| (1) | McMaster | 77 | ||||||
| (8) | Bishop’s | 71 | McMaster | 84 | ||||
| (4) | Laurentian | 90 | Laurentian | 79 | McMaster | 73 | ||
| (5) | St. F.X. | 81 | ||||||
| (2) | Victoria | 72 | —–VICTORIA | |||||
| (7) | Guelph | 69 | Victoria | 83 | Victoria | 84 | ||
| (3) | Brandon | 83 | Brandon | 63 | ||||
| (6) | Toronto | 76 |
Wild cards went to Toronto and Guelph over Memorial, the regular season (16-4) AUAA champs, U.B.C., fifth ranked in the RPI which took Vic to a third game in the CWUAA playoffs, beat #7 Guelph by 12, #6 Toronto by 16 and #3 Brandon by 6; Regina, Lethbridge and Dalhousie. Memorial coach Glenn Taylor filed a letter of protest with the CIAU, which was, of course, dutifully noted and ignored, as is wont by the CIS. “I feel we’ve been slapped in the face,” Taylor told the Toronto Globe & Mail. “I’m very disillusioned. To me it just sounds like Ontario whining that they want teams to compete in this, and I know that they’ve done it for years.” Guelph had defeated Memorial 85-58 in non-conference play early in the season. CIS executive vice-president Mark Lowry noted he was upset about the wild card controversy and the process should be abolished. “I think they should throw them out. So long as we have wild cards, I believe that the acrimony and the difficulty that we are seeing …will only continue.” Yet, critics countered that given the disparity in league size, eliminating wildcards really wasn’t feasible. So apparently, was expanding the tournament.
In the quarterfinals, 3rd-seeded Brandon defeated 6th-seeded Toronto 83-76. Asked after the game if his defending champions are disciplined, Bobcats coach Jerry Hemmings fumed that “we’ve won four national championships. There’s a real misconception in this country and that is, if you have a majority of kids who are black, they can’t play disciplined basketball.” Hemmings dismissed suggestions his squad is playground open-court basketball as shortsighted and even racists. “It’s something we’ve had to address pretty well every year. I think sometimes players feel maybe they don’t get the respect they deserve.” Toronto led early but Brandon quickly took command and led 38-32 at the half. Brandon opened the second half with a 9-2 run and never looked back. A slam dunk by Demetrius Floyd gave Brandon a 13-point lead two minutes into the second half and then a pair of threes by Lovelace made it 61-48 midway through the half before three-pointers by Jason Gopaul and Reid Beckett cut the lead to 70-64 with five minutes to play. Jason Dressler was hot in the first half, rallying Toronto within two late in the half before Brandon pulled ahead by six. But he cooled off in the second. He cooled off in the second half but Eddy Megeurian picked up the slack. He scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half, including a last minute three with only three seconds left to play. A Vidac Curic jumper made it 78-73 with 38 seconds to play but Toronto drew no closer. “We bent some but never game in to them,” Hemmings said. “Jason Dressler gave us all kinds of problems in the first half. …Our defence looked like a UFO out there – I didn’t know if it existed or not.” The Bobcats dominated the perimeter, including four three-pointers by Richard Lovelace in the second half. They hit 9-17 from beyond the arc, while Toronto was 4-21. Toronto had no answer for the Bobcats inside-outside duo of Shawn Gray and Richard Lovelace. Lovelace, chosen player of the game for the Bobcats, led Brandon with 23 points and seven boards. Shawn Gray scored 21 and grabbed 7 boards. Roger Martin scored 15 and Demetrius Floyd 15. “We were a little disappointed (Gray) didn’t make all-Canadian,” Hemmings said. “He wanted to step up and prove today that he belongs up there as much as anyone.” Jason Dressler led Toronto with 28 points and 9 boards. All-Canadian Eddy Meguerian scored 19 and had 10 assists. Vidak Curic scored 8, including six in the last two minutes. “We were pretty flat,” said Toronto coach Ken Olynyk. “Our shooters didn’t put the ball in the basket. … We didn’t play with the fire and intensity that we normally play with. …Our shooters didn’t put the ball in the basket.” Jason Dressler noted that “perhaps we could have played the post a little better.”
