2000-01 OUA – men

REGULAR SEASON

	EAST				WEST
	Carleton	21-1	31-6	Dave Smart	McMaster	13-1	30-7	Joe Raso
	York	16-6	30-8	Bob Bain	Western	12-2	36-4	Craig Boydell
	Ryerson	14-8	21-16	Terry Haggerty	Guelph	10-4	20-12	Chris O’Rourke
	Laurentian	13-9	18-13	Virgil Hill	Brock	8-6	16-18	Ken Murray
	Toronto	13-9	17-18	Ken Olynyk	Waterloo	4-10	12-19	Tom Kieswetter
	Queen’s	5-17	9-22	Scott Meeson	Lakehead	4-10	5-18	Lou Pero
	RMC	5-17	7-25	Craig Norman	Windsor	3-11	7-22	Mike Havey
	Ottawa	3-19	6-29	Jack Eisenmann	Wilfrid Laurier	2-12	8-24	Peter Campbell

Months before the start of the season, the OUA announced that the existing interlocking schedule between the OUA East Division and the four schools of the Quebec federation (Bishop’s, Concordia, McGill and Laval) will be scrapped after the 2000-01 academic year. OUA sponsorship and partnership services coordinator Mark Alfano told the Ottawa Citizen that the long-term goal is to move toward interlocking East-West play for all OUA sports, Alfano said. Rather than just an annual playoff between the two champions, “it’s going to build our whole theory of being an Ontario association.” Jennifer Brenning, University of Ottawa coordinator of programs and member of the OUA sport technical council, says current plans will see volleyball and soccer move to full interlocking play over the next five or six years, while discussions are now being held concerning the scheduling futures of sports such as hockey and football. The move toward interlocking play is being driven largely by western schools seeking to bolster the number of regular-season games they play, Brenning said. She said that, with the OUA having adopted rules in December that require all schools to accommodate the scheduling needs of other members, eastern schools had little alternative but to agree to interlocking play. The OUA schools voted 9-6 (with one abstention) at their annual meeting in favour of an East-West interlocking basketball schedule. Although the details have yet to be ironed out, East schools will play one game every season against each of the eight OUA West schools, which include Brock (St. Catharines), Guelph, Lakehead (Thunder Bay), McMaster (Hamilton), Waterloo, Western (London), Wilfrid Laurier (Waterloo) and Windsor. Every year, Carleton and Ottawa will play four West schools on the road and the other four at home. The following year, the schedule will be reversed in terms of home-and-away games. The move isn’t expected to significantly alter basketball program costs. Rather than making two trips to Quebec each season, Carleton and Ottawa will have to make two road trips to the west. But full interlocking schedules in other sports will result in increased travel costs, Brenning said. She said costs for women’s volleyball will jump by $9,000, while an extra $5,000 would be needed for men’s football. Travel to places like Windsor, some nine hours away, will be daunting, but Carleton men’s basketball coach Dave Smart says interlocking play should help recruiting because of increased exposure. “I kind of feel bad for the Quebec schools because it puts them in a spot where there’s only four teams, and I enjoyed playing them. But realistically, in terms of recruiting, playing the West teams probably helps us.” Gee-Gees women’s coach Rob Anderson said “it’s good for us. With us being the largest bilingual school in North America, it’s good for us recruiting in Ontario and it’s good for us recruiting in Quebec. Now we can say (to potential recruits from western Ontario), `You’re going to at least be going home twice over a four-year period.”

Quebec coaches weren’t happy that five years of interlocking play will end after the 2000-01 season. “We’re hung out to dry,” said Rod Gilpin, Bishop’s women’s coach. “We’re now the only four-team conference in Canada.” Bishop’s men’s coach Eddie Pomykala said “I’m disheartened. It puts us in an extremely difficult position. In my heart of hearts, I hope that this thing with the Ontario interlock will not work out and that they’re going to get back to their senses.”

