridge)
Clint Wickham 6’8” F (transfer/Langara College;
Elijah Nakagawa 5’9” PG (transfer/Columbia Bible)
2. Calgary Dinos -
Andrew McGuinness 6’3” G (Vancouver,Handsworth)
Dan Tilleman 6’5” G/F (Phoenix, AZ/Desert Vista)
Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson 5’10” PG (Winnipeg, MB/Garden City)
Patrick Walker 6’8” F (Airdrie /George MacDougall)
Terrence Blake 6’1” PG (transfer/SAIT)
David Laskin 6’7” F (PhD student)
3. Alberta Golden Bears -
Todd Bergen-Henengouwen 6’5” F (Picture Butte)
Jordan Baker 6’7” F (Edmonton )
Jamaal Bucknor 6’7” F (transfer/Concordia Coll.)
Rob Dewar 6’11” C (Guelph, ON/NEDA)
Khas Tokar 6’1” G (transfer/Grand Prairie College)
Jordan Hone 6’2” G (transfer/Mount Royal College)
Ken Otieno 6’2” G (Lethbridge)
Nikola Manojlovic 6’9” C (Hamilton, ON)
Brett Kallio 6’2” G (transfer/Concordia College)
Colin McKinnon 6’10” C (Edmonton, AB)
4. UBC Thunderbirds -
Denny Dumas 6’2” G (transfer/North Dakota )
Chad Posthumus 6’10” C (Winnipeg )
Tommy Nixon 6’5” F (Vancouver )
Jas Gill 6’0” PG (Oliver, BC )
Melvin Mayotte 6’4” G (transfer/ Simon Fraser)
Kamar Burke 6’5” G (transfer/ Thompson Rivers)
5. Victoria Vikes -
Zac Andrus 5’10” PG (transfer/Whatcom JuCo )
Nick Adair 6’8” C (transfer/Camosun College )
Omid Davani 6’3” G (transfer/Kwantlen College)
Dan Evans 6’3” G (transfer/Capilano College)
Trevor Scheurmann 6’6” F (Winnipeg, MB)
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Late score from Wednesday: Laurier defeats Fanshawe
Golden Hawks defeat Fanshawe Falcons 73-69
Golden Hawks start preseason against Fanshawe College
Box Score
Hawks defeat Falcons in preseason action (from Laurier web site)
WATERLOO, Ont. – The Wilfrid Laurier men’s basketball team started the preseason with a 73-69 victory over the visiting Fanshawe College Falcons.
The Golden Hawks got out to an early seven point lead in the first quarter before the Falcons stormed back to tie it up. The see-saw action would continue as Laurier built a nine point lead, only to see it whittled down to two points by the end of the first. Throughout the second frame, both teams traded baskets, but the Hawks would hold a one point lead going into the break. Laurier led Fanshawe 33-32 at half.
In the third, the purple and gold jumped out to an early lead thanks to several buckets by Evan Schwantz (Guelph, Ont.). By then end of the third, a Jesse MacDonald (Brantford, Ont.) three pointer had secured a ten point lead. The Falcons would start the fourth quarter with a point scoring surge to take the Hawks lead back down to just two points. Laurier turned to the their top scorer of 2008-2009, Kale Harrison (Stratford, Ont.), and he delivered some key free throws to get the purple and gold back on track.
Fifth year guard Jesse MacDonald was the top scorer on the night with 19 points and went 10 for 11 from the free-throw line. Evan Schwantz picked up 13 points and Kale Harrison notched 12. Harrison was the home team’s top rebounder with eight boards.
For the visitors Manny Campbell (Burlington, Ont.) scored 15, while Will Bradbury (Kitchener, Ont.) and Chyro Blackwood (Kitchener, Ont.) picked up 12 apiece. Bryan Kammerman (London, Ont.) was the Falcons top rebounder with nine.
Next up for the Golden Hawks will be another preseason match up against St. Lawrence College on Thursday, October 8th at 7 p.m. in Kingston.
