REGULAR SEASON
| U.B.C. | 10-2 | 16-13 | Peter Mullins | |||||
| Manitoba | 11-5 | 17-5 | Darwin Semotiuk | |||||
| Alberta | 6-8 | 17-11 | Barry Mitchelson | |||||
| Saskatchewan | 5-11 | 9-18 | Bob Mirwald | |||||
| Calgary | 4-10 | Don Newton | ||||||
The teams played an abbreviated 12-game schedule with U.B.C. finishing with 26 points and Manitoba 22. U.B.C. two games versus Alberta and Saskatchewan counted as four-point games.
Some reports claim that Winnipeg was in the league from 1968-72. The Wesmen had commenced playing in the Winnipeg senior A league as United College of Winnipeg in 1967. Vic Pruden is appointed coach of United College in 67. Results show that Alberta defeated Winnipeg 64-49; 68-60; 73-59 and 91-57. The league records those as “exhibition” games.
Non-medalist rosters:
Calgary Dinosaurs: Jim Christie, Dave Ireland, Clarence Amalung, Dale Stuckey, Jim Christie, Wes Balderson, Barry Bennett, Al Kettles, Bill Bucklaw, Glen Alexander, coach Don Newton
Saskatchewan Huskies: Jim Herbison, Dave Annear, Brent Batting, Tom Gosse, Jim Sekulich, Pat Foster, Doug Kester, Doug Dodd, Dennis Jones, Dale Galan, Bob Thompson, Don Blackburn, Bob Pepper, Hal Herbison, coach Don Newton, assistant Bob Steponchev
Manitoba clocked host Alberta 66-52 and 79-74. …………………………………………………… In game one, Manitoba stomped Alberta 66-52. The Bears took an early 8-2 lead but promptly withered under Manitoba’s press. They rallied to take a 31-30 lead at the half on the ball movement of Brian Blumell but the Bisons took command in the second half as Eric Bartz kept draining perimeter jumpers. Eric Bartz led Manitoba with 21. Terry Ball added 13. Brian Blummel paced Alberta with 20. Warren Champion added 17. …………………………………………………… In game two, Manitoba completed the series sweep with a 79-74 win. Alberta led 40-34 at the half but the Bisons quickly took a lead in the second and stalled. Alberta twice had chances to knot the score but both times, threw the ball away. “That is where we lost the game,” Bears rookie coach Barry Mitchelson told The Gateway. Greg Gillies led Manitoba with 20. Terry Ball added 19 and Eric Bartz 10. Bill Buxton and Larry Nowak each scored 15 to lead Alberta. Brian Blumell added 14, Warren Champion 13, Dave Swann 8 and Ian Walker 8. “Tonight, I am elated,” said Mitchelson. “last night I was discouraged. The boys did not lose their poise tonight and we managed to correct many of Friday’s mistakes. The guards played exceptionally well. I am also pleased with our scoring distribution.”
Host Manitoba clipped Alberta 81-63 and 77-56. …………………………………………………… In game one, Manitoba stomped Alberta 81-63. The Bisons took an early 8-4 lead but Alberta rallied to tie the score at 37 at the half as Warren Champion and Manitoba’s Terry Ball put on a shooting displace. The Bisons resolved Alberta’s zone in the second half and led by Greg Gillies and the boardwork of Ross Wedlake, ripped off a 21-1 run to take command. Terry Ball led the Bisons with 23. Eric Bartz added 14, Wedlake 13 and Gillies 13. Warren Champion paced Alberta with 18. Bruce Blumell added 11. …………………………………………………… In game two, Manitoba romped 77-56 after leading 40-26 at the half. Terry Ball led Manitoba with 23. Greg Gillies notched 16. Brian Blumell paced Alberta with 15. Larry Nowak added 14.
Calgary split with Saskatchewan.
