CIS Hoops.ca

According to reports by Dave Larkins in the Brandon Sun, 6'5" Nick Quick, who last played in 2002-03 when he was a Canada West All-Star, averaging more than 15 points per game, has returned to Brandon and will play for the Bobcats this season. (Links to the Brandon Sun are by subscription only). The addition of an apparently-matured Quick, who is a proven scorer at the CIS level, will help off-set the loss of starting shooting guard Chad Jacobsen for the highly-ranked Bobcats. Fans in Victoria will get a chance to see Quick and the Bobcats in one of the top tournaments of the pre-season during the weekend of October 19th, 20th and 21st as Alberta, Carleton, Brandon and Victoria participate in a three-day, three-game round robin event that will feature a rematch of last season's CIS National championship game between the Bobcats and the Ravens on Friday, October 19th. We will have a complete list of tournament schedules in a future post.

This pre-season will also feature the coaching debut of former CIS and Canadian National teamer Shawn Swords at his alma mater, Laurentian University. The Voyageurs plan to celebrate the accomplishments of the 1998 Voyageurs team which captured the Wilson Cup championship at home in the Ben Avery Gymnasium by defeating Waterloo and then reaching the CIS Final Four before bowing to the McMaster Marauders. The '98 Voyageurs included CIS All-Canadians Cory Bailey and Ted Donglemans, Roan Biggs, Kevin "Flash" Gordon, Anthony Malcolm, Adam Dusome and Clifton Edwards. Helping to celebrate Laurentian's Hall-of-Fame weekend will be '98 Voyageurs Head Coach Peter Campbell and his Laurier Golden Hawks. Campbell, who recruited and coached Swords for five seasons at Laurentian in the mid-1990's is an appropriate coaching opponent for Swords in his first game ever as Head Coach of the Voyageurs. The Laurier/Laurentian game goes on Friday, October 12th and the Laurentian alumni game and ceremony goes the following day in Sudbury.

HuskieHoops web site is reporting that former Saskatchewan Huskies center Kevin Langdon has signed a professional contract in Finland. Langdon, an athletic 6-7 forward from Saskatoon, signed with Huima of the Finnish 1st Division. The club is based in Aanekoskie, Finland. The team has played five games thus far, and Langdon had 12 points and led his team with 10 rebounds last week in a loss to Plannja Basket, the 2006-07 Swedish Basketligan champions. Langdon reports that the level of ball is pretty good, with the local talent as well as the foreign players, most of whom are from the NCAA Division I ranks. He does say that there seems to be a lot more running and less structure than in the CIS though. Langdon spent five years with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, redshirting his first year, from 2001-06. As a senior he averaged 8.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 41 games, helping the Huskies reach the 2005-06 National Championships. He also set a school record for blocked shots in a season.

Good to hear from Scott Meeson, former Queen's coach who runs a successful basketball camp in Eastern Ontario called Jump Shots. Scott continues to stay involved in Canadian basketball as a National Coaching Certification Progam instructor and remains very close to the OUA/CIS scene. Please visit his site for a look at the camps he directs.