REGULAR SEASON
| PRAIRIE | PACIFIC | |||||||
| Calgary | 15-5 | 22-7 | Dan Vanhooren | U.B.C. | 17-1 | 25-3 | Kevin Hanson | |
| Saskatchewan | 14-6 | 26-7 | Greg Jockims | Simon Fraser | 14-4 | 18-8 | Scott Clark | |
| Regina | 10-10 | 13-13 | James Hillis | Fraser Valley | 11-7 | 13-12 | Barnaby Craddock | |
| Lethbridge | 10-10 | 10-12 | Dave Adams | Trinity Western | 9-9 | 10-9 | Scott Allen | |
| Alberta | 10-10 | 12-16 | Greg Francis | Victoria | 9-9 | 10-11 | Craig Beaucamp | |
| Brandon | 7-13 | 10-16 | Keith Vassell | Thompson Rivers | 3-15 | 4-20 | Thom Gillespie | |
| Manitoba | 4-16 | 7-20 | Kirby Schepp | |||||
| Winnipeg | 1-19 | 2-26 | Dave Crook | |||||
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Brandon Bobcats: Dany Charlery, Tarik Tokar, Terril Thomas, Andrew Kraus, Kyle Vince, Donovan Gayle, Kyrie Coleman, Jordan Reaves, Martin Lawrence, Adam Philpott, James Elias, Jelani Deliovsky, Jervon Stewart, Randy Osei, redshirt Kevin Oman; redshirt Xavier Smith; coach Keith Vassell
Manitoba Bisons: Nathan Dixon, Sean Maxwell, Eric Garcia, Dan Purvis-Collins, Richard Reimer, Kurtis Sansregret, Jonar Huertas, Ian Dickey, Nick Miller, Braedon Speer, Cam Norrie, Sunday Matueny, Amadou Fall, coach Kirby Schepp
Thompson Rivers Wolfpack: Sean Garvey, Greg Stewart, Jeff Friesen, Drew Bleth, Matt Pierce, Charles Barton, Connor Agnew, Travis Beck, Hudson Naylor, Joseph Tubbs, Gerry Brown, Milos Janjic, coach Thom Gillespie, assistant Brian Smith, student assistant Sarah Cameron
Trinity Western Spartans: Jacob Doerksen, Calvin Westbrook, Louis Hurd, Tyrell Mara, Lance Verhoeff, Daniel Horner, Jason Keegstra, Tonner Jackson, Niko Monachini, Joe Vroom, Ryan Froese, Clint Wickham, Lucian Sauciuc, Elijah Nakagawa, Luke Braund, Nil Norley Engmann, Morgan Hayduk, Blair Hogg, Wells Macey, Tyler Noble, Kurtis Osborne, redshirt Tristan Smith, Clint Wickham, coach Scott Allen, assistant Ron Walker, assistant Cal Wirch, manager Lynn Dekoster, administrative assistant Livia Munro
Victoria Vikings: Jeff Cullen, Ryan MacKinnon, Cyril Indome, Zac Andrus, Wendell Thomas, Pierce Anderson, Mike Berg, Nick Adair, Omid Pourmomen, Marco Dolcetti, Jeff Spoor, Dan Evans, Talon Jones, redshirt Adam Connolly, redshirt Spencer McLean, redshirt Trevor Scheurmann, coach Craig Beaucamp, assistant Ian Hyde-Lay, scouting & recruiting coordinator Phil Ohl
Winnipeg Wesmen: Nick Giasson-Lother, Peter Lomuro, Eric Zimmerman, Mike James, James Horaska, Brayden Duff, Benjamin Kingdon, Adam Dobriansky, Ryan Willerton, Mark Ridd, Craig Penniston, Pawel Gacon, Justin Phillips, Moses Ma, Christopher Jordan, coach Dave Crook, coach Grant Richter
In the quarterfinals, Saskatchewan defeated Fraser Valley 96-85; 99-90 (2g-0). …………………………………………………… In game one, Saskatchewan overcame an 18-point deficit to prevail 96-85. Leading by 13 entering the second half at 53-40, Fraser Valley was able to outscore the Huskies 6-2 to begin the third quarter. After a basket by Michael Lieffers from under the net with just under seven minutes to go in the frame, the Huskies began to turn the game around and scored the next six points. Three point shooting by regular season CIS leading scorer Showron Glover and Duncan Jones pulled the Huskies within two at 64-62. Michael Linklater tied it at 64 with just under two minutes left in the third quarter with a fadeaway from just inside the three point line. Just seconds later Linklater gave the Huskies the lead with a foul shot. From there, the Cascades were never able to get back in the lead. The Huskies outscored Fraser Valley 56-32 in the second half. After trading points up until 16 in the first frame, Fraser Valley quickly pulled out in front on defensive breakdowns by the Huskies. The Cascades led 28-18 after one quarter and 53-40 at halftime, and expanded the advantage to 18 points early in the third quarter. The host Huskies responded with an 11-0 run, and eventually overtook the Cascades down the stretch. “We played well as a team in the first half, and played with the poise needed to earn a tough road win, but they played very well, and earned the win in the second half,” UFV coach Barnaby Craddock said in a release. “Credit them for playing well down the stretch, we need to play with the same poise we had early in the game if we want to extend this series.” Michael Linklater paced Saskatchewan with 27 on 8-16 from the floor, 5-9 from the arc, 6-8 from the line, 5 assists and 3 steals. Showron Glover notched 25 on 8-14 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 5-7 from the line, 8 assists and 5 steals. Duncan Jones scored 15 on 5-10 from the floor, 4-9 from the arc and 1-1 from the line. Troy Gottselig added 14 on 5-11 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 2-5 from the line and 10 boards. Nolan Brudehl added 7 on 2-3 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 8 boards. Clint Unsworth added 4 on 2-3 from the floor. Michael Lieffers scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor and 4 steals. Chris Unsworth added 2, while Patrick Burns and Trevor Nerdahl were scoreless. The Huskies shot 32-61 (.525) from the floor, 15-33 (.455) from the arc and 17-27 (.630) from the floor, while garnering 32 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 18 steals, 1 block, 20 turnovers and 23 fouls. Joel Friesen paced Fraser Valley with 25 on 10-12 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 3 steals and 3 assists. Zeon Gray added 18 on 6-18 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 4 assists. Sam Freeman notched 15 on 5-9 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Sheldon Bjorgaard notched 7 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. James Elliott scored 7 on 2-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 8 boards. Kyle Grewal scored 6 on 3-4 from the floor and 3 boards. Jasper Moedt added 5 on 1-2 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 5 boards. Josh Kufske added 2, while Wade Leathem and Jovenal Loewen were scoreless. The Cascades hit 30-53 (.566) from the floor, 10-21 (.476) from the arc and 15-19 (.789) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 12 assists, 9 steals, 21 turnovers and 24 fouls. …………………………………………………… In game two, Saskatchewan completed the series sweep by dumping Fraser Valley 99-90 on a 41-point explosion from Showron Glover as the Huskies rallied from a 11-point first half deficit. The first basket in the game wasn’t scored until two minutes in when Glover hit a three point shot from the top of the arc. Fraser Valley was able to quickly answer back on the next trip down the court. Throughout most of the first quarter, the teams traded points back and forth with the lead switching hands four times and it sitting at a tie four times. Tied at 13, Fraser Valley began to break away and led by six points at 22-16 by the end of the frame. Fraser Valley extended the lead to 27-16 before the Huskies were able to add to their score. Midway through the second quarter, fifth-year forward Clint Unsworth was able to tie the game on a foul shot after Glover brought the Huskies within one with another three-pointer. The Huskies took the lead for a short time but once again Fraser Valley