       Playoff non-qualifiers:

       Ottawa Gee-Gees: Fitzallen Sutton, Matt Koeslag, Gordini Valery, Jason Pace, Scott Ryan, John Corrente, James Derouin, Jesse Jones, Chet Wydrzynski, Gianni Costantiello, Josh Booy, Eric Malo, Jeff Dallin, Drew Moir, coach Jack Eisenmann

       Queen’s Golden Gaels: Thomas Laporte-Aust, Reilly Musselman, Duncan Cowan, Bradley Millington, Mark Blackman, Jason Natalini, Tyler Sauerbrei, Will Featherstonhaugh, M. Reed MacMillan, Trevor Capern, James Bambury, William Callaghan, Lucio Mesquita, Michael Reid, Craig Broadhurst, coach Scott Meeson

RMC Paladins: Bayode Ajayi, Daniel Baillargeon, Joseph Boland, Nathan Carreiro, Liam Doyle, Jake Einarson, Nick Gallagher, Chad Gehl, Paul Hungler, Jerome Patry, Darren Willsey, coach Craig Norman

Toronto Varsity Blues: Dayo Baiyewu, Sherwyn Benn, Michael Goldfarb, Tom Grochmal, Joe Heale, Kenny Hilborn, Anti Jaaskelainen, Louis Pahis, Ryan Pyle, Tobias Scott, Matt Sturgeon, Michael Tatham, Jonathon Taweel, Irfan Valla, Paul Zyla, coach Ken Olynyk

Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks: Robert Duffey, Argentino Filia, Daniel Jonker, Allan Lovett, Matt Miles, Adam Myhill, Predrag Radovic, Adam Rogers, Chris Scott, Robert Tudhope, Darren Veira, Jeff Zdrahal, Matt Devon, Dan Jonker, coach Peter Campbell, assistant Jamie Lockington, assistant Paul Falco, manager Melissa Amadio, student trainers Samantha Roman and Larry Kelly, SID Patrick Duggan

Windsor Lancers: Mike Baggio, Ryan Cummings, Jared Grogan, Ken Hodgkins, Jeff Mulligan, Mark Paterson, Matt Pavoni, Robert Pragai, Teryn Proracki, Anthony Rizzetto, Sadiki Robertson, Alex Stulic, John Veljanovski, Adam Wydrzynski, coach Mike Havey

In the East semis, top-seeded Carleton defeated 4th-seeded Laurentian 81-55. Carleton set the tone early, pounding the ball to Josh Poirier and Charlie Cattran in the post while exploding to a 20-9 lead. But they almost couldn’t buy a perimeter jumper and only led 37-26 at the break despite dominating the boards and playing suffocating defence. But with Poirier crashing the glass and the gunners finally finding their range, Carleton quickly stretched its lead to 25 and romped. “It was a really important game for us. We all got pretty pumped up for this,” said Josh Poirier. “I happened to hit a couple early so they kind of collapsed in the middle and that got us more open looks on the perimeter.” Josh Poirier paced Carleton with 22 on 9-14 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 10 boards. Mike Smart added 12 on 0-1 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Robbie Smart added 12 on 2-3 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Matt Ross added 11 on 4-6 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists. Paul Larmand notched 8 on 4-4 from the floor, 0-6 from the arc and 8 boards. Jafeth Maseruka added 7 on 3-6 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 3 boards and 4 assists. Charlie Cattran added 4 on 2-2 from the floor and 4 boards. Ben Doornekamp added 3 on 0-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 3 boards. Chabine Tucker added 2, while Mark McMahon, Matt McKechnie and Dean Petridis were scoreless. Carleton hit 25-40 (.625) from the floor, 7-27 (.259) from the arc and 10-13 (.769) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 15 assists, 8 turnovers and 4 steals. Leon Sutton paced Laurentian with 14 on 4-8 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc and 5 boards. Jermaine Pendley added 12 on 6-12 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc and 8 boards. Jim Jefferson added 9 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 4 boards. Dwayne Burton added 8 on 2-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-6 from the line and 7 boards. Clifton Edwards added 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists. Robert Annechini added 4 on 0-3 from the floor, 4-6 from the line and 2 boards. Justin Colley added 2 and Craig O’Neil 2, while Greg Garner, Sean Ludwig, Jacob Taskevicius and Taylor Armstrong were scoreless. Laurentian hit 19-50 (.380) from the floor, 3-14 (.214) from the arc and 8-12 from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 2 assists, 13 turnovers, 1 block and 2 steals. The Voyageurs (coached by Virgil Hill, assisted by Brad Hann) also included Patrick Brandt.