Golden Hawks start preseason against Fanshawe College
Box Score
Hawks defeat Falcons in preseason action (from Laurier web site)
WATERLOO, Ont. – The Wilfrid Laurier men’s basketball team started the preseason with a 73-69 victory over the visiting Fanshawe College Falcons.
The Golden Hawks got out to an early seven point lead in the first quarter before the Falcons stormed back to tie it up. The see-saw action would continue as Laurier built a nine point lead, only to see it whittled down to two points by the end of the first. Throughout the second frame, both teams traded baskets, but the Hawks would hold a one point lead going into the break. Laurier led Fanshawe 33-32 at half.
In the third, the purple and gold jumped out to an early lead thanks to several buckets by Evan Schwantz (Guelph, Ont.). By then end of the third, a Jesse MacDonald (Brantford, Ont.) three pointer had secured a ten point lead. The Falcons would start the fourth quarter with a point scoring surge to take the Hawks lead back down to just two points. Laurier turned to the their top scorer of 2008-2009, Kale Harrison (Stratford, Ont.), and he delivered some key free throws to get the purple and gold back on track.
Fifth year guard Jesse MacDonald was the top scorer on the night with 19 points and went 10 for 11 from the free-throw line. Evan Schwantz picked up 13 points and Kale Harrison notched 12. Harrison was the home team’s top rebounder with eight boards.
For the visitors Manny Campbell (Burlington, Ont.) scored 15, while Will Bradbury (Kitchener, Ont.) and Chyro Blackwood (Kitchener, Ont.) picked up 12 apiece. Bryan Kammerman (London, Ont.) was the Falcons top rebounder with nine.
Next up for the Golden Hawks will be another preseason match up against St. Lawrence College on Thursday, October 8th at 7 p.m. in Kingston.
Ryersonian article on Roy Rana and the Rams
Great to see the campus newspapers start early on CIS basketball coverage.
Men's basketball gets the Midas touch
Roy Rana brings his extensive coaching experience to Ryerson (Photo courtesy Roy Rana)
Ryerson’s new men’s basketball head coach, Roy Rana, hasn’t coached a single game in the CIS. But, that hardly seems relevant.
“Wherever he’s been, he’s been King Midas,” said Ivan Joseph, Ryerson’s director of athletics.
“His touch has turned teams into gold.”
Rana has spent the last nine years at Eastern Commerce Collegiate Institute, a high school near Pape and Danforth avenues. There, Rana won four ‘AAAA’ Ontario championships, the highest level of high school basketball in Ontario, and had a .867 winning percentage all-time. But, Rana’s accomplishments don’t end with the high school age group.
He was assistant coach to Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team in the FIBA Americas Championship this summer, a tournament which saw Canada finish fourth and qualify for the 2010 World Championships in Turkey. Under the guidance of Head Coach Leo Rautins, Rana had the chance to instruct university-level athletes and professional basketball players, including Miami Heat centre Joel Anthony. For Joseph, this sealed the deal. “How many other high school coaches do you know who are assistant coaches to the national team?” Joseph asked rhetorically.
Something that Rana also offered that other coaches didn’t was his Toronto connections. Recruiting becomes a lot easier. “The students of Toronto already have a relationship with Roy. They want to play for him,” Joseph said. “The moms and dads [of Toronto] know that Roy will take care of [their sons] because he’s one of their own.”
But, for Rana, his coaching job means a lot more than winning at basketball. “I’m trying to build a program that the university can be proud of. Not just with wins and losses but also in the way our athletes conduct themselves.” Rana’s seriousness towards both athletics and academics has already reflected the changes he made to the program. One difference is study hall. The two-hour session where athletes check in with their mentors and are given a chance to catch up with their work is now obligatory for both rookies and veterans.
“With Roy, class comes first,” said Josh Budd, a second-year point guard. “You don’t miss class to go practice.”