Host Calgary split with Alberta, losing 72-69 and then winning 56-51. …………………………………………………… In game one, Alberta prevailed 56-51. The Dinosaurs broke to an early 19-14 lead on the perimeter shooting of rookies Wes Balderson and Barrie Bennett. The Bears rallied to knot the score at 33 at the half before Calgary clawed back to a 60-55 lead with five minutes to play. Ken Turnbull notched a three-point play to start an Alberta rally. Bruce Blumell and Dick Krenz hit buckets to knot the score at 68 with 1:07 to play. Al Kettles hit a free throw to give Calgary a 69-68 lead but then Warren Champion hit a pair of free throws and blocked a Kettles jumper. With 15 seconds to play, Champion fed Krenz for a layup to give Alberta the win. Champion scored 22, Krenz 17 and Blumell 14. Bennett paced Calgary with 22. Kettles added 17 and Balderson 16. …………………………………………………… In game two, Calgary prevailed 56-51 as Al Kettles dominated Alberta in the paint, controlling the boards and slipping inside repeatedly for layups. Calgary led 25-22 at the half and were ahead 49-46 when Jim Christie hit a jumper to extend the margin to five. The Dinos stalled for the remaining four minutes and iced the win at the line. Al Kettles led the Dinosaurs with 30. Bruce Blumell led the Golden Bears with 13. Warren Champion added 12.
U.B.C. swept its four-game series with Calgary. …………………………………………………… In game one in Calgary, U.B.C. prevailed 83-53. …………………………………………………… In game two in Calgary, U.B.C. stomped Calgary 106-53. …………………………………………………… In game one in Vancouver, U.B.C. whipped Calgary 99-54 as Neil Murray scored 23, Dave Rice 22 and Larry Donaldson 18. Al Kettles led the Dinosaurs with 5. …………………………………………………… In game two, U.B.C. crushed the Dinosaurs 11-76 as Dave Rice and Phil Langley each scored 25. Al Kettles paced Calgary with 23.
Alberta clipped visiting Calgary 78-66 and 86-48. …………………………………………………… In game one, Alberta prevailed 78-66. Calgary took an early 32-23 lead but Alberta rallied to within 42-38 at the half. The Bears took their first lead at 67-66 and Warren Champion scored 11 unanswered points to ice the win. Champion finished with 29 points. Rookie post Bryan Rakoz, who averaged 10 ppg on the campaign, added 14 and Bill Buxton 12. Barrie Bennett paced the Dinos with 18. Al Kettles added 17. …………………………………………………… In game two, Alberta stomped Calgary 86-48. The Dinos took an early 6-1 lead but Alberta shifted into a full-court press and led 35-17 at the half. Warren Champion led the Bears with 26. Brian Blumell added 21 and Bill Buxton 9. “The press allowed us to control the tempo of the games,” said Bears coach Barry Mitchelson. “We had more balance in our scoring and finally put two good rebounding performances together. Rakoz did an excellent job defensively on Kettles. Champion also played real well on both ends of the floor. All our guards played well on the man-to-man defence.”
Host UBC dumped Saskatchewan 74-59 and 84-40. …………………………………………………… In game one, U.B.C. stomped Saskatchewan 74-59 as Neil Murray scored 18, Dave Rice 14 and Ian Dixon 12. U.B.C. led 4025 at the half. Tom Gosse led the Huskies with 17. Bob Pepper added 14. …………………………………………………… In game two, U.B.C. crushed the Huskies 84-40 as Frank Rotering scored 17, Dave Rice 12, Ian Dixon 10 and Neil Murray 10. Tom Gosse led Saskatchewan with 12.
Host Calgary defeated Manitoba 65-55; 73-66. …………………………………………………… In game one, Calgary clipped the Bisons 65-55 as Jim Christie scored 16, Dale Stuckey 13 and Bill Mucklow 13. Ray Gillies led Manitoba with 13. Terry Ball added 12. …………………………………………………… In game two, Calgary prevailed 73-66 as Jim Christie scored 20, Al Kettles 18 and Barrie Bennett 10, along with 13 boards. Ted Stoesz paced the Bisons with 14. Terry Ball added 12 and Bruce Dobbin 10.