In the other East semi, the 2nd-seeded York Yeomen defeated the 3rd-seeded Ryerson Rams 69-59. The Yeomen opened the affair with a 10-0 run and twice took 13-point leads. But York played only as hard they had to, allowing Ryerson to rally back before slashing buckets by Danny Amponsah and sterling boardwork by Tom Romas and Paul Nixon down the stretch allowed York to run off with the win. “It just seems we can’t put teams away,” said York coach Bob Bain. “Ryerson just hung in and hung in. We’re fortunate we won.” Danny Amponsah led York with 18. Jan-Michael Nation led Ryerson with 24. Bill Crowdis added 12, along with 9 boards. Rams coach Terry Haggerty told The Eyeopener that “we  had some good looks in the second half. Unfortunately, Sandy (Brar) and Tom (Cory) had unusually bad shooting games and nobody else came up with the answer we needed.” The Rams (coached by Terry Haggerty, assisted by Bob Marsh, Bob Selkirk and O’Neil Kamaka) also included Calvin Celestine, Konrad Tota, Braden Meashaw, Matt Toner, Tazio Clark, Karlo Villanueva, Duane Quashie, Sasha Ivankovic, Dwight Chambers, Alfred McAllister and Tim Higgins.

       In the East final, top-seeded Carleton snacked on 2nd-seeded York like finger food, defeating the Yeomen 62-57 after six free throws in the final minute to play in a standing-room only slugfest at Ottawa’s Montpetit Hall. Rookie Mike Smart slashed into the paint for a bucket and added a pair of free throws to rally Carleton from a 56-54 deficit with 1:13 to play. All-star guard Jafeth Maseruka then iced it with four critical free throws in the final 18 seconds as Carleton advanced to its first national tourney since 1988. “I knew they were going in,” said Maseruka. “I was not missing them. I missed two before and my team needed me to make them. … We had our minds set on the nationals.” Mike Smart, who was chosen the game’s MVP, added that ‘we were a little tense early. But we knew they wouldn’t want to play 40 minutes of not scoring a lot. We just shut them down and had confidence were going to come out on top. I want all five years to be in the nationals and I expect to win a national championship,” added Smart, who scored 15 to pace Carleton. “I wouldn’t expect anything else from this program.” Coach Dave Smart noted: “These kids. They won it. They got past the coach’s jitters. Even when York made a run, we kept our composure.” The Yeomen set the Ravens on their heels early by crashing the boards with abandon to take an 11-5 lead. But Ben Doornekamp and Mike Smart drilled three-pointers to stem the bleeding as Carleton began to run its offensive sets and rallied back to a 24-22 lead after the foul-plagued, gritty first half. The Ravens perimeter shooters continued their struggles early in the second half as York edge to a slim lead. But Paul Larmand nailed a three-pointer as Carleton rallied back to the game at 40 with eight minutes to play. Over the next four minutes of give-no-quarter basketball, Larmand and Charlie Cattran put back enormous offensive rebounds and the Ravens hit seven free throws to take a51-44 lead. But the Yeomen weren’t done. They ripped a 10-3 run to take a 56-54 lead setting the stage for Mike Smart and Maseruka’s final heroics. Smart scored his 15 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 8-11 from the line and 3 boards. Jafeth Maseruka added 12 on 0-4 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 6-8 from the line, 5 boards and 2 steals. Paul Larmand scored 9 on 2-4 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 12 boards. Josh Poirier added 7 on 2-4 from the floor and 3-4 from the line. Matt Ross added 6 on 1-1 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Ben Doornekamp added 5 on 0-2 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Robert Smart added 4 on 2-8 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 4 boards and 2 assists. Charlie Cattran added 4 on 2-3 from the floor, 0-3 from the line and 4 boards, while Dean Petridis, Mark McMahon, Chabine Tucker and Matt McKechnie were scoreless. Carleton hit 11-30 (.367) from the floor, 5-19 (.263) from the arc and 25-34 (.735) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 5 assists, 14 turnovers and 3 steals. Paul Nixon paced York with 13 on 5-11 from the floor, 3-6 from the line and 5 boards. Tom Romas added 11 on 4-8 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 7 boards. Michael George added 11 on 3-8 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 5-8 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Danny Amponsah added 8 on 4-12 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 5 boards. Dean Labayen added 8 on 2-7 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 8 boards and 4 steals. Tom McChesney added 4 on 1-1 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 2 boards. Adam Miller added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc. Ryan French added 1 and Chris Peskun 1, along with 2 boards, while Branislav Misovic, David Tyczynski and Everton Thomas were scoreless. The Yeomen hit 20-49 (.408) from the floor, 0-8 from the arc and 17-24 (.708) from the line, while garnering 37 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 27 fouls, 2 assists, 13 turnovers, 1 block and 5 steals.

