Back from a rainy Southern Ontario after a tremendous night of basketball at McMaster which saw two very exciting games and, more importantly, a large, boisterous crowd estimated at over 2,000 in Mac's gym which is a fine venue for this event. Congratulations to Darren Cates and the entire organizing committee for a wonderful event. Now on to the games...
Lakehead blew a huge lead as their on-fire shooting suddenly went cold in the face of a more aggressive and organized Gee-Gees defense while 6'9" Louis Gauthier caught fire. In the end, a well executed final possession by the Thunderwolves, in which crisp ball movement beat Ottawa defensive rotations, 6'2" Venzal Russell knocked down an open 20 footer from the left baseline with 0.7 seconds remaining to break a tie and sent Lakehead to Halifax.
Credit Ottawa rookie Head Coach James Derouin with a bold move sitting his OUA 1st Team all-star forward 6'6" Warren Ward down for a big stretch of the second half when all appeared lost for the Gee-Gees. With their usually reliable star scorer on the bench, Ottawa staged a dramatic comeback led by Gauthier, who had an excellent duel inside with Lakehead's slick 6'6" post Yoosrie Salhia all evening long, and 6'5" fifth-year senior Nemanja Baletic, who had a career effort, igniting Ottawa with a three pointer and then making several big offensive plays in the second half.
With the game tied in the final minute, Lakehead's star shooting guard Jamie Searle stole an in-bounds pass but the ball was knocked away and in the ensuing scramble, Gauthier picked it up and hit a clutch 15 footer with the shot clock set to expire. Searle, who did not make a field goal in the game, then did what fifth-year seniors are expected to do, first making a play offensively, driving to the rim and getting fouled. After making both free throws to tie the game and a Gee-Gees timeout with 19 seconds remaining, Searle deflected and then recovered a post entry pass from the wing by 6'2" Jacob Gibson-Bascombe, setting up Lakehead's final possession.
Earlier Lakehead had jumped out to leads as large as 18 behind Russell, who got to the rim, Salhia who was very good inside getting to the rack when not doubled and 6'1" Ben Johnson who hit three 3's in the second quarter for the Thunderwolves. Ottawa got it to 13 by halftime and then scored the first 5 points of the third quarter, illicting a quick timeout from Lakehead Head Coach Scott Morrison, who now has guided the T-Wolves to consecutive Final 8 appearances. Lakehead withstood the initial Ottawa charge and led by 10 going into the fourth but could not score consistently in the face of the Gee-Gees strong team "d".
In the end, Lakehead's 1st team all-star graduating senior Searle shook off an uncharacteristic offensive performance to get it done on the defensive end. Lakehead meets Carleton for the Wilson Cup OUA championship this evening.
In the night cap, Peter Campbell's Laurier Golden Hawks accomplish several things that virtually no team this season could do. In garnering leads as large as 12, the Hawks forced Carleton Coach Dave Smart to move away from the doubling teaming pressure that the Ravens have used more consistently this season by not only not turning it over (only two turnovers the entire game against the double teaming pressure) but making Carleton pay with open 3's and layups.
As well, for the first time in recent memory, the Ravens allowed multiple early offense layups as the Hawks attacked Carleton in transition. More surprisingly, Laurier outrebounded Carleton at both ends for much of the first 25 minutes of play. 6'5" Kale Harrison put on another offensive show with 23 points in the first half, once again lighting up Ravens 6'5" Defensive POY Cole Hobin with an array of long 3's, floaters in the lane and up and under moves which dazzled the crowd.
With all that said and Carleton on the ropes, the Ravens were still able to correct their defensive issues: Coach Smart put 6'2" Phil Scrubb, who was the Ravens best overall player on the night, on Harrison in the second half and held him to just 3 points. Offensively, Carleton began attacking the bigger but slower footed Laurier defenders off the dribble and getting to the rim consistently. Carleton shot just 10 3's all evening and still scored 83 points, going 27 for 56 from two point land. Scrubb and Hobin were especially effective off the bounce beginning about mid-way through the third quarter when Carleton held Laurier without a field goal for about 7 consecutive possessions. The Ravens finally took the lead late in a very well-played and crowd friendly game.
Tonight's Wilson Cup OUA championship game begins at 8 PM from Hamilton.
The OUA post-season awards were also presented at a breakfast yesterday morning and there are several articles summarizing the recipients including Wayne Kondro's piece in the Ottawa Citizen Ravens sweep OUA honours plus Larry Moko in the Hamilton Spectator Hinz, Kuon win OUA awards
Game reports from Thunder Bay News Ottawa Citizen Gee-Gees bounced in OUA semi-final
Saturday, 5 March 2011
Back soon
In Hamilton last night for a pair of tremendous games at Mac. Computer limitations means no detailed reports until later today. For now 1st round of nationals likely looks like this. Carleton vs concordia. Ubc vs lakehead. Saskatchewan vs aus2. Aus1 vs trinity. Just my guess. Ubc saskatchewan could swap opponents if huskies win CW tonight and acadia win tonight would change things considerably also. Stay tuned.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
Friday, 4 March 2011
Wilson Cup Semi-Final Preview
OUA Final Four goes tonight in Hamilton in a change in format not seen since 1991-92. That season, the last of a four-year stretch during which Quebec schools played league games and participated in Ontario playoffs, Waterloo hosted a neutral site Wilson Cup Final Four (which Brock won on their way to their first National championship). The next season, Laval started their basketball program and Quebec has since had their own seperate regular season and playoffs and Ontario went back to the East/West format that has predominated. Since 1992-93 (17 seasons), the East and West champions have met at alternate sites for what was more of a game for ceremony and banner collecting, occasionally affecting nationals rankings; however both teams had already qualified for the Nationals. The OUA did have an 8 team cross-over tournament in the first three seasons of the expanded OUA basketball campaign (1971-72 through 1973-74 - Windsor hosted the first two and Waterloo hosted the third). In 1974-75, the format went back to East vs. West winners and has remained in place save for that one season in 1992-93 during which I recall Waterloo was packed and the Brock BucketHeads displayed newspapers in the crowd honoring their boyish-looking point guard Dave Picton, nicknamed the "Paper Boy" who would lead his Badgers to the National championship later that season. This season's new Final Four format puts the foundation in place to create a higher provincial-level profile for the event which will be televised and webcast on the Score (link will go up at game-time on the site).
In the early game, uOttawa Gee-Gees meet Lakehead and the key matchup will likely be several different Thunderwolves guarding Ottawa's explosive 6'6" Warren Ward, who, after an injury-plagued first half, helped carry the Gee-Gees to a 9-4 regular season finish and then a pair of playoff victories over Laurentian and at second place U of T Varsity Blues. With 5'9" Greg Carter, Lakehead has arguably the top defender in the OUA West but can also use several other athletic defenders to try to slow Ward. The Thunderwolves, regular season OUA West champions, again this season proved down the stretch (especially late in games) that they are the toughest defensive team in the West. Ottawa's ability to get the ball into the hands of 6'2" Johnny Berhanemeskel for open looks will be key while 6'2" fifth-year senior Jamie Searle is arguably the one player who can turn games around offensively from beyond the three when he gets going for Lakehead. Searle was the key reason Lakehead was able to come back from a large second-half deficit last season when these two teams met in the OUA Third-Place game at Montpetit Hall in Ottawa with a Final 8 appearance on the line. The matchup inside between 6'6" Yoosrie Salhia and fiery 6'9" Louis Gauthier, contrasting Salhia's quickness and athleticism with Gauthier's size and strength will be important - much will depend upon how the game is officiated inside - Gauthier in particular has wrestled with foul trouble as the season progressed. In the only meeting of the season between these two teams, the Thunderwolves came back from a double digit second half deficit with a patented fourth-quarter defensive lock down, holding Ottawa to just 11 points in the final frame, while Searle went off for 20 points including 5-11 3's as Lakehead won at Montpetit Hall 68-65. Ward went 8 for 20 in that game just coming off a hamstring injury while Berhanemeskel had only 4 points without a three point goal. Lakehead has built a deep, athletic roster that usually wears opponents down by the time the fourth quarter rolls around and in the past two meetings between these two teams, the Thunderwolves were able to use that advantage to take over late. Ottawa has two very good weapons and has also received steadier performances at the point from 6'2" Jacob Gibson-Bascombe. The Gee-Gees are also very underrated defensively in the half court when they are right. Expect another game in the high 60's where open looks are at a premium and another game decided late in the fourth quarter.
