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The Guelph Gryphons had their usual strong finish to last season, playing Windsor Lancers very tough in the OUA West semi-finals before succumbing to the eventual OUA champions and that optimism has carried over to this season as, despite the loss of 6’9” J.R. Bailey and graduating 6’3” Aron Bariagbre (OUA West All-Star), the Gryphs return several key players and bring in what could be a very underrated recruiting class. Guelph begins their CIS pre-season with a visit this weekend to the Nation’s Capital and the annual House-Laughton tournament at Carleton, starting with a 6 PM matchup with Dalhousie Tigers on Friday night. Guelph Head Coach Chris O’Rourke has had to deal with some injuries in the early season but is optimistic that his young troops can again peak when it counts down the stretch, “We have a younger team than usual but if a couple of kids can step up and we get what I think we will from some freshmen, we should be in the mix when it matters”. Expect 6’9” fourth-year center Duncan Milne, who has matured tremendously over the course of his career, to be the Gryphs leader. Milne, who has bulked up to 245 lbs., is one of the hardest workers ever to come through the Gryphons program and his progress was the centerpiece of Guelph’s solid play down the stretch last season. Milne, who has become a stalward offensively, honed his skills at the world-famous Pete Newell Big Man camp over the summer. Newell has mentored countless NBA players over a couple of decades at his prestigious camp. “Duncan is a prime example of how hard work can pay off to making a great player”, coach O’Rourke noted proudly. 6’4” Nick Pankerichan will likely play a lot of minutes at both guard spots. Pankerichan is a tough, scrappy guard who can shoot it from downtown and has excellent court vision. 6’4” Jay Mott, currently nursing a knee injury which should keep him out at least another couple of weeks, is one of a couple of players who will be expected to step to the forefront and lead. Mott, now in his third season, has excellent shooting range and should be a fixture in the rotation when he returns from injury. 6’4” Borko Popic transitioned into the CIS game last season and is another defense-stretching perimeter shooter who needs to take the next step this season. 6’6” Seb Kasiuk, also entering his third year, has shown glimpses of stardom in his first two seasons and is another player who needs to take on a higher profile with the Gryphs. In 6’4” Jonathan Moscatelli, Guelph may have a guard with one of the sweetest strokes in the conference, however Moscatelli’s knee problems have been well documented and the Gryphs are being very careful with breaking him into the lineup – while he is working out, his knee is still not where it needs to be and he likely won’t be ready until early November. Adding depth to the back court is 6’1” Charles Ageymang, a top defender who was able to produce down the stretch last season in the face of some Gryph injuries. O’Rourke had another strong recruiting class which should produce at least one pleasant surprise. “I’ve been very happy with our young players including some freshmen who should help us.”, stated O’Rourke. Most impressive of the frosh has been 5’11” Mike Patrella, who has shown all the signs of being a classic tough, heady CIS point guard. Patrella has been running with the starters for the most part in practice and is “way ahead of where we thought he would be at this point of the season”, added O’Rourke. 6’0” Omar Ibrahim from Toronto, while not as consistent as Patrella has been during training camp, certainly has shown signs of brilliance as a scorer. 6’2” Jimmy Seymour from Ottawa appears to be a solid defender and athletic 6’3” Nick Walters adds depth at the four spot after a brilliant three-sport career (football, basketball, rugby) at Erindale Collegiate in Mississauga. The last time the Gryphons participated in the House-Laughton tournament, O’Rourke was the starting point guard on the 1993 Guelph squad that capture the tournament championship and O’Rourke was named a tournament all-star. Guelph is hoping that Coach O’Rourke can make it two-for-two, beginning Friday against Dalhousie, coached by John Campbell. The Campbell (Woodstock, ON) vs. O’Rourke (Tillsonburg, ON) rivalry goes back to the early 80’s when both were the stars on their high school teams in southwestern Ontario and met often in playoff and tournament action. Campbell went on to play for his father Peter at Laurentian while O’Rourke had an all-star career at Guelph.

After qualifying for the AUS tournament for the first time in 4 seasons and pushing eventual tournament champions Acadia Axemen down to the last minute of their first round game, the Dalhousie Tigers knew that they may be one top recruiting class away from contending for an AUS title. Tigers Head Coach John Campbell hopes he has attracted that kind of class to a roster that returns four starters. Headlining this season’s group is Dal’s top recruit, 6’1”, 215 lbs. Simon Farine, who Campbell already calls “our best player”. Farine, who practiced with Dal while sitting out last season as a transfer from Wiconsin-Green Bay, an NCAA Division 1 team where he played sparingly as a freshman, will run the point and also be looked upon to score. Campbell added that after almost two seasons removed from competitive play, Farine, who was generally regarded as one of the top graduating high school ballers from the City of Toronto in 2004-05 at Northern S.S., is “anxious to get going”. Campbell feels that Farine teamed with 6’1” third-year guard Andrew Sullivan makes his backcourt the strength of the Tigers. Both should be counted upon to play key minutes as Sullivan, who showed flashes of brilliance at the point the past 2 seasons, should benefit from sharing the ball with Farine as both can create and finish. In 6’0” freshman Charlie Campbell (no relation to Coach Campbell) from B.C., the Tigers have a steady, young backup point guard that can be eased into the rotation when either Farine or Sullivan need a break. Up front, 6’5” Germain Bendegue has matured into a top AUS post player, with his finishing abilities now catching up to his presence defensively and on the glass. Bendegue is also ridding himself of a propensity to get into foul trouble as his game matures. Two other underrated starters, 6'3" Devon Norris, who really came on offensively toward the end of last season, making several key late shots to win games, and 6’7” Drew Stratton, who can keep teams honest inside by making elbow jumpers, also return to Dal’s experienced starting five. Providing depth in the front court for the Tigers are 6’5” Ryan deWinter, a veteran who has grown up with this program, and 6’7” sophomore Sandy Viet from Mississauga Lorne Park, who should get more minutes this season with natural progress. The Tigers added another graduate of Toronto Northern S.S. with 6’4” Yannick Walcott, a solid wing, who should see significant time off the bench this season. After scrimmaging Mount St. Vincent last week, the Tigers are anxious to get started next weekend in Ottawa at the House-Laughton tournament at Carleton when they meet Guelph on Friday in what will be a homecoming for another Tigers freshman 6’7” Jason Wang from Ottawa Sir Robert Borden. Dal meets UQAM on Saturday and then the host Ravens on Sunday.

Here is a preview of the Lakehead Thunderwolves courtesy of hard-working Lakehead SID Mike Alyward. Mike has also added a preview of this weekend's Brandon Super 8 tournament in which the Wolves will participate Lakehead at Brandon Tournament Preview

Wolves Season Preview... Courtesy of Mike Alyward Showcasing a more experienced line-up and the return of an OUA all-star, the Lakehead Thunderwolves look to build on the major development job started last season and get themselves back among the championship contending teams in the OUA West. Six of last season’s eight freshmen return to the team starting with guard Jamie Searle who is expected to lead the team into battle each night and reap the benefits of an excellent summer of skill development. Fellow sophomore Dean Magierowski, who started every game for the team last season, is also back and will be a tone setter for the intensity level on the defensive end. Joining them in the backcourt will be sophomore guard Paul Popo-Ola and senior Ryan Precious who both provide an athletic punch on the offensive end in addition to excellent play on the defensive side of the ball. Fifth year seniors Warren Thomas and Matthew Verboom lead the way in the frontcourt for the ‘Wolves. Thomas is a returning second team OUA West All-star and will look to benefit from a stronger group of scorers around him this season. Sophomore ‘Big’, Andrew Quirion, of Thunder Bay, should provide some consistent minutes off the bench behind the two seniors. The perimeter attack will be led by 6’4” Baltimore native Kiraan Posey who returns after a red-shirt season to be a ‘go-to-guy’ on the team. Posey was a First Team OUA all-star in 2004-05 and that year’s OUA’s top scorer. Zach White, returning for his sophomore year from Belfast, PEI, will look to provide a consistent all-around game off the bench this year after continuing to work on his strength and outside shooting in the off-season. With tough match-ups including Thomas and Posey expected to demand extra attention from opposing coaches, Wolves Head Coach Scott Morrison recognized the need for additional players able to knock down outside shots and create scoring opportunities. He and his staff have addressed these needs with the addition of freshmen guards Kyle McConnell of London, Ontario and Lerry Williams of Montreal. Both players are expected to be solid outside shooters this season and be ready to compete physically on the defensive end. A third freshman, 6’6” Aaron Jackson of Bermuda, is also expected to provide some minutes in the frontcourt this season and promises to be a big contributor to the team in seasons to come. Returning players Andrew Hackner and Graeme Enns are both versatile players who will add to the depth of the team by providing multiple options on the court for the team. Coach Morrison will be joined on the bench by third year assistant coach Matt Erdman, second year assistant coaches Scott Seeley and Franco Veneruzzo and rookie assistant coach Evan Woodland of Fort Frances, a former player and graduating student at Lakehead. The Thunderwolves are promising a ‘run and gun’ style of basketball this season. With a more experienced line-up and increased scoring punch; the ‘Wolves will look to compete each weekend with the goal of returning to the OUA Playoffs in 2008.