Rana called himself a “cerebral” point guard back in his playing days at Bloor Collegiate Institute and expects his players to be concentrating at all times on the court. “I try to hold athletes accountable for their decisions on the floor. Offence is about making the right decisions and playing team basketball,” Rana said.
That level of focus and accountability doesn’t disappear once the players step off the court.
“He holds us accountable for everything. He makes sure we introduce ourselves to the teacher, sit in the front and show up on time for classes,” said Budd.
Prior to selecting his team, Rana talked with some of his players in his office to let them know his expectations of his players. “I’m here to begin developing a winning culture in this program and that means attention to detail, a commitment to train and a commitment to improve academic performance,” he said. For some athletes, that meant making sure they were keeping up with their minds and body.
“I’m focused on ensuring that our athletes understand what the expectations are if they want to be a high performance athlete, and that’s what this year will be about.”
For Budd, who trained in the gym for all but two days this summer, the challenge will be finding the right balance between schoolwork and the team. “It’ll be fine. He motivates you. There’s always positive reinforcement,” Budd said.
Love and basketball: Rana's passion for the sport started at an early age
As a kid, Roy Rana used to stay up late watching his idols Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson and the rest of the dynasty-bound Los Angeles Lakers. He had to sneak around his house and mute the volume on the TV, but he developed a passion for basketball that hasn’t left him since.
Rana played point guard at Bloor Collegiate Institute but wouldn’t see any great success until his playing days were over. When he first started teaching at CW Jefferys his principal asked if he could coach the basketball team. Rana agreed, expecting to be the assistant coach, but, later, found out that if he didn’t coach then there wouldn’t be a team.
Rana won a championship in his first year. “It became an obsession. It became an addiction. I always loved the sport, but I really took to coaching. It’s been a great journey.
“I’ve been part of the history of basketball in this city my whole life,” Rana said.
Now, Rana is looking to make a little more history in this town.
First, though, here are some of his greatest achievements as a basketball coach:
Eastern Commerce: Rana’s greatest success came at this eastern Toronto high school. He led the Saints to the Ontario championships five times while winning four titles. Never not winning his division, Rana also oversaw a 58 game winning streak spanning two years and won a High School Coach of the Year award four times.
Men’s Cadet National Team: As current head coach of Canada’s U16 men’s team, Rana will be putting the country in the international spotlight next year when they compete in FIBA U17 World Championship. Rana’s team defeated Venezuela 106-81 to capture the bronze medal in the 2009
FIBA Americas U16 Championship.
Nike Global Challenge: Rana’s team lost a one-point heartbreaker in the final of this high school tournament. In an event that featured three U.S. teams, Rana’s Canadians proved their worth to earn a silver medal.
Men's basketball gets the Midas touch
Roy Rana brings his extensive coaching experience to Ryerson (Photo courtesy Roy Rana)
Ryerson’s new men’s basketball head coach, Roy Rana, hasn’t coached a single game in the CIS. But, that hardly seems relevant.
“Wherever he’s been, he’s been King Midas,” said Ivan Joseph, Ryerson’s director of athletics.
“His touch has turned teams into gold.”
Rana has spent the last nine years at Eastern Commerce Collegiate Institute, a high school near Pape and Danforth avenues. There, Rana won four ‘AAAA’ Ontario championships, the highest level of high school basketball in Ontario, and had a .867 winning percentage all-time. But, Rana’s accomplishments don’t end with the high school age group.
He was assistant coach to Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team in the FIBA Americas Championship this summer, a tournament which saw Canada finish fourth and qualify for the 2010 World Championships in Turkey. Under the guidance of Head Coach Leo Rautins, Rana had the chance to instruct university-level athletes and professional basketball players, including Miami Heat centre Joel Anthony. For Joseph, this sealed the deal. “How many other high school coaches do you know who are assistant coaches to the national team?” Joseph asked rhetorically.
Something that Rana also offered that other coaches didn’t was his Toronto connections. Recruiting becomes a lot easier. “The students of Toronto already have a relationship with Roy. They want to play for him,” Joseph said. “The moms and dads [of Toronto] know that Roy will take care of [their sons] because he’s one of their own.”