       In the West quarterfinals, 4th-seeded Brock defeated 5th-seeded Waterloo 93-85 in double overtime. Brock led 10-6 early on a three by Martin Smieszek. But Waterloo tied it at 23 before ripping off 16 unanswered points to take a 39-23 lead at the break. The Warriors stretched their lead to 46-27 early in the second half before Brock answered with a 28-10 run to tie the game at 55 as Waterloo star Dan Schipper fouled out with 15 points and 9 boards, with 7:11 to play, before opposing center Ryan Dudley even picked up his first foul of the game (that occurred with 4:02 to play in regulation). The Warriors led 68-65 with time running out but Jamie Duncan inbounded the ball to rookie Morgan Fairweather who hit a three-pointer with 1.3 seconds on the clock to force overtime. In overtime, Brock took a 73-70 lead before Warrior Shane Cooney hit a three from the corner with one second on the shot clock to tie it at 73. With a minute left, Fairweather drove the bucket to give Brock a 76-74 lead. John Quinlan tied it with a pair of free throws for Waterloo. Duncan later forced a second overtime with a 15-footer. In second overtime, Brock ripped off a 9-2 run and then iced it at the line. Jamie Duncan led Brock with 28 points, including 9-18 from the floor, 5 boards, 6 assists, and three steals. Ryan Dudley added 28 points on 8-16 from the field and 8-9 from the line. He added 9 boards. Fairweather added 19, a career-high, including 5-6 from the field and 2-3 from the arc, and Martin Smieszek 11. Duncan told the St. Catharines Standard that “I don’t think I’ve ever played in a double-overtime game. With about seven minutes left, I started to get really excited. Instead of getting tense, I thought, just enjoy the moment. This is what all basketball players play for.” Fairweather said “I knew we’d chip away” the deficit. Badgers coach Ken Murray said “we had to make some adjustments. … Morgan’s our best shooter. Waterloo was doubling our post and I needed to get somebody out there that could shoot the ball. What was key is he hit his first shot. He stepped it up when we needed him to step up because Waterloo was on their game. … I’m pleased with the end result but I’m not pleased with how we got there.” John Quinlan led Waterloo with 29 points on 10-18 from the field. Shane Cooney and Dan Schipper each added 15, while Mike Sovran had 10. Warriors coach Tom Kieswetter told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record that “I’m devastated. We should won the game. We were winning the game. We had in our pockets and they (officials0 stole it from us.” Kieswetter noted that while Warrior Dan Schipper fouled out, Brock’s post didn’t get his first foul until 4:02 to play. “Fouling Dan out the way (the refs) did and then protecting Brock’s players the way they did was more than questionable. I don’t know if it’s because we’re 4-10 (n league play) and there are some preconceived notions as to what should happen out there.” The Warriors (coached by Tom Kieswetter) also included Conrad Kreek, Tony Grant, Paul Larsen, Dave Munkley, Josh Van Wieren, Dave Quinlan, Chad Forde, Andrew Coatsworth, Charl Rossouw, John Quinlan and Bryan Nichol.

       In the other West quarterfinal, 3rd-seeded Guelph defeated 6th-seeded Lakehead 80-56. The Thunderwolves (coached by Lou Pero) included Dan Bouchard, Brent Bradshaw, Eli Carlone, Jeremie Clarke-Okah, Matthew Coulson, Anthony Divizio, Jonathan Drysdale, Ryan Dudley, Morgan Fairweather, Kevin French, Cletus Gavin, David Gordanier, Ryan Groskreutz, Trevor Harding, Conor McSweeney, Kojo Mensah, Branko Miskovic, Derek Morgan, Drew Nathan, James Quadrizius, Steven Reid, Steve Riddle, Jeff Rosar, Brendan Shoniker, Ryan Sinninghe, Martin Smieszek, Andrew Stevenson and Dan Zapior.