The 2nd-seeded Victoria Vikings defeated the 7th-seeded Guelph 72-69 as guard Aaron Olson (who later transferred to Eastern Washington) hit 6-14 from the floor to lead all scorers with 18 points. But a controversial last second block by all-Canadian Eric Hinrichsen proved the difference in the affair. Guelph obtained possession with 35.4 seconds to play on an offensive foul. They ran down the shot clock before Antigonish, Nova Scotia-native Geoff MacNeil drove for a layup and Hinrichsen swatted it away. Patrick Cannon drove the length of the court for the final hoop. Guelph coach Tim Darling suggested Hinrichsen slapped the ball on its downward flight. “There seemed to be a lot of oohs and aahs and it wasn’t because some pretty girl walked across the court. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think it was a goaltend.” Victoria coach Guy Vetrie begged to differ. “Not even close. I’ll say that with a straight face.” Victoria took an early 22-7 lead but Guelph rallied to a 39-34 lead at the break. The Vikes turned it on the second half as Guelph had difficulty hitting anything from the field early before rallying down the stretch. Olson was chosen player of the game for Victoria. Eric Hinrichsen added 13 points and 16 boards for Victoria. Seth Adler scored 16. Charles Yearwood, chosen player of the game for the Gryphons, scored 14 for Guelph, Collin Jones 13 and Paul Eldridge 11.
The 4th-seeded Laurentian Voyageurs defeated the 5th-seeded St. FX X-Men 90-81 as second-team All-Canadian Shawn Swords turned into a one-man wrecking crew, scoring 32 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals. The Ottawa-born Swords scored 26 in the second half as the Voyageurs overcame a 39-33 halftime deficit. St. FX came out strong with an eight-point run but the Voyageurs rallied back to a 10-9 lead. The teams traded the lead early before St. FX pulled ahead going into the break. Only a few points separated the teams early in the second half. When Laurentian ripped off a 14-0 run paced by Shawn Swords. His third three-pointer, with 10 minutes to play, followed by a pair of free throws, capped a 17-2 run and gave the Voyageurs a 64-50 lead. All hope of an X-men rally fell by the wayside when Fred Perry, Isaac King and Mike Clarke got into foul trouble. The X-Men hit four from beyond the arc in the final two minutes of play but it was too little, too late. “We stunk, we gave the ball away 30 times,” said X coach Steve Konchalski. “We didn’t adjust to them defensively. It was the worst half of basketball for us.” Konchalski said his X-men just couldn’t keep pace with the Voyageurs. Laurentian coach Peter Campbell said the fast tempo helped the Voyageurs. “It was great entertainment and good basketball on the floor.”
In the last quarterfinal, the top-seeded McMaster Marauders defeated the Bishop’s Gaiters 77-71 as all-Canadian Titus Channer scored 27 and handed out 12 assists and grabbed 7 boards. Bishop’s out-rebounded McMaster 49-27 but committed 29 turnovers to the Marauders’ 18. The Gaiters gave McMaster all they could handle. McMaster led 35-30 at the half, despite being badly out-rebounded. Channer nailed his first three six minutes into the game as McMaster inched ahead. Bishop’s forward Sam Rogers slammed dunk the ball four minutes into the half as Bishop’s cut the lead to four. But McMaster answered by stretching its lead to 10 as Channer and Shawn Francis took command and the Marauders withstood the Gaiters. Shawn Francis added 18 for McMaster. Vojo Rusic chipped in with 12. Francis is “an emotional player and we all feed off him” said Channer. “He gets everyone going.” Francis said the Marauders missed several opportunities. “I made a few mistakes. But I thought I was getting a few boards.” Raso wasn’t pleased with his squad’s boardwork. “We got beat up,” in being out-rebounded 49-27. “We were very happy with the score but they did a better job in rebounding.” Ottawa-born Stewart Clark led Bishop’s with 18 and 9 boards. Joel Sherbino came off the bench to score 13. Marauders coach Joe Raso noted that the Gaiters were a bigger challenge than expected. “The team we played was not an eighth-seeded team, and we had been told that. They had a very young team, a different team than last year.”