In the second game, the undefeated #1 ranked Carleton Ravens match up with Laurier Golden Hawks and their big, strong, talented front line. Biggest back drop to this game is that the Hawks were the only team in the regular season to come to within single digits of the Ravens, losing 88-80 at home as 6'5" Kale Harrison went off for 39 points on 13-22 shooting against perennial Defensive Player-of-the-Year Cole Hobin of the Ravens. Hobin's reputation is very well deserved as his length, foot quickness and preparation have served him well in locking down opponent's top scorers for much of the past two seasons - but in October, Harrison lit up Carleton and Hobin. Much of the Golden Hawks success this season came after Head Coach Peter Campbell gave the bulk of the offensive decision making responsibilities to 6'6" Maxwell Allin - best defined in my mind as a Point Forward - using the same strategy first employed by then-Milwaukee Bucks coach Don Nelson with 6'6" Paul Pressey and later replicated by Eddie Pomykala at Bishop's with 6'5" Warren Newberry, among other incarnations. Regardless, Allin has shown that he has the ability to excel as big perimeter forward who can distribute, defend and also make big shots as his 36 point explosion last Saturday night at Windsor showed. If the Ravens are vulnerable anywhere, it may be with a decided lack of size inside and Laurier, with rugged 6'7" Pat Donnelly, underrated 6'5" Matt Buckley plus 6'5" Harrison and 6'6" Allin are long and thick across the front line. Laurier, however, will have to deal with the Ravens stable of quick guards, starting with 5'11" Willy Manigat and 6'2" Phil Scrubb, who wreak havoc at the top of Coach Dave Smart's pressure, from which he has been trapping in the back court, something not seen with this season's consistency at Carleton since Smart's tenure began. Laurier's young guards including 6'2" freshman Jamar Forde and 5'11" Travis Berry will have to be able to deal with the trapping, athleticism and anticipation of the Ravens guards. In many games this season, Carleton's patented game-deciding runs, which often happen in a blink, were catalyzed by their pressure and subsequent easy run outs for layups or open 3's. Expect Hobin to start on Harrison while Laurier will have to find a defensive matchup for CISHoops.ca OUA East POY 6'6" Tyson Hinz, who may get the Allin matchup. 6'6" Aaron Chapman should start on Buckley while Scrubb and Forde appear to be a logical matchup. Laurier needs to deal with Ravens pressure and avoid those 10-0 runs that as mentioned come out of nowhere and happen before one can blink while Carleton must be able to rebound the ball given Laurier gets alot done on the offensive glass. It will be interesting to see how Carleton deals with double downs on Buckley or others. Laurier wants an offensive oriented game in the 80's with the Ravens hoping to keep it in the 60's. If Laurier can deal with the pressure and attack the offensive glass, the Hawks can compete while defending, rebounding and taking good shots - Carleton staples during their tremendous decade-long run - will likely be on display if Carleton remains undefeated.
Reminder: games are on the Score television network with 6 PM Ottawa/Lakehead game live and Carleton/Laurier game tape delayed at 10 PM. Both games are live on the Score web site with the link to be up at game time.
In the early game, uOttawa Gee-Gees meet Lakehead and the key matchup will likely be several different Thunderwolves guarding Ottawa's explosive 6'6" Warren Ward, who, after an injury-plagued first half, helped carry the Gee-Gees to a 9-4 regular season finish and then a pair of playoff victories over Laurentian and at second place U of T Varsity Blues. With 5'9" Greg Carter, Lakehead has arguably the top defender in the OUA West but can also use several other athletic defenders to try to slow Ward. The Thunderwolves, regular season OUA West champions, again this season proved down the stretch (especially late in games) that they are the toughest defensive team in the West. Ottawa's ability to get the ball into the hands of 6'2" Johnny Berhanemeskel for open looks will be key while 6'2" fifth-year senior Jamie Searle is arguably the one player who can turn games around offensively from beyond the three when he gets going for Lakehead. Searle was the key reason Lakehead was able to come back from a large second-half deficit last season when these two teams met in the OUA Third-Place game at Montpetit Hall in Ottawa with a Final 8 appearance on the line. The matchup inside between 6'6" Yoosrie Salhia and fiery 6'9" Louis Gauthier, contrasting Salhia's quickness and athleticism with Gauthier's size and strength will be important - much will depend upon how the game is officiated inside - Gauthier in particular has wrestled with foul trouble as the season progressed. In the only meeting of the season between these two teams, the Thunderwolves came back from a double digit second half deficit with a patented fourth-quarter defensive lock down, holding Ottawa to just 11 points in the final frame, while Searle went off for 20 points including 5-11 3's as Lakehead won at Montpetit Hall 68-65. Ward went 8 for 20 in that game just coming off a hamstring injury while Berhanemeskel had only 4 points without a three point goal. Lakehead has built a deep, athletic roster that usually wears opponents down by the time the fourth quarter rolls around and in the past two meetings between these two teams, the Thunderwolves were able to use that advantage to take over late. Ottawa has two very good weapons and has also received steadier performances at the point from 6'2" Jacob Gibson-Bascombe. The Gee-Gees are also very underrated defensively in the half court when they are right. Expect another game in the high 60's where open looks are at a premium and another game decided late in the fourth quarter.
In the second game, the undefeated #1 ranked Carleton Ravens match up with Laurier Golden Hawks and their big, strong, talented front line. Biggest back drop to this game is that the Hawks were the only team in the regular season to come to within single digits of the Ravens, losing 88-80 at home as 6'5" Kale Harrison went off for 39 points on 13-22 shooting against perennial Defensive Player-of-the-Year Cole Hobin of the Ravens. Hobin's reputation is very well deserved as his length, foot quickness and preparation have served him well in locking down opponent's top scorers for much of the past two seasons - but in October, Harrison lit up Carleton and Hobin. Much of the Golden Hawks success this season came after Head Coach Peter Campbell gave the bulk of the offensive decision making responsibilities to 6'6" Maxwell Allin - best defined in my mind as a Point Forward - using the same strategy first employed by then-Milwaukee Bucks coach Don Nelson with 6'6" Paul Pressey and later replicated by Eddie Pomykala at Bishop's with 6'5" Warren Newberry, among other incarnations. Regardless, Allin has shown that he has the ability to excel as big perimeter forward who can distribute, defend and also make big shots as his 36 point explosion last Saturday night at Windsor showed. If the Ravens are vulnerable anywhere, it may be with a decided lack of size inside and Laurier, with rugged 6'7" Pat Donnelly, underrated 6'5" Matt Buckley plus 6'5" Harrison and 6'6" Allin are long and thick across the front line. Laurier, however, will have to deal with the Ravens stable of quick guards, starting with 5'11" Willy Manigat and 6'2" Phil Scrubb, who wreak havoc at the top of Coach Dave Smart's pressure, from which he has been trapping in the back court, something not seen with this season's consistency at Carleton since Smart's tenure began. Laurier's young guards including 6'2" freshman Jamar Forde and 5'11" Travis Berry will have to be able to deal with the trapping, athleticism and anticipation of the Ravens guards. In many games this season, Carleton's patented game-deciding runs, which often happen in a blink, were catalyzed by their pressure and subsequent easy run outs for layups or open 3's. Expect Hobin to start on Harrison while Laurier will have to find a defensive matchup for CISHoops.ca OUA East POY 6'6" Tyson Hinz, who may get the Allin matchup. 6'6" Aaron Chapman should start on Buckley while Scrubb and Forde appear to be a logical matchup. Laurier needs to deal with Ravens pressure and avoid those 10-0 runs that as mentioned come out of nowhere and happen before one can blink while Carleton must be able to rebound the ball given Laurier gets alot done on the offensive glass. It will be interesting to see how Carleton deals with double downs on Buckley or others. Laurier wants an offensive oriented game in the 80's with the Ravens hoping to keep it in the 60's. If Laurier can deal with the pressure and attack the offensive glass, the Hawks can compete while defending, rebounding and taking good shots - Carleton staples during their tremendous decade-long run - will likely be on display if Carleton remains undefeated.
Reminder: games are on the Score television network with 6 PM Ottawa/Lakehead game live and Carleton/Laurier game tape delayed at 10 PM. Both games are live on the Score web site with the link to be up at game time.
Championship Weekend begins tonight: Plenty of articles
Larry Moko of Hamilton Spectator with an article on Carleton's tremendous season
Monty Mosher previews the AUS tournament which begins tonight in Halifax Time is now for veteran Capers and T.J. Colello with Capers defend their title also Metro Halifax article on Tigers putting d in Dalhousie finally Armaan Ahluwalia from Dal student newspaper's solid piece on AUS Preview
Metro Halifax article also Huskies Haywood named MVP
Bill McLean's Acadia Axemen team profile
Montreal Gazette article on tonight's QUBL championship game between Laval and Concordia
Monty Mosher previews the AUS tournament which begins tonight in Halifax Time is now for veteran Capers and T.J. Colello with Capers defend their title also Metro Halifax article on Tigers putting d in Dalhousie finally Armaan Ahluwalia from Dal student newspaper's solid piece on AUS Preview
Metro Halifax article also Huskies Haywood named MVP
Bill McLean's Acadia Axemen team profile
Montreal Gazette article on tonight's QUBL championship game between Laval and Concordia
Haywood named AUS Most Valuable Player
2010-11 AUS Men's Basketball Awards and All-Stars Announced: SMU's Haywood named MVP after record breaking season
March 3, 2011 (HALIFAX, N.S.) - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2010-11 AUS men's basketball all-stars and major award winners as selected by the conference's eight head coaches following regular season play. Fourth-year Saint Mary's guard Joey Haywood was named the Atlantic University Sport most valuable player, Thursday night.