pulled out ahead this time by nine at 43-34 with 1:28 left in the half. The Huskies played strong defense and the Cascades didn’t find the basket again in the quarter allowing the Huskies to tie the game at 43 to end the first half. The Huskies had a strong third quarter taking the lead and keeping it throughout. At one point, the lead was as large as nine points. Near the end of the third, Fraser Valley was able to hold the Huskies to 72 points and chipped the lead down to three to finish the quarter 72-69. Although Fraser Valley tied the game early in the fourth quarter, the Huskies quickly pulled away and never looked back. The lead was extended to as much as 13 points in the quarter and the Cascades just couldn’t close the gap. “I think it came down to experience,” Cascades coach Barnaby Craddock analyzed. “The ability for us to get those leads in Saskatoon showed us how strong we can play, and the ability to lose those leads on the road stemmed from them being a very good basketball team, and us lacking experience in playoff situations. That’s something you have to go through to gain that experience. Now that we’ve got our foot in the door, we’ll be ready to close out in that situation the next time.” Showron Glover paced Saskatchewan with 41 on 17-27 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 6 boards, 3 assists and 6 steals. Nolan Brudehl added 21 on 7-8 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 5-7 from the line and 8 boards. Michael Linklater scored 12 on 4-13 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Duncan Jones scored 9 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Troy Gottselig scored 9 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 10 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Clint Unsworth added 4 and Patrick Burns 3, along with 4 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Chris Unsworth, Michael Lieffers and Trevor Nerdahl were scoreless. The Huskies shot 36-69 (.522) from the floor, 10-26 (.385) from the arc and 17-23 (.739) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 13 assists, 13 steals, 3 blocks, 17 turnovers and 25 fouls. Joel Friesen paced Fraser Valley with 26 on 6-17 from the floor, 3-9 from the arc, 11-14 from the line, 5 boards and 5 assists. Zeon Gray added 19 on 5-9 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 7-7 from the line, 5 boards and 4 assists. Kyle Grewal scored 16 on 6-13 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 1-3 from the line and 2 boards. Jasper Moedt scored 8 on 4-6 from the floor and 3 boards. James Elliott notched 7 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 5 boards. Josh Kufske scored 6 on 1-2 from the floor and 4-4 from the line. Sam Freeman added 5 on 2-7 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 3 boards. Sheldon Bjorgaard added 3 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 5 assists, while Jovenal Loewen was scoreless. The Cascades hit 28-65 (.431) from the floor, 11-28 (.393) from the arc and 23-28 (.821) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 17 assists, 8 steals, 2 blocks, 18 turnovers and 22 fouls. The Cascades (coached by Barnaby Craddock) also included Craig Bauslaugh and Wade Leathem.
The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds defeated the Alberta Golden Bears 92-62; 103-68 (2g-0)
…………………………………………………… In game one, U.B.C. stomped Alberta 92-62 with a stellar defensive performance. Aside from the third quarter, when Alberta outscored UBC 24-16, the T-Birds dominated. They jumped out to a 17-4 lead, capped by Josh Whyte and Blaine LaBranche treys. Once they had the lead, it was all about defence for the T-Birds. They had 13 steals in the game compared to just one for Alberta, and forced the visitors to make 24 turnovers. UBC outscored Alberta 31-12 in points off turnovers. “We have been working all year on getting lots of ball pressure to make them have to rush decisions,” said UBC coach Kevin Hanson. “They had a couple new looks offensively that they got some points off of but when you can hold teams to under 15 points in a quarter that’s a good job. In playoffs, aggressive teams are the ones that win, and Kyle (Watson) was very aggressive. He took the ball to the hoop and he took some chances offensively and defensively, and sometimes guys get caught on their heels if they aren’t ready to play at that intensity. He’s a fifth year guy who’s been in this situation each of the last three years, and we need those guys to produce for us.” Kyle Watson paced UBC with 25 on 8-10 from the floor, 9-10 from the line and 3 boards. Josh Whyte added 12 on 5-10 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 7 boards, 9 assists and 3 steals. Brent Malish scored 9 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 4 boards. Nathan Yu scored 8 on 4-8 from the floor, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Kamar Burke scored 7 on 2-10 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Denny Dumas added 7 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 2 steals. Melvyn Mayott scored 6 on 2-3 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Graham Bath scored 6 on 3-5 from the floor and 3 boards. Alex Murphy scored 4 on 2-3 from the floor, 3 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Blain Labranche added 6 on 2-8 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Balraj Bains added 2, while Chad Posthumus was scoreless. The Thunderbirds hit 35-67 (.522) from the floor, 6-13 (.462) from the arc and 16-22 (.727) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 22 assists, 13 steals, 3 blocks, 15 turnovers and 22 fouls. Scott Leigh paced Alberta with 11 on 4-8 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 2 boards and 4 assists. Jamaal Bucknor added 9 on 3-5 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 8 boards. Jordan Baker scored 8 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-5 from the line and 5 boards. Sahr Saffa scored 7 on 3-6 from the floor and 1-3 from the arc. Rob Dewar scored 6 on 3-8 from the floor and 2 boards. Harvey Bradford scored 5 on 1-3 from the floor and 3-4 from the line. Jeff Stork scored 5 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Matthew Cardoza scored 4 on 1-3 from the floor and 2-2 from the line. Ken Otieno scored 4 on 2-4 from the floor, 3 boards and 3 assists. Todd Bergen-Henengouwen notched 3 on 1-2 from the arc and 4 boards, while Khas Toker and Nikola Manojilovic were scoreless. The Golden Bears hit 22-58 (.379) from the floor, 6-17 (.353) from the arc and 12-17 (.706) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 1 steal, 5 blocks, 24 turnovers and 16 fouls. …………………………………………………… In game two, UBC completed the series sweep by dumping Alberta 103-68. The Golden Bears showed some fight in the first half and didn’t let the top-ranked T-Birds jump out to a big lead. UBC led by just seven points late in the second quarter, but the depth of the home side proved to be too much for the Bears to overcome in the end. The T-Birds went on a 16-1 run in the late second and early third quarters to expand the lead to 22 points. UBC’s bench outscored Alberta’s 58-28. The T-Birds outclassed the Bears