       In the West semis, top-seeded McMaster defeated 4th-seeded Brock 70-52. McMaster raced to a 14-0 lead on sterling defence before Ryan Dudley finally got Brock on the board with a pair of free throws. The Marauders stretched their lead to 13 midway through the half and led 30-17 at the break when Steve Maga banked a 35-footer as the horn sounded. Mac maintained the margin through the second half. Marauders coach Joe Raso told the Hamilton Spectator that “we played with effort, confidence and preparation, the three factors we can control. We had an almost flawless 10 minutes there at the start.” Doug Doyle led the Marauders with 19 points and 5 boards. Maga added 16 points and 7 assists. Graham Hewitt scored 14, Adam Guiney 6, Rodney Baptiste 4. Mark Maga added 5 off the bench, Justin Boye 4 and Stephen Martin 2, while Jamie Loucks, Brian Taylor, Kevin McKenna, Emanuel Ostojic were scoreless. The Marauders hit 28-75 (.373) from the floor, 3-18 (.167) from the arc and 11-12 (.917) from the line, while garnering 53 boards, including 22 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 18 assists, 14 turnovers, 1 block and 14 steals. Branko Miskovic led Brock with 18 points and 10 boards. Jamie Duncan added 14 points and 5 assists. Ryan Dudley was held to 6 points on 1-13 from the floor. Conor McSweeney scored 2 while starters Martin Smieszek and Kevin French were scoreless. Eli Carlone added 5 off the bench, Morgan Fairweather 4 and James Quadrizius 3, while James Quadrizius, Cletus Gavin, Kojo Mensah and Trevor Harding were scoreless. Duncan told the St. Catharines Standard that “those guys step up. They’re playing at home and they step up in big games. I guess we’re still learning to do that. … Did you see how many (shots) went in and out? You think after one or two, the next one will go in. Then you think, maybe it’s not meant to be.” Badgers coach Ken Murray said “I never thought we would shoot that poorly. Luck wasn’t on our side. We had balls going in and out. … Rebounding as been our Achilles heel. We’ve got guys that are capable. (Mac) just outworked us.” The Badgers (coached by Ken Murray) shot 20-63 (.317) from the floor, 1-6 (.167) from the arc and 11-14 (.786) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 11 fouls, 12 assists, 16 turnovers, 1 block and 10 steals.

       In the other West semi, 2nd-seeded Western downed 3rd-seeded Guelph 97-73 as Mark Porte scored 16 of the bench. “We have such a great starting five with Jimmy, Andy, Chris Brown, Chedo and Matt that sometimes the other team forgets about us. And when they double and triple-team someone, they always leave someone open,” said Porte. Porte and Tweedie triggered an 8-0 run early in the first half to give Western a 35-20 lead with six minutes to play. “We all wanted to go to Hamilton to play. I know the Mac gym well, being that it’s my home town,” said Porte. “We always seem to get up to play Mac. We’re looking forward to it. It’s always been them and us for the years I’ve been here.” Guelph shot .400 in the first half and .340 in the second, while Western shot .600. Western coach Craig Boydell said it was a solid defensive effort. “We just had a real solid effort from everyone. Early Guelph took us away from some of the things we wanted to do but we hung in there and in the second, I think we really came out and were more smooth in our execution.” Chris Brown scored 13 in the second half. Kwiatkowski scored 21 and Grozelle 18. “I try to settle things down on the court, keep us all on the same page,” said Grozelle. Andy Kwiatkowski told the Western Gazette that “there was a lot more a stake this time, we pulled out all the stops and all the plays. … (Coach Craig Boydell) did an unbelievable job preparing us for the game. We are always get scouting reports but this time around it was super, super specific. If there was a player was prone to doing one thing, we knew about it.” Boydell said “we felt this was a team we could keep in the 60s just playing man-to-man. Excellent defence was the key to this game. … We didn’t play well against their full-court press at first but we wore them down some and stopped turning the ball over.” Kwiatkowski said Grozelle was “unbelievable. Jimmy just followed the scouting report coach gave us to a tee. When we’re struggling he was able to score points. Sometimes I don’t know how he does it.” Guelph coach Chris O’Rourke said “I think we’re definitely disappointed, less in whether we won or lost but more in the way we lost. We just didn’t answer the bell. But they’ve proven they’re a better team than us, this is the fourth time they’ve beaten us this season. Western just has too many weapons.” The Gryphons (coached by Chris O’Rourke, assisted by Dan Anstett, Mark Grant, Brian Kosowick and Dan Yarmey, trainer Laurie Halfpenny-Mitchell, trainer Jocelyn Sitland) included Shane Bascoe, Paul Beecher, Bennet De Brabandere, Aaron Giberson, Tom Jovanovic, Nadan Kapetanovic, Geoff McNeill, Adam Miller, Koven Padayachee, Joe Palango, Chris Popofski, Curtis Seeley, Jon Vermeer, Jason Wenczler, Toffers Treiguts and Mark Halfpenny.