Other AUS major award winners announced during the awards banquet at the Westin Nova Scotian in downtown Halifax, N.S., were UNB's William McFee of Northbridge, Australia, who was named rookie of the year; Cape Breton's Phillip Nkrumah of Brampton, Ont., who was selected as the defensive player of the year; Cape Breton's Scott Jaspers-Fayer of Guelph, Ont., who received the student-athlete community service award; and Dalhousie head coach John Campbell, who was named the AUS coach of the year.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Joey Haywood, Saint Mary's
Joey Haywood, a fourth-year guard with the Saint Mary's Huskies, is the Atlantic University Sport men's basketball most valuable player.
A native of Vancouver, B.C., Haywood led the nation in scoring this season with an average of 28.8 points per game and becomes the sixth Saint Mary's recipient of the Frank Baldwin Memorial Trophy.
A first-team AUS all-star each of his three years at Saint Mary's, Joey was also named a second-team all-Canadian last season.
He has now captured three AUS scoring titles and his 575 points scored this season broke the previous Atlantic conference single-season record of 524 set Acadia's Ted Upshaw in 1980-81. Joey scored 30 or more points in seven of 20 regular season games this year including a pair of school record-tying 46-point outings. His 207 field goals and 113 free-throws made this year were also new Saint Mary's single-season records.
Haywood, who led conference in minutes played (39.65 minutes per game), also finished fifth in AUS steals (4.15 per game), and ranked seventh in both field goal percentage (51.6 per cent) and free-throw percentage (80.1 per cent). In just three seasons of university basketball, Joey has already scored 1469 points and currently ranks 18th in AUS career scoring.
"If working hard means you deserve to succeed then being selected as the most valuable player is a very well deserved award for Joey to receive," said Saint Mary's head coach Ross Quackenbush. "He is one of the hardest working players I've ever coached."
Joey will be the Atlantic conference representative for the Mike Moser Memorial Trophy as the most outstanding player in CIS basketball. The last Atlantic conference player to win the CIS award was William Njoku of the Saint Mary's Huskies in 1992-93.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: William McFee, UNB
McFee, a native of Northbridge, Australia, is the first Varsity Reds player to claim the AUS rookie of the year award since Mike Kierstead was named the top rookie following the 1998-99 season.
William, a 6-foot-3 guard, appeared in all 20 games this season, averaging 24.7 minutes per game as a freshman, helping UNB to a fifth place finish and their first playoff appearance in five years with an 8-12 record.
He finished second in team scoring with an average of 13.7 points per game, and reached double figures in 16 of those games including three 20-point efforts.
"Will's work ethic on and off the court are the attributes that make him a special player for our program," commented UNB head coach Brent Baker.
William will represent the AUS as the Atlantic conference nominee for the Dr. Peter Mullins trophy. Dalhousie's Shawn Plancke is the only Atlantic conference player to ever be named CIS Rookie of the Year.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Phillip Nkrumah, Cape Breton
Nkrumah, a fifth-year student from Brampton, Ont., is the reigning CIS defensive player of the year and now joins former StFX X-Men Garry Gallimore as the only three-time recipients of the AUS defensive player of the year award.
Nkrumah, a second team CIS all-Canadian in 2008-09, had another solid season, finishing third in the conference in rebounding (9.4 rebounds per game), fifth in AUS steals (1.90 per game) and eighth in blocked shots (0.65 per game).
The 6-foot-4 senior, who also chipped in offensively with 13.5 points per outing, is a past CBU male athlete of the year and was a member of the Canadian development national team that competed in the Belgrade Universiade two years ago.
Phillip's play this season, which included a nine "double-doubles", helped the first place and CIS No. 5-ranked Capers finish with a 19-1 record, while holding opponents to an average of 78.5 points per game. Nkrumah also set a new Cape Breton school record with 756 career rebounds.
"Phil may be the only player in the country who can legitimately guard all five positions on the floor," said Cape Breton head coach Jim Charters. "As a power forward, he is among the AUS career leaders in steals, is CBU's all-time leading rebounder and is without a doubt one of the best players in CIS basketball."
Nkrumah and Gallimore are also the only AUS players to have been named CIS defensive player of the year since the inception of the award in 2004-05.
COACH OF THE YEAR: John Campbell, Dalhousie
Campbell, in his ninth year at the helm of the Dalhousie program, becomes the first Tigers men's basketball coach to ever be named AUS coach of the year.
This year, he guided the CIS No. 8-ranked Tigers to a second place finish in the Atlantic conference with a record of 14-6, his best regular season to date as Dalhousie's head coach. John's career regular season record currently stands at 76-104 and he is 81-110 overall including AUS and CIS championship play.
His Dalhousie squad, which has been ranked in the CIS top 10 for the past four weeks, led all Atlantic conference teams in rebounding and three-point shooting percentage, while holding opponents to an AUS-low of 68.2 points per game.
Prior to Dalhousie, Campbell worked as head coach of the Laurentian University Lady Vees basketball program where he was selected OUA East Coach of the Year in 1999, 2001 and 2002.
"We are so pleased that John has been recognized with this honour," said Karen Moore, Associate Director of Athletics at Dalhousie. "He has worked so hard to build our men's basketball program over the past number of years and has done it by recruiting an excellent coaching and support staff as well as tremendous student-athletes. We feel great about the future of our men's basketball program in under John's leadership."
John Campbell's Dalhousie won-lost record:
2002-03: 5-15 regular season, (0-1 AUS playoffs)
2003-04: 4-16 regular season, (no playoffs)
2004-05: 5-15 regular season, (no playoffs)
2005-06: 5-15 regular season, (no playoffs)
2006-07: 8-12 regular season, (0-1 AUS playoffs)
2007-08: 10-10 regular season, (1-1 AUS playoffs)
2008-09: 13-7 regular season, (3-0 AUS playoffs, 0-2 CIS Final 8)
2009-10: 12-8 regular season, (1-1 playoffs)
2010-11: 14-6 regular season
Career: 76-104 regular season, 5-6 playoffs
Campbell will represent the AUS as the nominee for CIS Coach of the Year. StFX's Steve Konchalski (2000-01) is the last Atlantic conference head coach to win the Stuart W. Aberdeen Trophy as the nation's top university coach.
STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Scott Jaspers-Fayer, Cape Breton
Cape Breton University's Scott Jaspers-Fayer is the 2011 recipient of the student-athlete community service award and will be the Atlantic conference nominee for the prestigious Ken Shields Award.
A native of Guelph, Ont., the 6-foot-6, fifth-year forward averaged 9.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the CIS No. 5-ranked Capers this season. He also finished third in AUS blocks this year with 1.39 per game.
Scott has excelled in the classroom since arriving at Cape Breton. He is a two-time CIS academic all-Canadian studying science with a chemistry major and a math minor.
Dr. Dale Keefe is the Canada Research Chair in Molecular Spectroscopy and for three summers Scott has worked in the chemistry Lab as an undergraduate researcher. The work they are doing deals with biomolecules important in biochemistry and biology and potentially will impact the make-up and effectiveness of pharmaceuticals that fight disease.
Jaspers-Fayer has also made significant contribution to the community during his time in Cape Breton.
Scott has an older brother with severe epilepsy who requires 24 hour care. Growing up in this environment, Scott has learned to interact well with children with disabilities and he has made it a mission to help. In his hometown of Guelph, Scott volunteered throughout the school system, going directly into classrooms and assisting teachers and teacher aids working with students with disabilities. In Cape Breton, Scott volunteers at the Swim and Gym, held at the Canadian Coast Guard College, for children with autism.
He also assisted with Unique Sports' visit to Cape Breton University to participate in basketball with the Capers. Unique Sports is a group of children with disabilities in the local area that get together weekly and take part in activities in Cape Breton. This past summer, he spent his one month vacation at home coaching children in the Shake True Hoops program, including 6 children with disabilities such as Down Syndrome and autism.
His volunteering does not end there. Scott runs the Sydney Basketball Academy with Sydney Academy High School athletic director Joel Leblanc in the spring, he is a lead instructor at Capers Basketball School during the academic year and has coached his little brother's minor basketball team in Guelph. He has also volunteered at a variety of charity golf tournaments in Cape Breton during the summer including the Schwartz Golf Classic where the proceeds go to Prostate Cancer Research.
"Scott is excellent recipient for this award," said Cape Breton head coach Jim Charters. "Not only is he a highly accomplished student and athlete, he also consistently demonstrates an outstanding level of commitment to the community."
FIRST AND SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS AND ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
The Atlantic University Sport first and second team all-stars were also announced Thursday, along with this year's all-rookie team.
First Team All-Stars:
Joey Haywood, Saint Mary's (4th year - Vancouver, B.C.)