In the semi-finals, McMaster defeated Laurentian 84-79 as all-Canadian guard Titus Channer tossed in 37 points. Channer was 12-22 from the floor and 3-6 from the arc. Mac led 39-38 at the break and built a double-digit lead in the second half. But Laurentian hung in the game and kept it close down the stretch. “It was an incredible performance,” said Voyageurs coach Peter Campbell. “He came out and he proved he is one of the top players in the country. That’s what you want kids to do in the big time. He elevated his game.” All-Canadian Shawn Swords, playing most of the game with his right eye nearly swollen shut, led Laurentian with 16 points. Swords sank a pair of free throws with 15 seconds to play to pull Laurentian within 81-79. But Channer hit three free throws to ice the victory. “It feels great,” Channer said. “Down the stretch, I had to take control.” The two-time CIAU runner-up entered the final confident because of their experience. “This club is different,” said Raso. “This team’s probably got the most experience in tournament play and that’s maybe a key. We’ve got five players who’ve been here four times.” Channer scored his 37 on 12-22 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 10-12 from the line, 3 boards and 3 steals. Vojo Rusic added 13 on 4-10 from the floor, 5-6 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Shawn Francis added 8 on 4-7 from the floor, 0-3 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Kris Olauson added 8 on 3-4 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 2 boards and 5 assists. Doug Doyle scored 7 on 1-2 from the floor, 5-6 from the line and 7 boards. Gedis Dzieman added 4 on 1-3 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 7 boards. James Akrong notched 4 on 1-3 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 5 boards. Jamie Girolametto 3, while Jeremy Storry was scoreless. McMaster shot 27-54 from the floor, 6-11 (.545) from the arc and 24-32 (.750) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, 24 fouls, 14 assists, 18 turnovers, 1 block and 11 steals. Shawn Swords paced Laurentian with 16 on 5-16 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 5 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Ted Dongelmans added 15 on 5-6 from the floor, 5-5 from the line and 6 boards. Jason Hurley added 9 on 4-9 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 2 boards. Kevin Gordon scored 9 on 4-9 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 4 boards. Cory Bailey added 8 on 2-11 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3-8 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Roan Biggs notched 6 on 3-6 from the floor and 0-2 from the line. B.J. Henderson added 6 on 1-1 from the floor and 4-5 from the line. Adam Dusome scored 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards and 6 assists. Anthony Malcolm added 4 on 2-4 from the floor. Laurentian hit 28-68 (.412) from the floor, 4-20 from the arc and 19-30 (.633) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, 23 fouls, 15 assists, 13 turnovers, 1 block and 13 steals.
