REGULAR SEASON
| Alberta | 16-4 | 20-16 | Bob Bain | |||||
| Lethbridge | 14-6 | Gary Bowie | ||||||
| U.B.C. | 9-11 | 10-19 | Peter Mullins | |||||
| Victoria | 9-11 | Gary Taylor | ||||||
| Saskatchewan | 6-14 | 10-19 | Don Fry | |||||
| Calgary | 6-14 | 8-24 | Skip Morgan | |||||
No playoffs were held. Alberta took the title with a (16-4) record and advanced to the CIS play-in game against Lakehead. The Golden Bears were led by Wally Tollestrup. Brothers Phil and Tim Tollestrup toiled for the second-place Lethbridge Pronghorns. The Bears were coached by Bob Bain, who was replacing head coach Barry Mitchelson, who took a one-year sabbatical at Ohio State.
Non-medalist rosters:
Calgary Dinosaurs: Tom Bishop, Bob Herdman, Mike Horner, Brent Farch, Bill Lathrop, coach Skip Morgan
Saskatchewan Huskies: Brian Eger, Dean Faris, Doug Forsyth, Mike Harrington, Jim Herbison, Dan Hill, Mark Hopkins, Paul Jacoby, Gene Pavelich, Bob Thompson, Ken Traynor, Art Unsworth, coach Bob Mirwald
Alberta opened the season by losing twice to host Victoria 68-58 and 70-52. …………………………………………………… In game one, Victoria prevailed 68-58 despite trailing 34-32 at the half. The Bears shot 43% from the foul line and 35% from the floor, while Victoria shot 70% from the line. Wally Tollestrup led Alberta with 15. Mike Frisby added 12. Alberta coach Bob Bain said “I’m fairly happy with the team’s performance. We gave a good team effort but were beaten physically by the rugged Vikings. Also, we were beaten rather badly on the defensive boards.” …………………………………………………… In game two, Victoria prevailed 70-52 after leading 31-28 at the half. Mike Frisby scored 17 in the first half but was tripled-team by the Vikes in the second half and shut down. Mike Frisby led Alberta with 21. Wally Tollestrup added 19.
Alberta crushed UBC 62-50 and 63-51. …………………………………………………… In game one, Alberta defeated UBC 62-50. The Bears took an early double-digit lead and were never threated. Mike Frisby and Tom Solyom each scored 14 to lead Alberta. Steve Panteluk added 11. Stan Callegari led UBC with 20. …………………………………………………… In game two, Alberta prevailed 63-51 after scoring 11 in the last few minutes of play. Bain MacMillan came off the bench to ignite the win. “He put some fire into the position since Wally Tollestrup was a little tired,” said Alberta coach Bob Bain. Mike Frisby paced the Bears with 24, including 10-11 from the line. “It’s just a matter of timing and concentration,” said Frisby of his free throw shooting. “I bounce it until I think I’m ready.” Frisby also nabbed 16 boards. Tom Solyom scored 13, while Steve Panteluk grabbed 11 boards. “It’s been a long time since British Columbia have scored only 101 points in two games,” said Alberta coach Bob Bain. “In the past they have scored that early in one game. We used a matchup defence, instead of covering the two corners, we shifted our man so that Stan Callegari was always covered.” Callegari was held to 32 points over the two games.
Host Alberta whipped Victoria 64-56 and 69-46. …………………………………………………… In game one, Alberta prevailed 64-56 as Steve Panteluk scored 18. The Vikings shot 67% from the floor, largely on good perimeter shooting by Chris Hall and Tom Holmes. With the scored knotted at 35, Alberta shifting to a man-to-man defence which led to three runout baskets by Bain MacMillan. …………………………………………………… In game two, Alberta switched to a man-to-man defence and romped 69-46. “We felt they were a good shooting team when we gave them the time,” said Alberta coach Bob Bain. “We didn’t realize how poor ballhandlers they were until last night. And they did a good job versus our zone defence, so we had to go to a man-to-man.” Alberta forced 18 turnovers in the first half. Mike Frisby led the Bears with 23, including 10 in the last 10 minutes. Alberta led 33-17 at the half on the physical play of Steve Panteluk and Brian Hart. Panteluk scored 13 and Tom Solyom 12. The Vikings shot 28% from the floor.
Host Alberta thrashed Calgary 53-35 and 71-36. …………………………………………………… In game one, Alberta prevailed 53-35 as their zone held the Dinosaurs to 16-of-73 from the floor. Tom Solyom scored 16 for the Bears. …………………………………………………… In game two, Alberta prevailed 71-36 after holding the Dinosaurs to 19% from the floor after switching to a man-to-man defence. Tom Solyom scored 15 for the Bears. Dave Holland notched 8, along with 18 boards, while Terry Valeriote scored 6. The Bears led 25-15 at the half. Mike Horner led the Dinosaurs with 8. Alberta coach Bob Bain said the low scoring was attributable to poor officiating. “The first obligation of a referee is to the players. They should watch the pace of the game and call fouls accordingly. I’ve been unhappy with the work of certain referees.”