Saskatchewan split with visiting Alberta, losing 70-68 and then winning 84-69. …………………………………………………… In game one, Alberta prevailed 70-68. The Bears had led 66-48 but sought to stall and it almost backfired. Al Melnychuk paced the Bears with 14. Warren Champion added 14 and Bryan Rakoz 10. Jim Sekulich led the Huskies with 15. Tom Gosse added 11. …………………………………………………… In game two, Saskatchewan dominated as they rolled to an 84-69 win. Post Jim Sekulich drained left hand hooks all night, while scoring 21. Tom Gosse added 16 and Brent Batting 15. Bruce Blumell paced the Bears with 19. Warren Champion added 17.
Saskatchewan dumped host Calgary 75-72 in overtime and 71-65. …………………………………………………… In game one, the Huskies prevailed 75-72 in overtime. Huskie Doug Kester forced overtime by knotting the score at 68 on a bucket with 5 seconds to play. Jim Sekulich led the Huskies with 18. Brent Batting added 17, Tom Gosse 16 and Jim Herbison 10. …………………………………………………… In game two, Saskatchewan prevailed 71-65 despite trailing 32-23 at the half. “They played the best basketball that they have all year in the second half,” Huskies coach Bob Mirwald told The Sheaf. Jim Herbison led the Huskies with 17. Dave Annear added 16, Brent Batting 13, Tom Gosse 12 and Jim Sekulich 10.
Manitoba defeated Saskatchewan 65-59 and 76-56. …………………………………………………… In game one, Manitoba prevailed 65-59 as Terry Ball scored 16. Jim Sekulich led the Huskies with 22. Tom Gosse added 20. …………………………………………………… In game two, Manitoba clubbed the Huskies 76-56 despite trailing 34-26 at the half. Terry Ball led the Bisons with 26. Tom Gosse led the Huskies with 23. Jim Sekulich added 14.
Manitoba swept Saskatchewan x-x; 83-62. …………………………………………………… In game two, Manitoba dusted Saskatchewan 83-62 as Terry Ball scored 22 and Ross Wedlake 11. The Bisons led 40-30 at the half. Tom Gosse and Dave Anear each scored 15 to pace the Huskies.
U.B.C. won three of four from Manitoba. …………………………………………………… In Winnipeg, Manitoba edged U.B.C. 79-76 as Eric Bartz hit four free throws in the final minute. Greg Gillies paced the Bisons with 19. Eric Bartz added 17. Neil Murray paced the Thunderbirds with 25. U.B.C. coach Peter Mullins told the Ubyssey that “we made the mistake of pressing and fastbreaking. We couldn’t rattle Terry Ball.” …………………………………………………… In game two in Winnipeg, U.B.C. edged Manitoba 73-69 as Phil Langley scored 18, Neil Murray 17 and Frank Rotering 16. Terry Ball led the Bisons with 26. …………………………………………………… Host UBC thrashed Manitoba 78-53 and 94-64. …………………………………………………… In game one, U.B.C. dusted Manitoba 78-53 as Neil Murray scored 23 and Frank Rotering 15. Terry Ball notched 6 for the Bisons. …………………………………………………… In game two, U.B.C. pounded Manitoba 94-64 as Frank Rotering scored 22. Terry Ball led the Bisons with 26.
