REGULAR SEASON
| BALDWIN | NELSON | |||||||
| St. FX | 17-3 | 22-12 | Steve Konchalski | New Brunswick | 14-6 | 19-11 | Thom Gillespie | |
| Saint Mary’s | 13-7 | 22-12 | Ross Quackenbush | U.P.E.I. | 8-12 | 11-20 | Mike Connolly | |
| Memorial | 11-9 | 16-15 | Todd Aughey | Dalhousie | 5-15 | 12-20 | Tim McGarrigle-Jim Charters | |
| Acadia | 7-13 | 10-20 | Dave Nutbrown | Cape Breton | 5-15 | 6-19 | Bill Burns | |
In Jan/2002, the CIS announced that sanctions that will be applied to Dalhousie University, men’s basketball coach Tim McGarrigle, and two members of its men’s basketball team as a result of two self-disclosed breaches involving the use of academically ineligible athletes by the University. Dalhousie was fined $5,000 and forced to demonstrate that institutional changes were made to minimize the possibility of future breaches. The university was also required to participate in a CIS audit of its eligibility monitoring and verification system for athletes. In addition to the sanctions, men’s head coach Tim McGarrigle was suspended for the remainder of the season. Derek Alexander, a first-year transfer student, has been charged one year of eligibility for participation in a pre-season exhibition tournament hosted on October 12 and 13 while academically ineligible for CIS competition. Alexander will become eligible for the 2002-2003 CIS basketball season upon successful completion of 18 credit hours during the current academic year. Rubens Aubourg, who played 5 games while academically ineligible between January 12th and 23rd, is suspended from further participation for the remainder of the season and charged a year of eligibility. Following an appeal, the sanctions are modified to allow Aubourg to compete commencing Jan 24th, provided he completes 18 credit hours. The team will be coached for the remainder of the year by former Cape Breton-Dalhousie star Jim Charters, McGarrigle’s brother-in-law and assistant coach, on an interim basis.
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Acadia Axemen: Saj Joseph, Nicholas Landrigan, Walter Moyse, Dan White, Brian Finniss, Michael Messenger, Ryan Merrast, Erick Wynter, Joseph Savoir, Kevin Kunderewich, Neil Belot, Matt Conrad, Mitch MacNeil, Jomo Mayers, Curtis Morris, Jeffrey Nickel, Mike Palombella, Bret Wennekes, redshirt Greg Winter, coach Dave Nutbrown
Cape Breton Capers: Carlos Smith, Danna St. John, Ryan Chaffe, Matthew Skinn, Andrew Carter, Orville Edwards, Justin Dickins, Dave Burns, Chris Carter, Todd Lewis, Jason MacNeil, Mustapha Maynard, Kalada Miadonye, Lee Reckman, Bradley Sheppard, Hulute Yoga, coach Bill Burns
In the quarterfinals, Memorial defeated the 5th-seeded UPEI Panthers 67-64. Memorial won its first ever playoff game at the Metro Centre. The first half was mostly scoring streaks. The teams seemed never to just trade baskets. UPEI got things started with a 10-2 run before Memorial came right back with a 12-2 run of their own. Later in the half, a Dion Langdon jumper pulled Memorial into a 21-21 tie, Shane Butland followed a long jumper, then Langdon followed with two more of his own and the Seahawks were off on a 17-2 run that gave them a 13-point lead. They finished the half leading by 15. The teams traded baskets for most of the second half, with Memorial maintaining an 11 to 16-point lead. Finally, with 6 minutes to go, Chris Howell and Chris Reid scored a pair for the Panthers, then Jimmy Morris went on his own personal 9-0 run, stuffing his own rebound, then a long jumper, then a layup, then a three, making it a 2-point game 59-57. A Darryl Boucaud hook shoot and several Memorial free throws had them ahead 67-61 when a Tyler Wood three made it 67-64 with 15 seconds remaining. Jeff Saxby paced Memorial with 19 points on 4-10 from the floor and 5-7 from the line. Dion Langdon added 13, Darryl Boucaud 9, Shane Butland 11, Nigel Pennie 5, Tobin 2, Ingram 0, Clark 0 and Andrew Sinclair 8. The Sea-Hawks shot 18-45 from the floor, 6-20 from the arc and 13-24 from the line. Chris Howell paced UPEI with 21 on 6-8 from the floor. Jimmy Morris added 15 points on 6-20 from the floor. Tyler Wood added 11, Chris Smith 8, Jonathan McKercher 5 and Chris Reid 4, while Kenny Duncan and Jeff Walker were scoreless. The Panthers (coached by Mike Connolly) shot 23-55 from the floor, 5-21 from the arc and 3-7 from the line. Memorial led 42-27 at the half. UPEI out-rebounded Memorial 52-46 with Morris nabbing 18 boards. Saxby had 10 for Memorial. The Seahawks had 17 assists to UPEI’s 16, with Saxby dishing out 6. Memorial had 9 steals to UPEI’s 2 and committed just 12 fouls to UPEI’s 20. The Panthers (coached by Mike Connolly) also included Ryan Lenarduzzi, Don Killorn, Trevor Postma, Tyler Wood and Jason Durando.
