REGULAR SEASON
| BALDWIN | NELSON | |||||||
| St. FX | 16-4 | 29-7 | Steve Konchalski | New Brunswick | 13-7 | 21-13 | Thom Gillespie | |
| Acadia | 6-14 | 10-20 | Dave Nutbrown | Cape Breton | 13-7 | 18-13 | Jim Charters | |
| Memorial | 5-15 | 7-23 | Todd Aughey | U.P.E.I. | 12-8 | 17-12 | Mike Connolly | |
| Dalhousie | 4-16 | 8-25 | John Campbell | Saint Mary’s | 11-9 | 17-12 | Ross Quackenbush | |
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Dalhousie Tigers: Nick Donald, Chad Smith, Monte Francois, Josh Langford, Marcus Verdu, Tim O’Connor, Hugh Mullaly, Mike Budreski, David Piers, Daniel Bustillo, Matt Brooks, Ryan deWinter, Adrian Turchet, Drew Stratton, Dion Walcott, coach John Campbell, assistant Scott James
Saint Mary’s Huskies: Gabriel Goree, Ben McCarthy, Nelson Carvery, Mark Ross, Shawn Smith, Jonathan Thibault, Damian Gay, Dean Jones, Kevin ‘Buddy’ Husbands, Ibraheim Muhammad, Mark Brien, Lamar Grant, Christian Pedersen, Geoff Williams, coach Ross Quackenbush, assistant Jonah Taussig, assistant Nathan Anderson
In the quarterfinals, U.P.E.I. defeated Acadia 77-69. Acadia’s 6-5 Clint Bateman dominated early, scoring 10 unanswered points, sandwiching a pair of threes around a pair of long jumpers, to give the Axemen a 35-30 lead with about 2:00 to go in the first half. But they couldn’t score again. McKinney scored on a layup, then Kenny Duncan stole in the Acadia high post, and went full court for a layup that left the score Acadia 35-34 at the half. Tyler Wood and Bryan Finnis of Acadia traded threes to open the second half, then McKinney with a pair of layups and a Sherone Edwards drive and layup gave the Panthers an 8-0 run and a 6-point lead they never relinquished. Acadia rallied to within five with three minutes to play but couldn’t get over the hump. “They were just better than us tonight,” said Axemen coach Dave Nutbrown. “We’d get down by four or five and just couldn’t get closer. But I thought out kids played their butts off.” Panther forward and former conference MVP Mike Kierstead, who transferred to UPEI from UNB for his fifth and final year, tore his ankle ligaments in the opening minutes. “I felt so sorry for Mike,” said UPEI coach Mike Connolly. “He came here with the intention of winning a championship and he was denied the opportunity to fully participate.” The Panthers also saw forward Doug McKinney leave the game with a broken nose after taking a brutal elbow, while reserve forward Peter Stay was forced out during pre-game after suffering swelling over his eye in a freak accident in which took an elbow from a teammate. “I have never seen a half with so many injuries,” said coach Mike Connolly. “What can you way about the effort our guys put together in responding to the challenge. What it came down to is that we had a bunch of fifth year players who were not about to end their career tonight.” Sherone Edwards paced UPEI with 21 points on 9-18 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 9 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Doug McKinney added 18 on 7-10 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 12 boards and 3 assists. Tyler Wood scored 14 on 5-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 2 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Kenny Duncan scored 14 on 6-9 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-3 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Jeff Walker scored 10 on 3-11 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 5 boards. Mike Kierstead, Peter Stay and William Walker were scoreless. Kierstead nabbed 3 boards. The Panthers shot 30-62 (.484) from the floor, 2-10 from the arc and 15-20 from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 14 assists, 13 turnovers, 1 block and 10 steals. Walter Moyse and Nicholas Landrigan each scored 15 to lead Acadia. Moyse scored 15 on 6-9 from the floor, 3-6 from the line and grabbed 8 boards. Landrigan scored 15 on 7-14 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 5 boards and 5 assists. Jared Budd scored 13 on 5-9 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 3 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Clint Bateman added 13 on 5-14 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc and 3 boards. Ryan Marrast scored 8 on 4-7 from the floor on 4-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 steals. Brian Finniss added 5 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Jason Jordan, Chris Akelaitis and Mike Filinski played but were scoreless. Filinski nabbed 5 boards. The Axemen (coached by Dave Nutbrown) shot 28-60 (.467) from the floor, 6-19 (.316) from the arc and 7-14 from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 15 assists, 15 turnovers, 1 block and 9 steals, led by Budd’s 3. The Axemen (coached by Dave Nutbrown) also included Brent Wennekes.