But, for Rana, his coaching job means a lot more than winning at basketball. “I’m trying to build a program that the university can be proud of. Not just with wins and losses but also in the way our athletes conduct themselves.” Rana’s seriousness towards both athletics and academics has already reflected the changes he made to the program. One difference is study hall. The two-hour session where athletes check in with their mentors and are given a chance to catch up with their work is now obligatory for both rookies and veterans.
“With Roy, class comes first,” said Josh Budd, a second-year point guard. “You don’t miss class to go practice.”
Rana called himself a “cerebral” point guard back in his playing days at Bloor Collegiate Institute and expects his players to be concentrating at all times on the court. “I try to hold athletes accountable for their decisions on the floor. Offence is about making the right decisions and playing team basketball,” Rana said.
That level of focus and accountability doesn’t disappear once the players step off the court.
“He holds us accountable for everything. He makes sure we introduce ourselves to the teacher, sit in the front and show up on time for classes,” said Budd.
Prior to selecting his team, Rana talked with some of his players in his office to let them know his expectations of his players. “I’m here to begin developing a winning culture in this program and that means attention to detail, a commitment to train and a commitment to improve academic performance,” he said. For some athletes, that meant making sure they were keeping up with their minds and body.
“I’m focused on ensuring that our athletes understand what the expectations are if they want to be a high performance athlete, and that’s what this year will be about.”
For Budd, who trained in the gym for all but two days this summer, the challenge will be finding the right balance between schoolwork and the team. “It’ll be fine. He motivates you. There’s always positive reinforcement,” Budd said.
Love and basketball: Rana's passion for the sport started at an early age
As a kid, Roy Rana used to stay up late watching his idols Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson and the rest of the dynasty-bound Los Angeles Lakers. He had to sneak around his house and mute the volume on the TV, but he developed a passion for basketball that hasn’t left him since.
Rana played point guard at Bloor Collegiate Institute but wouldn’t see any great success until his playing days were over. When he first started teaching at CW Jefferys his principal asked if he could coach the basketball team. Rana agreed, expecting to be the assistant coach, but, later, found out that if he didn’t coach then there wouldn’t be a team.
Rana won a championship in his first year. “It became an obsession. It became an addiction. I always loved the sport, but I really took to coaching. It’s been a great journey.
“I’ve been part of the history of basketball in this city my whole life,” Rana said.
Now, Rana is looking to make a little more history in this town.
First, though, here are some of his greatest achievements as a basketball coach:
Eastern Commerce: Rana’s greatest success came at this eastern Toronto high school. He led the Saints to the Ontario championships five times while winning four titles. Never not winning his division, Rana also oversaw a 58 game winning streak spanning two years and won a High School Coach of the Year award four times.
Men’s Cadet National Team: As current head coach of Canada’s U16 men’s team, Rana will be putting the country in the international spotlight next year when they compete in FIBA U17 World Championship. Rana’s team defeated Venezuela 106-81 to capture the bronze medal in the 2009
FIBA Americas U16 Championship.
Nike Global Challenge: Rana’s team lost a one-point heartbreaker in the final of this high school tournament. In an event that featured three U.S. teams, Rana’s Canadians proved their worth to earn a silver medal.
Swords rebuilds Vees
Throughout his well-decorated career as a member of Canada's National/Olympic squad, several European professional teams and as a five-year star with Laurentian, Shawn Swords the player epitomized the "team" concept, sharing the ball, setting screens and making shots offensively and defensively taking charges, getting to loose balls, rebounding and defending with purpose. Oh yeah... and he hit a few deep, game-changing threes along the way as well. Swords the Head Coach is on the way to building the Voyageurs into his type of team: a scrappy group that defends, rebounds and consistently works on each and every possession. The Vees lost two starters, 6'2" Bryan Davidson and 5'11" Mitch Mallette, plus 6'5" veteran Alex Whiteman, from last season's team that just missed qualifying for a playoff spot but Swords was able to secure a couple of impact transfers and other freshman on the way to changing that. As his group matures and grows, expect Ben Avery Gym to again become a very tough place to play and the Vees to fight back toward the top of OUA East.