defensively as well, forcing 26 turnovers and coming up with 16 steals. “It was all about the defensive pressure and energy, and you could really see our depth again tonight,” said UBC coach Kevin Hanson. “When things weren’t going well for some guys we brought other guys in, and a lot of guys really contributed. We say, “know your job, do your job,” and a lot of guys really did their jobs this weekend. Graham Bath is a load when he’s on the floor. He’s always bringing a tough game and he is hard to defend. That work ethic is really contagious and we need that this time of year.” UBC led 21-11, 46-32 and 75-48 at the quarters. Four Birds scored 14. Graham Bath notched 14 on 7-11 from the floor and 4 assists. Melvyn Mayott scored 14 on 3-5 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc and 6-6 from the line. Blain Labranche notched 14 on 5-11 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Nathan Yu notched 14 on 5-6 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc and 1-1 from the line. Alex Murphy added 10 on 2-4 from the floor, 6-8 from the line, 5 boards, 6 assists and 3 steals. Brent Malish scored 8 on 2-2 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 4 boards. Kyle Watson scored 8 on 3-4 from the floor, 4 boards, 3 assists and 3 steal. Denny Dumas added 8 on 3-3 from the floor and 2-2 from the arc. Josh Whyte added 7 on 2-6 from the floor, 3-5 from the line and 2 steal. Balraj Bains added 4 on 4-6 from the line. Kamar Burke scored 2 on 1-5 from the floor, 5 boards and 5 assists. Chad Posthumus was scoreless. The Thunderbirds hit 33-58 (.569) from the floor, 9-17 (.529) from the arc and 28-34 (.824) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 24 assists, 16 steals, 4 blocks, 16 turnovers and 18 fouls. Jamaal Bucknor paced Alberta with 12 on 3-5 from the floor, 6-8 from the line and 7 boards. Scott Leigh scored 11 on 3-9 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 6 assists. Rob Dewar scored 10 on 3-6 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 4 boards. Jordan Baker scored 8 on 4-8 from the floor, 6 boards and 2 assists. Ken Otieno scored 7 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Khas Tokar scored 7 on 3-10 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc and 2 assists. Matthew Cardoza added 4, Harvey Bradford 4 and Todd Bergen-Henengouwen 3 on 1-2 from the floor and 3 boards. Jeff Stork added 2, while Nikola Manojilovic and Sahr Saffa were scoreless. The Golden Bears hit 24-62 (.387) from the floor, 7-17 (.412) from the arc and 13-17 (.765) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 7 steals, 2 blocks, 26 turnovers and 20 fouls. The Golden Bears (coached by Greg Francis, assisted by Jonathan Verhesen) also included Jordan Hone and Colin MacKinnon.
The Simon Fraser Clan defeated the Regina Cougars 71-77; 82-75; 96-77 (2g-1). …………………………………………………… In game one, Regina stunned the host Clan by utilizing the hot first half shooting of Sterling Nostedt and ten Simon Fraser Clan turnovers to build up a 14-point halftime advantage and holding off a late Simon Fraser charge to win 77-71. The Cougars led by as much as 20 points in the second half, however Simon Fraser went on a 19-4 run to cut the lead to just four points with two minutes remaining on a layup by Kevin Shaw. Regina was able to hold off the Clan in the final minutes, scoring seven points in the last 60 seconds to secure the victory. “The difference was that they were the aggressors,” said Shaw. “We have to pick it up and be ready tomorrow.” Jamal Williams paced Regina with 19 on 6-12 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 5-10 from the line, 9 boards and 3 assists. Paul Schubach added 14 on 5-12 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 6 boards and 2 steals. Kris Heshka notched 11 on 4-7 from the floor, 3-5 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists. Jeff Lukomski scored 10 on 3-11 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 4 steals. Sterling Nostedt scored 9 on 3-9 from the floor and 3-7 from the arc. Marek Downarowicz added 7 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 6 boards and 2 steals. Jordan McFarlen added 4, Jimmy Scroggins 2 and Darius Mole 1, along with 3 boards and 3 assists. Lynn Gee and Neil Olukova were scoreless. The Cougars hit 26-65 (.400) from the floor, 9-28 (.321) from the arc and 16-33 (.485) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 15 assists, 9 steals, 1 block, 12 turnovers and 29 fouls. Kevin Shaw paced Simon Fraser with 16 on 5-9 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Chas Kok added 16 on 5-11 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 4-7 from the line and 4 boards. Sean Burke scored 9 on 3-12 from the floor, 0-6 from the arc, 3-6 from the line and 7 boards. Matt Kuzminski scored 8 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 5-8 from the line, 6 boards and 4 assists. Kevin Pribilsky scored 8 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 3 boards. Jordan Nostedt added 4, Tallon Milne 3, along with 9 boards, Gregory Gillies 3, along with 5 boards, Eric Burrell 2 and Chris Paredes 2, while Zach Frehlick was scoreless. The Clan hit 21-58 (.362) from the floor, 7-22 (.318) from the arc and 22-39 (.564) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 17 turnovers and 24 fouls. …………………………………………………… In game two, Simon Fraser prevailed 82-75. The Clan built an 18-point lead, before the Cougars came within a missed Jeff Lukomski three-pointer from tying the game with a minute to play. Regina utilized a 19-to-2 run over the final five minutes of the fourth quarter to cut the game to 75-72. When Shaw missed a three-pointer from the corner, Darius Mole started a two-on-one fast break heading in the other direction, feeding Lukomski, who elected to pull up from the three-point arc in an attempt to tie the game. Lukomski’s three hit iron, and the Clan were able to get the rebound, and close out the game at the free throw line. In the first half, it was the Clan’s bench that propelled SFU to a 44-33 halftime lead, as the Simon Fraser role players outscored Regina’s bench 19-to-6 over the first 20 minutes. Kevin Shaw paced Simon Fraser with 20 on 6-12 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 2 boards and 2 steals. Matt Kuzminski added 14 on 5-12 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 4 boards and 7 assists. Kevin Pribilsky added 10 on 2-4 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 4-5 from the line and 4 assists. Chas Kok added 9 on 2-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Tallon Milne added 9 on 4-4 from the floor and 1-2 from the line. Eric Burrell notched 7 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Jordan Nostedt scored 6 on 2-3 from the floor and 2-2 from the arc. Gregory Gillies added 4 on 1-4 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Sean Burke scored 3 on 1-8 from the floor, 1-1 from the line, 6 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. The Clan hit 26-60 (.433) from the floor, 9-25 (.360) from the arc and 21-29 (.724) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 10 steals, 10 turnovers and 24 fouls. Jeff Lukomski paced Regina with 21 