A few weeks ago we took a first look at probably the youngest team in Coach Joe Raso's 15+ year tenure as Head Coach at McMaster. Since late August, the injury bug and an unexpected decision by a veteran to not play this season has made the Marauders even younger with no fifth-year players plus the possibility that as many as four newcomers will see significant time in the rotation. Currently, the only two fourth-year players on the roster: 6'6" Andrew Losier and 6'8" Joe Polizzi are battling injuries, with Losier, who finally appeared to be coming into his own in training camp, out until at least early November with a broken foot while Polizzi playing through a severely sprained ankle sustained late in the summer that is having trouble healing. As well, 6'2" Nathan Histed, who suffered through severe concussion injuries last season but appeared to be ready enough to have the Marauders count on him as their "go-to" veteran on the wing this season, decided not play. This leaves Mac's starting lineup and rotation wide open in the early season as the team prepares for this weekend's Naismith Invitational at Waterloo. 6'2" sharpshooter Tyrell Vernon has likely established himself as a starter from Day One with his ability to stretch defenses and his experience playing in high-level competition. 5'11" Amino Bello, who showed flashes of offensive skills last season, also should push for a starting spot in the backcourt while 6'8" Mohawk transfer Mouchtar Diaby, almost by default becomes Mac's most experienced post player. A pair of freshmen are also in the mix as sharpshooting 6'7" Matt Willis and 6'4" Brett Day should get an early chance to push for significant minutes. 6'10" Geoff McLaughlin, who has nice, soft hands for a big guy and can bang inside, must improve defensively to be able to push for a starting spot while 6'1" Jason Scully is best suited to come off the bench to ignite the offense. Mac should also have 6'2" two-sport athlete Jermaine DeCosta available for a game or two this weekend, as he works around his obligations on the Marauders football team. 6'6" Anthony Bishop from Scarborough, ON, who redshirted last season is also showing signs of being able to contribute at some point. At the Naismith this weekend, the Marauders will meet Toronto on Friday night at 6 PM, Calgary on Saturday night at 6 PM and the host Warriors on Sunday afternoon at 4 PM. Here is a link to a previous note on Mac that appeared about a month ago Mac Retools from Sept. 12/07

A strong showing this past weekend in Montreal at the Concordia NIKE tournament revealed that the Laurier Golden Hawks may have a underrated group of freshmen on the roster this season. With only 4 projected regulars in third year or older, it goes without saying that the Hawks are very young as 6'8" Trevor Csima (5th) and 6'5" Matt Walker (4th) are the only two upperclassmen. With 3rd year 6'1" guard Jesse MacDonald out with an ankle injury and 6'5" fellow 3rd year forward Dave Crowley more of a role player, the Hawks will rely on their stable of excellent young talent led by last season's pair of OUA West All-Rookie selections in 6'8" Andrew Pennycook and 6'5" Justin Golob. But as this past weekend may have proved, a trio of freshmen appear ready to contribute immediately, led by 6'2" point guard Austin Walsh, who did very well in the face of the type of pressure an experience, athletic group of guards like Concordia's can subject a young point to. As well, Head Coach Peter Campbell may have uncovered another overlooked gem similar to Golob last season in 6'5" Kale Harrison, who was named to the Concordia tournament all-star team. But the best of the newcomers could be 6'5" Dominique Brown who has significant experience playing in big games with Toronto Henry Carr and could be the most athletic player entering the OUA West this season. Another solid athlete, 6'4" Brandon Greenwood, has been battling injuries but looks to push for time as well. The Hawks will be without 6'3" Evan Eliason, who gave the team solid outside shooting in his freshman season last year but the 10.0 gpa, honours business student has decided to focus even harder on his academics this year. Laurier visits Laurentian this coming Friday night as part of the Voyageurs Alumni weekend and Coach Campbell will get a chance to celebrate the honouring of his 1999 Laurentian team that won the OUA championship and advanced to the CIS Final Four.

Hopefully everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving and was able to find time to spend with family and other loved ones. Here are a couple of things that we've come across over the past few days.

UPEI PANTHER BASKETBALL BLOG: Many thanks to Scott MacDonald who has passed along the address to UPEI's basketball blog. The more information on CIS basketball available, here and anywhere else, is tremendous as hopefully it will help generate interest and profile from a grassroots level. UPEI's site will be updated 3-4 times a week with player info, game reports, video hilights, player profiles, and the Coach Davies report. The site has been up for only 3 days and already has a player profile on Jared Budd, mini-preview of this weekends Mickey Place tourney, Coach Davies report and info on this years Academic All-Canadians. Best of luck to the Panthers on this great new initiative UPEI Panthers Basketball Blog

X NEWS: I got a great note from Leo Doyle, a StFX alumnus, who points out that, in addition to his stints at Calgary and U of Ottawa, new ABU Head Coach Greg Maillet played his first year at St. FX and has included a link to photo which includes Maillet and a number of other individuals still involved in CIS basketball, including current St.FX Athletic Director Leo MacPherson, current St. FX women's coach Brent Baker and Geoff McIver (whose son Patrick plays at Acadia). 1983 St.FX Team Photo Also, for those X fans residing in or around the National Capital region, St. FX's men's basketball team will take part in the University of Ottawa's Jack Donohue Tournament on the weekend of October 19 to 21 with all games taking place at Montpetit Hall, University of Ottawa. A post-game gathering of St. F.X. Alumni & Friends, with Coach K and the team, is scheduled for Saturday, October 20, at the Urban Well, 244 Laurier Ave East. It will follow the 6pm game vs. Brock University. Come join us if your schedule allows. And please spread the word. St. F.X. games in the Donohue Tournament: X vs. Ottawa 8PM Oct 19; X vs. Brock 6PM Oct 20; X vs. Laval noon Oct 21.

The Bishop's Gaiters opened their season this past weekend with a setback at home against American International University Game Report plus the box score. The Gaiters return a number of rotation players from last season and bring in a big recruiting class with the hopes of returning to the QSSF playoffs which the club missed last season. The official Bishop's Gaiters basketball site has a comprehensive preview of this season's team which can be accessed by clicking here

The Citadins used their typical pressing, up-tempo style and balanced scoring to knock off American International University 85-61, an NCAA Division 2 school from Springfield MA this afternoon in Montreal. UQAM's consistent full court pressure and transition were able to wear down AIU, a team filled with athletes themselves, allowing the Citadins to pull away in the third quarter after leading by only 11 at 43-32 at the half. AIU had defeated Bishop's last night in Lennoxville and according to Citadins Head Coach Olga Hrycak "they may have worn down at the end" but still felt very good about the way her team played. Three players led the way for UQAM including 6'4" Mario Joseph, newcomer Olivier Boyard, from CEGEP “AA” Brebeuf and 6'5" Jules Diagne, each of whom had 14 points. Diagne, a key addition for the Citadins, finally has been able to solve some visa problems he had while moving to Canada from Senegal. The Citadins also welcomed back 6'2" Samuel Johnston, a key veteran sparkplug who is recovering from a serious back injury and Johnston "makes a big difference for our team" according to Hrycak. Johnston finished with 9 points in about 20 minutes this afternoon. UQAM played without usual starter 6'4" Kevin Boucher who sprained his thumb in a scrimmage on Friday but Boucher is expected back next weekend when the Citadins travel to Ottawa to participate in the House-Laughton tournament at Carleton.

