REGULAR SEASON
| Cape Breton | 16-4 | 26-6 | Jim Charters | |||||
| St. Francis Xavier | 16-4 | 28-7 | Steve Konchalski | |||||
| Saint Mary’s | 14-6 | 20-14 | Ross Quackenbush | |||||
| Memorial | 9-10 | 16-14 | Todd Aughey | |||||
| U.P.E.I. | 10-10 | 12-19 | Mike Connolly | |||||
| New Brunswick | 7-13 | 14-20 | Thom Gillespie | |||||
| Dalhousie | 5-15 | 12-19 | John Campbell | |||||
| Acadia | 2-17 | 4-24 | Les Berry | |||||
On the final weekend of the regular season, a blizzard prevented a Saturday game between Memorial and Acadia from being played. The AUS announced that a Sunday match-up between the pair would count as a four-point game.
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Acadia Axemen: Paulo Santana, Jordan Sheriko, Chris Ogbuah, Matthew Woodhead, Peter Leighton, Adam Philpott, Alex Traikov, Luckern Dieu, Justin Pruden, Mike Folker, Achuil Lual, James Burke, Sanchez Starks, Mike Filinski, coach Les Berry
Dalhousie Tigers: Shea Balish, Andrew Sullivan, Andrew McKean, Alex Doley, Matt Brooks, Germain Bendegue, Monte Francois, Tim O’Connor, Dan Bustillo, Devin Norris, Drew Stratton, Ryan de Winter, Jermayne Williams, Joonha Hwang, coach John Campbell, assistant Scott James
In the quarterfinals, Saint Mary’s nipped New Brunswick 70-68 as Jerome Goodman scored 22 on 8-15 from the floor, 6-7 from the line and 6 boards. Nelson Carvery added 21 on 8-19 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 7 boards. Aaron Duncan scored 21 on 9-12 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 6 boards, 4 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks. Jonathan Thibault scored 3 on 1-6 from the floor and 5 boards. Mark Ross scored 3 on 1-3 from the floor and 5 boards. Mark McLaughlin, Ikeobi Uchegbu and Morgan Gallagher were scoreless. The Huskies shot 27-61 (.443) from the floor, 5-12 (.417) from the arc and 11-17 (.647) from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 13 fouls, 9 turnovers, 13 steals and 2 blocks. Doug Thompson paced New Brunswick with 20 points on 8-14 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 7 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Oliver Glencross notched 15 on 4-11 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 5-6 from the line and 9 assists. Bill Walker scored 14 on 6-9 from the floor. Nathan Bokma scored 7 on 3-5 from the floor and 12 boards. Thor Jensen scored 5 on 2-4 from the floor. Adam Parent added 4, Ben Macleod 3 and Colin Swift 0. The Varsity Reds shot 26-52 from the floor, 7-15 (.467) from the arc and 9-12 from the line, while garnering 30 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 16 fouls, 18 turnovers and 6 steals. Goodman scored 9 of 11 Huskie points down the stretch but it was guard Mark Ross who proved the hero as he sunk a 15-foot jumper with 30 seconds to play against an expiring shot clock. On the next possession, Ross drew a charge from Reds forward Nathan Bokma with 14.1 seconds to play. “He ducked his shoulder in but I guess I sold it a bit,” said Ross. ‘I just kind of snuck in there. I guess it wouldn’t have been so good if the call went the other way. Offensively, we were looking for Jerome but my guy fell down and I was fortunate to make an open shot.” Goodman missed two free throws with 12 seconds on the clock but prevented UNB guard Olivier Glencross from getting a good look on the final possession. “We were scrambling for our lives out there,” said Saint Mary’s swingman Aaron Duncan. “They wanted it almost as much as we did.” UNB coach Thom Gillespie was livid at the charge against Bokma. The Varsity Reds (coached by Thom Gillespie) also included Jonathan Maxwell, Jason Maxwell, Merv Maxwell?, Kris Gibbons, Michael Anderson, Danya Bubar.