on 8-18 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Jamal Williams added 17 on 5-11 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 10 boards and 2 assists. Kris Heshka scored 11 on 4-9 from the floor, 3-3 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists. Darius Mole scored 10 on 3-4 from the floor, 4-6 from the line and 6 boards. Paul Schubach notched 9 on 2-2 from the floor, 5-6 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Jimmy Scroggins added 3, Marek Downarowicz 2 and Sterling Nostedt 2, while Jordan McFarlen and Lynn Gee were scoreless. The Cougars hit 24-51 (.471) from the floor, 4-16 from the arc and 23-29 (.793) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 5 steals, 1 block, 19 turnovers and 26 fouls. …………………………………………………… In game three, Simon Fraser caught fire in the second quarter and raced to a 96-77 win. Fifth-year senior Matt Kuzminski hit 8-12 in the first half and ignited a 15-5 run to open the second quarter as the Clan rallied from a 22-20 deficit and took a 44-34 lead at the half. The Clan exploded offensively in the third, scoring a season high 36 points over the period to lead 80-56 heading into the final frame. SFU opened the third on a 13-to-2 run, and never looked back. Matt Kuzminski paced Simon Fraser with 28 on 8-18 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 10-10 from the line, 8 boards and 2 assists. Eric Burrell added 22 on 9-13 from the floor, 4-5 from the line and 9 boards. Kevin Shaw scored 17 on 6-14 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards, 6 assists and 2 steals. Sean Burke scored 11 on 4-6 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc and 1-1 from the line. Chas Kok scored 6 on 3-7 from the floor, 2 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Tallon Milne added 4, Chris Paredes 4, Gregory Gillies 3 and Jordan Nostedt 1, while Kevin Pribilsky and Zach Frehlick were scoreless. The Clan hit 35-72 (.486) from the floor, 7-20 (.350) from the arc and 19-22 (.864) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 9 steals, 10 turnovers and 25 fouls. Jamal Williams paced Regina with 13 on 4-9 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 5-7 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Jimmy Scroggins added 12 on 5-11 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 5 boards. Sterling Nostedt scored 12 on 3-8 from the arc, 3-5 from the line and 5 boards. Kris Heshka scored 11 on 3-7 from the floor, 5-10 from the line and 4 boards. Jeff Lukomski added 9 on 3-7 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Jordan McFarlen scored 7 on 3-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Marek Downarowicz added 7 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Paul Schubach added 4 and Darius Mole 2, while Lynn Gee, Neil Olukoya and Connor Burns were scoreless. The Cougars hit 26-57 (.456) from the floor, 6-24 from the arc and 19-34 (.559) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 11 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks, 19 turnovers and 23 fouls. The Cougars (coached by James Hillis, assisted by Steve Burrows, Glen Fekula and Mick Panko, trainer Kerri Ludvigsen) also included Michael Smith, Sterling Nostedt and redshirt Jared Janotta.
In the last quarterfinal series, the Calgary Dinos defeated the Lethbridge Pronghorns 62-57, 87-79 (2g-0)
…………………………………………………… In game one, host Calgary edged Lethbridge 62-57 after leading 16-12, 42-19 and 51-41 at the quarters. Their second-half shooting went cold, they were outscored in both of the final two quarters, and they couldn’t make a free throw after half time – but the Calgary Dinos managed to fend off a charging Pronghorns unit. After an impressive opening half that saw the Dinos open up a 42-19 lead at the break, Calgary managed just 20 points in the final 20 minutes while the Horns caught fire and made a 26-point lead as small as three at one point, led by the hot-shooting Danhue Lawrence. Lawrence put up 17 of his 21 points in the second half while former Dino Jeff Price, making his first appearance in the Jack Simpson Gym in the black and blue of the Pronghorns, scored 11 in the second half to finish with 16. Calgary coach Dan Vanhooren was frustrated with his heavily-favoured team’s collective letdown after the half. “We have to be a tougher basketball team,” he said. “We came out pretty well and got some easy, open looks in the first half, and we did what we’re supposed to do on offence. In the second half, we stopped doing those things, we couldn’t shoot our foul shots, we shot awful from the field, and we played poorly. We didn’t rebound defensively at key times. This isn’t the time of year for our team to be doing things like we just did, and if we don’t play better tomorrow we’re going to find ourselves in a Game 3 on Sunday. We’ll address our ball movement and our rebounding, and we need to get some shots up in practice so we can hit them in the game. I’m tired of us shooting the ball the way we just did.” Despite their offensive struggles, the Dinos’ first-half defence won them the game as they limited Lethbridge to just 19 points in the first 20 minutes while outscoring them 26-7 in the second quarter. Ross Bekkering paced Calgary with 19 on 7-11 from the floor, 5-7 from the line, 8 boards and 3 blocks. Jamie McLeod scored 12 on 4-11 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Robbie Sihota notched 11 on 5-17 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 13 boards and 2 assists. Jared Ogungbemi-Jackson added 8 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Andrew McGuinness scored 6 on 2-4 from the floor and 2-3 from the arc. Tyler Fidler added 3 on 0-14 from the floor, 3-6 from the line and 3 assists. Lindsay Thouret added 3, while Dustin Reding was scoreless. The Dinos hit 21-67 (.313) from the floor, 8-23 (.348) from the arc and 12-21 (.571) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 6 steals, 4 blocks, 16 turnovers and 18 fouls. Danhue Lawrence paced Lethbridge with 21 on 7-15 from the floor, 3-10 from the arc, 4-8 from the line and 9 boards. Jeff Price added 16 on 5-11 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 7 boards and 4 assists. Remington Stemler notched 6 on 3-6 from the floor and 9 boards. Derek Waldner scored 5 on 2-7 from the floor and 3 boards. Wes Chapman added 4 and Randy Davis 3 on 1-10 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-1 from the line and 6 boards. Sean McCormick scored 2, while Rob Cooper, Quinn Van Gaalen and Brandon Thomas-James were scoreless. The Pronghorns hit 21-62 (.339) from the floor, 6-26 (.231) from the arc and 9-17 (.529) from the line, while garnering 52 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 9 assists, 6 steals, 27 turnovers and 23 fouls. …………………………………………………… In game two, Calgary completed the series sweep by dusting Lethbridge 87-79. Tyler Fidler came out firing in the 1st half as Calgary took a 50-36 lead. At one stage of the 2nd quarter, 4 of the Dinos’ 5 starters were on the bench with foul trouble, but subs, Dustin Reding, Andrew McGuinness, and Lindsay Thouret contributed some valuable minutes. Calgary took a 50-36 lead at the half but the Horns came out