In the other quarterfinal, Saint Mary’s defeated Dalhousie 58-44. Saint Mary’s began the affair with star rebounder Damon Parachnowitsch on the bench. He hadn’t played or practiced for 2 weeks after banging up his knee at UNB. Then about 6 minutes in, stellar starting center Nate Phillipe went down in a heap under the basket with apparently a cartilage problem. On came Parachnowitsch to play 32 minutes, and scored 10 points, snared 7 rebounds, and blocked 2 shots, despite his decreased mobility. The first half lead changed hands about 8 times, with neither team able to get much of an advantage. Stuart Leach was a force inside for Dal, scoring 10 points on 4-5 shooting, blocking 3 shots, and adding a steal as the Tigers took a one-point lead at the half. After their stellar start, the second half was a big scoring drought for Dal. They shot 4-27 for 14.8% and didn’t score their second basket until well past the 10-minute mark. Nevertheless, Dal kept it close. The turning point came with about 6 minutes remaining when Anderson scored on a pull-up jumper, Bennie Edison was closely checked and dribbled out over the sideline, then in short order an Allum three and a Maeko basket put SMU ahead by 9. SMU scored the last 8 points in the last minute. Gabe Goree scored 12 for Saint Mary’s on 5-9 from the floor. Colin Allum added 12, Damon Parachnowitsch 10, Atnas Maeko 9, Nate Philippe 2, Nate Anderson 6, Ben McCarthy 3, and Damon Cole 4. The Huskies shot 17-42 from the floor, 3-10 from the arc and 15-23 from the line. Stuart Leach paced Dalhousie with 13 points on 5-10 from the floor. Oreine Davis added 11, Craig Slaunwhite 7, Kinte Ambrose 3, Bennie Edison 4, Dion Walcott 2, Mike Harvey 0, Hugh Mullally 2 and Josh Langford 2. The Tigers shot 13-41 from the floor, 3-17 from the arc and 9-13 from the line. Dalhousie led 29-28 at the half. Both teams garnered 41 boards, with Parachnowitsch and Goree each nabbing 7 for Saint Mary’s and Leach grabbing 8 for Dal. Saint Mary’s had 14 assists to Dalhousie’s 13, and 6 assists to Dal’s 3. Dal was whistled for 21 fouls and Saint Mary’s for 16. The Tigers (coached by Tim McGarrigle, assisted by Jim Charters and Mark Parker) also included Trystan James, Rubens Aubourg and Derek Alexander
In the semis, St. FX defeated Memorial 95-71. The affair was over within 12 minutes as St. FX came out fired up, fully prepared, and totally dominated Memorial, shutting them down defensively, while rolling to a 27-point halftime lead. The early going was all Will Jernigan, Dennie Oliver and Jordan Croucher as St. FX built a 49-22 lead at the half. They were aided by conference scoring leader Jeff Saxby having picked up three fouls by the 12-minute mark. MUN did not score during a full 5-minute span as St. FX built its lead to 34-12. Both teams emptied their benches in the second half. Dennie Oliver hit 21 for St. FX on 9-11 from the floor. Will Jernigan added 21, Jason Kerswill 6, E.L. Adams 4, Jordan Croucher 18, Stephen 10, Williams 7, Budreski 2, Bustin 2, Reynolds 2, Baster 0 and Ricketts 0. The X-Men shot 33-57 from the floor, 3-14 from the arc and 20-28 from the line. Jeff Saxby led Memorial with 17 on 5-12 from the floor. Dion Langdon scored 12, Shane Butland 12, Nigel Pennie 7, Peter Ingram 6, Andrew Sinclair 5, George English 5, Darryl Boucard 4 and Tobin 2, while Anton Berry, Clarke and Michael Power were scoreless. The Seahawks (coached by Todd Aughey) hit 23-51 from the floor, 4-14 from the arc and 13-17 from the line. St. FX out-rebounded Memorial 48-32 led by Oliver’s 11 boards. They had 24 assists, led by Croucher’s 7, to Memorial’s 20, with Butland dishing out 6. St. FX had 8 steals to Memorial’s 6 and committed 17 fouls to Memorial’s 21. The Sea-Hawks (coached by Todd Aughey, assisted by Howie Green and Bill Redden) also included Paul Sequiera, Michael Wilson and Steven James.