In the other quarterfinal, New Brunswick defeated Memorial 72-62. Tom Spink and Dan Goggin quickly jumped UNB out to a 5-0 lead in the first minute of the game, then Jeff Saxby proceeded to score 14 of Memorial’s first 16 points to push them to a 16-15 lead about 7 minutes in. Saxby took a breather and Justin Halleran took over with MUN’s next 8 points on a 3-point play, a layup and a three that once again put them ahead 24-23. Dave Myers and Doug and Joe Thompson pushed the veteran Varsity Reds out to a 36-28 lead before a Nigel Pennie three and a Halleran basket closed the margin to UNB 36-33 at the half. Spink, with a pair, Joe Thompson and Myers with a pair pushed UNB out to a 48-37 lead to begin the second. In an effort to come back, Saxby led from the outside and MUN’s inside game with strong physical play drew several fouls. Right here they likely lost the game as they went into a demoralizing foul shooting funk, at one point missing 6 straight. Nevertheless, Hickey with a pair, Langille with an athletic spin lob, and Halleran pulled MUN back to within two 49-47. Some free throws and a Munro layup and Spink under the basket put the Reds up 56-51 with Langille replying on a jumper. Saxby changed gears and scored his first points since mid-first half, launching a three, then missing a three, then going full court with a spin lob shot from 10 feet to tie the game 56-56 with a second left. In overtime a Goggin three put UNB ahead 60-56 but Saxby came right back with one of his own then a Hickey putback made it MUN 61-60. A Myers tip put UNB ahead 62-61 for a lead they never gave up as they finished the overtime session with several free throws. Tom Spink led UNB with 21 points on 6-13 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 9-10 from the line and 10 boards. Point guard Dan Goggin added 16 on 4-18 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc, 6-6 from the line and 8 boards. David Myers scored 16 on 6-12 from the floor, 4-8 from the line, 8 boards, 2 assists and 3 blocks. Joseph Thompson scored 7 on 3-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 6-6 from the line and 8 boards. Andrew Munro scored 4 on 2-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 10 boards. Oliver Glencross added 3 on 1-2 from the floor and 1-2 from the arc. Doug Thompson added 3 on 1-3 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Adam Parent scored 2, along with 4 boards, while Dylan Lisson and Greg Walker were scoreless. The Varsity Reds shot 23-66 (.348) from the floor, 3-17 (.176) from the arc and 23-31 (.742) from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 24 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 10 assists, 14 turnovers, 6 blocks and 5 steals. Jeff Saxby paced Memorial with 23 points on 8-19 from the floor, 4-10 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Justin Halleran scored 16 on 6-13 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 3-3 from the line and 4 boards. Robert Hickey scored 10 on 4-8 from the floor, 2-7 from the line, 9 boards and 2 assists. David Langille scored 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 2 steals. Nigel Pennie notched 5 on 2-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the line and 5 boards. Curtis Power scored 2, while Colin Power, Peter Ingram, Benjamin Homer and Evan Constantine played but were scoreless. Constantine nabbed 2 boards. The Sea-Hawks shot 23-57 (.404) from the floor, 6-19 (.316) from the arc and 10-20 from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 22 fouls, 9 assists, 18 turnovers, 2 blocks and 9 steals. The Sea-Hawks (coached by Todd Aughey, assisted by Dion Langdon and John Fitzgibbon) also included James Saxby, Darryl Boucaud, George Mammon, Tim Winsor and Adam Lawlor.