firing and outscored Calgary 25-13 in the third to trim the margin to two, but the Prairie Division winners came back with a solid 24 points in the 4th to secure the win. “Percentages balance themselves out over time, and thanks goodness it was just over one game for us this weekend,” said Calgary coach Dan Vanhooren. “Tonight was more about our foul trouble than anything. We sat three starters for the better part of the third, so that was an issue. Our bench held us in at the end of the first half which was good but we just need to shore some things up. We have to play steadier, and we won’t be able to afford to give up a quarter like that to anybody anymore.” Leading 63-61 heading into the fourth quarter, Calgary ripped off a 15-6 run on treys by Tyler Fidler, Robbie Sihota and Jamie McLeod. The Horns rallied to within 82-76 with three minutes to play but Calgary clamped down defensively and Lethbridge only scored a trey by Danhue Lawrence down the stretch. “I thought our guys were much more composed mentally tonight and we pushed the lead back and did what we needed to down the stretch,” said Vanhooren. Robbie Sihota paced Calgary with 26 on 8-19 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 8-9 from the line, 7 boards and 3 steals. Tyler Fidler added 20 on 8-19 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Jamie McLeod scored 16 on 5-8 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 3-5 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Jared Ogungbemi-Jackson notched 11 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Ross Bekkering scored 10 on 3-5 from the floor, 4-6 from the line and 3 boards. Dustin Reding scored 2 on 2-2 from the line and 6 boards. Andrew McGuinness added 2, while Lindsay Thouret and Dan Tilleman were scoreless. The Dinos hit 28-64 (.438) from the floor, 8-22 (.364) from the arc and 23-28 (.821) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 10 steals, 5 blocks, 15 turnovers and 17 fouls. Rob Cooper paced Lethbridge with 18 on 8-11 from the floor, 2-4 from the line and 7 boards. Randy Davis added 17 on 5-10 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Danhue Lawrence scored 15 on 5-13 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 4 boards and 6 assists. Jeff Price scored 12 on 3-7 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 10 boards, 7 assists and 2 blocks. Derek Waldner scored 10 on 3-8 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 5 boards and 2 steals. Quinn Van Gaalen added 5 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc and 3 boards. Remington Stemler added 2 on 1-7 from the floor and 5 boards, while Sean McCormick, Taylor Norum, Brandon Thomas-James, Jeremy Stanley and Wes Chapman were scoreless. The Pronghorns (coached by Dave Adams) hit 27-63 (.429) from the floor, 10-22 (.455) from the arc and 15-22 (.455) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 7 steals, 1 block, 21 turnovers and 23 fouls. The Longhorns also included Taner Murray.
In the final four semis, the Calgary Dinos clocked the Simon Fraser Clan 82-69 as Robbie Sihota and Ross Bekkering dominated the paint. Both players put up 22s in statistical categories, with Bekkering posting a respectable 22 points. But it was Sihota’s 22 that stands out: a Canada West playoff record 22 rebounds. Just one off the school single-game record and in a tie for the fifth-best outing in conference history, Sihota’s dominance on the glass was a key factor in limiting Simon Fraser’s second-chance opportunities. He was also responsible for what was arguably the biggest play of the game late in the third quarter. After a Sean Burke three-pointer with 30 seconds left in the frame cut Calgary’s lead to just two points, Sihota nailed a three with just one second on the clock at the other end while being fouled, and he completed the four-point play to make it a six-point Dinos advantage heading into the final quarter, giving his side a huge momentum swing in the process. The Dinos came out with guns blazing early, perhaps taking advantage of some nerves on the Simon Fraser side. Calgary led 24-8 through the first nine minutes of the game and maintained their advantage for almost the entire game, but couldn’t put the pesky Clan away until the dying minutes. Burke drew the Clan to within six points midway through the fourth, but his side was unable to slow down the Dinos in the paint the rest of the way. Tyler Fidler had two big dunks for Calgary late in the frame, and Jamie McLeod hooked up with Bekkering for a slick alley-oop to add an exclamation mark as the Dinos pulled away in the final minutes. “(Bekkering has) been probably our most underrated player for the last five years,” said Dinos coach Dan Vanhooren. “He’s been our leading scorer lots of times and he’s only a half-step behind Ross in that category. He can rebound the ball and he’s a great athlete, and he showed that tonight. It’s great that he got an All-Star nod this year. He deserved it, and he played like one tonight. … Robbie was the man tonight. He came to do his job tonight, and he did it very well. Even when he wasn’t scoring he was contributing, and he put up one of the best double-doubles I’ve ever seen – 19 points and 22 rebounds. …. (Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson) played like a senior tonight. Everybody contributed tonight, and our team just flat-out came to play.” Ross Bekkering paced Calgary with 22 on 9-13 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 3-8 from the line, 6 boards, 3 steals and 3 blocks. Robbie Sihota scored 19 on 6-18 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 5-7 from the line, 22 boards and 2 assists. Jamie McLeod scored 15 on 6-10 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards, 7 assists and 2 steals. Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson scored 14 on 6-11 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc and 3 assists. Tyler Fidler scored 12 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 6 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Dustin Reding, Terrence Blake, Andrew McGuinness, Dan Tilleman and Lindsay Thouret were scoreless. The Dinos hit 30-63 (.476) from the floor, 7-16 (.438) from the arc and 15-25 (.600) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 11 steals, 3 blocks, 14 turnovers and 13 fouls. Eric Burrell paced Simon Fraser with 16 on 6-14 from the floor, 4-4 from the arc, 10 boards and 2 steals. Chas Kok scored 15 on 6-17 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 6 boards and 3 assists. Kevin Shaw scored 14 on 5-10 from the floor, 4-9 from the arc and 5 assists. Matt Kuzminski scored 7 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 4 assists and 3 steals. Tallon Milne added 6 on 3-3 from the floor and 2 boards. Sean Burke scored 5 on 2-8 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 5 boards and 5 assists. Kevin Pribilsky added 2, Gregory Gillies 2 and Chris Paredes 2, while Jordan Nostedt was scoreless. The Clan hit 27-70 (.386) from the floor, 8-25 (.320) from the arc and 7-8 (.875) from the floor, while garnering 35 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 8 steals, 1 block, 16 turnovers and 24 fouls.