In the other semi, Saint Mary’s defeated New Brunswick 84-70 to earn the AUS’s other berth in the nationals. The contest was close until after the 10-minute mark of the second half. Saint Mary’s pulled away from a 55-55 tie to gradually increase the margin to 15. Guard Nate Anderson was back in form, making a couple of twisting, falling back, underhanded flip baskets where he ended on the floor and likely didn’t see the ball go in. If anything, SMU football player Atnas Maeko was even more spectacular. The reserve hit 9 baskets, included a trey. Twice he connected for three in a row, each time giving SMU a nice lead. The first half saw 9 early lead changes. Bram Russell gave UNB a brief 19-18 lead before SMU took off on a 15-1 run featuring a Damon Parachnowitsch jumper, Anderson’s spectacular, a Ben McCarthy dunk, a pair of long jumpers by Maeko and Jonathon Thibault, with Thibault finishing the run with aa pair of free throws for a 33-20 lead. Just when it looked like SMU may be taking control of the game, UNB began a 13-1 run of their own, led by David Meyer’s 3 baskets, one a three to tie it at 33-33. Another Thibault long jumper gave SMU the one-point lead at the half. A pair of Bram Russell baskets gave UNB a brief 3-point 44-41 second half lead. Otherwise SMU held the lead throughout the second half except for a Jeff Cotter jumper that tied it at 55-55. Then Maeko, Nathan Anderson and Gabe Goree went to work giving SMU a 7-point lead. They increased it to 15 before the buzzer sounded. Bram Russell paced UNB with 15 points on 7-12 from the floor. Jeff Cotter added 15, Mike Kierstead 12, David Meyers 10, Ryan Johnston 7, Kirk Mombourquette 4, Andy Cotter 4, Dan Goggin 2 and Doug Thompson 1, while Tom Spink 0 and Brent Sevigny were scoreless. The Varsity Reds shot 22-48 from the floor, 3-14 from the arc and 17-24 from the line. The Varsity Reds (coached by Thom Gillespie) also included Chris Barrington, Dylan Lisson, Greg Walker and Joe Thompson. Nate Anderson led Saint Mary’s with 22 on 7-11 from the floor and 8-9 from the line. Atnas Maeko added 20, Gabe Goree 13, Damon Parachnowitsch 10, Ben McCarthy 9, Colin Allum 4, Damon Cole 0, Jonathan Thibault 6, Ibraheim Muhammad 0, Shawn Smith 0, and Matt Brooks 0. The Huskies shot 29-44 from the floor, 3-11 from the arc and 17-24 from the line, while out-rebounding New Brunswick 39-32, led by Goree’s 10. Johnston and Russell each had 6 boards for the Varsity Reds. SMU had 24 assists, led by Anderson’s 10, to UNB’s 19, led by Cotter’s 7. UNB had 8 steals to Saint Mary’s 6 and committed 23 fouls to SMU’s 20. “It feels like we let so many people down,” conference MVP Mike Kierstead told the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal. “People were expecting us to win this game and have another shot at it next weekend. It is disheartening and upsetting that the season is over and there is no more ball to be played except for goofing around in the gym.” Red coach Thom Gillespie said “it wasn’t particularly emotional because it wasn’t like we had played our best game. We had the same feeling when we played here two years ago. You just walk away with an empty feeling.” Jeff Cotter said “we had all the tools this year. We had big men, we had a perimeter game but it didn’t work out for us. We were expecting (the Huskies speed), we knew what they had but they hit some tough shots. We couldn’t put anything together.” Kierstead said Maeko “had a great game. We hadn’t even talked about him. In the other games, he didn’t really do anything against us at all. That was probably the game of his university career.” Russell said “it hurts a little bit more because we know we can beat that team. A couple of years ago, that was a national championship team and we were going in as a severe underdog. That was not the case tonight. The scar cuts a little deeper today.” Cotter said “every year we come in confident but the teams we play against have these incredible games. People come out of nowhere.”