Playing without point guard Andy Wright (funeral in Fredericton) and post Damon Thomas Anderson (concussion) the outmanned Bishop's Gaiters fell 70-58 to American International, an NCAA Division 2 school from Springfield, MA. Down 30-25 at halftime, the Gaiters dug themselves a hole in the 3rd quarter against a very athletic AIC team – losing the 3rd quarter 26-13. The coaching staff credited the Gaiters with continual hustle in the 4th quarter but 3 foul outs by veterans Herman Tesfaghebriel, Cam Mowat and Junior Nicolas did not help. Leading scorers for Bishop’s were Junior Nicolas with 16 pts, 6’6” Doug McCooeye with 14 pts and 10 rebs and Hermon Tesfaghebriel with 13 pts and 6 rebs. AIC, which was 16-13 last year in the Northeast 10 Conference, were led by Ryan Leak (Brooklyn, NY) 18 pts 5 rebs, 6’7” Vanier College product Senat Colson (Robert Morris College transfer) with 14 pts and Akeem Vanderhorst (Bayshore, NY) added 13 pts and 6 rebs. Dawson College alum Jeffrey Dosado (who was a huge Bishop’s recruit four years ago) started at point guard and had 7 pts and 3 assists. Bishop's moves on to meet Windsor next Friday at the McGill Invitational in Montreal while American International travels to meet UQAM in Montreal tomorrow afternoon at 1 PM.

In a highly entertaining game played at Séminaire St-Francois in Quebec City, the Laval Rouge et Or made a late surge to beat their highly-talented Alumni team 107 -101. Needless to say, the jam-packed crowd got their monies worth with fast-paced action and some torrid shooting including a buzzer-beating heave from 60 feet by Dominic Soucy which brought the Alumni back to within 6 at 52-46 at half-time. 6'4" Jerome Turcotte (38 points, 8-10 3's, 13 rebounds) flashed his great potential with an outstanding performance against a quality team that featured 6'4" Charles Fortier (4 time CIS 2nd team All-Canadian and 2007 MVP with the ABA Quebec City Kebekwa), Dominique Soucy (2006 1st team CIS All-Canadian and also a Kebekwa player this past season), Samuel Audet-Sow (back from 3 professional seasons in Europe), 6'8" Marc-Antoine Horth who also played for the Quebec City ABA team last year and Jean-Michel Leblanc who was the heart and soul of last year's edition of the Rouge et Or. 6'8" J.P. Morin added 19 points/14 rebounds for the current edition of Les Rouge et Or while last season's CIS Rookie-of-the-Year 6'3" J.F. Beaulieu-Maheux added 15 points (4-8 3's). Laval was 20 for 35 from behind the arc as a team. Soucy led the Alumni with 26 points while Fortier added 25 as the Alumni went 12-27 from 3.

CORRECTION: My bad on the score between Mt. A and ABU; I've been properly corrected that the game was very tight with the final score actually 97-94 in favor of Mount Allison over Atlantic Baptist University. ABU's Jeff Vass went off for 37 points, while rookie Karl Frederick from Vaughn Secondary in Toronto debuted with 22 points. ABU twice came back from double digit deficits and had a shot to take the lead with 25 seconds left. However, in the end ABU could not deal with Mount Allison's veteran post play. 6'5" 4th year man Doyle Anthony paced Mt A with 27 points. ABU had only 7 available players with no one taller than 6'1". ABU has four other players who are currently playing on the ABU baseball team, currently ranked 4th in Canada amongst all universities, and preparing to host the National Tournament here in Moncton Oct. 19-21. Considering that Mt Allison was the ACAA conference finalist last year vs Mt St. Vincent, ABU Head Coach Greg Maillet was very pleased with his team's performance.

NOTE: In the original post, I got my Buckley's confused - it was actually 6'2" Damian Buckley who missed the championship game with a knee injury and 6'3" Dwayne Buckley who took the game over in the last 4 minutes and was named a tournament all-star. This is has been corrected below.

6’8” tournament MVP Jamal Gallier’s basket with 1:45 remaining in the game gave the Stingers their first lead since early in the game and then 5’10” Levi Vann knocked down a couple of late 3’s to break open what was a very tight game for 38 ½ minutes as Concordia won their NIKE Invitational tournament with a 82-71 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks in a game that was much closer than the score indicated. Gallier’s heroics overshadowed a very strong effort down the stretch by 6’2” Dwayne Buckley who, according to Laurier Head Coach Peter Campbell, “took the game over in the last 3 or 4 minutes.” Buckley took over the reigns when it counted as the Stingers had to do without 6’3” Damian Buckley, who missed today’s game after hurting his knee yesterday against Laurentian. 6’3” Andre Johnny, who has stepped into the starting lineup after a couple of years providing depth off the bench for Concordia, led all scorers with 23 points. Laurier had a balanced scoring effort but probably their top player on the day was 6’7” center Trevor Csima, who had a 12 point/12 rebound double double, battling all afternoon with Gallier (19 points) before fouling out about 4 minutes remaining, after which time the Stingers had their way inside. The young Hawks stayed in the game in the face of typically-tough Stingers pressure as Laurier’s freshmen 6’5” Kale Harrison (tournament all-star), 6’1” point guard Austin Walsh and 6’5” forward Dominique Brown, “all showed they can compete against a Top 5 CIS team” according to Campbell. The Hawks were without 6’2” starting combo guard Jesse MacDonald, out with a bad ankle, as well as 6’4” freshman Brandon Greenwood, also nursing an ankle injury. In the consolation final, Memorial Seahawks pulled away in the final minute to defeat Laurentian Voyageurs 78-72. NIKE TOURNAMENT MVP: Jamal Gallier, Concordia; TOURNAMENT ALL-STARS: Andre Johnny, Concordia; Dwayne Buckley, Concordia; Kale Harrison, Laurier; Jeremy Feist, Memorial; Matas Tirilis, Laurentian. Concordia travels to Kingston, ON next weekend to face St. Lawrence College and Queen’s while Laurier travels to Sudbury to meet Laurentian on Friday night to kick-off Laurentian’s alumni weekend festivities which include a tribute to the Vees 1999 Wilson Cup championship team.

The Concordia Stingers jumped out to 20-8 lead by the end of the first quarter and then cruised to a 91-65 victory over the visiting Laurentian Voyageurs in the first game of the annual NIKE Invitational at Concordia University in Montreal on Friday night. The Stingers move on to face Laurier Golden Hawks in tomorrow afternoon’s championship game at 4 PM while the Vees, still looking for their first victory after a pair of early-season losses, will meet Memorial in the consolation final at 2 PM. Laurier handed the Seahawks their second consecutive 40+ point loss with a 93-51 thrashing in the night cap. The Stingers got solid performances from both Dwayne and Damian Buckley, getting on the offensive glass early and often. 6’8” Jamal Gallier had a big game inside for the Stingers, snaring 15 rebounds.

At the Irving Hoops Classic in Moncton, Acadia Axemen ensured the result of the AUS championship rematch from last season went in their favour early, jumping out to leads as high as 15 points before holding off a late Huskies run to defeat St. Mary’s 84-74. 6’5” Leonil Santil was a force inside for Acadia while reigning AUS Player-of-the-Year 6’1” Paolo Santana also had a big game for the Axemen, in a game played at the Moncton Coliseum in front of about 600 fans. Saintil threw in 22 points to lead Acadia while Santana added 15 points. CIS newcomer Brandon Mullins paced the Huskies with 16 points while Clint Bateman added 11. St. Mary’s played without last season’s CIS tournament hero 6’3” Mark McLaughlin, who has been out for about 10 days with a thigh contusion sustained during a scrimmage last week against Mount St. Vincent in Halifax. McLaughlin should be back in time for Huskies next game at home at the Tower next Friday night against Ryerson. St. Mary’s was also without 6’4” Aaron Duncan, who will likely not return until November while taking care of some personal issues. The Huskies got the game back to within 5 with 2 minutes remaining but could come no closer as Acadia’s experience and ability to play together helped them hold off for the win. In the college game played prior to the Axemen/Huskie affair, Mt. Allison Mounties defeat Atlantic Baptist University of Moncton by about 20, spoiling the coaching debut of ex-Calgary Dino and Ottawa Gee-Gee Greg Maillet on the ABU bench.

In St. Bruno, Quebec, the Ottawa Gee-Gees came out firing against the Champlain-St.Lambert zone defense, building up leads as high as 20 in the first half before cruising to a 93-74 victory. The Gee-Gees got up early by getting inside and making perimeter shots, as Champlain-St. Lambert played a zone the entire night. 6’9” Dax Dessureault had a career-high 26 points including 20 in the second half while fellow fourth-year forward 6’3” Sean Peter added 18 for Ottawa. The Gee-Gees got an opportunity to play all of their 6 new freshmen as 6’6” Justin Bell came off the bench to score 14 points. 6'4" veteran David Labentowicz added 12 for Ottawa while 6’8” Eric Williams, who has already signed with NCAA Division 1 Niagara Purple Eagles, led Champlain-St. Lambert with 19 points. Ottawa will likely meet Dawson College in the next week or so (game to be scheduled) and then will host the Jack Donohue Memorial tournament in two weeks at home in Ottawa.