In the other semi, the Saskatchewan Huskies stunned the UBC Thunderbirds 104-87 in overtime. After pacing the Huskies offence with 13 fourth quarter points, Troy Gottselig fouled out less than a minute into overtime. But in his place, Duncan Jones stepped up with 11 points in the extra frame, and his teammates held the T-Birds to just two points. “Jones shot the ball very well,” said Saskatchewan coach Greg Jockims. “When Showron Glover and Michael Linklater attack, UBC tends to flood the paint to keep them from getting to the basket so other guys have to be ready to make shots and Jones made a couple of really big ones.” The Huskies had a chance to end the game in regulation, as Nolan Brudehl found himself on the free-throw line in an 85-85 game with six tenths of a second remaining, but he missed both shots, sending the UBC crowd into a frenzy as the game went to overtime. “Resiliency was the key tonight,” said Jockims. “We had to keep coming back and we responded from those missed free-throws.” The T-Birds were 1-10 from the field in overtime after shooting over 41% during regulation. Troy Gottselig said “I saw the opportunity to go inside and I went to work on those guys. There’s nothing more I could ask for.” Troy Gottselig paced Saskatchewan with 25 on 10-13 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 7 boards and 2 steals. Duncan Jones added 24 on 8-13 from the floor, 4-8 from the arc, 4-6 from the line and 6 boards. Showron Glover added 16 on 4-13 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 6-7 from the line, 4 boards, 11 assists and 3 steals. Michael Linklater added 15 on 5-18 from the floor, 3-9 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 5 boards, 7 assists and 2 steals. Michael Lieffers added 11 on 5-9 from the floor, 19 boards and 2 steals. Trevor Nerdhal added 8 on 3-5 from the floor and 2-3 from the arc. Nolan Brudehl scored 5 on 1-6 from the floor, 3-6 from the line, 9 boards and 2 assists. Clint Unsworth, Trudon Bofoya, Chris Unsworth and Preston O’Brien were scoreless. The Huskies hit 36-80 (.450) from the floor, 12-29 (.414) from the arc and 20-27 (.741) from the line, while garnering 56 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 22 assists, 12 steals, 4 blocks, 20 turnovers and 30 fouls. Josh Whyte paced UBC with 15 on 5-8 from the floor, 5-10 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Melvyn Mayott added 15 on 5-12 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Kyle Watson scored 13 on 3-8 from the floor, 7-11 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Blain Labranche added 12 on 4-19 from the floor, 2-13 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards and 3 assists. Graham Bath scored 11 on 2-2 from the floor, 7-10 from the line and 9 boards. Kamar Burke scored 7 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 8 board, 3 assists and 2 steals. Nathan Yu scored 5 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 assists. Brent Malish scored 4 on 2-5 from the floor and 3 boards. Alex Murphy scored 3 on 1-4 from the floor, 1-4 from the line and 4 boards. Balraj Bains added 2 while Akeem Pierre was scoreless. The Thunderbirds hit 28-75 (.373) from the floor, 7-30 (.233) from the arc and 24-41 (.585) from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 7 steals, 4 blocks, 19 turnovers and 20 fouls.
In the bronze medal match, the UBC Thunderbirds clipped the Simon Fraser Clan 78-68. The T-Birds never trailed but the Clan was able to recover from a tough first quarter to give UBC a run for its money. A Sean Burke three-pointer tied the game at 48 with 4:20 left in the third quarter, but Balraj Bains, Nathan Yu and Josh Whyte all completed three-point plays from the free-throw line over the next two minutes to put the lead back in T-Bird hands. UBC was up four points at the start of the fourth quarter, and an 11-3 T-Birds run beginning with just under five minutes remaining in the game all but sealed the win for the home side. “Last night I couldn’t really sleep because I was embarrassed about my performance, and I think a lot of guys on the team were,” said Blain LaBranche. “We just wanted to come out and prove that we are a better team than we were last night.” After giving up 27 first quarter points to the Huskies on Friday, the T-Birds came out looking like a new team defensively against the Clan. UBC outscored SFU 16-8 in the quarter, holding them to 22.2 per cent shooting. The Clan were 0-for-7 from three-point range in the frame. “Saskatchewan hit five threes in the first quarter last night and that put us on our heels, so getting off to that 10-0 start today was a big difference in the game,” said UBC head coach Kevin Hanson. SFU’s long-range fortunes turned around in a big way after the opening quarter. They were 8-for-9 from beyond the arc in the second and third quarters, never allowing UBC to pull away too much. They couldn’t keep up that pace in the fourth however, as they went 1-for-5 in the final frame. “I told the team last night that even Muhammad Ali got knocked out a couple times, but he got back up and started to fight again, and that’s something we have to be ready to do,” Hanson said. “If we’re fortunate enough to get that wildcard, as an example we can look at the Olympics (men’s hockey tournament) where Canada lost to the U.S. in the first round. It would be a great scenario to for us to have that same chance in two weeks.” Blain Labranche paced UBC with 23 on 9-16 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 3 boards and 2 assists. Josh Whyte added 14 on 6-11 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 8 boards and 3 assists. Kamar Burke added 7 on 3-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 8 boards and 2 steals. Kyle Watson scored 7 on 2-5 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 12 boards. Melvyn Mayott scored 7 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Graham Bath scored 6 on 2-6 from the floor and 2-3 from the line. Nathan Yu scored 5 on 1-3 from the floor and 3-3 from the line. Balraj Bains scored 5 on 2-3 from the floor and 1-1 from the line. Brent Malish added 2 and Denny Dumas 2, while Alex Murphy was scoreless. The Thunderbirds hit 28-64 (.438) from the floor, 5-20 from the arc and 17-23 (.739) from the line, while garnering 45 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 10 assists, 3 steals, 4 blocks, 12 turnovers and 21 fouls. Matt Kuzminski paced Simon Fraser with 22 on 6-14 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 8-10 from the line, 5 boards and 5 assists. Christopher ‘Chas’ Kok added 14 on 5-10 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 2 steals. Sean Burke scored 11 on 3-9 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 3 boards. Kevin Shaw added 7 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 3 boards. Kevin Pribilsky notched 6 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Eric Burrell scored 4 on 2-6 from the floor and 4 boards. Jordan Nostedt added 2, along with three boards, and Gregor Gillies 2, along with 3 boards. Tallon Milne was scoreless while nabbing 5 boards. Zach Frehlick and Chris Paredes were scoreless. The Clan hit 22-59 (.373) from the floor, 9-21 (.429) from the arc and 15-22 (.682) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 8 assists, 5 steals, 1 block, 8 turnovers and 23 fouls. The Clan (coached by Scott Clark) also included redshirts John Bantock, Tristan Gruenthaler and A.J. Hanson.