In the other semi-final, Victoria thrashed Brandon 83-63 as 6-8 forward Patrick Cannon scored 26 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished 4 assists and blocked 3 shots. Cannon and Eric Hinrichsen blocked seven shots in the first half and made life miserable for 6-7 Brandon forward Shawn Gray. “They played a heck of a game tonight,” said Victoria coach Guy Vetrie. “They’ve carried the weight up front all year.” Gray noted that he was double-teamed all year. “Last year, I had Euan Roberts and they had to watch him too. I was able to float around more.” Allister Willmott added 18 for Victoria, which led 34-24 at the half. They took their biggest lead at 67-46 on a Willmott free throw. Gray scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Brandon, while shooting 9-19 from the floor. But Demetrius Floyd was held to six points. The Bobcats shot .364 from the floor, while Victoria shot .464. Brandon was 11-21 from the line, while Victoria was 24-30. Cannon said he was fired-up because of the possibility it would be his last game. “When you think about that, you always seem to find that extra bit of energy. You know, I didn’t start the tournament with a bang and I wanted to help out Eric [Hinrichsen]. He can’t do it all himself. It’s not fair to him or to the team. So, I just wanted to come out and give it the hardest I could.” Victoria out-rebounded the athletic Bobcats 43-40, outshot them by 10 per cent from the field and made 13 more free-throws. But the biggest key was their defence. The Vikes’ halfcourt zone trap seemed to throw Brandon out of synch from the start and their mixture of man and zone defences off the press was stifling. The Vikes’ defence caused 20 turnovers and limited Brandon to just 24 first-half points. For a team that averaged 86.5 points during the playoffs, that was tough for the Bobcats to take. “That was probably one of the worst halves in our school’s history,” said fourth-year forward Shawn Gray, who was the only Bobcat to put up any numbers, scoring 21 points and adding 10 rebounds, five assists and six steals. While Gray had a good game, Brandon’s other chief threat, Richard Lovelace, was shut down. After canning four threes in a 23-point performance against Toronto on Friday, Lovelace didn’t get a decent look from the Vikes’ defence all game and finished a miserable 1-12 from the field. Uvic began to salt the game away with an 8-0 run at the end of the first half that gave them a 34-24 margin heading into the dressing room. On its first two possessions of the second half, the Bobcats worked the ball nicely inside to Gray for scores, but the Vikes answered with back-to-back threes by Cannon and Aaron Olson. Combined with their spurt at the end of the first half, the Vikes put together a cumulative 19-4 run that killed the Cats. “Their big kids were very strong and they just got strong all- around performances from all their players,” said Brandon coach Jerry Hemmings. “We struggled to get anything going.” Hinrichsen, the CIAU’s outstanding player, turned some heads with his rock-solid 18-point, 13-rebound, three-assist, four-block outing. Sophomore point guard Ali Wilmott added 18 points, five assists and four steals. Everybody else who played contributed, too, including reserve guard Matt Loveless, who hit a huge three with the shot clock expiring to begin Uvic’s decisive first-half run. Vikes head coach Guy Vetrie was all smiles. “I think we showed a lot of poise in the opening minutes… But I think we also carried it through this time and that gave us a lot of confidence in the second half.”
In the final, Victoria captured its first title since its string of seven crowns ending in 1986 as they defeated the McMaster Marauders – Buffalo Bills of the CIAU – 84-73. McMaster let a six-point halftime lead slip away in their bid for their first national crown. McMaster went on a 10-1 run to close out the first half with a 48-42 lead. “We went into the locker room and we said to each other: ‘we’re only down six. We’ve been down six before,” said Viking Seth Adler. Vikings coach Guy Vetrie said his team had considerable experience in engineering comebacks. “There was a span there where we went through seven games in a row where we down at halftime. So, we’ve been there before. At halftime, they were upset with the way they’d played. But they knew they had another 20 minutes. Victoria came out strong in the second half, closing the gap on consecutive jumpers by Patrick Cannon. Hinrichsen tied it at 53 with a three-point play four minutes into the frame and Aaron Olson put the Vikes ahead for good at 55-54. The Marauders