Simon Farine, Dalhousie (5th year - Toronto, Ont.)
Paris Carter, Cape Breton (5th year - Baltimore, MD.)
Jimmy Dorsey, Cape Breton (3rd year - Baltimore, MD.)
Christian Upshaw, StFX (5th year - Halifax, N.S.)
Second Team All-Stars:
Joseph Schow, Dalhousie (5th year - Medicine Hat, Alta.)
Will Silver, StFX (5th year - Halifax, N.S.)
Owen Klassen, Acadia (2nd year - Kingston, Ont.)
Manock Lual, UPEI (4th year - Ottawa, Ont.)
Tory Fassett, Saint Mary's (3rd year - Columbia, MD.)
All-Rookie Team:
William McFee, UNB (Northbridge, Australia)
Terry Thomas, StFX (East Preston, N.S.)
Aaron Robbins, UPEI (Stratford, P.E.I.)
Julien Smith, Cape Breton (North Preston, N.S.)
Geoff Doane, UPEI (Halifax, N.S.)
The 2011 Subway Atlantic University Sport men's basketball championship gets under way this weekend at the Halifax Metro Centre in Halifax, N.S. The semifinals and final will be broadcast live on EastLink TV and live webcasts of all five matches of the championship will be available at www.sportstream.ca.
The 2011 Subway Atlantic University Sport men's basketball championship schedule is as follows:
Friday, March 4th
Quarter-final #1: Acadia (4th) vs. UNB (5th), 6:00pm
Quarter-final #2: StFX (3rd) vs. Saint Mary's (6th), 8:15pm
Saturday, March 5th
Semifinal #1: Cape Breton (1st) vs. Winner of QF #1, 6:00pm
Semifinal #2: Dalhousie (2nd) vs. Winner of QF #2, 8:15pm
Sunday, March 6th
Championship Game: Semifinal Winners, 2:00pm
March 3, 2011 (HALIFAX, N.S.) - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2010-11 AUS men's basketball all-stars and major award winners as selected by the conference's eight head coaches following regular season play. Fourth-year Saint Mary's guard Joey Haywood was named the Atlantic University Sport most valuable player, Thursday night.
Other AUS major award winners announced during the awards banquet at the Westin Nova Scotian in downtown Halifax, N.S., were UNB's William McFee of Northbridge, Australia, who was named rookie of the year; Cape Breton's Phillip Nkrumah of Brampton, Ont., who was selected as the defensive player of the year; Cape Breton's Scott Jaspers-Fayer of Guelph, Ont., who received the student-athlete community service award; and Dalhousie head coach John Campbell, who was named the AUS coach of the year.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Joey Haywood, Saint Mary's
Joey Haywood, a fourth-year guard with the Saint Mary's Huskies, is the Atlantic University Sport men's basketball most valuable player.
A native of Vancouver, B.C., Haywood led the nation in scoring this season with an average of 28.8 points per game and becomes the sixth Saint Mary's recipient of the Frank Baldwin Memorial Trophy.
A first-team AUS all-star each of his three years at Saint Mary's, Joey was also named a second-team all-Canadian last season.
He has now captured three AUS scoring titles and his 575 points scored this season broke the previous Atlantic conference single-season record of 524 set Acadia's Ted Upshaw in 1980-81. Joey scored 30 or more points in seven of 20 regular season games this year including a pair of school record-tying 46-point outings. His 207 field goals and 113 free-throws made this year were also new Saint Mary's single-season records.
Haywood, who led conference in minutes played (39.65 minutes per game), also finished fifth in AUS steals (4.15 per game), and ranked seventh in both field goal percentage (51.6 per cent) and free-throw percentage (80.1 per cent). In just three seasons of university basketball, Joey has already scored 1469 points and currently ranks 18th in AUS career scoring.
"If working hard means you deserve to succeed then being selected as the most valuable player is a very well deserved award for Joey to receive," said Saint Mary's head coach Ross Quackenbush. "He is one of the hardest working players I've ever coached."
Joey will be the Atlantic conference representative for the Mike Moser Memorial Trophy as the most outstanding player in CIS basketball. The last Atlantic conference player to win the CIS award was William Njoku of the Saint Mary's Huskies in 1992-93.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: William McFee, UNB
McFee, a native of Northbridge, Australia, is the first Varsity Reds player to claim the AUS rookie of the year award since Mike Kierstead was named the top rookie following the 1998-99 season.
William, a 6-foot-3 guard, appeared in all 20 games this season, averaging 24.7 minutes per game as a freshman, helping UNB to a fifth place finish and their first playoff appearance in five years with an 8-12 record.
He finished second in team scoring with an average of 13.7 points per game, and reached double figures in 16 of those games including three 20-point efforts.
"Will's work ethic on and off the court are the attributes that make him a special player for our program," commented UNB head coach Brent Baker.
William will represent the AUS as the Atlantic conference nominee for the Dr. Peter Mullins trophy. Dalhousie's Shawn Plancke is the only Atlantic conference player to ever be named CIS Rookie of the Year.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Phillip Nkrumah, Cape Breton
Nkrumah, a fifth-year student from Brampton, Ont., is the reigning CIS defensive player of the year and now joins former StFX X-Men Garry Gallimore as the only three-time recipients of the AUS defensive player of the year award.
Nkrumah, a second team CIS all-Canadian in 2008-09, had another solid season, finishing third in the conference in rebounding (9.4 rebounds per game), fifth in AUS steals (1.90 per game) and eighth in blocked shots (0.65 per game).
The 6-foot-4 senior, who also chipped in offensively with 13.5 points per outing, is a past CBU male athlete of the year and was a member of the Canadian development national team that competed in the Belgrade Universiade two years ago.
Phillip's play this season, which included a nine "double-doubles", helped the first place and CIS No. 5-ranked Capers finish with a 19-1 record, while holding opponents to an average of 78.5 points per game. Nkrumah also set a new Cape Breton school record with 756 career rebounds.
"Phil may be the only player in the country who can legitimately guard all five positions on the floor," said Cape Breton head coach Jim Charters. "As a power forward, he is among the AUS career leaders in steals, is CBU's all-time leading rebounder and is without a doubt one of the best players in CIS basketball."
Nkrumah and Gallimore are also the only AUS players to have been named CIS defensive player of the year since the inception of the award in 2004-05.
COACH OF THE YEAR: John Campbell, Dalhousie
Campbell, in his ninth year at the helm of the Dalhousie program, becomes the first Tigers men's basketball coach to ever be named AUS coach of the year.
This year, he guided the CIS No. 8-ranked Tigers to a second place finish in the Atlantic conference with a record of 14-6, his best regular season to date as Dalhousie's head coach. John's career regular season record currently stands at 76-104 and he is 81-110 overall including AUS and CIS championship play.
His Dalhousie squad, which has been ranked in the CIS top 10 for the past four weeks, led all Atlantic conference teams in rebounding and three-point shooting percentage, while holding opponents to an AUS-low of 68.2 points per game.
Prior to Dalhousie, Campbell worked as head coach of the Laurentian University Lady Vees basketball program where he was selected OUA East Coach of the Year in 1999, 2001 and 2002.
"We are so pleased that John has been recognized with this honour," said Karen Moore, Associate Director of Athletics at Dalhousie. "He has worked so hard to build our men's basketball program over the past number of years and has done it by recruiting an excellent coaching and support staff as well as tremendous student-athletes. We feel great about the future of our men's basketball program in under John's leadership."
John Campbell's Dalhousie won-lost record:
2002-03: 5-15 regular season, (0-1 AUS playoffs)
2003-04: 4-16 regular season, (no playoffs)
2004-05: 5-15 regular season, (no playoffs)
2005-06: 5-15 regular season, (no playoffs)
2006-07: 8-12 regular season, (0-1 AUS playoffs)
2007-08: 10-10 regular season, (1-1 AUS playoffs)
2008-09: 13-7 regular season, (3-0 AUS playoffs, 0-2 CIS Final 8)
2009-10: 12-8 regular season, (1-1 playoffs)
2010-11: 14-6 regular season
Career: 76-104 regular season, 5-6 playoffs
Campbell will represent the AUS as the nominee for CIS Coach of the Year. StFX's Steve Konchalski (2000-01) is the last Atlantic conference head coach to win the Stuart W. Aberdeen Trophy as the nation's top university coach.
STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Scott Jaspers-Fayer, Cape Breton
Cape Breton University's Scott Jaspers-Fayer is the 2011 recipient of the student-athlete community service award and will be the Atlantic conference nominee for the prestigious Ken Shields Award.
A native of Guelph, Ont., the 6-foot-6, fifth-year forward averaged 9.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the CIS No. 5-ranked Capers this season. He also finished third in AUS blocks this year with 1.39 per game.
Scott has excelled in the classroom since arriving at Cape Breton. He is a two-time CIS academic all-Canadian studying science with a chemistry major and a math minor.