       In the West final, 2nd-seeded Western defeated top-seeded McMaster 65-55. Western took a 12-2 lead early on inside post-ups. But the Marauders fought back, as Rodney Baptiste hit a three, Steve Maga bombed a pair from beyond the arc and cut the deficit to 15-13. Western kept pounding the ball inside and took a 26-15 lead midway through the first half and led 35-28 at the break. McMaster cut the margin to 43-41. With Kwiatkowski in foul trouble, rookie forward Nick Salmons scored five straight points and seven in two minutes, including a three, as Western pulled away. Nine-point lead when Salomons went back to bench. “I’ve been sick since yesterday but I knew if I’d get in to the game, it’d only be for a few minutes and could overcome the way I was feeling. I just wanted to play good defence. But to hit those shots was just a great feeling. Unbelievable,” said Salomons, who finished with 9 points off the bench. “For a first-year kid, to have that kind of calm and those kinds of shots in that situation, it’s unreal,” said coach Craig Boydell. That, I believe, was the turning point for us. This kid has been improving leaps and bounds in practice. He plays Andy in practice and plays him as well as anyone.” Kwiatkowski held to 5-16 on night but still paced the Mustangs with 17 points. “It wasn’t that we left him (Salomans) open” said Mac coach Joe Raso. “We just couldn’t get to him fast enough – and he made those shots. Give Mac credit. It was a defensive battle and they were just a little better than us.” “It was fun, it really was a war,” said Western center Chris Brown, who scored 15 in a slugfest and grabbed 10 boards. “Mac beat us for the title in our place last year and we came in here wanting to return the favour.” Nick Salomons told the Western Gazette that “by far this is my best moment in basketball so far. It was unbelievable, I was just feeling the flow of the game. I can’t even explain it. Anybody who saw the smile on face knows how I feel.” Mustangs coach Craig Boydell said “when your star player is in foul trouble and a guy off the bench can do what he did, that’s a huge plus. Nick basically took over the offence for that sequence. It was just what we needed, and he did it.” Host McMaster never led. Grozelle held OUA West MVP Steve Maga to 5-24, including 5-14 from arc and 0-10 from floor. Chedo Ndur scored 7, Grozelle 6 and Matt Tweedie 5. Nicholas Salomons added 9 off the bench, Mark Porte 3 and Richard Tamminga 2, while Adam Peaker, Scott Seeley, Sagar Desai and Timothy Shanks were scoreless. The Mustangs hit 22-58 (.379) from the floor, 2-14 (.143) from the arc and 18-26 (.692) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 15 assists, 17 turnovers, 6 blocks and 8 steals. Steve Maga paced McMaster with 18. Rodney Baptiste added 12, Justin Boye 9, Graham Hewitt 8, Adam Guiney 6 and Doug Doyle 2, while Jamie Loucks, Mark Maga, Brian Taylor, Emanuel Ostojic, Stephen Martin, Kevin McKenna, David McKinty, Anthony Aiello, Philip Vayalumkal, Goran Franjesevic, Jeremy Storry, Jay Egobo and Toms Lokmanis were scoreless. The Marauders shot 20-70 (.286) from the floor, 6-19 (.316) from the arc and 9-11 (818) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 20 on the offensive glass, 22 fouls, 13 assists, 18 turnovers, 3 blocks and 10 steals.