In the battle of Lethbridge, an annual affair between the CIS Pronghorns and the CCAA's Lethbridge Community College (LCC), the Pronghorns rode a 10-0 run off the start of the game and then continued their solid play, defeating LCC 84-73 in front of about 600 fans at Lethbridge College. Veteran 6’5” Ryan Anderson and 6’1” LCC transfer Sean Nelson each had 21 points to lead the ‘Horns as Nelson played his first game against his former program. 5’9” Allen Kadema had 7 points, 5 assists and 3 steals, while 7’0” Remington Stenler added 7 points and 11 boards for Lethbridge, which played without 6’5” freshman forward Sephton Spence from Pickering, ON, out with a concussion. The Horns pushed to run away late but LCC got three consecutive 3’s from guard Darcy Day Chief, who led all scorers with 22 points. The Pronghorns shared the ball well with 25 assists as a team but the game was typically sloppy for an early season affair as the ‘Horns turned it over 30 times. Lethbridge travels to the Thompson Rivers tournament in Kamloops, B.C. next weekend.

6’8” sophomore forward Chris Heshka came off the bench to shoot 8 for 9 and finish with a game-high 16 points as Regina Cougars built up an early 18 point lead and came away with a 91-70 victory over Lakeland College of the ACAC Friday night in Regina. 6’0” guard Jeff Lukomski added 15 for the Cougars while stalward 6’5” forward Jamal Williams had a stat-sheet-stuffing 8 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. Regina led by 14 at halftime after going to their bench for much of the second quarter and then re-extended their lead to over 20 in the second half. Regina, off next weekend, travels to the University of Saskatchewan tournament in two weeks.

Saturday's CIS Schedule:
Saturday, Oct. 6th
2 PM Laurentian vs. Memorial (Concordia NIKE tournament consolation final)
4 PM Laurier at Concordia (NIKE tournament championship game)
7 PM American International (NCAA D2) at Bishop's (non-conference)

Many thanks to our contacts in Southern Alberta for letting us know that there is one more game on CIS slate this evening in Lethbridge, tradionally signifying the beginning of the basketball season in Southern Alberta as the Pronghorns face Lethbridge College Kodiacs. The exhibition affair will be played at Lethbridge Community College (LCC) and gets underway at 9:00 PM Eastern time (7:00 PM local time). The Pronghorns have almost completely revamped their roster from last season and brought in several new faces including 6'1" Shawn Nelson, a transfer from Lethbridge C.C. who will see his first action against his former program tonight, 6'2" point guard Quinn Van Gaalen from Lethbridge LCI who was the captain of the Alberta Provincial team for two years, 5'9" Allen Kadima, originally from Toronto Jarvis C.I. who spent a couple of seasons at Minot State-Bottaneau JUCO three seasons ago, 6'6" Greg Jobagy from Calgary Beaverbrook who captain the Alberta Provincial team in 2004, 7'0" Remington Stenler, a transfer from North Dakota School of Science (NCAA D2) plus a pair of jumping jack forwards from Ontario "AAAA" champions Pickering Trojans: 6'6" Brandon Thomas-James and 6'5" Sephton Spence. The Horns class would have been that much more exciting had 6'4" Allan Tollestrup, son on Alberta basketball legend Phil Tollestrup, not had a change of heart in order to move to Provo, Utah and attend Brigham Young University. The Pronghorns, under Head Coach Mike Connolly, may take time to gel with so many new faces and only 4 returnees, none of them starters, but with the talent base and coaching staff, expect the Pronghorns to progress all season long.

Here is tonight's schedule in games involving CIS teams (all games Eastern time):

Friday, Oct. 5th
6 PM Laurentian vs. Concordia (1st Round Concordia NIKE Invitational)
6:30 PM Acadia vs. SMU at Moncton (non-conference)
8 PM Memorial vs. Laurier (1st Round Concordia NIKE Invitational)
8 PM Ottawa vs. Champlain-St.Lambert at St. Bruno, PQ (Exhibition)
9 PM Lakeland College at Regina (Exhibition)

Congratulations to Taffe Charles, former Carleton Ravens all-star forward and men's team Associate Head Coach through each of the 5 CIS championships. Charles has moved on to coach the Carleton women's program and recently got his career of on the right track with a pair of victories as the Charlatan, Carleton's student newspaper, reports Charles Tenure off to a winning start

Here are a couple of worthy news items from Dale Stevens' Canadian university basketball discussion list...

Women’s basketball
CIS schools to fight breast cancer

Oct. 3, 2007

OTTAWA (CIS) - The CIS Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) proudly announced Wednesday a joint fundraising effort to take place throughout the
2007-08 season to raise money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Society.

To date, over 30 CIS women’s basketball programs have jumped on board and will raise money through regular season home games, exhibition tournaments or other special projects.

The WBCA plans to announce the grand total of all money raised at the CIS championship in Saskatoon, in March.

The initiative was the brainchild of Bishop’s University head coach Rod Gilpin.

"We were raising money through our pre-season exhibition tournament in support of legendary University of Victoria coach Kathy Shields. In talking to other CIS coaches we realized we were not the only program doing this and it only made sense that the WBCA take on this project nationwide."

UNB bench boss Jeff Speedy has since taken the lead on the project.

"This is a very exciting initiative and I am pleased to be doing a small part to help make it happen," said Speedy. "To see so many coaches and athletic departments step forward to support this is fantastic. I truly hope we are announcing a huge number in Saskatoon in March."

Fittingly, Victoria is the school that kicked off the fundraiser last Friday, Sept. 28 with the Vikes annual Alumni game.

The activities resume Wednesday, Oct. 3 as Wilfrid Laurier and York are staging an exhibition contest in Barrie, Ont., where the gym is already sold out.

Many teams have purchased and will be wearing pink uniforms or warm-up shirts to bring awareness to the fight against the deadly disease.

From Oct. 12-14, the Manitoba Bisons will host the annual Garbonzo’s Invitational - Drive For A Cure Weekend. The Bisons will run a clinic, donate gate receipts and sell Bison ribbon t-shirts.

"We are proud to host this event to highlight the fight against breast cancer and help provide an avenue for fans to support this worthy cause," commented Manitoba head coach Pam Danis.


Kingston RTC for basketball Announce Tryout Date

Basketball Ontario has decided to establish a Regional Training Center in Kingston. The center will be patterned after Basketball Canada's Centre for Performance Program, and will strive to provide athletes an opportunity to enhance their basketball skill level in preparation for Regional Teams(BDP/MDP/JDP), Provincial Teams (Under 15 and Under 17), and the Nike Centres for Performance (CP) - Ontario. Strong emphasis will be placed on individual skill development, team concepts development, strength and agility education development, time management, and planning and personal development skills.

Following a free open tryout, up to 30 male athletes aged 12-17 who exhibit distinctive skill, high athleticism, sportsmanlike attitude, and sheer potential will be invited to join the RTC program.

Once selected, the athletes will participate in sixteen two-hour training sessions over the next eight months, with all sessions running on Sunday nights from 6-8pm at Regiopolous Notre Dame high school. The cost of the Kingston RTC will be $50 per athlete for current Basketball Ontario members and $65 for new members. This will include a Nike T-shirt, shorts and a rubber Wilson basketball.

Scott Meeson, former Queen's head coach, will be the head coach for the Kingston RTC. The coaching staff will also include: Paul Coulter, and Rob Besselink of the Kingston Impact and Geoff Stewart from Bayridge S.S.

The tryout date will be Sunday, October 21 at Regi from 6-8pm with registration at 5:30.