In the final, St. FX defeated Saint Mary’s 78-68 to collect their third consecutive AUAA crown. “I’m as proud of this team as any I have coached,” said Steve Konchalski, whose X-Men won 21 of their previous 24 starts after commencing the season (0-3). “We’ve come a long way since earlier this year but we’re back at nationals and that’s what counts. (Tournament MVP Will Jernigan) told me he’d be ready for this weekend and that he wouldn’t let me down. He sure didn’t. No one did.” Jernigan notched a three-point play to give St. FX a 64-57 lead with six minutes to play. Dennie Oliver followed with a steal and a pair of free throws to give the X-Men a nine-point margin, the largest of the game. Oliver added another pair from the line as St. FX moved ahead 70-61 with two minutes to play. Oliver finished 28 points, including 19 in the second half and 14-15 from the line, 13 boards and 3 steals. Saint Mary’s appeared to tire down the stretch. “We knew they were going to play hard but it was their third game so we just tried to take it to them,” said Oliver. “We wanted to just keep attacking and capitalize on our quickness.” Jernigan, an ex-Dalhousie Tiger who sat out a season after transferring, was a defensive pest. “Coach challenged me, pushed me and made me realize all week that I have talent and that I’ve been too passive. I just wanted to come out and be aggressive. This is going to be my first time going to nationals so I want it to be on I’ll remember.” Jordan Croucher notched 14 for St. FX, which led 45-39 at the half. Huskies starting guard Colin Allum scored 12 but fouled out with nine minutes to play. “We lost this game at the foul line,” said guard Nathan Anderson, who scored 13. “Both teams wanted this win but every time they drove, we fouled them. That was the difference.”
After the season, Bill Burns is dumped as coach of Cape Breton. In four years, Burns’ Capers were 28-52 in regular season play. Burns is replaced by former player and Dalhousie assistant Jim Charters who was selected from a pool of 31 applicants, and who’d been coaching Dalhousie for the season on an interim basis. The Cape Breton graduate had previously been an assistant with Dalhousie for seven years. “I’m dedicated to making sure our team outworks everyone else on the floor,” Charters told the Cape Breton Post. “I think it all starts with work ethic and hard work. Hard work is something we can control. I don’t want to lose games when teams outwork us. If they have more talent and we lose, well you can accept that but you have to more forward and try to overcome it. I will not accept losing games because we’re outworked.” Athletic director John Ryan said Charters’ AUS background separated from other candidates. “Usually there is an orientation period of about six or seven months until the new coach can meet the other coaches, have a chance to relate to them and meet the basketball community of Cape Breton. But Jim has all that. He’s going to be able to start from square one.”
Dalhousie announced that it will not renew the contract of coach Tim McGarrigle, who took over the coaching reins from Bev Greenlaw in March 1994 but who was suspended by the CIS disciplinary committee earlier in the year for playing two academically ineligible player. The Tigers hire John Campbell, head coach of the Laurentian women’s program, as his replacement. The three-time OUA women’s coach of the year, Campbell captured two Ontario titles since assuming the reins at Laurentian in 1997, with a conference record of 88-12. Prior to joining Laurentian, Campbell coach the Cambrian college men’s team for two seasons.
The runner-up Saint Mary’s Huskies: Nate Philippe; Colin Allum; Nathan Anderson; Atnas Maeko; Gabe Goree; Damon Parachnowitsch; Ben McCarthy; Damon Cole; Jonathan Thibault; Ibraheim Muhammad; Shawn Smith; Matt Brooks; Austin O’Reilly; Madike Charles; Dean Jones; coach Ross Quackenbush; assistant Scott Munro; assistant Les Berry
The champion St. Francis Xavier X-Men: Everett Adams, Mike Budreski; Dion Williams; Jonathan Daniel; Jordan Croucher; Dennie Oliver; Edwin Reynolds; Jason Kerswill; Will Jernigan; Paul Ricketts; John Bustin; Mike Baxter; Alexander Stephen; coach Steve Konchalski; assistant Augy Jones; assistant James Maksymiw; special assistant Ron Macdonald; conditioning coach Jim Hardy; manager Danny MacLeod; student therapist Kara Spencer; videographer Parker Regan