In the Wilson Cup, Western defeated Carleton 69-59. “This keeps things going for us,” said coach Craig Boydell. The win was Western’s 15th win in a row and 20th without a loss at home. “We didn’t want to lose to another team going to nationals, even one as good as Carleton, which has been ranked in the top five teams all year and beat us early on (69-67 in October).” Tweedie hit a three pointer that tied the game at 43 with 11:05 to go and another that gave the Mustangs a 47-43 lead with 10 minutes to play. “Today, it happened to be me,” said Tweedie, who hit four threes on the day. ‘Another day, it would be somebody else. Guys, different guys, have stepped up all season. Right after I hit mine, Jimmy hit (a three) too. Then (Andy and Chris gave us some big offence).” Western exploded to a 9-2 lead as Chris Brown hit a bucket in the low post, Andy Kwiatkowski hit a three and a 4 four jumper and Brown another bucket in the low post. Poirier got Carleton on track with a bucket in the paint and a three pointer. But a Jimmy Grozelle transition bucket put Western back ahead by six. They maintained a 17-11 margin before Robbie Smart drove the baseline for a hoop, Jafeth Maseruka hit a jumper and Smart again drove the baseline as Carleton cut it to 20-18. A 5-0 run later, Western was ahead 25-18, when Poirier posted up for a bucket and Maseruka hit a three to cap a 5-0 run as Carleton trimmed the margin to two. But Grozelle hit a three as Western took a 28-25 lead into the lockers. Carleton had difficult finishing. The Ravens ripped off six unanswered points to open the second half as Poirier hit two in the paint and Maseruka hit two from the line. But Matt Tweedie hit a three to tie the game at 31. Poirier hit another bucket. Chedo Ndur hit a pair from the line to tie it at 33. Poirier posted up again. But Kwiatkowski drove the paint for a bucket and was fouled, hitting the free throw as Western went ahead 36-35. Poirier hit a pair of free throws and a bucket as Carleton moved ahead 39-35. But Brown hit a low post hoop as Poirier picked up his third foul. Robbie Smart drove the paint for a hoop and hit a pair of free throws as Carleton moved ahead 43-40. But then the wheels started coming off for Carleton. Tweedie hit three from the beyond the arc as Western ripped off a 10-3 run to take a 50-46 lead. Larmand trimmed the margin to two. But then Chedo Ndur scored a bucket and a pair from the line and Brown posted up for a hoop as Western ripped off an 8-2 run to move ahead 58-50. Poirier hit a hoop from the low post but Kwiatkowski responded with a 12-foot jumper as Western moved ahead 60-53. Robbie Smart hit a pair from the line to cut it to five but Western closed out the affair with a 9-4 run as Grozelle hit four from the line and Tweedie two to ice it. Boydell told the Western Gazette “how many times do you get to play for a championship of anything? To come into Alumni Hall with this crowd, it was all worth it.” Matt Tweedie said “our key was balance. Also the emotion and energy we played with.” Ravens coach Dave Smart said “I don’t think we played with the same confidence we’ve played with all year. I think Western is the best team in the country, so we have to go through them to win a national championship.” Game MVP Andy Kwiatkowski scored 18 and grabbed 11 boards, 6 assists and 2 steals. Tweedie scored 17 and 5 boards. Jim Grozelle 14 points, Chris Brown 10 points and 9 boards. Chedo Ndur notched 6 and Mark Porte 4, while Rich Tamminga, Adam Peaker, Nick Salomons, Scott Seeley, Sagar Desai and Tim Shanks were scoreless. The Mustangs shot 21-53 (.396) from the floor, 8-19 (.421) from the arc and 19-21 (.905) from the line, while collecting 38 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 13 assists, 20 turnovers, 3 blocks and 5 steals. Josh Poirier paced Carleton with 28 points and 10 boards. Jafeth Maseruka added 12, Robbie Smart 10, Paul Larmand 5 and Mike Smart 4, while Charlie Cattran, Ben Doornekamp, Matt Ross, Dean Petridis, Mark McMahon, Chabine Tucker and Matt McKechnie were scoreless. The Ravens shot 23-60 (.383) from the floor, 3-11 (.273) from the arc and 10-13 (.769) from the line, while garnering 25 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 17 fouls, 4 assists, 14 turnovers, 1 block and 10 steals.