In the semis, St. FX defeated UPEI 70-64. St. FX led by as many as 11 points near the midway point of the second half, but the X-Men were held without a bucket for over eight minutes until Dion Williams picked up a loose ball and was fouled while driving the lane. Williams hit one of two free throws with 35 seconds left for a 68-64 St. F.X. lead. Garry Gallimore sank a pair of free throws with 22 seconds left to ice it. “It was difficult, it was very difficult,” Williams said of maintaining focus and composure while the Panthers mounted their comeback. “But I’ve got the C on my chest, and I just said, ‘It’s going through me.’” With the score knotted at 47, defensive trapping forced P.E.I into several turnovers and enabled St. F.X. to go on a 17-6 run. P.E.I.’s Kenny Duncan picked up his fourth foul — a technical — during that stretch for shoving St. F.X.’s Jonathan Bell. Gallimore made a layup and the two ensuing foul shots, and the X-Men retained possession. Williams made a reverse layup to cap the six-point play. “That technical was huge for us, because after that, they seemed rattled,” said Gallimore. “They weren’t quite themselves after that.” St. F.X.’s 11-point cushion at 67-56 with 9:08 remaining was its biggest lead of the game. Panther Sherone Edwards declared himself “unstoppable” in a pre-tournament media interview, but the six-foot-four swingman was just four-of-19 from the floor. “I was having a rough game, but they were still going to me down the stretch,” said Edwards. “I guess they wanted it more, but we did our best out there.” Panther guard Jeff Walker said that “we tried to match them, but they played harder toward the end. They were better.” Coach Mike Connolly said his troops played “like warriors. The character of this team is something I haven’t experienced before, I’ll tell you that.” Forward Kenny Duncan concurred. ‘I’m very proud of every guy on the team, one through 13. If it wasn’t for the guys helping us out in practice and stuff like that, we wouldn’t have been here.” Panther starter Mike Kierstead, a transfer from UNB where he’d been an all-star career, did not play after tearing ankle ligaments in the quarterfinals. The teams were tied at 37 at the half. Gary Gallimore led St. FX with 22 points on 6-10 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 6-7 from the line, 6 boards and 4 steals. Dion Williams added 15 points on 6-10 from the floor, 3-6 from the line, 5 boards, 4 assists and 5 steals. Mike Baxter added 11 on 5-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 10 boards and 2 assists. Zach Russell scored 8 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 3 steals. Jonathan Bell scored 8 on 3-11 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 assists. Neil MacDonald was scoreless after picking up four quick fouls. Edwin Reynolds 6 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 7 boards. Brandon Gorman was also scoreless. The X-Men shot 26-56 (.464) from the floor, 5-17 (.294) from the arc and 13-18 (.722) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 12 assists, 18 turnovers and 17 steals. Jeff Walker paced UPEI with 23 points on 8-13 from the floor, 5-8 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Tyler Wood scored 13 on 5-12 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Sherone Edwards scored 11 on 4-19 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 12 boards, 4 assists and 6 steals. Kenny Duncan scored 9 on 3-8 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc and 2 assists. Doug McKinney scored 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 11 boards. Peter Stay was scoreless while grabbing 3 boards. The Panthers shot 23-60 (.383) from the floor, 10-14 (.417) from the arc and 8-14 (.571) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 11 assists, 21 turnovers, 4 blocks and 14 steals. The Panthers (coached by Mike Connolly) also included Mustapha Maynard, Bill Walker, Mike McIsaac, Chad MacDonald, Chris Tangredi, Alex Howlett, Mike Kierstead, Doug McKinney, David Mullally and Peter Stay.