Scott Meeson
Director: Jumpshots Basketball Camps and Clinics www.jump-shots.com National Coaching Certification Progam Instructor

NOTE: Updated with Saskatchewan Result Below... LAURENTIAN AT ALGONQUIN: 6'3" Davidson Sanelus led all scorers with 20 points and the host Algonquin Thunder led for most of the way, save for a couple lead changes in the fourth quarter as the hometown Thunder spoiled the coaching debut of Laurentian Head Coach Shawn Swords with a 65-59 victory over the Vees in Ottawa this evening. The match was very typical of an early October affair with turnovers, missed free throws, numerous second chances and plenty of scattered play but the Thunder were able to put together a 13-5 run to end the game to claim the victory. Algonquin had leads as large as 11 at 31-20 in the second quarter and went into halftime up with a 34-30 advantage which would have been much higher except for numerous missed free throws, many off multiple second chances as Laurentian had trouble rebounding the basketball. The Vees kept the game close and took their first lead of the evening on a baseline three by 6'3" Paul Kovacs (7 points) with about 9 minutes remaining in the game. Laurentian took their last lead at 54-52 as 6'4" Robert Hood got to the rim on a baseline drive but later 6'3" Craig Smith (13 points), the former Ottawa Gee-Gee, capped a 7-0 run by knocking down his second three of the game to give the Thunder a 59-54 lead and Laurentian came no closer the rest of the way. 6'6" Didier Dorion, a former Carleton Raven, added 9 for Algonquin while 5'10" lefty point guard Darrell Drake led Laurentian with 13 points while 6'6" Matas Tirilis added 11 and burly 6'2" Bryan Davidson added 8. Coach Swords had his team playing hard on every possession, defending well in the quarter court and running their offense for the most part but a lack of defensive rebounding and some questionable shot selection and decision making down the stretch when they still had a chance to win the game sealed the Vees fate. Laurentian has the makings of a decent squad with Drake and backup Ben Blanc running the point and Kovacs, Davidson and 6'0" Mike Raskevicius on the wing. Up front, Laurentian has a nice complementary pair of posts in 6'5" Omar Linder (Saginaw, MI) and 6'6" Matas Tirilis, who showed signs of becoming a nice offensive tandem however tonight the team rebounding was mediocre as Algonquin kept possessions alive consistently on the offensive glass. Laurentian moves on to face the host Concordia Stingers tomorrow night at 6 PM in Montreal in the first semi-final of the Concordia NIKE Invitational.

In other scores tonight, McGill jumped out to a 30-4 lead and then later held Memorial to only 4 fourth-quarter points as they pounded the Seahawks 97-47 in Montreal. Five Redmen were in double figures led by 6'4" Sean Anthony with 17 points and 6'3" Moustafa El-Zanaty with 16 points. All 12 Redmen who dressed saw action in a very tough start for Memorial which looks like they may have a long season ahead of them... The Carleton Ravens opened their pre-season with a 82-58 victory over CEGEP Sainte-Foy at the Raven's Nest in Ottawa while the Laurier Golden Hawks came back from a 2 point halftime deficit, using an 11-2 run off the start of the third quarter to defeat St. Lawrence College (OCAA/CCAA) in Kingston 87-78 as 5th year 6'7" post Trevor Csima led the way with 14 points and grabbed 7 rebounds (6 offensive). 6'5" freshman wing Dominique Brown from Henry Carr C.S. in Toronto, ON added 12 points and 5 assists. St. Lawrence is coached by former Queen's Golden Gaels mentor Barry Smith. Laurier also moves on to Montreal to meet Memorial tommorrow night in the first round of the NIKE Invitational in Montreal. In a later game, Saskatchewan Huskies got a pair of free throws from 6'2" Rejean Chabot with 5.3 seconds remaining to edge Lakeland College 80-79 at Warman High School in Warman, SK as 6'8" Andrew Spagrud had game-highs of 28 points and 14 rebounds while Chabot added 21 points and a career-high nine assists. The Huskies had defeated Lakeland 104-67 about 2 weeks ago. Saskatchewan travels to Brandon to take on Simon Fraser next Thursday to begin the Super 8 Tournament, while Lakeland travels south to take on the University of Regina Friday night.

Thursday Night's Scores
Laurier 87, St. Lawrence-Kingston 78(exhibition)
Memorial 47 at McGill 97 (non-conference) Game Report
Ste-Foy 58 at Carleton 82 (exhibition)
Laurentian 59 at Algonquin 65 (exhibition)
Lakeland 79 vs. Saskatchewan 80 (non-conference/neutral site) Game Report plus Box Score

With most teams already having practiced for 3-4 weeks straight without outside competition, practices can get repetitive and mundane, so likely everyone is itching to get started. Unfortunately for a couple of players projected to be key to their team's success, the injury bug has hit them just on the eve of their season openers. Laurier's 6'2" combination guard Jesse MacDonald, going into his third season from Brantford, ON, came on in the second half of last season as a guard who could create off the dribble and make shots. MacDonald, a projected starter for Laurier, unfortunately will be unavailable to the Hawks for at least two weeks after turning his ankle in practice earlier this week - he will miss tonight's game in Kingston against St. Lawrence College and this weekend's NIKE Invitational at Concordia in Montreal. As well, 6'4" Josh Gibson-Bascombe, expected to log heavy minutes in the Ottawa Gee-Gees backcourt, also turned his ankle in practice and will be unavailable tomorrow night when the Gee-Gees travel to St. Bruno, PQ to face Champlain-St. Lambert CEGEP. Stay tuned throughout the weekend for results of this weekend's action, beginning later tonight hopefully.

We got a nice note from former CIS All-Canadian and Canadian National team player Sean Van Koughnett who may still hold the record for the most points in an OUA league game with 50 in what I believe was his freshman season in 1990. Sean currently does colour commentary on the Warriors audio broadcasts (available via the Internet) and looks like he can still run and hold his own if last night's Waterloo Alumni game is any indication (see below). For those who aren't familiar with Sean's game, he is a 6'7" forward with range well beyond the three point line, a quick release and dead eye accuracy. He was a very tough check for many teams and if I recall the Warriors were one of the first teams to utilize the "pick and pop" which so many teams now use. In the late 80's, early 90's era, the pick and roll with the big guys was a staple of the Detroit Pistons including using Bill "Mr. Nasty" Laimbeer for the same type of pick and pop that got Sean so many open shots during his career. Thanks to Sean for passing along this note on the game...

Warriors Hold on to Defeat Alumni The Waterloo Warriors survived a late game rally by recent alumni and won 98-95 on Wednesday night. It was two former Warrior All-stars, Sean Van Koughnett and Graham Jarman, filling the net from inside and out who made the game close. They scored 28 and 26 points respectively to lead all scorers in the game. The current Warriors struggled in the early going, but took their first lead 3 1/2 minutes into the game on the first of three straight Dan White 3's. At the end of the first quarter, the current team had established a 32-18 lead. In the second quarter they extended that lead to 27 points, the widest margin in the game. A scoring drought closed the first half as the Warriors led by 19 at the break. Both teams showed their defense in the third quarter as the Alumni managed a 17-12 difference in the quarter. With a 13 point deficit with just 3:29 remaining, the Alumni put on a run of 10 straight points in just 1:12 of playing time to make a game of it. They even held a slight lead at 93-92 before the Warriors closed out the game with 3s from newcomer Tim Rossy and veteran guard David Burnett. For the current Warriors, five players hit double figures. Tim Rossy led the team with 16 points, while David Burnett added 12 points and 7 assists.

Here is the CISHoops.ca CIS Pre-season Top 10 in advance of the initial weekend of games between CIS teams during the Thanksgiving weekend October 4th through October 7th.