In the other quarterfinal, the U.P.E.I. Panthers edged the Memorial Seahawks 88-84 as Sherone Edwards scored 26 on 11-15 from the floor, 4-9 from the line, 4 boards, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Tyler Wood added 21 on 6-10 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 7-8 from the line and 10 assists. Jaison Frazier added 15 on 7-15 from the floor, 5 boards and 6 assists. Doug McKinney scored 14 on 5-9 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 8 boards. Peter Stay scored 10 on 5-7 from the floor and 4 boards. Anthony Macdougald added 2, while Chad Macdonald and Shakir Chambers were scoreless. The Panthers shot 35-65 (.538) from the floor, 2-8 from the arc and 16-24 (.667) from the line, while garnering 26 boards, including 4 on the offensive glass, 20 assists, 18 fouls, 11 turnovers, 9 steals and 3 blocks. Andre Grant paced Memorial with 18 points on 7-19 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 7 boards and 3 steals. Justin Halleran added 17 on 6-16 from the floor, 1-9 from the arc, 4-5 from the line, 5 assists and 3 steals. Robert Hickey added 17 on 5-6 from the floor, 7-9 from the line and 4 boards. Tom Budai scored 13 on 4-5 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Sean Thistle notched 11 on 4-7 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 8 boards. Evan Constantine added 4, Robert Grant 2, Curtis Power 2, while Donald Lindo and Peter Ingram were scoreless. The Seahawks shot 30-63 (.476) from the floor, 4-21 (.190) from the arc and 20-24 (.833) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 19 assists, 20 fouls, 13 turnovers, 8 steals and 1 block. Memorial led for most of the first half but the Panthers knotted the score at 38 at the half on a Tyler Wood buzzer-beating trey. UPEI opened the second half with a 10-3 run. Memorial rallied no closer than three in the final minute of play. Memorial played without second team all-star Leonel Saintil, who claimed he’d quit the team in a dispute with coach Todd Aughey, who, in turn, claimed that the all-star had been dismissed for being “disruptive.” UPEI coach Mike Connolly said “Wood is a true competitor and he showed it tonight. I think he was the best player on the floor. This is his fifth year and he’s not going to leave anything in the dressing room.” Connolly added that a 17-5 run to open the second half was critical. “We felt they were vulnerable on transition, so we went out on the court and got most of those 17 points on transition. We’re a good team whenever we get out and run the floor like that because we have a lot of athleticism and if we get a chance for a good outlet pass and have people like Sherone and Jaison Frazier filling the lanes, we’re going to get some easy points.” The Seahawks (coached by Todd Aughey, assisted by Etienne Orr-Ewing and Peter Benoite) also included Jermaine Bruce, Colin Power, Mark Woodland, Randy O’Reilly and Mark English.
In the semis, St. FX dumped UPEI 79-68 as Garry Gallimore and Tyler Richards each scored 18 points. Gallimore was 4-11 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 10-11 from the line, while grabbing 6 boards. Richards hit 7-12 from the floor, 4-5 from the arc and grabbed 6 boards. Michael Baxter scored 10 on 5-6 from the floor. Neil Macdonald scored 10 on 5-8 from the floor and 4 boards. Alexander Stephen added 10 on 5-8 from the floor and 9 boards. Zach Russell scored 8 on 3-4 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 5 boards and 8 assists. Edwin Reynolds added 5 and John Bustin 0. The X-Men hit 31-54 (.574) from the floor, 7-13 (.538) from the arc and 10-14 (.714) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 18 fouls, 14 turnovers, 3 steals and 1 block. Sherone Edwards paced the Panthers with 23 points on 10-23 from the floor, 3-5 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Jaison Frazier added 23 on 9-17 from the floor, 5-8 from the line and 6 boards. Doug McKinney scored 11 on 5-6 from the floor and 9 boards. Tyler Wood added 10 on 3-10 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc and 4 assists. Anthony Macdougald scored 1, while Peter Stay, Chad Macdonald and Shakir Chambers were scoreless. UPEI hit 27-61 (.443) from the floor, 2-10 from the arc and 12-19 (.632) from the line, while garnering 27 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 8 assists, 14 fouls, 8 turnovers and 9 steals. The Panthers (coached by Mike Connolly) also included Anthony McDougald, Kevin McQuaid, Cameron McAskill, Nathan Clark, Kyle Borden, Wesley MacCumber and Mike MacIsaac. St. FX opened with a 19-4 run to put the outcome essentially out of reach. They built their lead to 49-30 at the half and coasted home. “We lost some games and it seemed like people were starting to doubt us,” said X-Men guard Tyler Richards. “But this is a new season and anything before, good or bad, doesn’t count.” UPEI coach Mike Connolly lamented the lack of defensive intensity of his troops and noted that “I thought if we would have had a big three somewhere along the line, that would have given us that little bit of momentum and we could have climbed back into this game. You have virtually no chance to come back from that type of deficit against a team like St. FX. It would have been easy to roll over but I’m real proud of my guys for not doing that.”
In the other semi, Cape Breton edged Saint Mary’s 68-63 as Paul Blake scored 18 on 7-19 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 3-8 from the line, 6 boards and 3 steals. Ryan Keliher added 12 on 5-9 from the floor, 2-3 from the line, 5 boards and 2 steals. Corey Hargrove notched 11 on 4-7 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 4 boards. Eric Breland scored 11 on 3-8 from the floor, 5-6 from the line, 6 boards and 3 steals. Daniel White scored 10 on 3-7 from the floor, 4-6 from the line and 8 boards. Jarrett Timmons scored 4, Tywann McKoy 2, Jovan Geddes 0 and Kerwin Liverpool 0. The Capers shot 24-54 (.444) from the floor, 1-8 (.125) from the arc and 19-32 (.594) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 3 assists, 14 fouls, 9 turnovers, 10 steals and 3 blocks. Jerome Goodman paced Saint Mary’s with 22 points on 9-13 from the floor, 4-7 from the line and 10 boards. Aaron Duncan added 22 on 10-15 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 9 boards and 6 assists. Nelson Carvery added 13 on 6-14 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 6 assists. Jonathan Thibault scored 3 on 1-6 from the arc and 4 boards. Mark Ross notched 2, Ikeobi Uchegbu 1 and Mark McLaughlin 0. The Huskies shot 27-56 (.482) from the floor, 4-18 (.222) from the arc and 5-10 from the line, while garnering 27 boards, including 4 on the offensive glass, 22 assists, 19 fouls, 14 turnovers, 4 steals and 1 block. Cape Breton trailed 58-52 with seven minutes remaining but went on a 14-1 run and allowed only two field goals down the stretch as they pulled out the win. “This is hard way for us to go out because we were in control of the game late but we just couldn’t finish it off,” said Huskies guard Jonathan Thibault. The Huskies (coached by Ross Quackenbush) also included Michael Jack, Cordell Wright, Buddy Husbands, Ibraheim Muhammad, Dean Jones, Nial Both and Clayton Erskine.