Dr. Dale Keefe is the Canada Research Chair in Molecular Spectroscopy and for three summers Scott has worked in the chemistry Lab as an undergraduate researcher. The work they are doing deals with biomolecules important in biochemistry and biology and potentially will impact the make-up and effectiveness of pharmaceuticals that fight disease.
Jaspers-Fayer has also made significant contribution to the community during his time in Cape Breton.
Scott has an older brother with severe epilepsy who requires 24 hour care. Growing up in this environment, Scott has learned to interact well with children with disabilities and he has made it a mission to help. In his hometown of Guelph, Scott volunteered throughout the school system, going directly into classrooms and assisting teachers and teacher aids working with students with disabilities. In Cape Breton, Scott volunteers at the Swim and Gym, held at the Canadian Coast Guard College, for children with autism.
He also assisted with Unique Sports' visit to Cape Breton University to participate in basketball with the Capers. Unique Sports is a group of children with disabilities in the local area that get together weekly and take part in activities in Cape Breton. This past summer, he spent his one month vacation at home coaching children in the Shake True Hoops program, including 6 children with disabilities such as Down Syndrome and autism.
His volunteering does not end there. Scott runs the Sydney Basketball Academy with Sydney Academy High School athletic director Joel Leblanc in the spring, he is a lead instructor at Capers Basketball School during the academic year and has coached his little brother's minor basketball team in Guelph. He has also volunteered at a variety of charity golf tournaments in Cape Breton during the summer including the Schwartz Golf Classic where the proceeds go to Prostate Cancer Research.
"Scott is excellent recipient for this award," said Cape Breton head coach Jim Charters. "Not only is he a highly accomplished student and athlete, he also consistently demonstrates an outstanding level of commitment to the community."
FIRST AND SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS AND ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
The Atlantic University Sport first and second team all-stars were also announced Thursday, along with this year's all-rookie team.
First Team All-Stars:
Joey Haywood, Saint Mary's (4th year - Vancouver, B.C.)
Simon Farine, Dalhousie (5th year - Toronto, Ont.)
Paris Carter, Cape Breton (5th year - Baltimore, MD.)
Jimmy Dorsey, Cape Breton (3rd year - Baltimore, MD.)
Christian Upshaw, StFX (5th year - Halifax, N.S.)
Second Team All-Stars:
Joseph Schow, Dalhousie (5th year - Medicine Hat, Alta.)
Will Silver, StFX (5th year - Halifax, N.S.)
Owen Klassen, Acadia (2nd year - Kingston, Ont.)
Manock Lual, UPEI (4th year - Ottawa, Ont.)
Tory Fassett, Saint Mary's (3rd year - Columbia, MD.)
All-Rookie Team:
William McFee, UNB (Northbridge, Australia)
Terry Thomas, StFX (East Preston, N.S.)
Aaron Robbins, UPEI (Stratford, P.E.I.)
Julien Smith, Cape Breton (North Preston, N.S.)
Geoff Doane, UPEI (Halifax, N.S.)
The 2011 Subway Atlantic University Sport men's basketball championship gets under way this weekend at the Halifax Metro Centre in Halifax, N.S. The semifinals and final will be broadcast live on EastLink TV and live webcasts of all five matches of the championship will be available at www.sportstream.ca.
The 2011 Subway Atlantic University Sport men's basketball championship schedule is as follows:
Friday, March 4th
Quarter-final #1: Acadia (4th) vs. UNB (5th), 6:00pm
Quarter-final #2: StFX (3rd) vs. Saint Mary's (6th), 8:15pm
Saturday, March 5th
Semifinal #1: Cape Breton (1st) vs. Winner of QF #1, 6:00pm
Semifinal #2: Dalhousie (2nd) vs. Winner of QF #2, 8:15pm
Sunday, March 6th
Championship Game: Semifinal Winners, 2:00pm
Thursday, 3 March 2011
Possible Final 8 Seedings: A First Look
With 16 teams still remaining in the hunt for the 8 spots available at the Nationals, it is reasonable to begin to think at how the seeding and first-round matchups at the Final Eight might look. Thus, let's take a look at some possible seedings scenarios for the tournament which, after a three year absence, returns to Halifax, beginning next Friday afternoon.
If Carleton wins OUA semi-final on Friday over Laurier,
#1 Carleton
#2 Canada West winner
#3 AUS winner
#4 Canada West runner-up
#5 AUS runner-up
#6 Wild card (Canada West third place - unless Alberta wins third place game)
#7 OUA runner-up
#8 Quebec
would set up the following first round matchups:
Carleton vs. Quebec winner
Canada West vs. OUA runner-up
AUS winner vs. Wild Card (if it is CW third place)
Canada West runner-up vs. AUS runner-up
Semis:
Carleton/Quebec vs. CW runner-up/AUS runner-up
Canada West champ /OUA runner-up vs. AUS winner/CW third place
If Carleton loses OUA semi-final,
#1 Canada West winner
#2 Carleton (Wild Card)
#3 AUS winner
#4 Canada West runner-up
#5 AUS finalist
#6 OUA Champion
#7 Quebec
#8 OUA Third-place
In other words, if Carleton loses Friday to Laurier, they would not get an automatic bid and would still be the wild card and likely seeded #2. This scenario would result in 3 teams from the OUA, 2 teams from Canada West, 1 Quebec and 2 AUS.
If Carleton wins on Friday, the wild card should come from Canada West if either Saskatchewan, Trinity Western or UBC win the third place game. If Alberta wins the third place game, expect Canada West to not get the wild card berth and then the wild card would be up in the air for debate. This would be the most interesting scenario with possibilities including a third AUS team assuming Top 3 of CBU, Dal and X make the AUS semi-finals or Lakehead if they are defeated tomorrow night. Even then, the fourth-place finisher in the CW Final Four may have a case although with 2 losses at the most important point of the season it would be a difficult case. Thoughts are welcomed.
If Carleton wins OUA semi-final on Friday over Laurier,
#1 Carleton
#2 Canada West winner
#3 AUS winner
#4 Canada West runner-up
#5 AUS runner-up
#6 Wild card (Canada West third place - unless Alberta wins third place game)
#7 OUA runner-up
#8 Quebec
would set up the following first round matchups:
Carleton vs. Quebec winner
Canada West vs. OUA runner-up
AUS winner vs. Wild Card (if it is CW third place)
Canada West runner-up vs. AUS runner-up
Semis:
Carleton/Quebec vs. CW runner-up/AUS runner-up
Canada West champ /OUA runner-up vs. AUS winner/CW third place
If Carleton loses OUA semi-final,
#1 Canada West winner
#2 Carleton (Wild Card)
#3 AUS winner
#4 Canada West runner-up
#5 AUS finalist
#6 OUA Champion
#7 Quebec
#8 OUA Third-place
In other words, if Carleton loses Friday to Laurier, they would not get an automatic bid and would still be the wild card and likely seeded #2. This scenario would result in 3 teams from the OUA, 2 teams from Canada West, 1 Quebec and 2 AUS.
If Carleton wins on Friday, the wild card should come from Canada West if either Saskatchewan, Trinity Western or UBC win the third place game. If Alberta wins the third place game, expect Canada West to not get the wild card berth and then the wild card would be up in the air for debate. This would be the most interesting scenario with possibilities including a third AUS team assuming Top 3 of CBU, Dal and X make the AUS semi-finals or Lakehead if they are defeated tomorrow night. Even then, the fourth-place finisher in the CW Final Four may have a case although with 2 losses at the most important point of the season it would be a difficult case. Thoughts are welcomed.
Canada West Final Four on-line
Here is a Canada West Final Four preview from UBC Sports Info
All games are also available for viewing live online at SportsCanada.tv
All games are also available for viewing live online at SportsCanada.tv
OUA Post-Season Honours
To complete CISHoops.ca look at the top players in each conference, we present the OUA East and West today. The most exciting team was the OUA East All-Freshman team which in any other year could have had each of the top 4 choices as winners. Carleton's Phil Scrubb, who was a 28+ minute per game player and a key decision maker offensively, was my choice but as mentioned in any other season Ottawa's Johnny Berhanemeskel, who broke several rookie three-point shooting records and Ryerson's slick Jahmal Jones, who forms the foundation of the Rams future at point guard could also have easily won this award in any other year. 6'3" Jordan Gauthier did not have the high-end season that the other 3 in the East had yet is talented enough and had several big games that in any other season would put him in the running. All in all, the future of the OUA East at the top looks promising - it will be required to alleviate the poor overall record the East had vs. OUA West this season.