#1. Carleton The five time defending champions must replace two-time Moser Award winner Osvaldo Jeanty but have another Moser candidate in 6'7" Aaron Doornekamp and 3 other starters returning. Three top freshmen who should see time in the rotation also arrive making the Ravens the pre-season favorite for a six-peat when they host the Nationals in Ottawa in March.
#2. Brandon The Cats look to return to the championship game with an experienced group led by 6'2" guard Yul Michel and Canada West POY candidate 6'3" Dany Charlery. Brandon has three tremendous inside players and welcomes 6'3" Nick Quick back from a three year hiatus. The Bobcats have the talent to challenge Carleton.
#3. Windsor Fresh off an OUA Wilson Cup championship and their first taste of Nationals experience in almost 3 decades, the Lancers return all of their key players and have added 6'3" U.S. JUCO transfer Isaac Kuon, likely to be an immediate impact player. Windsor has what it takes to repeat in the OUA West.
#4. Concordia The Stingers lost Quebec league POY Patrick Perrotte and sharpshooter Ben Sormonte but with the Buckley brothers Damian and Dwayne a year more experienced and a number of great athletes moving up to more prominent roles, Concordia should again push for a "Q" league championship. The Stingers showed this is possible after defeating NCAA D1 Illinois at home over the Labour Day weekend.
#5. Saskatchewan The Huskies return all major contributors to last season's group which won the Central Division with a pair of dramatic road wins at Alberta and ended up one game away from qualifying for the Nationals. In 6'8" Andrew Spagrud, the Huskies have a legitimate Moser Award candidate and return top 6'1" point guard Rob Lovelace after a year away in addition to virtually all others in last season's rotation.
#6. UBC The T-Birds must replace Canada West POY Casey Archibald but may be even deeper top to bottom than last season's Canada West championship team. 6'8" Bryson Kool and 6'3" Chris Dyck will be looked upon to replace Archibald's leadership while another stellar recruiting class should contribute immediately.
#7. St. Mary's Fresh off an improbable run to the CIS Final Four, the Huskies return 4 starters and return a potential AUS POY in 6'4" Aaron Duncan, one of the top potential newcomers in Canada in 6'1" Shane Morrison plus a pair of U.S. imports who have transfered in from NCAA D1/JUCO and the NAIA. Still, the glue of this group should be 6'0" fifth-year point guard Mark Ross and 6'3" shooting guard Mark McLaughlin.
#8. Brock The Badgers return OUA West POY Brad Rootes for his fifth and final year and have surrounded their Moser Award candidate with a couple of solid, experienced players in 6'3" Rohan Steen and 6'7" Dusty Bianchin. 6'2" Mike Kemp is a top defender and 6'7" Owen White continues to improve. After starting the past 3 seasons, the coach's son, 6'0" Scott Murray, has agreed to come off the bench and should be one of Canada's top sixth men. Brock should challenge Windsor for the OUA West crown.
#9. Acadia The Axemen will defend their AUS championship led by 6'1" defending AUS POY Paolo Santana. Acadia is scheduled to returnt their entire starting lineup from last season and also should add 6'5" Leonil Santil, a transfer from Memorial, where he led the entire CIS in rebounding in 2005-06.
#10. Laval The Rouge et Or will try to make it 8 consecutive trips to the Quebec league final with their own Moser Award candidate in 6'7" J.P. Morin. Last season's CIS freshman-of-the-year 6'3" J.F. Beaulieu-Maheux remains one of Canada's top wings while another CIS Freshman-of-the-Year candidate 6'4" Jerome Turcotte gives Laval a third possible honours candidate. Laval will be deep and strong at all positions and push Concordia for the Quebec league crown.

The CIS pre-season kicks off on limited fronts this coming weekend, highlighted by the Concordia NIKE tournament in Montreal, which is becoming a Thanksgiving tradition and now acts as the unofficial launch to the CIS pre-season. Actually, the Montreal area will be the focus of CIS play this weekend as American International College Yellow Jackets, an NCAA Division 2 program from Springfield, Massachusetts, will come in to play UQAM and Bishop's over the weekend. The hometown Stingers, who entered last season's CIS Nationals in Halifax as Canada's #1 ranked team before being upset by a scorching hot St. Mary's Huskies squad in the first round at Halifax, are the pre-tournament favorites at the NIKE however Laurier, Laurentian and Memorial also have a shot at the tournament championship this year. The weekend action actually kicks off Thursday night as Memorial visits McGill for a 7 PM ET start at the Love Competition Hall in downtown Montreal. Also on Thursday, new Laurentian Head Coach Shawn Swords makes his coaching debut in his hometown of Ottawa as the Voyageurs meet Algonquin Thunder (OCAA/CCAA) at the Ron Port Athletic Center in Ottawa for an 8:30 PM ET start. As well, Saskatchewan Huskies will face Lakeland (ALTA) College at a neutral site in Saskatchewan beginning at 9 PM ET. As previously mentioned here a couple of days ago, Friday night in Moncton, NB, Acadia Axemen and St. Mary's Huskies will meet in the Irving Oil Hoops Classic in a rematch of last season's AUS Championship game in which the Axemen prevailed. This game is a non-conference affair. American International will play a pair of games in Quebec over the weekend, Saturday at Bishop's in Lennoxville in a 7 PM ET start followed by a game the following afternoon (Sunday) at UQAM in Montreal at 1 PM ET. American International features 5'9" senior guard Jeff Dosato, a native of Montreal who previously played for Dawson College in Quebec CEGEP. UPDATE: Carleton Ravens will host Quebec CEGEP de Sainte-Foy tonight at the Raven's Nest in Ottawa. Sainte-Foy is coached by the son of Laval head coach Jacques Paiement and are perennially strong in the Quebec CEGEP league. The Ottawa Gee-Gees will travel to St. Bruno, Quebec to meet Champlain-St.Lambert CEGEP on Friday night.

Full Thanksgiving Weekend Schedule (all games ET)
Thursday, Oct. 4th
7 PM Laurier at St. Lawrence-Kingston (exhibition)
7 PM Memorial at McGill (non-conference)
7 PM Ste-Foy at Carleton (exhibition)
8:30 PM Laurentian at Algonquin (exhibition)
9 PM Lakeland vs. Saskatchewan (non-conference/neutral site)
Friday, Oct. 5th
6 PM Memorial vs. Laurier (1st Round Concordia NIKE Invitational)
6:30 PM Acadia vs. SMU at Moncton (non-conference)
8 PM Laurentian vs. Concordia (1st Round Concordia NIKE Invitational)
8 PM Ottawa vs. Champlain-St.Lambert at St. Bruno, PQ (exhibition)
Saturday, Oct. 6th
6 PM Concordia tournament consolation final
7 PM American International (NCAA D2) at Bishop's (non-conference)
8 PM Concordia tournament championship game
Sunday, Oct. 7th
1 PM American International (NCAA D2) at UQAM (non-conference)

With the graduation of arguably the most successful recruiting class in the history of the program which stayed five years, last season's CIS semi-finalist Ottawa Gee-Gees look to replace some significant losses while remaining in contention for a spot near the top of the OUA East. The Gee-Gees hosted their Alumni over the weekend and came away with a 106-98 victory which saw the projected starters play only about 10 minutes as Head Coach Dave DeAveiro gave his younger players ample opportunity to work through the expected challenges that coming to a new program can bring. And make no mistake about it, this is now a young team with no fifth-year players, only five players with multiple years of CIS experience and at least six freshmen who should push for time and try to make up for the loss of 6'5" Curtis Shakespeare, 5'11" Alex McLeod and 6'5" Jermaine Campbell to graduation and 5'11" Willy Manigat, an energizer off the bench, who is sitting out this season. Ottawa is led by 6'4" Josh Gibson-Bascombe, a First Team OUA East all-star last season and one of the keys to Canada's FISU games bronze medal winning team over the summer. Two fourth-year players, 6'3" Sean Peter, a consistent starter last season who returns to play the wing and will be looked upon to become more of a primary scorer, and 6'9" Dax Dessureault who provides a defensive presence inside and looks to become more consistent with his finishing inside. 6'3" Donnie Gibson, entering his third year, should also start on the wing. Gibson had an injury plagued freshman season and then came on last season, making open shots and playing with much more confidence. Scrappy 6'5" David Labentowicz enters the starting lineup after playing about 15 minutes per game last season and showing flashes of solid play at both ends. Josh's younger brother, 6'2" Jacob Gibson-Bascombe (Toronto Jarvis via Eastern Commerce Prep) highlights the newcomers and should be one of the first wings off the bench for Ottawa. One of the surprises of training camp has been unheralded 6'6" Aaron Redos from Gloucester, ON, who led the Gee-Gees with 19 points against the Alumni on Saturday. Redos is a tough, competitive big guard who can shoot it and who knows how to play. A pair of young posts, 6'5" Marvin Bazille from John Abbott CEGEP and 6'6" Justin Bell from Mississauga Rick Hansen are in the mould of Shakespeare and Campbell as forwards. Another pair of freshmen, 6'0" Vlad Pislaru (Scarborough Jean Vanier) and 6'1" Bojan Dodik (Ottawa Sir Robert Borden), both provide the ability to stretch defenses with their perimeter shooting. This young team will likely need time to grow but the Gee-Gees should continue to try to leverage their athleticism into up-tempo play both offensively and defensively. With all the churn and a lack of experienced depth, the veterans will likely have to play 30+ minutes each night to compete and hope that the freshmen mature quickly to give Ottawa any hope of returning to the National top 10 this season. Ottawa travels to St. Bruno, Quebec this coming Friday to meet CEGEP Champlain-St. Lambert in a pre-season exhibition game and is also likely to scrimmage against Dawson College in the next 2 weeks prior to opening their CIS pre-season at the Jack Donohue Memorial tournament in the third week of October.