Host UBC dumped Lethbridge 73-69 and 71-69.
Lethbridge dispatched Saskatchewan 66-60 and 81-68. …………………………………………………… Lethbridge defeated Saskatchewan 66-60. Phil Tollestrup scored 8 for the Pronghorns. …………………………………………………… “We were down 55-50 seven minutes into the second half and if we hadn’t got opposition from the officials at that point we would have won,” Huskies coach Don Fry told The Sheaf. Bob Thompson led the Huskies with 14. Ken Traynor added 13 and Paul Jacoby 12. …………………………………………………… Lethbridge defeated Saskatchewan 81-68 as Phil Tollestrup scored 32. Dean Faris led the Huskies with 21. Gene Pavelich added 16.
Alberta split with host Lethbridge, losing 52-50 and then winning 78-60. …………………………………………………… Game one was a battle of the Tollestrups. Lethbridge’s Phil Tollestrup opened the scoring with an aggressive drive from midcourt. Wally Tollestrup held his high-scoring brother to 19 on 8-26 from the floor. The Pronghorns defence held Wally Tollestrup to 6 and Mike Frisby to 6. Tom Solyom paced the Bears with 12. Alberta took an early lead but Roger Baldrey knotted the score at 17 on a long jumper. The Bears led 26-22 at the half but Phil Tollestrup gave Lethbridge a 31-30 lead on a free throw and maintained at least a five-point margin til the end. Danny Court hit seven free throws for Lethbridge. The Pronghorns led 50-44 with 42 seconds remaining but Bain McMillan hit a pair of free throws and Steve Panteluk a field goal to rally the Bears before Mike Frisby was charged with a foul and the Pronghorns iced it at the line. …………………………………………………… In game two, Alberta prevailed 78-60 as Tom Solyom scored 23 and Wally Tollestrup 11. In a physical game, Bears Dave Holland was hit with a technical, while Pronghorn Dan Court was ejected with an intentional foul with nine minutes to play. Alberta led 36-28 at the half. Steve Panteluk scored 20 for the Bears. Phil Tollestrup led Lethbridge with 26.
Alberta dumped host U.B.C. 67-54 and 72-51. In game one, Alberta prevailed 67-54 after dominating the boards. “It’s a paradox,” said Alberta coach Bob Bain about UBC’s horsehair floor. “When we go to UBC, whether we win or lose, we blame the floor.” The UBC wooden floor was not placed on rubber but on horsehair, making it springer. “The floor is cool, especially on vertical jumps. It springs like a trampoline,” said Steve Panteluk. “It also slows the ball down. I understand last year Barry (Mitchelson) had the team practice with deflated basketballs.” Mike Frisby noted that “I’d like to play on that basketball floor all year long. When you land on it, it’s easier on the legs.” Frisby said Terry Valeriote proved the difference by pushing the ball upcourt immediately each time the Bears got the ball. …………………………………………………… In game two, Alberta prevailed 72-51 as Wally Tollestrup and Mike Frisby each scored 20. Tollestrup “was really in rhythm” said coach Bob Bain. “He could have scored a lot more in the second half but other things opened up.” Steve Panteluk hauled in a collective 21 boards and scored a collective 25 points in the two games. Darryl Gjernes led UBC with 21. Jack Hoy added 14. Thunderbirds starters Stan Calegari and Bob Dickson were hampered by injuries. Alberta swept host Calgary 72-60 and 69-60. …………………………………………………… In game one, Alberta prevailed 72-60. “We didn’t play too well but we came up with a pair of tough wins,” said Alberta coach Bob Bain. “Skip Morgan (Calgary’s coach) told me it was their best performance of the season. The Bears trailed until the final minutes of the first half but inched to a 39-37 lead at the break. “We took a few bad shots in the first half but we executed better in the second half,” said Bain. “I was pleased with the way we reacted to their press.” Wallace Tollestrup led Alberta with 28. Steve Panteluk added 11 and Leigh Goldie 11. “Wally was fantastic,” said Bear Tom Solyom. “He could have scored more if a couple of layups hadn’t been called back. He was isolated one on one against Jim Watson and he just killed him.” …………………………………………………… In game two, Alberta prevailed 69-60 despite reacting badly to Calgary’s pressure in the second half. Calgary rallied within one before the Bears settled down. Steve Panteluk paced Alberta with 21. Tom Solyom added 18. Tom Bishop led the Dinosaurs with 15.
Calgary defeated Saskatchewan 65-63 and 74-69. …………………………………………………… Calgary edged Saskatchewan 65-63 after leading 32-28 at the half. Tom Bishop hit a pair of buckets in the final minute to win it for the Dinosaurs. Huskies coach Don Fry told The Sheaf his troops were too impatient. He also argued that the CIS needed to implement a 30-second shot clock to prevent stalling techniques. …………………………………………………… In game two, Calgary prevailed 74-69 after rallying from a 19-point deficit by shifting to a full-court press and forcing a series of Huskie turnovers. The Huskies led 34-23 at the half. The Dinosaurs knotted the score at 67 and then post Brent Farch notched a pair of buckets as Calgary took command in the final minute.