In the other semi, New Brunswick nipped Cape Breton 68-65 in overtime. Cape Breton led 29-26 at the half. The Varsity Reds trailed by seven with five minutes left, but Dan Goggin converted a scoop shot in the lane with the shot clock winding down and 8.3 seconds left for the final points of the game. Cape Breton’s Anthony Breland had a three-point attempt in the final seconds rim out. “I don’t even know what to say … we’re going to nationals,” said Goggin. “We stuck together, and this feels pretty sweet right now.” Cape Breton centre Jarrett Timmons ad converted a three-point play with 38 seconds left to pull the Capers to within 66-65. Jeff Saxby forced overtime with a 15-foot jumper with 1.7 seconds to play in regulation. “You have to give Jeff Saxby credit for playing on bad wheels,” said UNB coach Thom Gillespie. “They play with extra confidence when he’s in the lineup.” Jeff Saxby, who hadn’t toiled since January because of his bad knees, played 43 minutes for the Capers. “Newfoundlanders don’t settle for nothing but a full effort,” Saxby said. “They play their hearts out every single stinkin’ day.” Tom Spink paced the Varsity Reds with 22 points on 10-17 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 11 boards. Dan Goggin added 21 points on 6-12 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 8-8 from the line, 5 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals. Doug Thompson added 12 on 4-11 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Andrew Munro scored 6 on 3-7 from the floor and 8 boards. Joseph Thompson scored 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-4 from the line and 4 boards. Dylan Lisson added 2 and Adam Parent 2, while David Myers, Oliver Glencross and Nathan Bokma were scoreless. Myers nabbed 4 boards. The Varsity Reds shot 26-59 (.441) from the floor, 2-10 from the arc and 14-22 (.636) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 12 assists, 15 turnovers, 1 block and 6 steals. Jarret Timmons paced Cape Breton with 17 on 6-7 from the floor, 5-5 from the line and 4 boards. Anthony Breland added 16 on 7-20 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 2-5 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Ryan Keliher scored 9 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. William Fagan scored 8 on 1-4 from the floor, 6-6 from the line and 7 boards before fouling out. Matthew Skinn added 7 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 6 boards and 5 assists. Paul Blake scored 4 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 0-2 from the line and 3 assists. Orville Edwards added 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 5 boards and 3 steals. Edilson Barradas added 2, while Ryan Chaffe and Derek Alexander were scoreless. The Capers (coached by Jim Charters) shot 24-56 (.429) from the floor, 2-11 (.182) from the arc and 15-20 from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 12 assists, 13 turnovers, 1 block and 10 steals. The Capers (coached by Jim Charters) also included Telord Lessekuta, Kerwin Liverpool, John Sylliboy and K’Kruma Hylton.
In the final, St. FX defeated New Brunswick 74-64. “It’s such a super feeling to see someone up there cutting down the net, someone who hasn’t been up there before,” said point guard Dion Williams, watching centre Neil MacDonald in the post-game celebrations. “I know it’s a cliché but hard work pays off. This is special.” Rookie Zach Russell, who scored 13 in the second half, noted that “we knew we’d have to play our best in order to win. We knew we’d be in for a battle because they’re a tenacious team.” The Varsity Reds, who led by four at the half, appeared to fatigue, missing all 13 of their trey attempts in the second half. “It’s not the first time we’ve seen a team playing its third game and trying to beat X on a Sunday,” said Reds coach Thom Gillespie. “I thought we had some good open looks but we made some tired mistakes late. But my guys showed a lot of poise, effort and character. I’m proud of them.” X-Men coach Steve Konchalski noted that “we worked hard all year to get the bye and our defence down the stretch was remarkable. We dug in and made stops. That’s what championship teams do. … This is probably the youngest championship team I’ve ever coached. They’re just a great group who work hard for each other.” UNB led 35-31 at the half. Reds guard Dan Goggin told the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal that “we were not happy just to be there; we wanted the title. A lot of people counted us out right from the start. Obviously, we wanted to get to nationals – that was the first goal. Winning the championship was another one. That was high on our list. We are a little disappointed but the thing that we are reminding everyone is that we are not done yet.” Coach Thom Gillespie added that “basically, we couldn’t get any shots to fall in the last five minutes. We were 0-for-13 in the second half from the three and that is uncharacteristic of our club. Playing the three games in three days has usually been a factor in the second half and that probably caught up to us a little bit today. We are not using that as an excuse.” Zach Russell led St. FX with 16 points on 4-8 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 3 boards and 5 assists. Neil Macdonald scored 13 on 4-10 from the floor, 5-6 from the line, 3 boards and 2 blocks. Jonathan Bell added 14 on 5-11 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 3 assists and 3 steals. Mike Baxter added 14 on 4-9 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 5-6 from the line and 8 boards. Edwin Reynolds scored 8 on 4-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the line and 5 boards. Gary Gallimore scored 6 on 1-7 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 4-7 from the line, 4 boards and 3 assists. Dion Williams scored 3 on 1-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 11 boards and 6 assists. Brandon Gorman was scoreless. The X-Men shot 23-61 (.377) from the floor, 7-19 (.368) from the arc and 21-29 (.724) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 21 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 18 assists, 8 turnovers, 3 blocks and 5 steals. Dan Goggin led UNB with 17 points on 6-21 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 4-7 from the line, 7 boards and 3 assists. Dylan Lisson added 16 on 4-5 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 5-5 from the line and 2 boards. Doug Thompson added 8 on 4-11 from the floor and 0-5 from the arc. Andrew Munro added 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 9 boards. David Myers scored 8 on 4-10 from the floor, 0-3 from the line, 9 boards and 5 blocks. Tom Spink scored 4 on 2-9 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc and 7 boards. Joseph Thompson scored 2 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals, while Oliver Glencross, Ben MacLeod, Adam Parent and Nathan Bokma were scoreless. The Varsity Reds shot 24-66 (.364) from the floor, 4-22 (.182) from the arc and 12-19 (.632) from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 22 fouls, 8 assists, 12 turnovers, 6 blocks and 4 steals.
