Simon Fraser’s
Pasha Bains was named recipient of the Moser. Bains said winning the Moser “feels
great” but doesn’t make up for the Clan’s failure to make the nationals. “It’s
a real honour to win the award. But our program in general had a lot of hopes
for this season.” The Clan finished atop the Pacific Division of Canada West
but were swept by UBC in the quarterfinals. The fourth-year arts student said
he was uncertain whether he’ll return for another season or seek to play
professionally in Europe. The 23-year-old Bains,
6-4, led the CIS in scoring for the second straight year, averaging 25.3 ppg. “Pasha
was asked to play a new position (point guard) this year and he was able to
make the adjustment in his game to the benefit of the team,” said Clan coach
Scott Clark. “It is a remarkable accomplishment to lead the country in scoring
two years in a row and I’m proud of the way he performed this season.” The
fourth-year guard from Richmond, B.C. also led the Canada West conference in three-point
shots made, hitting an average of 3.3 per contest, finished seventh in three-
point shooting (44%) and was eighth in assists (4.4 apg). His scoring average
was the second highest in school history, slightly better than Jay Triano’s
1977-78 average of 24.9 ppg and just behind Mike Jackel’s 1981-82 average of
28.9 ppg when he led the NAIA in scoring. Bains career scoring average is 24.0
ppg, the highest in the history of SFU (Triano’s is second at 22.8). Both
Triano and Jackel went on to compete in two Olympic Games, Triano for Canada and Jackel with Germany. This
summer Bains was a member of Canada’s
Universiade team that claimed the bronze medal in Daegu, Korea.
The Arts student sat out the 2001-02 season after transferring from Clemson University, where he played for two
years and was a two-time academic all-ACC student-athlete. His prep career at
Richmond High was capped with a B.C. Triple-A championship and a Canadian high
school player of the year award in 1998 – the same year he led the junior
national team in scoring. In his senior year at Richmond High, Bains played
with current UBC all-star guard and CIS assists leader (8.1 assists per game)
Karlo Villanueva, who was then in Grade 10. Bains remains the all-time leading
scorer in the history of the Triple-A tournament with 311 points in 10 career
games.
Indeed, the incongruity between
individual and team success became more apparent with each award handed-out.
Bains, coach of the year Craig Norman of Royal
Military College
and Rookie of the Year Andrew Spragud of Saskatchewan
all represented teams that failed to qualify for the national championships.
Four of the five first-team all-Canadians were similarly watching from the sidelines.
National Association of Basketball Coaches chair Dave Crook said the “odd”
disparity between individual and team success was a function of parity. “It was
a strange year in CIS basketball. It goes to show the talent is spread across
the country now.” NABC past president and Concordia coach John Dore said it
isn’t unusual for individual awards to issue to players off non-qualifiers. “Remember,
these are individual awards, not team awards.” Eight of the 29 previous Moser
winners –Martin Riley, Manitoba, 1977; Mike Hazard, Acadia, 1980; Karl Tilleman,
Calgary, 1982; John Carson, Brandon, 1986; Chris Biegler, Regina, 1987; John
Stiefelmayer, Western 1990, Will Njoku, St. Mary’s 1993 and Richard Bohne,
Calgary, 1996– toiled for teams that didn’t qualify for nationals. Only 2.5
times has a coach –Don Horwood of Alberta in
1987 and Bruce Enns of U.B.C. in 1990 and earlier as co-recipient at Winnipeg in 1978– been
laurelled for non-qualifiers.
R.M.C.’s Craig
Norman captured the Aberdeen.
He was the sentimental choice after his Paladins finished second in Ontario
University Athletics East play despite having had guard Joe Grozelle go missing
last October 22 and then be found dead in the waters off RMC several weeks later.