In the final, Saskatchewan earned its first Canada West Title by thumping Calgary 96-83. The game was tied 71-71 early in the fourth quarter until Michael Linklater led the Huskies on a 15-4 run, pouring in eight points of his own and adding a few assists to help Saskatchewan pull away from the sixth-ranked Dinos. He finished with game-highs in points (29), assists (13) and steals (9). He ended up one steal and four rebounds shy of a quadruple double. “In that fourth quarter I just kind of sat down and shut up,” said Saskatchewan coach Greg Jockims. “These guys know what they are doing, and since Calgary was playing zone defence, I said rather than me directing traffic, you guys sort it out and it worked out very well for us. These are veteran guys and they know where the ball needs to go, and Mike did a great job not only orchestrating shots for himself, but for other guys as well.” It was a close back-and-forth game for the first three quarters, with neither side holding a double-digit lead until the fourth. The turnover battle was almost dead-even in the first half, but the Huskies had a 9-5 advantage in that category in the second half. Canada West scoring champion Showron Glover was held in-check until the fourth quarter, when he scored 11. Jockims said capturing their first conference title was huge for both the team’s pride and their seeding at the CIS tournament. “We’ve got three more games to win, and that’s what we are focused on,” Jockims said. “If we wouldn’t have won this game we would probably be a seven or eight seed at nationals, but having won this we will probably three, four or five, and that’s a better route. Not that there are any easy opponents at nationals, but you don’t want to be playing the number one team in the first game. … That was a big win. It’s a historical marker, no question about it. There were maybe three to five teams over the years, since 1972, that have had a chance to do it, but nobody else has done it, so it’s something that can never be taken away from us. It’s a great accomplishment for these guys.” Michael Linklater said “it feels great. It’s never been done before. This is a good group of guys. We’re just soaking it up, but we’re already looking forward to going to nationals and taking care of business there.” Duncan Jones added that “it’s pretty incredible. It wasn’t even on our home court. Not a lot of fans cheered us on, but I’d like to thank those who did come out. That was nice.” Troy Gottselig noted “this is awesome. It’s unbelievable. It hasn’t really sank in. We’re not satisfied yet. We want that CIS championship. (Calgary) is a good team, but, to be honest, they were a bit scared of us going in because we’ve been rolling ever since our winning streak in the regular season. It was a battle but we pulled through.” Lieffers said “it’s a good feeling. It’s the first time ever for the program.” Michael Linklater paced Saskatchewan with 29 on 11-20 from the floor, 5-11 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards, 13 assists and 9 steals. Showron Glover added 21 on 9-22 from the floor, 0-8 from the arc, 3-3 from the line, 3 boards and 8 assists. Duncan Jones added 20 on 7-12 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 3-3 from the line and 2 steals. Troy Gottselig scored 12 on 6-12 from the floor and 9 boards. Nolan Brudehl scored 6 on 3-6 from the floor and 9 boards. Michael Lieffers scored 4 on 2-7 from the floor and 8 boards. Clint Unsworth scored 4 on 1-2 from the floor and 2-2 from the line. Trevor Nerdahl and Chris Unsworth were scoreless. The Huskies hit 39-84 (.464) from the floor, 8-29 (.276) from the arc and 10-10 from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 18 on the offensive glass, 23 assists, 13 steals, 1 block, 18 turnovers and 22 fouls. Ross Bekkering paced Calgary with 23 on 5-10 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 12-15 from the line, 5 board, 2 assists and 2 steals. Robbie Sihota scored 19 on 7-15 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 10 boards and 2 assists. Jamie McLeod scored 12 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 4-5 from the line and 5 assists. Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson scored 9 on 3-10 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Terrence Blake added 8 on 4-7 from the floor and 0-3 from the arc. Tyler Fidler scored 6 on 2-8 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Lindsay Thouret added 4 and Dustin Reding 2, while Andrew McGuinness, Dan Tilleman and Jordan Flagel were scoreless. The Dinos hit 26-61 (.426) from the floor, 8-26 (.308) from the arc and 23-30 (.767) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 14 assists, 13 steals, 5 blocks, 23 turnovers and 16 fouls.
After the season, Keith Vassell resigned as coach at Brandon after two seasons. He’d taken over from Mike Raimbault. In making the decision, Vassell said there had been a variety of factors that led to his decision, but said he has enjoyed his time at BU and has learned a great deal. “Being a coach at Brandon University means wearing a lot of hats, and I felt that with that and for personal reasons, a change was in order,” said Vassell. Brandon athletic director Kirk De Fazio said “Keith Vassell is a gentleman and conducts himself with great dignity. I will certainly miss him on a personal level.” He is replaced by former Bobcat Gil Cheung, who coached Douglas College in BC for the previous two seasons. He was part of some strong Bobcats teams in the early 2000s under the legendary Jerry Hemmings, earning academic all-Canadian honours in 2001-02. Cheung, a teacher with the Surrey School Board in BC, has had a wealth of basketball experience, including the past 2 seasons as head man at Douglas College, Vancouver. As a player, Cheung won a B.C. High School Championship at Richmond, with teammate Pasha Bains. He played at Langara College in the B.C. Colleges League, then 4 years at Brandon, when the ‘Cats won 4 Conference crowns. In Brandon, he played and coached with Mike Raimbault, another former Bobcat, who was recently appointed Head Coach at the University of Winnipeg. Prior to his 2 years at Douglas, Coach Cheung was an assistant at Simon Fraser, and also was a head coach of both the B.C. U15 and U16 provincial teams. A former team captain at BU, Cheung said, “The University and community have played such a vital part of my life and I am grateful to be able to return home. I look forward to the upcoming season and laying roots in this great community.”