       After the season, Jack Eisenmann is nudged out as head coach of U of Ottawa and replaced by David DeAveiro. The deal left everyone grinning like a Cheshire cat. Eisenmann was tired of beating the bushes for dollars and longed to just coach the game. The basketball alumni association wanted ex-Gee-Gees guard and current Humber College assistant David DeAveiro to assume the reins and vowed to kick in “a pile of money” if they got their wish. They also wanted Eisenmann, with whom they’re amicable, to be given a soft cushion –read $$– so he’d have the latitude to pursue another position in his native United States. When all was said and quietly negotiated last week, everyone walked away clicking their heels.    The alumni got DeAveiro as coach in hopes he could lift the U of O from two years in the Ontario University Athletics eastern division basement and close the gap on arch-rival Carleton, which is showing signs of metamorphizing into a national juggernaut. The athletic department got a high-tech sugar daddy to help foot the bills, while Eisenmann got a bit of financial security and a hand in picking his successor. All the parties are playing their cards close to their chest. “No comment,” says the high-tech executive who brokered the deal on the condition that the U of O maintain his anonymity or he’d withdraw his support. Asked if he’ll take an active role in fundraising, he replied: “possibly, yes.” U of O director of sports services Luc Gelineau says the corporate official’s exact role “hasn’t yet been determined. It may be in communications or recruiting or another part of the support structure. But we know he’s very committed.” Eisenmann, 48, pensively noted the passing of 19 years with the program. “Sometimes things change. Sometimes you need to say: ‘take one for the gipper. Take one for the team. That’s what I’m doing. …I just felt for the good of the program, for the good of the kids, for the good of the university, for the good of the team, and for the good of me too, it was just the best thing for basketball at the U of O. …Whether I like it or not, it’s time to move on.” The Morristown, Pennsylvania-born Eisenmann played for the U of O from 1977-79 while completely a master’s degree in criminology. Two years later, he joined the staff as a volunteer assistant to coach John Restivo, while working as an industrial relations supervisor for Brockville-based Combustion Engineering. After three seasons of commuting, Eisenmann was transferred to Brantford and joined Brian Heaney on the staff at the U of Toronto. He later spent three seasons as coach of Scarborough’s West Hill HS before finding himself at the helm of the Syrian national men’s and women’s teams in the 1989 Arabic Summer Games, under a contract arranged by External Affairs. While in Syria, the U of O job came open. A meeting in Germany was arranged with former athletic director Carol Turgeon. But miscommunications found Eisenmann in the wrong city. After a quick train ride to Dusseldorf, he discovered he also had the wrong hotel. But he spotted a kiosk for the World University Games, where the attendants fortunately spoke English and helped him track down Turgeon. “It was unbelievable. I remember sitting in a restaurant, picking apart a sandwich and saying: ‘what am I going to do? How am I going to find this guy? Where do I go?” Two interviews and five days later, Eisenmann was offered the job. His first team finished a dreary 8-22. But three years later, they stunned Western 88-48 to capture the Wilson Cup and earn a national tourney berth, where they upset Winnipeg 69-64 before a dropping a 64-54 semi-final decision to eventual champion St. Francis Xavier. “The biggest thrill in the world was winning that Wilson Cup,” Eisenmann said. “We weren’t even supposed to be in it.” Within two years, the bloom was off the rose. The U of O adopted a policy prohibiting more than 40% of student athletic fees from being spent on intercollegiate sports. The basketball budget was slashed 66% and Eisenmann had to become as much fundraiser as coach. “It changed the whole way of doing things,” said Eisenmann, who’ll maintain connections with alumni to help raise money for the financially-strapped program. “We did the best we could. But unfortunately, the basketball suffered.”

The co-bronze medalist York Yeomen: Paul Nixon; Tom Romas; Michael George; Danny Amponsah; Dean Labayen; Tom McChesney; Adam Miller; Ryan French; Chris Peskun; Branislav Misovic; David Tyczynski; Everton Thomas; Ammer Askary; coach Bob Bain; assistant Tom Oliveri; assistant Adam Urbach

The co-bronze medalist McMaster Marauders: Steve Maga; Rodney Baptiste; Justin Boye; Graham Hewitt; Adam Guiney; Doug Doyle; Jamie Loucks; Mark Maga; Brian Taylor; Emanuel Ostojic; Stephen Martin; Kevin McKenna; David McKinty; Anthony Aiello; Philip Vayalumkal; Goran Franjesevic; Jeremy Storry; Jay Egobo; Toms Lokmanis; Charles Kissi; Johnathan Joseph; coach Joe Raso; assistant Chris Oliver

       The runner-up Carleton Ravens: Robert Smart; Jafeth Maseruka; Paul Larmand; Mike Smart; Charlie Cattran; Josh Poirier; Ben Doornekamp; Matt Ross; Dean Petridis; Matt McKechnie; Mark McMahon; Glen Green; Chabine Tucker; Devon Taylor; Adam White; Jim O’Grady; Chabine Tucker; Devin Taylor; coach Dave Smart, assistant Bill Arden; assistant Taffe Charles; therapist Bruce Marshall; SID Dave Kent; athletic director Drew Love; business manager John Wilson

       The champion Western Mustangs: Andy Kwiatkowski; Jim Grozelle; Chedo Ndur; Chris Brown; Sagar Desai; Adam Peaker; Rich Tamminga; Matt Tweedie; Mark Porte; Nick Salomons; Scott Sealey; Tim Shanks; coach Craig Boydell; assistant Pete Schmidt; assistant Brad Campbell; trainer Joe Larsen; manager Jay Barkly; manager Sean Byrne; trainer Ron Sarid; SID Kimberly Moser