OUA East
First Team All-Stars
Tyson Hinz, Carleton (Player-of-the-Year) - best overall player on the #1 undefeated team
Warren Ward, Ottawa - injury-plagued first half but several big second games in Gee-Gees resurgence
Phil Scrubb, Carleton - became primary decision maker for #1 team as a freshman
Johnny Berhanemeskel, Ottawa - one of the better offensive production seasons by a freshman ever
Andrew Wasik, Toronto - toughest, overachieving player on arguably Canada's most overachieving team
Second Team All-Stars
Jahmal Jones, Ryerson - any other year he is league's top rookie and 1st teamer as a freshman
Dejan Kravic, York - double/double machine who scores, rebounds and blocks shots, Lions wilted without him
David Tyndale, York - very good numbers and di
Drazen Glizic, Toronto - underrated glue guy; Blues struggled during his absence when injured
Cole Hobin, Carleton - changed games with his defense, locking down virtually any opponent he guarded
All-Rookie Team
Phil Scrubb, Carleton (Rookie-of-the-Year)
Johnny Berhanemeskel, Ottawa
Jahmal Jones, Ryerson
Jordan Gauthier, Ryerson
Shavaan Sheldon, Laurentian
OUA West
First Team All-Stars
Isaac Kuon, Windsor (Player-of-the-Year) - fine sometimes dominating fifth season at both ends of the floor
Kale Harrison, Laurier - shook off last season to become one of league's top offensive threats
Andrew Wedemire, Western - another top-of-the-league performance
Jamie Searle, Lakehead - leader and best scorer on division's #1 team
Maxwell Allin, Laurier - emerged as a future AC candidate as a point forward
Second Team All-Stars
Lien Phillip, Windsor - athletic, above-the-rim talent inside for Lancers
Venzal Russell, Lakehead - another strong element in a deep, versatile Thunderwolves lineup
Kenan Etale, McMaster - became Mac's best overall player down the stretch, scoring and defending
Mike Petrella, Guelph - probably surprising however was glue through tough times on an unlikely playoff team (with all due respect to Dan McCarthy who also had a tremendous season)
Cam Michaud, McMaster - very good, sound forward
All-Rookie Team
Patrick Donnelly, Laurier (Rookie-of-the-Year)
Peter Scholtes, Western
Jamar Forde, Laurier
Taylor Black, McMaster
Cedric Kasango, Brock
Defensive Player-of-the-Year
Cole Hobin, Carleton (OUA East)
Greg Carter, Lakehead (OUA West)
Quick note to let you know that all 3 games of the OUA Final Four will be webcast on The Score right off their home page
.
OUA East
First Team All-Stars
Tyson Hinz, Carleton (Player-of-the-Year) - best overall player on the #1 undefeated team
Warren Ward, Ottawa - injury-plagued first half but several big second games in Gee-Gees resurgence
Phil Scrubb, Carleton - became primary decision maker for #1 team as a freshman
Johnny Berhanemeskel, Ottawa - one of the better offensive production seasons by a freshman ever
Andrew Wasik, Toronto - toughest, overachieving player on arguably Canada's most overachieving team
Second Team All-Stars
Jahmal Jones, Ryerson - any other year he is league's top rookie and 1st teamer as a freshman
Dejan Kravic, York - double/double machine who scores, rebounds and blocks shots, Lions wilted without him
David Tyndale, York - very good numbers and di
Drazen Glizic, Toronto - underrated glue guy; Blues struggled during his absence when injured
Cole Hobin, Carleton - changed games with his defense, locking down virtually any opponent he guarded
All-Rookie Team
Phil Scrubb, Carleton (Rookie-of-the-Year)
Johnny Berhanemeskel, Ottawa
Jahmal Jones, Ryerson
Jordan Gauthier, Ryerson
Shavaan Sheldon, Laurentian
OUA West
First Team All-Stars
Isaac Kuon, Windsor (Player-of-the-Year) - fine sometimes dominating fifth season at both ends of the floor
Kale Harrison, Laurier - shook off last season to become one of league's top offensive threats
Andrew Wedemire, Western - another top-of-the-league performance
Jamie Searle, Lakehead - leader and best scorer on division's #1 team
Maxwell Allin, Laurier - emerged as a future AC candidate as a point forward
Second Team All-Stars
Lien Phillip, Windsor - athletic, above-the-rim talent inside for Lancers
Venzal Russell, Lakehead - another strong element in a deep, versatile Thunderwolves lineup
Kenan Etale, McMaster - became Mac's best overall player down the stretch, scoring and defending
Mike Petrella, Guelph - probably surprising however was glue through tough times on an unlikely playoff team (with all due respect to Dan McCarthy who also had a tremendous season)
Cam Michaud, McMaster - very good, sound forward
All-Rookie Team
Patrick Donnelly, Laurier (Rookie-of-the-Year)
Peter Scholtes, Western
Jamar Forde, Laurier
Taylor Black, McMaster
Cedric Kasango, Brock
Defensive Player-of-the-Year
Cole Hobin, Carleton (OUA East)
Greg Carter, Lakehead (OUA West)
Quick note to let you know that all 3 games of the OUA Final Four will be webcast on The Score right off their home page
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Articles
Christine Rivet of Waterloo Record It's showtime for the Golden Hawks
Darren Zary of Saskatoon Star-Phoenix on Huskies at CW championships plus Jamelle Barrett article
Netnewledger on Lakehead vs. Ottawa
Gary Kingston of the Vancouver Sun T-Birds shift focus to CIS title
John Matisz of Brock Press dissects Badgers season that was
Brunswickan previews UNB at AUS championships also Bill McLean's UNB Varsity Reds team profile for AUS championships
Spartans off to Final Four
Darren Zary of Saskatoon Star-Phoenix on Huskies at CW championships plus Jamelle Barrett article
Netnewledger on Lakehead vs. Ottawa
Gary Kingston of the Vancouver Sun T-Birds shift focus to CIS title
John Matisz of Brock Press dissects Badgers season that was
Brunswickan previews UNB at AUS championships also Bill McLean's UNB Varsity Reds team profile for AUS championships
Spartans off to Final Four
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
Subway AUS Championships: Saint Mary's Huskies Profile
Bill McLean has what looks to be the first of a multi-piece preview of the AUS championships on his site. Today's preview is the Saint Mary's Huskies and their record setting guard Joey Haywood.
Saint Mary's Huskies article
Sportstream.ca is the official webcaster of the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships. Our coverage begins on Friday night at 6:00 AT and goes until the final buzzer on Championship Sunday. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_
Saint Mary's Huskies article
Sportstream.ca is the official webcaster of the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championships. Our coverage begins on Friday night at 6:00 AT and goes until the final buzzer on Championship Sunday. Follow us on twitter @_sportstream_
Wayne Thomas "Comprehensive" CW Final Four Preview
Birds Look to Buck Trend
The UBC T-Birds may be excused from thinking deja vu as they get set to host the Canada West Final 4 at the venerable War Memorial Gym. For the last 3 years, UBC has had the same home court advantage, and each year, they have seen another team lift the hardware and wave the banner.
...Read More
The UBC T-Birds may be excused from thinking deja vu as they get set to host the Canada West Final 4 at the venerable War Memorial Gym. For the last 3 years, UBC has had the same home court advantage, and each year, they have seen another team lift the hardware and wave the banner.
...Read More
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
Concordia 89, UQAM 74
Trailing by 5 late in the third quarter, the Stingers put in gear one of their patented uber-runs keyed off their full-court aggressive defense, scoring 8 points in a matter of 10 seconds - 6 by 6'3" Evens Laroche from the top of the press - near the end of the quarter to take the lead and then completely took the life out of the Citadins in the fourth as 6'2" Kyle Desmarais and Laroche dominated to win going away in a game that was much closer for the majority of the game than the score indicates. Desmarais was the offensive hero for the Stingers with 26 points, 7 assists and 5 steals and Laroche had 25 with 11 rebounds.
Through much of the middle two quarters, UQAM controlled the paint, did their usual strong work on the offensive glass and generally handled Concordia's pressure - limiting Stingers transition to lead comfortably in the third quarter. Citadins pair of freshmen forwards 6'5" Alexandre Bernard (16 points, 7 rebounds) and 6'7" Vincent Lanctot-Fortier had their way inside in spurts and, after a tough start, UQAM guards were able to handle and pass through the press until the final minutes of the third when things came apart completely for UQAM.
After falling behind in the first quarter to a well-motivated and energtic Stinger group, Citadins used a 15-2 run midway through the second quarter primarily by getting inside and exposing the Stingers bigs inability to control the defensive glass. UQAM was able to prevent Stinger run-outs and Concordia's half-court offense stalled, included 5 Stinger turnovers. Citadins held comfortable leads for the final minutes of the half and led 42-37 at the break, holding Concordia to only 12 second quarter points.
Earlier, the Citadins were able to withstand Concordia's initial first quarter emotionally-charged start bouyed by their full-court pressure which created 5 turnovers and a 2/3 zone in the tight confines of the Concordia Gym. Still, UQAM trailed by only 4 after one after Bernard slammed home a nice high/low feed from fellow freshman Lanctot-Fortier. Desmarais and 6'5" Jamie Clark (8 first quarter points, 19 for the game) both had nice starts for Concordia.
Both Krah and 6'6" Zack Brisebois picked up four fouls by late in the third but Krah played through much of it, making a couple of big threes to help Stingers pull away. Gregory Saint-Amand finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds for UQAM.