Probably Laurentian's hardest worker, 6'6" Matas Tirilis (14.4 ppg/30 mpg last season), is also their best overall player who came into the league as a relatively unheralded diamond-in-the-rough recruit and has a chance to cap a fine career with an all-star season. A nice, somewhat-undersized back-to-the-basket post for the majority of his career, Tirilis has extended his game out to the perimeter and in the Vees tradition is a scrappy, hustling big man who Swords hopes will play the majority of his minutes as a four man this season. Another fifth-year vet is the perimeter-oriented complement to Tirilis, 6'2" Paul Kovacs (12.7 ppg/27 mpg) is in what Swords describes as "the best shape he's been in since he's been here". Kovacs should continue to stretch defenses with his three point shooting and veteran savvy making decisions.
Last season's top freshman, 6'1" Andrew Lalonde, a local product from Sudbury LaSalle, looks to be the early-season favorite to start at the point where he takes care of the ball and generally can be counted upon as a sound decision maker. Lalonde's ability to improve his perimeter shooting and the requisite respect that will provide from opposing defenders will likely determine how effective he becomes as his career progresses.
Swords was very successful on the recruiting trail, attracting at least two key pieces who should start and two others who will are rotation-ready. 6'3" Isiah Pasquale, son of legendary Sudbury high schooler, Canadian National team and UVic star Eli Pasquale, transfers over from UVic is the likely starter at the two spot. Strong and savvy, Isiah will complement Kovacs and others on the wing. Another transfer 6'4" Jamie Campbell (ex-Laurier), where he played for his father Peter Campbell, is strong enough to play the 4 while shooting it well enough to play the three spot and should also push for a starting spot.
Another Pasquale, 6'4" Manny Pasquale, a freshman, is a big point guard who with his slight, lanky frame, baggy black hair and craftiness is a dead-ringer for his dad appearance-wise. It will take time for him to adjust to the CIS game, especially after a year not playing last season but Manny should grow into a top flight point as his career progresses. Providing depth at the five spot is 6'10" Rob McMurray (Guelph J.F. Ross), another typical CIS big with enough athleticism to be a factor protecting the paint as a freshman who likely needs time for his offense to catch up. McMurray has been slowed by an ankle injury but has impressed when he's been available.
There are several others who are in the mix for rotation time including 6'1" third-year two man Dave Otterbein (London Beal) who looks to knock shots down off the bench, 6'4" sophomore Jamie Weldon (Sault Ste. Marie Sir James Dunn), another somewhat-undersized four man who is a hard-working strong post but can also step out and drill 3's and 6'4" Justin Serresse, another sophomore, who is regarded as a very good defender. Justin's cousin, 6'3" Georges Serresse, a second year wing from Sudbury Notre Dame has exciting athletic ability and, as a younger, four-year high school graduate, continues to mature physically and gain experience at this level.
Also pushing for consistent roster spots will be 6'2" Stephen Williams, 6'1" Mark Ramalho and 6'7" Andrew Kay as Swords expects to go at least 10 deep every night.
Laurentian gets their pre-season started next Thursday with a trip to Montreal to face McGill followed by the two-game, two-day Concordia NIKE Invitational where they face the Stingers in the first round. Two weeks later is a trip out to Winnipeg for a four-teamer involving Manitoba, Winnipeg and Concordia. The Vees have an ambitious five-game trip out east after Christmas, facing Cape Breton and UPEI in Sydney before moving on to Halifax for the annual Rod Shovellor Memorial tournament at Dalhousie.