could get no closer than four before 6-8 starter James Akrong fouled out with seven minutes to play and the game began slipping away from McMaster. Hinrichsen dropped a free throw to give Victoria a 72-64 lead with five minutes to play. McMaster went on a final 9-4 run to close within three with 2:41 to play but missed two chances to tie the game at 76. Victoria led by three in the final minute of play, when Seth Adler hit a baseline jumper to ice the win, which was sealed by a Vikings parade to the foul line. With Adler’s jumper, “we kind of felt it,” said McMaster’s Titus Channer. “Actually, we couldn’t believe it when the shot went in. It was ‘oh no, there it goes’. Until then we had a chance.” The Vikings defence played a significant role in the victory as Hinrichsen shut down the Marauders in the paint and dominated the boards. Meanwhile, 6-1 guard Donnie Fitzpatrick contained all-Canadian Titus Channer to his lowest point total of the tournament. “Hinrichsen is a vacuum cleaner,” said McMaster coach Joe Raso. “I never felt we controlled them defensively. I thought Seth Adler made some key baskets down the stretch. In the end, the fouls really hurt us.” Hinrichsen said the Vikings maintained their poise. “We showed a lot of composure out there.” Hinrichsen scored 20 and grabbed 14 rebounds, while forcing Marauder big men James Akrong and Vojo Rusic to foul out. Adler scored 20 and Patrick Cannon 19. Don Fitzpatrick had four steals while playing tenacious defence against Channer, who was just 5-16 from the field. “They were able to penetrate on us,” said Channer. “That killed us. Once they did that and the ball went up, they got all the rebounds. They were switching on me. They played tough defence. I was tired in the second half. Everywhere I went, they were there.” Three-time national silver medalist Shawn Francis, who scored 22, grabbed 10 boards and handed out two assists, was disconsolate. “I came back thinking we should win the championship. But we just didn’t get it done. These were the best teams, the best competition. I just didn’t get it done.” Raso noted that “maybe we have to wait until next season for The Championship Season. This team should be very proud of what they have done. I have more chances but our seniors don’t. Shawn – he showed in the playoffs and in the tournament here why I call him Mr. March – Jamie Girolametto and Jeremy Storry are done. They have worked so hard.” Pat Cannon handed the McGee Trophy to Vetrie. “Here you go coach,” Cannon shouted in the excitement as his teammates pressed closer. “You earned this.” Vetrie was only too happy to oblige. He puckered his lips and planted a healthy kiss on the Trophy. It was Vetrie’s first crown, after following in the footsteps of legendary coach Ken Shields at the helm of the Vikings. “I’ll tell you one guy who is pretty darn happy about this right now,” Vetrie smiled. “And that’s Ken Shields. He called yesterday, after our win over Brandon, to congratulate us.” Guard Seth Adler said the Vikings knew they had a shot. “Quietly, in the back of our minds, the thought [of winning a national championship] was there. And every day in practice, it got closer to being a reality.” Cannon said Vetrie “has just made players on this team improve so much. “You can see it with me – I’m stepping outside now and hitting threes!” Hinrichsen added that “he’s a great coach. He’s done so much for the team and I don’t think he gets enough credit.” Hinrichsen added that “ever since I came to Uvic, I’ve dreamt of this – even before that. It’s just such a great feeling.” Hinrichsen came through with a dominating 20-point, 14-rebound effort. He played every single minute of the tournament and was an absolute rock inside as he wrapped up tournament MVP honors to conclude a near-perfect season. “I thought the difference today was, in the second half, they controlled the paint,” said McMaster coach Joe Raso, nodding toward Hinrichsen. “And we just committed a lot of fouls trying to deal with them in there. The other thing was Seth Adler. He just made some tough, tough buckets for them when it counted.” Indeed, Adler was everywhere for the Vikes in the second half. But none of his shots was as important as the circus, driving one-hander that he arced through the twine as he was soaring out of bounds over the baseline. That clutch bucket came with just 45 seconds left in regulation and stretched the Vikes’ lead from a dangerous three to a more comfortable five. It also knocked the wind out of the Marauders. “I just reacted,” said Adler of the key play. “That’s what it was. I went baseline, saw the shot was there