Alberta split with visiting Saskatchewan, winning 71-64 and then losing 91-75. …………………………………………………… In game one, Alberta won 71-64. Saskatchewan took an early 14-9 lead but the Bears knotted the score at 14. The Huskies led 34-31 at the half and extended their lead to 58-45 with eight minutes to play. With Dave Swann unable to play because of a knee injury, the Bears kept finding Jim Walker on the perimeter and he kept drilling jumpers as Alberta rallied to knot the score at 60 and then pulled away down the stretch. Warren Champion led Alberta with 23. Ian Walker added 14. Tom Gosse paced Saskatchewan with 19. Doug Kester added 12. Saskatchewan coach Bob Mirwald said “this is the worst refereeing we’ve ever received on the road. Don Newton, Dinosaur coach, warned me that it would be bad. It may sound like sour grapes, but that’s the way it is. The first half of the game, they let the teams play basketball. In the second half, they really clamped down and called every petty thing in the book. It’s unfair to the boys.” …………………………………………………… In game two, Saskatchewan prevailed 91-75. The Bears collapsed their defence to shut down Huskies 6-7 centre Jim Sekulich but Tom Gosse killed from the corner. Saskatchewan led 46-41 at the half and while Alberta rallied to knot the score at 55 as Warren Champion got hot, the Huskies kept finding Gosse and soon led 68-56. Tom Gosse led the Huskies with 30. Sekulich added 25 and Brent Batting 12. Warren Champion led the Bears with 29. Bryan Rakoz added 15. Champion said that once he was subbed out, the Bears defence fell apart. Coach Barry Mitchelson said “they deserved to win. They shot 50%. We shot 37.”
On the final weekend of the season, Alberta split with U.B.C., losing 88-70 and then winning 91-87. In game one, UBC romped 88-70 after leading 41-28 at the half. The Birds led 72-62 and then pulled away in the final minutes as centre Frank Rotering scored three consecutive buckets and dominated the boards. Rotering led UBC with 20. Neil Murray added 18, Phil Langley 14 and Bob Molinski 13. Warren Champion led the Bears with 18. Bruce Blummell added 14 and Larry Nowak 10. …………………………………………………… In game two, Alberta prevailed 91-87. Warren Champion hit three bombs as Alberta took an early 27-17 lead but the Thunderbirds shifted to a full court press and moved ahead 55-49 at the half. Alberta regained a 63-62 lead and when UBC again tried to press, extended the margin to 75-66 after three quarters. Ian Dixon and Neil Murray kept bombing away as UBC trimmed the margin to 87-83. The Bears tried to stall but turned it over by stepping out of bounds. Murray promptly cut the lead to 87-85. Larry Nowak countered with a bucket for Alberta. With 30 seconds to stay, Phil Langley stole the ball and raced for a layup to bring UBC within 2. Bill Buxton broke the press and missed a layup but Warren Champion tipped the ball for the insurance marker. Neil Murray paced the Thunderbirds with 22. Ian Dixon added 19. Warren Champion paced the Bears with 35. Bruce Blummell added 15, Bill Buxton 12 and Al Melnychuk 11.
After the season, U.B.C. votes not to play in the WCIAC in 1969. With the expansion of the league to include Winnipeg and Regina, U.B.C. says it cannot afford the added travel.
Don Newton leaves Calgary to pursue a doctorate at Colorado State University. He is replaced by former Dino star Robert “Skip” Morgan, who was coaching at Bowness High and who steered the Calgary Cascades to an Alberta senior league provincial title.
After the season, Darwin Semotiuk left the helm of Manitoba to pursue a doctorate at Ohio State. He is replaced by Jack Lewis.
The third-place Alberta Golden Bears: Al Melnychuk; Warren Champion; Bill Buxton; Bryan Rakoz; Larry Nowak; Jim Ebbels; Ian Walker; Dave Swann; Ken Turnbull; Bruce Blummell; Bob Morris; Andy Skujins; Marcel de Leeuw; Dick DeKlerk; coach Barry Mitchelson; assistant Hank Tatarchuk; manager Ian Mirtle
The runner-up Manitoba Bisons: Terry Ball; Ted Stoesz; Bruce Dobbin; Greg Gillies; Frank Cooney; Bill Wedlake; Ross Wedlake; Eric Bartz; Bob Town; Irv Hanec; Bob Crafton; Orton Henderson; coach Darwin Semotiuk; assistant Fred Ingaldson; manager Dick Henderson; manager John Brown; trainer Bill Williamson
The champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds: Frank Rotering; Phil Langley; Neil Murray; Ian Dixon; Bob Molinski; Ken Shields; Larry Donaldson; Ed Richmond; Derek Sankey; Dave Rice; Joe Kainer; coach Peter Mullins; manager Ian Mirtle