One of the most consistent programs in the entire CIS since 2000 has been the Laval Rouge et Or, playing in the QSSF championship game in each of the last 7 seasons and winning 4 consecutive "Q" pennants between 2000-01 and 2003-04. Laval was a fixture at the CIS Nationals during that time, advancing to a pair of CIS Final Fours, led by 6'4" Charles Fortier, 6'8" Marc-Antoine Horth, 6'3" Dominique Soucy and 6'4" Samuel Audet-Sow. Head Coach Jacques Paiement had a streak of 6 consecutive 20 win seasons interrupted last season when his young club went 17-14 but still made the Quebec league championship game. The Rouge et Or are maturing quickly and continue to add great talent. With another stellar recruiting class, Laval expects to compete for the Quebec league championship once again this season. This season's edition is led by 6'8" All-Canadian candidate J.P. Morin, fresh off his time with Canada's Student team which won a Bronze medal at the FISU Games in Thailand. Morin is "by far in the best shape I have ever seen him in" says Paiement and will be looked upon to score and defend top players. Joining Morin up front is 6'5" F.O. Gagnon-Hebert, who came on strong toward the end of last season, gaining in confidence and skills. One of the top newcomers in the CIS should be 6'4" Jerome Turcotte, from CEGEP Saint Foy, who Paiement has described as "as good as expected if not better... we love his toughness." Laval will look to use Turcotte's ability to play at and defend any of the 1 to 4 positions on the floor. Turcotte's CEGEP teammate, 5'9" point guard Xavier Baribeau (5'9'') is another rookie who is doing as well if not better than expected. Barbeau is strong and tough, very quick, tireless and perhaps the most important thing is that he has really improved his outside shooting. Last season's CIS Rookie-of-the-Year, 6'3" J.F. Beaulieu-Maheux has battled a foot injury in the early season and has not practised consistently but he has a proven CIS offensive skill set and when healthy will be an integral part of Laval's success. Up front, 6'8" M.A. Coté is stronger, quicker and should provide Laval with a solid interior defender and rebounder while also being able to guard on the perimeter. Coach Paiement describes 6'8" Maxime Cloutier as "probably the most improved player on the squad. Like most of the players, he did work hard during the off-season and he has gained in confidence, strenght and skill." 6'6" Yves-Andre Levasseur is healthy again after a tough year with injuries last season. Paiement describes Levasseur as "a great hard-nosed team player who can really shoot it from outside." 6'0" Etienne Wilsey suffered through a back injury last season and is healthy again and will provide depth at the point with his ability to run the team and make shots. 6'4" Martin Verreault is an outstanding shooter from 3 point range and will provide depth on the wing. Another solid perimeter shooter off the bench is 6'2" Marc-Andre Lefebvre. As reported here during the summer, Laval has brought in 6'9" Kevin Crevant from France who Coach Paiement describes as "doing very well... he is adjusting to a different brand of basketball and working hard on his overall strength. He improving steadily and will certainly help us somewhere down the road." As well, Etienne Labrecque is sitting out this season but working as hard as anybody. Laval opens their CIS pre-season during the weekend after Thanksgiving at the Mickey Place Memorial tournament at UPEI, which is a four-team, three-day round robin affair featuring probable pre-season Top 10 side Brock Badgers, perennially strong Cape Breton Capers and the improving host Panthers.

Coming off a season in which the perennially-strong Alberta Golden Bears were upset at home in the finals of the Canada West Central division, Coach Don Horwood has good reason to be optimistic heading into 2007-08. "Much of last year's group was very new to CIS basketball (the Bears had 7 new faces in their recruiting class last year) and while the newcomers were solid athletes and successful in their previous situations, the transition to what is required to be competitive at this level from a hard-work perspective was an eye opener for many", shared Coach Horwood. "I'm pleased to say that many of those same players appear to have learned what it takes to be prepared for a season in Canada West and have really shown the maturity to become physically and mentally ready to play this season." Despite losing a pair of fifth-year seniors in 6'5" Scott Gordon and 6'4" Tyson Jones, the Bears bring back a solid core of seemingly more focused returnees and believe that they should also be mentioned with Calgary and Saskatchewan as definite contenders for their division crown. The Bears are led by 6'2" fifth-year senior Alex Steele, a 1st team Canada West All-Star last season and "one of the most dynamic players we've ever had come through our program", says Coach Horwood. Steele has always had great shooting range and is explosive off the dribble "maybe the quickest first step guy I've ever coached" adds Horwood. Steele's game is set to go to the next level this season as he improves his decision making off the dribble and has another year working with stellar point guard C.G. Morrison. 6'1" Morrison took over the point guard reigns early last season after transfering from Camosun College in Victoria and quickly established himself as one of the top lead guards in the conference with the added ability to knock down 3's. Providing more depth in a very deep and talented backcourt for Alberta is 5'10" Scott Lee, a sophomore from Vancouver Handsworth S.S. where he quarterbacked a B.C. provincial championship team in 2006. Lee has a competitive mentality and should be an asset off the bench. On the wing, 6'6" Andrew Parker could be the Bears best overall perimeter player despite battling minor injuries this fall. Horwood calls Parker "one of the hardest workers we've ever had. Andrew has put in 1-2 hours per day on his own all summer" so expect an improved perimeter jumper and better decision making from the fifth-year wing. Parker may be the best pure athlete in the CIS; word is that after throwing down 3 ally-oop slams in a game at Arizona State a couple of seasons ago, observers in Tempe called him an NBA athlete and compared his dunks to Vince Carter. Parker is ready to assume much more responsiblity in his fifth season as a scorer and defender. Another of last season's recruits, 6'5" Justin Van Loo now in his fourth season of eligibility after transfering from Capilano College has come to camp in great shape and at 260 lbs. is a big, strong and quick post player who, after a series of injuries likely caused by not being physically prepared last season, should be a major factor inside this season. Coach Horwood adds: "Justin was not in shape when last season began but has learned to work hard and has realized what you have to do to succeed." Expect Van Loo to be a factor inside for the Bears this season. Van Loo's teammate at "Cap", 6'5" Neb Aleksic is another dangerous perimeter shooter typical of most players with a European background. Aleksic was another player who appears to have responded positively to challenges and will be a key to stretching defenses off the bench for Alberta. The Bears have been known throughout the years for their tremendous post players and 6'5" third year underrated workhorse Harvey Bradford continues the tradition. Bradford is ready for major minutes and a breakout year which Alberta needs given that veteran 6'9" fifth-year post Jeff Stork is likely out for the season after tearing a muscle in his shoulder playing ball hockey toward the end of the summer. Stork's size and presence defensively will be missed. The Bears should again challenge for a division title with an array of solid guards and their traditionally strong post game. Alberta scrimmaged Grant MacEwan College last week and according to Horwood the team is "ahead of where they were at this point last year". The Bears officially open their season next Wednesday evening October 10th at 7:30 PM Mountain time when they host Athletes-in-Action, a team made up of mainly ex-NCAA Division 1 players who are sure to give Alberta a tough test. Later that week, Alberta gets an early chance to see where they stand among the top teams in Canada when they participate in the Guy Vetrie Memorial tournament at UVic, meeting the hosts as well as both defending CIS champions Carleton Ravens and defending CIS finalists Brandon Bobcats. Later in October, Alberta will host the Golden Bear Invitational featuring three Ontario teams: Ottawa, Waterloo and York.

EARL GRANT MEMORIAL GAME IN CHATHAM, ONTARIO The Windsor Lancers are very happy to announce that the program is continuing the tradition of the annual Earl Grant Memorial game in Chatham. The game is in memory of former Lancer Earl Grant who passed away suddenly several years ago shortly after graduating from the University of Windsor. This year's game will take place on October 19th and the opponent will once again be Lambton College of the OCAA. The Lancers will be hosting a children's basketball clinic at 5:00 PM ET and then the game will begin at 7:00 PM ET.