Alberta defeated Saskatchewan 74-67 and 84-56. …………………………………………………… In game one, Alberta prevailed 74-67 after getting angry at the raucus, often obscene Saskatchewan band. “The band really woke us up,” forward Steve Panteluk told The Gateway. “We played much better once they started up. It brought the players closer together. Saskatchewan led 38-30 at the half. The Huskies hit 17-37 (.480) from the floor. Dean Faris scored 14 for the Huskies, all in the first half before being shut down by Tom Solyom. Alberta tied the score at 38 by opening the second half with a 8-0 run and then extended its lead to 10 before Paul Jacoby and Bob Thompson rallied the Huskies. But Tollestrup, who had been in foul trouble, came off the bench and scored three quick buckets to ice the win. Terry Valeriote led the Bears with 17. Tom Solyom added 16 and Wallace Tollestrup 14. …………………………………………………… In game two, Alberta defeated Saskatchewan 84-56 after leading 47-32 at the half. Steve Panteluk scored 13 for Alberta. “I think we played better than last night,” said Alberta coach Bob Bain. “We rebounded better, fast broke better and took good shots.” Wallace Tollestrup led Alberta with 15. Bain McMillan added 12. Huskie coach Don Fry said “we should have been more patient with our shots. For a while, we were bombing them in from the outside, which was good as long as they go in. If you miss, it’s conducive to a fast break.”
On final weekend of season, Alberta visited Lethbridge and split a pair, losing 64-55 and winning 83-74. …………………………………………………… The Golden Bears lost the first 64-55 as Phil Tollestrup scored 27, while garnering 15 boards and 8 assists. Lethbridge led 29-22 after one quarter and 49-31 in the second half. The Golden Bears drew within 55-50 but Phil Tollestrup countered with an 9-0 run. Mike Frisby hit 19 for Alberta, while nabbing 8 boards. Phil Tollestrup told the Edmonton Journal that “they never used to let me handle the ball when I was at BYU. …Wally is an excellent defensive player. I think he could play in American college ball. He could. Maybe he could play on the Canadian national team on his defensive ability.” Bob Bain said “we were so lethargic. We are almost blasé about it.” Pronghorns coach Gary Bowie said “I figure all of our boys did a pretty good job considering home court advantage means a 10-15-point advantage.” …………………………………………………… In game two, Alberta clinched the CWUAA title with an 83-74 victory as Mike Frisby scored 22, Wally Tollestrup 21, along with 9 boards, and Tom Solyom 18. Phil Tollestrup hit 25 for Lethbridge on 11-34 from the floor and 14 boards. “Everybody contributed to the victory,” said coach Bob Bain. “And that includes everybody who sat on the bench. It is most important that they work hard in practice. It’s good for team morale and a coach can gauge how a starter will perform in an actual game. Maybe Tommy or Terry wouldn’t be as good if they didn’t have someone pushing them in practice.” Bain told the Edmonton Journal that “I’ll tell you this. That first half was one of the best I’ve ever seen two teams play. I’ve played against a lot of American teams (at Waterloo Lutheran) and the basketball was unbelievably good … I can’t believe some of the shots he (Phil Tollestrup) scored on. I mean some of those shots were from so far out. And shots you don’t see made. He is the best I’ve ever seen live.” Mike Frisby said “what people don’t realize about him is his incredible strength. I’m sore all over. He learned to bump you and lean on you at Brigham Young, I guess. But you know Wally (Tollestrup) did a super job on Phil. He scored, what, 26 points. But look at the number of shots he took. Wally was bothering him on every one. He made him shoot some bad shots.” Wally Tollestrup scored 5 (a putback and 3 free throws) after fouled out with the score knotted at 70.
The co-third place U.B.C. Thunderbirds: Darryl Gjernes; Jack Hoy; Stan Calegari; Bob Dickson; Ed Blewett; Peter Herd; Mike Ireland; Doug Kripps; Rod Matheson; John Mills; Brent Francis; coach Peter Mullins
The co-third place Victoria Vikings: Chris Hall; Tom Holmes; Corky Jossul; Dave Tooby; Jim Hunter; Jim Duddridge; Brent Mullin; Par Hogewelde; Mike Bishop; Harry Hunter; coach Gary Taylor
The runner-up Lethbridge Pronghorns: Phil Tollestrup; Danny Court; Tim Tollestrup; Larry Baker; Doug Kempt; Roger Baldry: Max Zaugg; Clark Sloan; coach Robin Fry
The champion Alberta Golden Bears: Tom Solyom; Wallace Tollestrup; Terry Valeriote; Steve Panteluk; Mike Frisby; Bain McMillan; Leigh Goldie; Dave Holland; Allen Price; Art Uhl; Doug Nicholls; Brian Hart; coach Bob Bain; assistant Andy Skujins; manager Roy Chapelsky; trainer Dan Devlin