Concordia hosts Laval on Friday night for the QUBL championship with the winner representing the conference at the CIS Final Eight.
Box Score
Through much of the middle two quarters, UQAM controlled the paint, did their usual strong work on the offensive glass and generally handled Concordia's pressure - limiting Stingers transition to lead comfortably in the third quarter. Citadins pair of freshmen forwards 6'5" Alexandre Bernard (16 points, 7 rebounds) and 6'7" Vincent Lanctot-Fortier had their way inside in spurts and, after a tough start, UQAM guards were able to handle and pass through the press until the final minutes of the third when things came apart completely for UQAM.
After falling behind in the first quarter to a well-motivated and energtic Stinger group, Citadins used a 15-2 run midway through the second quarter primarily by getting inside and exposing the Stingers bigs inability to control the defensive glass. UQAM was able to prevent Stinger run-outs and Concordia's half-court offense stalled, included 5 Stinger turnovers. Citadins held comfortable leads for the final minutes of the half and led 42-37 at the break, holding Concordia to only 12 second quarter points.
Earlier, the Citadins were able to withstand Concordia's initial first quarter emotionally-charged start bouyed by their full-court pressure which created 5 turnovers and a 2/3 zone in the tight confines of the Concordia Gym. Still, UQAM trailed by only 4 after one after Bernard slammed home a nice high/low feed from fellow freshman Lanctot-Fortier. Desmarais and 6'5" Jamie Clark (8 first quarter points, 19 for the game) both had nice starts for Concordia.
Both Krah and 6'6" Zack Brisebois picked up four fouls by late in the third but Krah played through much of it, making a couple of big threes to help Stingers pull away. Gregory Saint-Amand finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds for UQAM.
Concordia hosts Laval on Friday night for the QUBL championship with the winner representing the conference at the CIS Final Eight.
Box Score
Laval 85, McGill 75
6'4" Jerome Turcotte had 31 points including several big 3's - part of an 11 for 18 effort by Laval as a team from behind the arc - when the Redmen made their one big run early in the fourth quarter as Rouge et Or won their QUBL semi-final at home before a near capacity crowd. Laval jumped on the Redmen early leading by 25 in the first half as McGill had all kinds of trouble scoring as 5'9" Olivier Bouchard struggled with only 2 first-half points. Down 19 midway through the third quarter, Bouchard knocked down a long 3 which started a 16-5 McGill run capped by three free throws from 6'3" freshman Simon Bibeau which got the game back to 8 at 67-59. But then Turcotte, who already had 22 points to that point in the game, really took over, making consecutive l o n g 3's with the shot clock winding down and then 6'3" J.F. Beaulieu-Mahieux got in the act with a dagger from 3 of his own, and Laval's lead was back up to 15 at 77-62. Beaulieu-Mahieux finished with 19 points while 7'0" center Kevin Crevant was very effective at both ends, finishing with 15 points. 6'5" fifth-year senior Michael White led McGill with 18 points including 3-5 3's in a valiant effort in the final game of his career. Laval travels to Montreal to face Concordia in the QUBL championship game on Friday night.
Box Score
Box Score
CIS Blackberry Top 10 for 1 March 2011
Some may have noticed that once the post-season hit, this site stopped publishing our Top 10. In my opinion, once the post-season begins, the list loses importance and relevance. The CIS has published a list today that includes a team that is ranked but has been eliminated (Windsor) - and eliminated by a team (Laurier) that is only given honourable mention. I am a proponent of suspending Top 10 rankings once playoffs begin. As well, calling these the "final rankings" is a bit of a miscast - final rankings are best represented after the CIS Final 8 championship tournament in my opinion.
MEN'S BASKETBALL (final rankings)
(regular season record) / votes (first-place votes) / (previous rankings)
1. Carleton (22-0 / 1-0 playoffs) / 468 pts (39) / (1)
2. UBC (22-2 / 2-0 playoffs) / 429 / (2)
3. Saskatchewan (20-4 / 2-0 playoffs) / 383 / (3)
4. Trinity Western (21-3 / 2-1 playoffs) / 327 / (4)
5. Cape Breton (19-1) / 318 / (5)
6. Lakehead (17-5 / 1-0 playoffs) / 253 / (7)
7. StFX (15-5) / 243 / (6)
8. Dalhousie (14-6) / 182 / (9)
9. Concordia (12-4) / 148 / (10)
10. Windsor (16-6 / 0-1 playoffs) / 77 / (8)
Other teams receiving votes: Laval (69), Wilfrid Laurier (60), Alberta (46).
MEN'S BASKETBALL (final rankings)
(regular season record) / votes (first-place votes) / (previous rankings)
1. Carleton (22-0 / 1-0 playoffs) / 468 pts (39) / (1)
2. UBC (22-2 / 2-0 playoffs) / 429 / (2)
3. Saskatchewan (20-4 / 2-0 playoffs) / 383 / (3)
4. Trinity Western (21-3 / 2-1 playoffs) / 327 / (4)
5. Cape Breton (19-1) / 318 / (5)
6. Lakehead (17-5 / 1-0 playoffs) / 253 / (7)
7. StFX (15-5) / 243 / (6)
8. Dalhousie (14-6) / 182 / (9)
9. Concordia (12-4) / 148 / (10)
10. Windsor (16-6 / 0-1 playoffs) / 77 / (8)
Other teams receiving votes: Laval (69), Wilfrid Laurier (60), Alberta (46).
The Varsity on OUA's new Final Four format
U of T's campus newspaper has a comprehensive piece on the new format
QUBL Season Honours Announced
Randy Phillips of the Montreal Gazette provides the details in this morning's piece Desmarais shares award
Note that two freshmen: UQAM's Alexandre Bernard (Rookie-of-the-Year) and McGill's Simon Bibeau, were named as second team all-stars.
Note that two freshmen: UQAM's Alexandre Bernard (Rookie-of-the-Year) and McGill's Simon Bibeau, were named as second team all-stars.
QUBL semi-finals: Can Stingers remain unbeaten against UQAM ?
One of the unique qualities about QUBL play is that teams play alot of games against each other (4 regular season games vs. each team in the conference), which over time can heighten the hostility between opponents. By the time playoffs role around, teams pretty much know what to expect. In the case of the QUBL semi-final tonight in Montreal between UQAM and Concordia, Stingers task is to defeat the Citadins for the 5th consecutive time this season. But don't let the 4-0 record be overly misleading, Concordia trailed at the half in every game and at least twice needed fourth quarter rallies to win games - so these teams are much closer matched than the record indicates. 6'2" Kyle Desmarais averaged 23 ppg in his four games against UQAM and 6'5" James Clark was solid at 13 ppg. The Stingers were able to keep vaunted UQAM freshmen 6'6" Alexandre Bernard and 6'7" Vincent Lanctot-Fortier in relative check while veterans Greg Saint-Amand and Eric Cote led the way. Expect both teams to press and run when possible in a game in which athleticism and attacking the rim should be highlighted. It may be a simple analysis, but expect the team that makes the most perimeter shots to triumph. Game is scheduled to be on SSN Canada from the Concordia gym.
In Ste. Foy, the surprising McGill Redmen, who in the end were a final second meltdown at home vs. Concordia away from finishing first in the "Q", look for the upset over Laval, which had an indifferent finish to the season at 4-4 after jumping out to a 7-1 league start. After playing injured in the first meeting between the two teams, Laval's 6'3" fifth-year senior J.F. Beaulieu-Mahieux averaged over 25 ppg in the last 3 meetings including a 33 point explosion when the Redmen won their only game of the four game series at home. The scrappy Redmen appeared to be buried in both regular season games at Laval but staged fourth quarter comebacks to lose by 1 and by 6 before finally winning at home as Olivier Bouchard had 21 points. Given Laval's fourth and fifth year laden group and how well Rouge et Or shoot it at home, a McGill win tonight would be regarded as a solid upset. Game is available on Rouge et Or TV.
Both games are scheduled for 7 PM this evening.
In Ste. Foy, the surprising McGill Redmen, who in the end were a final second meltdown at home vs. Concordia away from finishing first in the "Q", look for the upset over Laval, which had an indifferent finish to the season at 4-4 after jumping out to a 7-1 league start. After playing injured in the first meeting between the two teams, Laval's 6'3" fifth-year senior J.F. Beaulieu-Mahieux averaged over 25 ppg in the last 3 meetings including a 33 point explosion when the Redmen won their only game of the four game series at home. The scrappy Redmen appeared to be buried in both regular season games at Laval but staged fourth quarter comebacks to lose by 1 and by 6 before finally winning at home as Olivier Bouchard had 21 points. Given Laval's fourth and fifth year laden group and how well Rouge et Or shoot it at home, a McGill win tonight would be regarded as a solid upset. Game is available on Rouge et Or TV.
Both games are scheduled for 7 PM this evening.