In Winnipeg, Dave Crook retires from the helm midway through the season and is replaced on an interim basis by former University of Winnipeg College assistant Grant Richter, coach of the University of Winnipeg Collegiate high school varsity team. “It’s been a difficult time. For me, the most important thing is the program and the kids. I just hope that things are going to work out (for them) and sometimes, difficult things have to happen,” Crook told the Winnipeg Tribune. “I’m certainly part of the problem, obviously. I don’t know if I’m blaming myself but maybe with a different look or someone else, it will be better.” Crook was in his ninth season at the helm and his 26th year of coaching. After the season, the position is filled by Mike Raimbault, who led the University of Northern BC Timberwolves to a national college crown and was named national coach of the year. “Mike is a passionate, energetic and knowledgeable basketball coach who is a proven winner in his young career,” said athletic director Reid. “He is a great teacher and leader who has been active and connected with the communities he has been part of and will be the ideal person to lead our program, on the court and in the community.” The Brandon native has significant head coaching experience for someone so young. He was also the interim head coach for the Brandon University Bobcats in 2007-08, steering the team to a 20-2 win-loss record in Canada West play. Raimbault is a graduate of Brandon University with degrees in Education and General Studies.
Saskatchewan
coach Greg Jockims exercises a 12-month professional leave-of-absence term
beginning July 1. He is replaced for the year by Barry Rawlyk, an assistant
with the Huskies for the past three season. Nathan Schellenberg, entering his
ninth year with the team, will also continue with the team in his role as
assistant Coach. “Taking this interim position is an exciting opportunity for
me,” said Rawlyk. “It is a chance to help build upon the amazing success this
program has had over the years which, obviously, included last season’s CIS
National Championship.” Rawlyk spent more than two decades coaching at Holy
Cross High School in Saskatoon. During his tenure, he established the Crusaders,
as winning program in the city. He led the Crusaders to 11 City Championship
titles. Holy Cross also won three Provincial Championships during this time. “Barry’s
experience as my assistant coach, as well as Nathan’s, will help ensure a
seamless transition for the program while I step away for a year,” said
Jockims. “A high level of commitment and expectation has been established for
everyone involved with our team, Barry and Nathan will maintain and enhance the
high standards we have set.”
Canada West announces that
UBC-Okanagan will be made a “probationary” member of the conference in 2010,
commencing play in basketball in 2011. But the league shot down the membership
applications of Vancouver Island University and the University of Northern
British Columbia didn’t receive the required 75 per cent level of support. It
also lifted the probationary status of Fraser and Thompson Rivers. Meanwhile,
Simon Fraser having bolted to NCAA Division II. The “Heat” will begin a
three-year term as probationary members, effective September 2010, and will
begin interuniversity athletic competition in the sports of men’s and women’s
basketball and volleyball in the fall of 2011.
Thompson Rivers announces that
former Simon Fraser coach Scott Clark was hired as their new basketball coach.
Clark had been at the helm of the Clan for 15 years. “This is a great
opportunity,” says Clark, who is moving closer to his parents and friends in
Kelowna, BC. “I’m eager to lay a foundation on a program which has improved,
but not had a great deal of success at the CIS level.” Clark describes himself
as a coach who is demanding but fair. ”I give the players a lot of
responsibility but with that comes a lot of expectations. I have high
expectations of myself as well. It’s a challenge for both of us to live up to
them. I’m looking forward to creating a culture which stresses hard work. Winning
is a byproduct of that hard work. We’ll have some challenges initially, but
after you do that the winning will come.” Clark is looking forward to
becoming entrenched in the community and having them support WolfPack
basketball. ”Working in a smaller community will not only bring the
players closer to what’s going on here, but vice versa. I think it’s a
really good situation here in Kamloops and will make TRU attractive not only as
a program but as a destination for potential players to get an education.”
Athletic director Ken Olynyk said “Scott has all the necessary qualifications
to make our program successful in terms of education and experience. He holds a
Master’s Degree in Coaching. He attended the National Coaching Institute in
Victoria and has been a CIS coach for 15 years. I think that we looked at
someone who has done a very good job over a period of time and is still young
(43) in terms of coaching. He will be a nice fit with what we are trying to
achieve at TRU.” With Simon Fraser, Clark was 113-96 over the last decade. In
2009-10, the Clan were 14 and 4 during the regular season and 2 and 3 during
the playoffs. He takes over the WolfPack program from Thom Gillespie, who was
the interim head coach for the past two seasons. “TRU WolfPack Athletics would
like to thank Thom for his efforts over the last two years,” Olynyk added. “We
wish him well.”
The bronze medalist University of British Columbia Thunderbirds: Blain Labranche; Josh Whyte; Kamar Burke; Kyle Watson; Melvyn Mayott; Graham Bath; Nathan Yu; Balraj Bains; Brent Malish; Denny Dumas; Alex Murphy; Chad Posthumus; Akeem Pierre; Nigel ‘Tommy’ Nixon; redshirt Jaspreet Gill; coach Kevin Hanson; assistant James Derouin; assistant Vern Knopp; assistant Dahman Boudraa; trainer Jayne Blank; trainer Sinead Beynon; video coordinator Tim Whitehead
The runner-up Calgary Dinosaurs: Ross Bekkering; Robbie Sihota; Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson; Tyler Fidler; Lindsay Thouret; Dan Tilleman; Jamie McLeod; Jordan Flagel; Andrew McGuinness; Trevor Debolt; Dustin Reding; Patrick Walker; Terrence Blake; coach Dan Vanhooren; assistant Craig Anderson; strength & conditioning Ken Wong; manager Dean McCord; athletic therapist Bonnie Sutter; student therapist Christine Atkins; athletic director Kevin Boyles; SID Ben Matchett
The champion Saskatchewan Huskies: Troy Gottselig; Showron Glover; Michael Linklater; Michael Lieffers; Duncan Jones; Nolan Brudehl; Trevor Nerdahl; Clint Unsworth; Preston O’Brien; Patrick Burns; Trudon Bofoya; Jeremy Svenkeson; John Rochon; Adam Wendt; Chris Unsworth; coach Greg Jockims; assistant Nathan Schellenberg; assistant Barry Rawlyk; trainer Melissa Neilands; trainer Angela Schultz; trainer Yojo Smoiski; athletic therapist Rhonda Shishkin; athletic therapist Adrienne Stinson; strength and conditioning coach Bruce Craven; team doctor Dr. Marlys Misfeldt; team doctor Dr. David Kim; athletic director Basil Hughton; SID Nicole Betker