After the season, Acadia athletic director Dan McNally announced that men’s coach Dave Nutbrown’s contract would not be renewed because to the team’s dismal performance in recent years. “While that is no something you can lay at the door of a coach solely, I felt it was time for a chance and to try to energize and freshen our programs,” said McNally, who simultaneously fired women’s coach Laura Sanders. The 57-year-old Nutbrown said he knew his fate for the past nine months. “He wanted to make a chance. That’s basically all I was told. …I’m a pretty proud person and I’ve worked pretty hard for this school and it comes down to a five-minute conversation. Acadia had finished 6-14 for second place in the Baldwin division. Nutbrown had led Acadia to four conference titles and been chosen national coach of the year. A year earlier, Acadia won the Nelson division. “I’m disappointed that in 22 years, it has to end this way,” said Nutbrown. “I’m disappointed we didn’t have a better season. I’m disappointed we weren’t able to win a national championship. But at the same time, it’s better for the school but it’s also better for me that I’m not here. I harbor a little too much resentment for what goes on and I shouldn’t be in this situation with the attitude I have toward what has gone on here the last number of years. Nutbrown coach U.P.E.I. for three years before moving to Acadia. Director of Athletics Dan McNally selects former Guelph coach Tim Darling to head the programs. “I know Tim well from our years together at Guelph and I’m thrilled to be able to add him to our team here at Acadia. Tim is passionate about coaching basketball, his preparation for games is meticulous and there isn’t a better, more well-connected recruiter in the CIS.” During his time at Guelph, Darling posted an overall coaching record of 256 wins and 144 losses, including a conference record of 106 wins and 46 losses. During that time, he was twice named the OUA Coach of the Year (1990 and 1995) while positioning his team in the CIS National Top Ten rankings ten times in eleven seasons. With the Gryphons averaging 23 victories per season, Darling’s teams won three OUA championships, appeared in five CIS Championship tournaments including two appearances in National Championship games. “I’m really looking forward to returning to the university game in Canada and very excited about taking over the Axemen program,” said Darling. Acadia has a wonderful reputation academically and has great tradition in basketball. It’s a real honour to be chosen to coach at a place like Acadia University.” Darling has a wealth of basketball experience in Canada and internationally. In addition to assistant coaching roles at Wilfrid Laurier University, Carleton University and the University of Ottawa, Darling has coached professionally in Leicester, England and Beirut, Lebanon. In 1998, he was named head coach of the Hong Kong National Team where he also assumed duties as the Managing Consultant and Head Clinician for the Asian Basketball Academy. During that time, he also scouted Asian countries for the NBA’s Toronto Raptors. Under Darling’s coaching leadership, the Hong Kong National Team posted its best ever finish at the Busan Asian Games in Korea in 2002.
The runner-up New Brunswick Varsity Reds: Dan Goggin; Andrew Munro; David Myers; Tom Spink; Joseph Thompson; Dylan Lisson; Doug Thompson; Oliver Glencross; Ben MacLeod; Adam Parent; Nathan Bokma; Robert Levy; Greg Walker; Ben Macleod; coach Thom Gillespie; assistant Don MacNeil; assistant Garth Wade; therapist Christina Norton; therapist Matt McCully; SID Maureen Sparks
The champion St. Francis Xavier X-Men: Dion Williams; Garry Gallimore; Neil MacDonald; Edwin Reynolds; Zach Russell; Jonathan Bell; Mark MacKenzie; D.J. Grant; Michael Baxter; Neil Stephen; Brandon Gorman; Ian Spindler; Devin Bennett; John Bustin; Alex Stephen; coach Steve Konchalski; assistant Ron MacDonald; assistant Augy Jones; athletic therapist Tara Sutherland; student therapist Mark Kolanko; manager Joseph Mensah; SID Pat MacGillivray; athletic director Tom Kendall