Monday, 28 February 2011
Monday Articles
Gary Kingston of Vancouver Sun with Close shave for Doerksen en route to Final Four
Monty Mosher of Halifax Chronicle-Herald Axemen clinch AUS playoff spot
Battle of the Birds from the Waterloo Record
Darren Zary of Saskatoon Star-Phoenix Dogs on board for Final Four
Monty Mosher of Halifax Chronicle-Herald Axemen clinch AUS playoff spot
Battle of the Birds from the Waterloo Record
Darren Zary of Saskatoon Star-Phoenix Dogs on board for Final Four
Sunday, 27 February 2011
18 Teams Remain in the hunt
The two biggest weeks of CIS basketball play commence on Tuesday with the QUBL semi-finals with another important weekend coming in which all 4 conference champions will be crowned. Eighteen teams remain as of tonight and early Saturday morning (after Friday night's games), we will know the first 5 teams to qualify for the Nationals and on Saturday teams 6 & 7 will be known. Sunday night the CIS will announce the wild card team, seedings and draw for the Final Eight which begins a week from Friday in Halifax. This week's schedule:
Tuesday, March 1st
7 PM ET UQAM at Concordia (QUBL semi-final)
7 PM ET McGill at Laval (QUBL semi-final)
Friday, March 4th (BOLD game winners qualify for Nationals)
5 PM ET (6 PM AT) Acadia vs. UNB (AUS Tournament Quarter-Final at Halifax Metro Center)
6 PM ET Ottawa vs. Lakehead (OUA semi-final at McMaster University)
7 PM ET QUBL Championship game (teams/site to be determined)
7:15 PM ET (8:15 PM AT) St. FX vs. Saint Mary's (AUS Tournament Quarter-Final at Halifax Metro Center)
8 PM ET Laurier vs. Carleton (OUA semi-final at McMaster University)
10 PM ET (7 PM PT) Alberta at UBC (Canada West semi-final at UBC)
Midnight ET (9 PM PT) Trinity Western vs. Saskatchewan (Canada West semi-final at UBC)
Saturday, March 5th
5 PM ET (6 PM AT) tbd vs. Cape Breton (AUS Tournament Quarter-Final at Halifax Metro Center)
7:15 PM ET (8:15 PM AT) tbd vs. Dalhousie (AUS Tournament Quarter-Final at Halifax Metro Center)
8 PM ET tbd (OUA Wilson Cup championship game at McMaster University)
10 PM ET (7 PM PT) tbd (Canada West third place game at UBC)
Midnight ET (9 PM PT) tbd (Canada West championship game at UBC)
Sunday, March 6th
2 PM AT (1 PM ET) AUS Championship game at Halifax Metro Center.
Tuesday, March 1st
7 PM ET UQAM at Concordia (QUBL semi-final)
7 PM ET McGill at Laval (QUBL semi-final)
Friday, March 4th (BOLD game winners qualify for Nationals)
5 PM ET (6 PM AT) Acadia vs. UNB (AUS Tournament Quarter-Final at Halifax Metro Center)
6 PM ET Ottawa vs. Lakehead (OUA semi-final at McMaster University)
7 PM ET QUBL Championship game (teams/site to be determined)
7:15 PM ET (8:15 PM AT) St. FX vs. Saint Mary's (AUS Tournament Quarter-Final at Halifax Metro Center)
8 PM ET Laurier vs. Carleton (OUA semi-final at McMaster University)
10 PM ET (7 PM PT) Alberta at UBC (Canada West semi-final at UBC)
Midnight ET (9 PM PT) Trinity Western vs. Saskatchewan (Canada West semi-final at UBC)
Saturday, March 5th
5 PM ET (6 PM AT) tbd vs. Cape Breton (AUS Tournament Quarter-Final at Halifax Metro Center)
7:15 PM ET (8:15 PM AT) tbd vs. Dalhousie (AUS Tournament Quarter-Final at Halifax Metro Center)
8 PM ET tbd (OUA Wilson Cup championship game at McMaster University)
10 PM ET (7 PM PT) tbd (Canada West third place game at UBC)
Midnight ET (9 PM PT) tbd (Canada West championship game at UBC)
Sunday, March 6th
2 PM AT (1 PM ET) AUS Championship game at Halifax Metro Center.
CIS Hoops.ca QUBL Honours Teams
It was a three-team race for first place until late in the season in the "Q" with McGill Redmen, slated by many to battle for a playoff spot in the pre-season given the large roster turnover including the loss of QUBL POY Matt Thornhill, finally bowing out of the race for top spot last weekend when Concordia's Decee Krah hit a pair of late 3's helping the Stingers steal a game with an incredible comeback win. A loss at last place Bishop's on the same night by Laval Rouge et Or, who had led the standings for much of the year, sealed their fate, allowing Concordia to go from worst-to-first. The bulk of the Stingers rotation was there last season with one exception: 6'2" Kyle Desmarais. Desmarais provides Concordia with an athletic ball-handling guard with the underrated value in his game being at the defensive end. Although he slowed down numbers wise toward the end of the season, as legendary Jersey City St. Anthony high school coach Bob Hurley says "Point guards are ultimately judged by one thing: winning". And the difference between last season's Stingers and this season's was Desmarais - for this reason, he is the CIS Hoops.ca QUBL Player of the Year.
QUBL First Team All-Stars
Kyle Desmarais, Concordia
J.F. Beaulieu-Mahieux, Laval
Jerome Turcotte, Laval
Olivier Bouchard, McGill
Decee Krah, Concordia
QUBL Second Team All-Stars
Eric Cote, UQAM
Gregory Saint-Amand, UQAM
Etienne Labrecque, Laval
James Clark, Concordia
Simon Bibeau, McGill
All-Freshman Team
Simon Bibeau, McGill
Alexandre Bernard, UQAM
Vincent Lanctot-Fortier, UQAM
Zack Brisebois, Concordia
Karim Sy-Morissette, McGill
injured but deserves mention Hugues Ryan, Laval
- the all-freshman team selection was very close in my mind especially with Bibeau hitting a wall in January after a terrific start. Bernard burst on the QUBL scene with his length and athleticism, authoring several spectacular dunks and acrobatic finishes that made him the most exciting rookie and a future force in the Q. Lanctot-Fortier was steady and solid inside and around the paint and his strength and skill will allow the Citadins to pound the ball inside as his career evolves. Ryan had arguably the best start of any of the rookies. However, each of the other candidates was not given the feature roll offensively like Bibeau was - given McGill's roster turnover and lack of dependable veteran scoring, Bibeau was asked to shoulder a big load. As a result, teams began preparing for and scheming to stop him - all other candidates were on rosters with multiple veteran stars who were feature guys - despite the average finish Bibeau still led all freshman with 13.1 ppg. For these reasons, Bibeau is my top choice for QUBL Freshman of the Year.
QUBL Playoffs begin this TUESDAY (we earlier said Wednesday) with the semi-finals:
7 PM ET UQAM at Concordia on SSN Canada
7 PM ET McGill at Laval Rouge et Or TV
We plan to have previews of both games in time for Tuesday morning.
Championship game goes Friday night at the home of the highest seed, also at 7 PM.
QUBL First Team All-Stars
Kyle Desmarais, Concordia
J.F. Beaulieu-Mahieux, Laval
Jerome Turcotte, Laval
Olivier Bouchard, McGill
Decee Krah, Concordia
QUBL Second Team All-Stars
Eric Cote, UQAM
Gregory Saint-Amand, UQAM
Etienne Labrecque, Laval
James Clark, Concordia
Simon Bibeau, McGill
All-Freshman Team
Simon Bibeau, McGill
Alexandre Bernard, UQAM
Vincent Lanctot-Fortier, UQAM
Zack Brisebois, Concordia
Karim Sy-Morissette, McGill
injured but deserves mention Hugues Ryan, Laval
- the all-freshman team selection was very close in my mind especially with Bibeau hitting a wall in January after a terrific start. Bernard burst on the QUBL scene with his length and athleticism, authoring several spectacular dunks and acrobatic finishes that made him the most exciting rookie and a future force in the Q. Lanctot-Fortier was steady and solid inside and around the paint and his strength and skill will allow the Citadins to pound the ball inside as his career evolves. Ryan had arguably the best start of any of the rookies. However, each of the other candidates was not given the feature roll offensively like Bibeau was - given McGill's roster turnover and lack of dependable veteran scoring, Bibeau was asked to shoulder a big load. As a result, teams began preparing for and scheming to stop him - all other candidates were on rosters with multiple veteran stars who were feature guys - despite the average finish Bibeau still led all freshman with 13.1 ppg. For these reasons, Bibeau is my top choice for QUBL Freshman of the Year.
QUBL Playoffs begin this TUESDAY (we earlier said Wednesday) with the semi-finals:
7 PM ET UQAM at Concordia on SSN Canada
7 PM ET McGill at Laval Rouge et Or TV
We plan to have previews of both games in time for Tuesday morning.
Championship game goes Friday night at the home of the highest seed, also at 7 PM.
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