and I hit it. And I’m glad I did.” The Marauders, obviously, didn’t feel the same way. “That was the turning point,” said McMaster star Titus Channer. “If he would have missed that shot, who knows?” Perhaps the biggest single factor in the hard-fought game, however, was the Vikes’ second-half defence. After allowing the Marauders a 48-42 lead in what was a track meet of a first half, Uvic made an impassioned commitment in the dressing room to clamp down defensively and to rebound during the final 20 minutes. They did just that, limiting the high-powered Marauders to 25 points in the second half, while at the same time making better offensive decisions themselves. Less than four minutes into the half, Uvic had pulled even and they would lead by as much as eight before weathering the final McMaster comeback attempt. Channer, a cat-quick, all-Canadian guard with an amazing shooting stroke, was limited to just six second-half points by Vikes’ tenacious guard Donnie Fitzpatrick. Channer was guarded so closely by Fitzpatrick that he thought he was being doubled. “I used a lot of my energy just to get open,” Channer said quietly, eying the Vikes’ victory celebration across the floor. “When I did get the ball, I didn’t have much left.” Eric Hinrichsen paced the Vikings with 20 points on 6-10 from the floor, 8-14 from the line, 14 boards and 2 assists. Seth Adler scored 20 on 7-10 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Patrick Cannon scored 19 on 5-6 from the floor, 3-3 from the arc, 6-8 from the line, 6 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Aaron Olson scored 11 on 5-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 0-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Don Fitzpatrick added 10 on 4-8 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 4 steals. Allister Willmot scored 2 on 1-6 from the floor, 2 boards and 4 assists. The Viking team was credit with 2 points, while Matt Loveless and Aaron Buckham were scoreless. The Vikings shot 29-51 (.569) from the floor, 6-13 (.462) from the arc and 20-32 (.625) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, 23 fouls, 15 assists, 23 turnovers, 1 block and 11 steals. Shawn Francis paced McMaster with 22 points on 9-21 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc 4-4 from the line, 10 boards and 2 assists. Titus Channer scored 20 on 5-16 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 9-12 from the line, 6 boards, 2 assists and 4 steals. Vojo Rusic scored 8 on 3-10 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Doug Doyle notched 8 on 3-10 from the floor. Gedis Dziemian scored 7 on 2-2 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 4 boards. James Akrong scored 6 on 2-3 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 4 boards. Jamie Girolametto scored 2, while Anthony Nichols, Kris Olauson, Patrick Sweeney, Jeremy Storry and Nick Rupcich were scoreless. The Marauders shot 25-69 (.362) from the floor, 1-14 (.071) from the arc and 22-27 (.815) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, 25 fouls, 10 assists, 14 turnovers and 9 steals.
In April/97, the CIAU relocated its head offices from Ottawa to Toronto. “We have to be in the face of corporate Canada,” outgoing CIAU president Elizabeth Hoffman said. With football revenues from the Vanier Cup declining, the 12-member board of directors said a “restructuring” will include the hiring of a CEO to replace Mark Lowry, executive vice-president.
The all-tourney team featured: MVP Eric Hinrichsen (Victoria); Shawn Swords (Laurentian); Shawn Gray (Brandon); Patrick Cannon (Victoria); Shawn Francis (McMaster) and Titus Channer (McMaster).
The co-bronze medalist Brandon Bobcats: Mark Pederson; Roger Martin; Jamie Blake; Jason Scott; Maurice Carter; Garfield Parke; Larry Dudevior; Trevor John; Greg Walker; Jacob Hall; Demetrious Floyd; Richard Lovelace; Donald Phillips; Shawn Gray; coach Jerry Hemmings
The co-bronze medalist Laurentian Voyageurs: Ted Dongelmans; Shawn Swords; Jason Hurley; Cory Bailey; Adam Dusome; Anthony Malcolm; Roan Biggs; Andre Hrvatin; B.J. Henderson; coach Peter Campbell
The silver medalist McMaster Marauders: Titus Channer; Jamie Girolametto; James Akrong; Shawn Francis; Vojo Rusic; Keegan Johnson; Doug Doyle; Nick Rupcich; Gedis Dzieman; Kris Olausson; Jeremy Storry; Pat Sweeney; Tony Nichols; coach Joe Raso
The champion University of Victoria Vikings: Eric Hinrichsen; Aaron Olson; Seth Adler; Allister Wilmott; Pat Cannon; Ralph Carter; Donald Fitzpatrick; Joel Neilson; Aaron Buckram; Colin Martin; Ole Schmidt; Matthew Coyne; Matthew Loveless; Tyler Bates; coach Guy Vetrie