In the final, St. Francis Xavier clipped Cape Breton 83-72 as Garry Gallimore scored 18 on 6-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 5-5 from the line and 6 assists. Zach Russell added 17 on 5-7 from the floor, 4-5 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 3 boards and 7 assists. Neil Macdonald scored 14 on 4-4 from the floor, 6-6 from the line and 11 boards. Tyler Richards added 14 on 6-11 from the floor and 2-4 from the line. Alexander Stephen scored 12 on 5-9 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Michael Baxter and Edwin Reynolds each added 4. The X-Men shot 30-48 (.625) from the floor, 5-10 from the arc and 18-20 (.900) from the line, while garnering 23 boards, including 4 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 15 fouls, 10 turnovers, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Paul Blake paced Cape Breton with 20 on 9-16 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 4 boards and 3 steals. Eric Breland added 18 on 7-12 from the floor, 4-6 from the line and 6 boards. Tywann Mckoy scored 12 on 4-6 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 4 boards. Ryan Keliher notched 7 on 3-10 from the floor and 9 assists. Daniel White scored 6 on 2-3 from the floor and 7 boards. Corey Hargrove scored 6 on 2-10 from the floor. Jarrett Timmons notched 3 and Kenneth MacQueen 0. The Capers hit 28-59 (.475) from the floor, 4-14 (.286) from the arc and 12-20 (.600) from the line, while garnering 26 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 14 fouls, 10 turnovers, 7 steals and 1 block. The X-Men exploded with a 23-10 to open the affair but the Capers rallied back to within 39-33 at the half. St. FX’s ball movement was excellent. “When we swing the ball around like that, we get lots of layups and wide-open shots, which makes it a lot easier to score,” said guard Zach Russell. “We knew we had to get off to a great start like that.” St. FX extended its lead to 10 early in the second half but the Capers again rallied, cutting the margin to 57-54 before being hampered when forward Eric Breland was forced out for five minutes by an ankle injury. “It slowed me down some but I can’t use that as an excuse,” said Breland. “The main thing was that we knew we couldn’t let them get out to a big lead and we couldn’t do that. We used up too much energy trying to come back. They deserved to win.” Tournament MVP Garry Gallimore said the X-Men’s depth proved the difference. “Cape Breton’s tough but we knew we had more experienced guys, so we tried to exploit that. Plus, we really wanted to go to nationals as champions. We want to finish nationals as champions too.” The Capers also included Mark McGarrigle, Jovan Geddes, Rene Saulnier, Dan White and Corey Hargrove.
After six years as head coach of the UPEI Panthers men’s basketball program, Mike Connolly was fired after a (10-10) campaign in which the Panthers finished fifth. Connolly, who assumed the helm in June 2000, compiled a 57-63 regular-season record, won a conference title and a national consolation final in his third season. “The program requires stabilization and core development for long-term growth,” said athletic director Ron Annear. “It’s my responsibility to evaluate each and every program that we offer to ensure that we are moving in the best positive direction for the program and for the university.” Connolly was furious. “I am shocked the athletic director didn’t consult with my assistant coaches who have given so much to the program, or the Back Court (booster) Club, who have been the lifeblood of the program. I consider it a real privilege to have represented the university in the manner we have over the years and I would like to wish the UPEI Panthers ever success.”
The runner-up Cape Breton Capers: Paul Blake; Ryan Keliher; Corey Hargrove; Eric Breland; Daniel White; Jarrett Timmons; Tywann McKoy; Jovan Geddes; Kerwin Liverpool; Kenneth McQueen; Mark McGarrigle; Kyle Hickey; John Sylliboy; coach Jim Charters; assistant Lowell Cormier; assistant Rob Redshaw; assistant Darren Desmond; trainer Jacquelyn Whalen; athletic director John Ryan
The champion St. Francis Xavier X-Men: Neil MacDonald; Garry Gallimore; Alexander Stephen; John Bustin; Tyler Richards; Edwin Reynolds; Dave Joyce; Mark MacKenzie; Zach Russell; Daouli Lengema; Michael Baxter; Taylor Murphy; coach Steve Konchalski; assistant Brent Baker; assistant Denton Anthony; student assistant Jonathan Bell; manager Joseph Mensah; therapist Tara Sutherland; therapist Kurt Stevenson; student therapist Marty MacIntyre; doctor David Cudmore; SID Krista McKenna, athletic director Leo MacPherson