Probably Laurentian's hardest worker, 6'6" Matas Tirilis (14.4 ppg/30 mpg last season), is also their best overall player who came into the league as a relatively unheralded diamond-in-the-rough recruit and has a chance to cap a fine career with an all-star season. A nice, somewhat-undersized back-to-the-basket post for the majority of his career, Tirilis has extended his game out to the perimeter and in the Vees tradition is a scrappy, hustling big man who Swords hopes will play the majority of his minutes as a four man this season. Another fifth-year vet is the perimeter-oriented complement to Tirilis, 6'2" Paul Kovacs (12.7 ppg/27 mpg) is in what Swords describes as "the best shape he's been in since he's been here". Kovacs should continue to stretch defenses with his three point shooting and veteran savvy making decisions.
Last season's top freshman, 6'1" Andrew Lalonde, a local product from Sudbury LaSalle, looks to be the early-season favorite to start at the point where he takes care of the ball and generally can be counted upon as a sound decision maker. Lalonde's ability to improve his perimeter shooting and the requisite respect that will provide from opposing defenders will likely determine how effective he becomes as his career progresses.
Swords was very successful on the recruiting trail, attracting at least two key pieces who should start and two others who will are rotation-ready. 6'3" Isiah Pasquale, son of legendary Sudbury high schooler, Canadian National team and UVic star Eli Pasquale, transfers over from UVic is the likely starter at the two spot. Strong and savvy, Isiah will complement Kovacs and others on the wing. Another transfer 6'4" Jamie Campbell (ex-Laurier), where he played for his father Peter Campbell, is strong enough to play the 4 while shooting it well enough to play the three spot and should also push for a starting spot.
Another Pasquale, 6'4" Manny Pasquale, a freshman, is a big point guard who with his slight, lanky frame, baggy black hair and craftiness is a dead-ringer for his dad appearance-wise. It will take time for him to adjust to the CIS game, especially after a year not playing last season but Manny should grow into a top flight point as his career progresses. Providing depth at the five spot is 6'10" Rob McMurray (Guelph J.F. Ross), another typical CIS big with enough athleticism to be a factor protecting the paint as a freshman who likely needs time for his offense to catch up. McMurray has been slowed by an ankle injury but has impressed when he's been available.
There are several others who are in the mix for rotation time including 6'1" third-year two man Dave Otterbein (London Beal) who looks to knock shots down off the bench, 6'4" sophomore Jamie Weldon (Sault Ste. Marie Sir James Dunn), another somewhat-undersized four man who is a hard-working strong post but can also step out and drill 3's and 6'4" Justin Serresse, another sophomore, who is regarded as a very good defender. Justin's cousin, 6'3" Georges Serresse, a second year wing from Sudbury Notre Dame has exciting athletic ability and, as a younger, four-year high school graduate, continues to mature physically and gain experience at this level.
Also pushing for consistent roster spots will be 6'2" Stephen Williams, 6'1" Mark Ramalho and 6'7" Andrew Kay as Swords expects to go at least 10 deep every night.
Laurentian gets their pre-season started next Thursday with a trip to Montreal to face McGill followed by the two-game, two-day Concordia NIKE Invitational where they face the Stingers in the first round. Two weeks later is a trip out to Winnipeg for a four-teamer involving Manitoba, Winnipeg and Concordia. The Vees have an ambitious five-game trip out east after Christmas, facing Cape Breton and UPEI in Sydney before moving on to Halifax for the annual Rod Shovellor Memorial tournament at Dalhousie.
Francis ready to lead new-look Bears
Francis ready to lead new-look Bears
NEW SHERIFF Head coach Greg Francis is ready to teach a young squad.
It's never easy to step in and replace a legend. The last time the Bears basketball program had a new coach, Pierre Elliott Trudeau was Prime Minister. That was Don Horwood back in 1983, and after 26 years on the job, he retired at the conclusion of last season. In doing so, it left one of the country's most coveted university jobs up for grabs. Enter new head man Greg Francis, whose resumé boasts an impressive list of both playing and coaching experience.