We hope to have a more detailed preview of this weekend's CIS action, the first weekend of games solely between CIS teams, but for fans on the East Coast we wanted to highlight an exciting event happening in Moncton: Irving Oil "Hoop Classic" which goes Friday, October 5th at the Moncton Coliseum, a building which seats 7,000. The evening features a triple-header of action beginning with a game involving two teams from the Moncton Minor Basketball Association followed by a ACAA/CCAA match between Moncton's Atlantic Baptist University (ABU) and Mount Allison Mounties from nearby Sackville. The evening culminates with a rematch of last season's AUS tournament final between Atlantic champions Acadia Axemen and CIS Final Four participant St. Mary's Huskies. The event highlights alumni of Moncton Minor Basketball which this season includes Scott Black and Jeff Vass (both of ABU) as well as Clint Bateman of St. Mary's. Acadia is scheduled to return their entire starting lineup including AUS MVP 6'1" Paolo Santana and fans should see the Axemen debut of 6'5" Leonil Santil, a transfer from Memorial who led the CIS in rebounding two seasons ago. Not much else is known about Acadia and we hope to get a better sense of their roster after Friday. St. Mary's, which lost only 6'3" Cordell Wright from last year's Final Four team, has added a number of probable impact players including 6'1" Shane Morrison and a pair of Americans in 6'8" Derrick Coleman and 6'4" Brandon Mullins. As well, 6'4" Aaron Duncan has returned along with steady 6'1" point guard Mark Ross, 6'2" Mark McLaughlin, 6'5" Ike Uchegbu and 6'5" smooth-shooting Bateman, who makes his Moncton homecoming. This is a great opportunity for Atlantic Canada fans to get an early look at two AUS probable-favorites.

The Calgary Dinos are an optimistic bunch after a stellar recruiting class and a solid set of results against two NCAA Division 1 opponents including a victory over Weber State 81-74 over the Labour Day weekend. We got a nice note from Matt Skinn, Dinos Head Asst. Coach who we first of all thank for correcting us about the Dinos point guard situation where 6'1" Jeff Price has taken the reigns from last season's stellar point Josh Feist. We had originally stated that Price was more of a two guard. Here are excerpts from a Dinos season preview. The Dinos return 3 of their top 4 scorers from a season ago including 6'4" slick-shooting fifth-year guard Cody Darrah (12.9 ppg/3.6 rpg/2.3 apg/42% 3's/87% ft), who enters his third year with the Dinos after playing two seasons at the University of Alberta. Up front the Dinos bring back 6'8" FISU games National Team member Ross Bekkering (13.2 ppg/7.4 rpg - 4th in Canada West), who improved his athleticism and strength off season. The other returning starter is 6'6" Robbie Sihota (12.0 ppg/6.9 rpg), one of the more underrated players in Canada West who is a potent scorer from the inside and out. Sihota flashed his potential with a 29 point/16 rebound effort last season against Winnipeg. Other probably returnees likely to see action in the rotation are 6'9" center Joe Schow (7.0 ppg/3.3 rpg) who missed most of the second half of last season with a high ankle sprain, 6'4" work horse wing Jeremy Odland (8.2 ppg/3.7 rpg), and 6'8" "meat hook" Chris Unsworth (2.5 ppg/1.7 rpg) who showed great promise down the stretch and in the playoffs last season. Also returning are 6'1" guard Joel Bancroft, a consistent defender, 6'4" guard Logan Armstrong, a medical redshirt last year and 6'7" Dustin Reding who will red shirt this season. The Dinos newcomers are athletic, eager and all come from a winning pedigree. 6'6" G/F Henry Bekkering joins the team after playing 2 years at Eastern Washington University which competes in the Big Sky Conference. Henry, a local product who led his high school team to the 4A Provincial championship, is a super athletic wing player who can get to the rim, post up, and consistently knock down the open jump shot and will be counted on for his leadership, rebounding and scoring. The other newcomer who will find his way into the starting line-up is the 6'1" PG Jeff Price, who has led the last 3 teams he has played on to Alberta provincial championships (1 4A Provincial High School, 2 ACAC Titles). Price, who brings a winning attitude and commitment to the Dinos, is solid outside shooter, great ball handler and pesky defender who will run the show for the Dinos this year. Price averaged 17 points and 6 assists per game en route to being named ACAC Player of the Year, ACAC Male Athlete of the Year, and CCAA All Canadian. The Dinos have also added 6'9" freshman standout guard Tyler Fidler from Western Canada High School in Calgary. Fidler, a former member of Canada’s Junior National Team, averaged a triple double in high school last season and is a tremendous outside shooter, ball handler and passer. His ability to stretch the defense and cause mismatches will be a huge asset to the Dinos. Tyler won the city championships with Western last season but was ousted in the Provincial quarter finals despite a 52 point effort. The Dinos line-up will also feature 6'1" PG Andrew Champagnie (Edmonton Ross Shepherd), who led his team to the provincial title in his grade 11 year and to the final in his senior season. Andrew has not played the past two seasons out of high school and with his added experience and quickness should provide depth at the guard spots. 6'2" combo guard Brennen Fule will also provide depth at the 1 and 2 spots for the Dinos this season. Brennen won a provincial title in his grade 10 year at Strathmore High School and as a shooting guard his team ran up a 57-0 record with the Jr. Dinos. Another newcomer is 6'4" F Josh Lovestone, a transfer from Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) where he averaged 13 points and 7 rebounds per game. Lovestone also played on the 2005 CCAA National champion University College of the Caribou team. Josh adds toughness, rebounding and a great outside shooting touch to the Dino line-up. Calgary is gearing up for their pre-season schedule which includes a trip to Montana to play Montana Tech and Carroll College of the NAIA plus a match-up with Whitworth College of Washington. The Dinos open their Canada West regular season on November 2 and 3 at home versus the University of Victoria and the University of British Columbia.

DINOS WEEKEND RESULTS: The Dinos played in the Sandman Invitational in Red Deer this past weekend. Playing without Henry Bekkering and Andrew Champagnie, the Dinos were still able to win all 3 match-ups against ACAC competition.

Game 1: Dinos 79 Concordia College 56 Ross Bekkering (18 pts/11 rbs), Tyler Fidler (13 pts./8 rbs.), Joe Schow (10 pts./9 rbs.)
Game 2: Dinos 75 Red Deer College 43 Ross Bekkering (17 pts/10 rbs), Cody Darrah (14), Robbie Sihota (12)
Game 3: Dinos 93 Grant MacEwan 51 Tyler Fidler (18 pts./8 rbs.), Robbie Sihota (11), Josh Lovestone (11 pts./8 rbs); Ross Bekkering (10 rbs.)

UPDATE FROM AUSTRIA: Great to hear from UBC All-Canadian Casey Archibald, who signed a professional contract with Wels of the Austrian A Bundesliga, the top league in Austria. Wels began their season with a 34 point victory last weekend over one of the weaker teams in the league. Archibald played 30 minutes and finished with 21 points on 8-10 shooting and 4 rebounds. This weekend, Wels travels to Austrian captal Vienna where Archibald is likely to get matched up against former UBC teammate Mattias Dockner. Vienna is 0-1 thus far.

The Western Mustangs are poised to return to the top of the OUA West standings and compete for a spot at the CIS Nationals for the first time since 2002 when Western lost 76-71 to Alberta in the championship game. With a stellar recruiting class including three NCAA Division 1 transfers plus a number of solid returnees, Coach Brad Campbell and squad are very optimistic. Injuries to key players such as 6'3" forward Andrew Wedemire have held the Mustangs back the past few seasons and this pre-season has seen the injury bug come back again, albeit not very seriously as 5'11" guard Danny Jeon, 6'8" center Alan Paron and 6'0" guard Jordan Smith all have missed time. The 'Stangs hosted their annual Alumni game on Saturday and came away with a 93-85 despite dressing only 9 guys because of injuries. The Varsity squad took a 20 point lead against a solid Alumni squad that included former All-Canadians Andy Kwiatkowski and Jimmy Grozelle (both stalwards on Western's CIS finalist team from 2002) plus center Chris Brown, forward Mike Milne and wing Jonathan Dingle. The Alumni made a late run to lose by 8. 6'1" Matt Curtis led Western with 22 with Wedemire added 19, 6'6" Brad Smith 16 and 6'6" freshman Garrett Olexiuk added 13. Coach Campbell has been impressed with at least 3 of his freshman including Olexiuk, 5'11" point guard Ryan Barbeau and Michigan transfer Alex Brzozowicz who has shown great athleticism and an ability to knock down shots. Western also did not play 6'10" Colin Laforme (transfer from NCAA D1 Youngstown State) and 6'5" Brown transfer Keenan Jeppesen, who are ineligible until November 28th as per CIS transfer rules. Jeppensen had been nursing an injury but is scheduled to return to practice this week. The Mustangs will prepare for a home game on Thursday, October 11th at 8 PM against Sir Sanford Fleming College from Peterborough before heading out to New Brunswick the following weekend to participate in the UNB Varsity Reds tournament, which has the usual eight team field.