Hardcourt success helped the Paladins overcome the loss, Norman said. “It’s kind of bittersweet in
that Joe keeps coming up. I hope he’s not forgotten.” Norman led RMC to 14 wins in the OUA East,
two more than the Paladins earned in its first three seasons since returning to
the conference. A second-team All-Canadian at Concordia in 1987, Norman said
forward Kevin Dulude was critical to the team’s success. “He leads by example
and the kids just follow him.” In his seventh year at the helm, Norman said it’s difficult
to recruit to the military academy but rewarding. The Montreal
native coached for nine years at Champlain Saint-Lambert and Dawson College
before moving to RMC. After the season, Norman
accepted the head coaching job at McGill. In his seventh year at the helm of
the Paladins, he led his team to a 14-8 regular season record, a scant two
years after they’d finished 1-21 in their second season of CIS competition. The
Paladins finished second in the OUA East Division behind only top-ranked
Carleton but lost their playoff opener 56-43 to York.
Saskatchewan’s Andrew Spragud was awarded the Mullins after leading the nation’s freshmen in scoring while racking up 21.5 ppg for the Huskies. The 6-7 forward averaged a national best 10.8 rebounds and 21.5 points for the game in 32 starts for the Huskies. It marked the first time that a rookie had led the country in rebounding. He had 18 games with double figures in both points and rebounds. The Spruce Grove, Alberta native, who played for Aden Bowman Collegiate in Saskatoon, was named Canada West rookie of the year and all-conference second team, having led the Huskies in scoring rebounding, field goal percentage and minutes played. He finished second in scoring in Canada West conference games. The engineering student led Aden Bowman to the 5A provincial title, scoring a career-high 39 points in the final. “Andrew had an outstanding year for us and we are very proud of his accomplishments,” said Saskatchewan coach Greg Jockims. “He is one of our hardest workers, both on and off the court, which played a big part in him being able to make the adjustment to this level quicker than most players. What he was able to do in this league as a first-year player was amazing, especially considering the amount of attention other teams gave him defensively. To put all-Canadian type numbers straight out of high school in Canada West is extremely rare.” Sprague said he was disappointed he couldn’t lead the Huskies to the nationals. “The season was satisfying and dissatisfying at the same time. Being here and not playing kind of hurts. But it was a good year. It was a long year and to finish it off (with the award) is a great honour.”
Joining Bains as 1st team All-Canadians were: Adam Guiney (McMaster); Kevin Dulude (R.M.C.); Phil Scherer (Alberta); and Gabe Goree (St. Mary’s). …………………………………………………… Scherer, from St. Albert, a 5th-year phys ed major. …………………………………………………… Dulude, from Ottawa, a 4th-year business major. …………………………………………………… Goree, from Halifax, a 5th-year arts major. …………………………………………………… Guiney, from Windsor, a 4th-year anthropology major.
The 2nd team selections were: Paul Larmand (Carleton); Charles Fortier (Laval); John Riad (Calgary); Jeff Szita (Bishop’s); and Kyle Julius (Guelph). …………………………………………………… Larmand, from Victoria Harbour, Ont., a 5th-year psychology major, felt “honoured” but said he’d be more thrilled if Ravens defend their title: “the personal stuff, I don’t really care. The only reason anyone on our team gets anything personal is cause our whole team is so good.” Ravens coach Dave Smart was elated three members of his 31-1 unit received recognition for their efforts. “Having three guys in the top 15 is a credit to the kids.” …………………………………………………… Fortier, from Amos, a 4th-year business major. …………………………………………………… Julius, from Thunder Bay, a 5th-year psychology major. …………………………………………………… Szita, from Timmins, a 3rd-year business major. …………………………………………………… Riad, from Calgary, a 5th-year engineering major.
Honorable mention was awarded to: Mike Smart (Carleton); Josh Poirier (Carleton); Dion Williams (St. FX); Philippe Langlois (Concordia); and Anthony Breland (Cape Breton). …………………………………………………… Williams, a product of Ottawa’s St. Patrick’s High. ……………………………………………………