Before entering the coaching ranks, Francis suited up for NCAA Division I school Fairfield University from 1994–97, and also for Canada at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney while making pro stops in the U.K. and Lebanon.
Francis started his coaching career in 2001 when he was an assistant at Monmouth University, earning the team an NCAA tournament berth. Since that time, Francis has been heavily involved with Basketball Canada and has been the head coach of the national men's junior team since 2005 — a position he continues to hold. Francis' work with Canada's best young players lends itself well to not only coaching student athletes, but also recruiting the talent necessary to compete at the national level.
"Most of my job with the national team has been about developing players, and I think that's the beautiful thing about being at a university. You get five years to really work with athletes. I've been doing a lot of development and evaluating young athletes from around the country, so my network that way is very good," Francis explains.
With the expansion of Canada West in recent years with new programs like Fraser Valley and Thompson Rivers, the recruiting landscape has been changing. In turn, coaches have been forced to focus that much more on assessing talent, and bringing in top-end players from outside their traditional sources.
"My time here at the U of A will be a lot of national recruiting and I think that we'll be able to get some of those [top] kids."
Despite coming from the home of Canada's lone NBA franchise, collegiate level basketball didn't receive the same support Francis sees here in Edmonton.
"I am coming from Toronto where there's a lot of basketball, but the university basketball scene in Toronto and southern Ontario, you just don't get the community involvement," Francis explains. "As a coach you want to be involved in a program where the community is just waiting to jump behind the program," he says.
"I can't wait for the season to start because I want to be involved in what's going on in the community here and I would love for the community to get connected with the players and this program, because we'd like to be leaders in the basketball community in this province."
With Francis' impressive background, and the excitement it has created around the Green and Gold, it shouldn't be long before people jump behind this re-invigorated group.
NEW SHERIFF Head coach Greg Francis is ready to teach a young squad.
It's never easy to step in and replace a legend. The last time the Bears basketball program had a new coach, Pierre Elliott Trudeau was Prime Minister. That was Don Horwood back in 1983, and after 26 years on the job, he retired at the conclusion of last season. In doing so, it left one of the country's most coveted university jobs up for grabs. Enter new head man Greg Francis, whose resumé boasts an impressive list of both playing and coaching experience.
Before entering the coaching ranks, Francis suited up for NCAA Division I school Fairfield University from 1994–97, and also for Canada at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney while making pro stops in the U.K. and Lebanon.
Francis started his coaching career in 2001 when he was an assistant at Monmouth University, earning the team an NCAA tournament berth. Since that time, Francis has been heavily involved with Basketball Canada and has been the head coach of the national men's junior team since 2005 — a position he continues to hold. Francis' work with Canada's best young players lends itself well to not only coaching student athletes, but also recruiting the talent necessary to compete at the national level.
"Most of my job with the national team has been about developing players, and I think that's the beautiful thing about being at a university. You get five years to really work with athletes. I've been doing a lot of development and evaluating young athletes from around the country, so my network that way is very good," Francis explains.
With the expansion of Canada West in recent years with new programs like Fraser Valley and Thompson Rivers, the recruiting landscape has been changing. In turn, coaches have been forced to focus that much more on assessing talent, and bringing in top-end players from outside their traditional sources.
"My time here at the U of A will be a lot of national recruiting and I think that we'll be able to get some of those [top] kids."
Despite coming from the home of Canada's lone NBA franchise, collegiate level basketball didn't receive the same support Francis sees here in Edmonton.
"I am coming from Toronto where there's a lot of basketball, but the university basketball scene in Toronto and southern Ontario, you just don't get the community involvement," Francis explains. "As a coach you want to be involved in a program where the community is just waiting to jump behind the program," he says.
"I can't wait for the season to start because I want to be involved in what's going on in the community here and I would love for the community to get connected with the players and this program, because we'd like to be leaders in the basketball community in this province."
With Francis' impressive background, and the excitement it has created around the Green and Gold, it shouldn't be long before people jump behind this re-invigorated group.
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