REGULAR SEASON
| EAST | WEST | ||||||||
| Carleton | 21-1 | 34-1 | Dave Smart | McMaster | 18-4 | 23-12 | Joe Raso | ||
| York | 17-5 | 23-10 | Bob Bain | Guelph | 15-7 | 21-16 | Chris O’Rourke | ||
| Ottawa | 12-10 | 16-17 | Dave DeAveiro | Brock | 12-10 | 17-16 | Steve Atkin | ||
| Laurentian | 10-12 | 11-18 | Virgil Hill | Western | 12-10 | 19-13 | Craig Boydell | ||
| Ryerson | 8-14 | 14-21 | Terry Haggerty | Wilfrid Laurier | 11-11 | 15-21 | Peter Campbell | ||
| RMC | 8-14 | 7-24 | Craig Norman | Lakehead | 10-12 | 16-19 | Lou Pero | ||
| Toronto | 6-16 | 11-22 | Mike Dodig | Waterloo | 9-13 | 16-17 | Tom Kieswetter | ||
| Queen’s | 4-18 | 6-23 | Chris Oliver | Windsor | 5-17 | 4-26 | Mike Havey | ||
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Queen’s Golden Gaels: Lucas Goltz, Karl Erickson, Alexander Liang, James Bambury, Bradley Millington, Mark Thomas, Tyler Sauerbrei, Will Featherstonhaugh, Greg Capern, Akins Van Horne, Trevor Capern, Jon Cudney, Neal Dawson, David Gilbert, Brendan O’Leary, Matt Gennings, coach Chris Oliver, assistant Denis Beausoleil
Toronto Varsity Blues: Toby Scott, Joe Heale, Thoms Grochmal, Matt Sturgeon, Keenan Cross, Michael Tatham, Paul Zyla, Dayo Baiyewu, Michael Williams, Kenny Hilborn, Victor Bezic, Eric Wagner, Jonathon Taweel, coach Mike Dodig
Waterloo Warriors: Gerard Magennis, Bryan Nichol, Graham Jarman, Eddie Lopez, Maltic Stephen, Matt Kieswetter, Olivier Quesnel, Dave Munkley, Andrew Coatsworth, Michael Davis, Mike Sovran, Andrew Westlake, Nenad Medic, Boris Zadkovic, Chris Edwards, coach Tom Kieswetter, assistant Mano Watsa, assistant John Malnerich
Windsor Lancers: Duane Quashie, Sadiki Robertson, Oussama Abou-Zeeni, Justin Goggins, Anthony Rizzetto, Trevor Boose, Mark Paterson, Jeff Agyei-Abankwa, Wesley Arthur, Mat Burkhart, Alex Stulic, Titus Guihede, Robert Pragai, Nick Chevalier, Norm Boose, Ramsay Windsor, coach Mike Havey
In the West quarterfinals, 6th-seeded Lakehead defeated 3rd-seeded host Western 85-76. Dan Zapior scored 21 points and grabbed 18 boards for the Norwesters. Jeff Rosar added 21 points, Steve Reid 15, James Purcell 13, Ryan Bishop 7, Matt Erdman 5, Aaron Casella 2 and Chris Swenson 1. Lakehead shot 33-55 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc and 15-21 from the line, while garnering 35 boards, 13 fouls, 8 assists, 19 turnovers, 5 blocks and 4 steals. Lakehead had 44 points in the paint to Western’s 38. Adam Peaker paced Western with 19 points. Sagar Desai added 12, Jimmy Grozelle 12, Mark Porte 9, Daron Leonard 3, Kyle Coatsworth 13 off the bench, and Jeff Giovanatti 7. The Mustangs (coached by Craig Boydell) also included Scott Seeley, Alex MacIver, Brian Switalski, Nicholas Salomons, Kurt Welland, Kelsey Green, Anthony Halley, Galen Allen and Amandeep Sodhi. The Mustangs shot 29-73 from the floor, 6-29 from the arc and 12-15 from the line while grabbing 27 boards, committing 19 fouls and collecting 15 assists, 12 turnovers and 10 steals.
In the other West quarterfinal, the 5th-seeded Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks defeated the 4th-seeded Brock Badgers 65-59 as Todd Cooney scored 21, Chris Keith 18 and Andrew Mackay 13. The Golden Hawks outrebounded the Badgers 41-28. The Badgers led 33-30 at the half. Golden Hawks coach Peter Campbell told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record that “every big shot we made down the wire, every big play we made down the wire, was Todd Cooney (including a critical trey down the stretch as a shot clock expired). Nobody else wanted it, so he just jacked it up and it went in.” Cooney said “it’s win or you pack up and get the golf clubs out. He (Chris Keith) has been carrying our team all year. He’s been a key factor to every win, every game. He was leading us and we just tried to follow suit in the second half.” Ryan Dudley paced the Badgers with 20. Kevin French added 18 and Kevin Steinstra 16. Dudley told the St. Catharines Standard that Chris Keith “is a good young player. He really played well and lit me up in the first half. I had to try to show him I could still play defence in the second half. … They hit the big shots and we didn’t. We need to do that all together, not just one.” Badgers coach Steve Atkin said “I think just ran out of gas. They beat us up on the boards and we just couldn’t get rolling. It’s been such a long year and … a few guys have logged a lot of minutes and it takes its toll.” The Badgers (coached by Steve Atkin) included Kevin McKenna, Trevor Harding, James Quadrizius, Matt McCulloch, Eli Carlone, Drew Nathan, Morgan Fairweather, Cameron Cowan, Rohan Steen, Paul Stewart, Jeff Dunning and Nathan Steinstra.
In the West semis, 2nd-seeded Guelph pounded 6th-seeded Lakehead 84-60. OUA West MVP Michael Ayabandejo led Guelph with 22, Kyle Julius also scored 22, and J.S. Esposito added 18. Dan Zapior led Lakehead with 23 points, 11 boards and a block. Steve Reid added 15 and Jeff Rosar 10. The Thunderwolves (coached by Lou Pero) also included Matt Koeslag, Ryan Bishop, Matthew Erdman, Aaron Casella, Jeremie Clarke-Okah, Matt King, Aaron Rost, James Purcell, Davis Gordanier, Matt Brown, Ryan Sinninghe, Matthew Coulson, Sandy Millar, Chris Richards, Russell Yurick and Chris Swenson.
In the other West semi, Rob Scully and Ben Katz hit back-to-back 3-point shots midway through the second half, to stop a Laurier rally, as the top-seeded McMaster Marauders downed the 5th-seeded Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 80-64. Both teams struggled to score early as McMaster built a 19-12 lead. But the Marauders got on track and took a 41-24 lead into the lockers on poor shooting (4-29) by the Golden Hawks. McMaster extended its lead to 22 points early in the second half. But Laurier finally got on track and rallied back with a 16-2 run to trim the margin to 59-51. But Scully and Katz stemmed the rally with three points to restore a 16-point edge and then Graham Hewitt threw down a monster dunk to break the Hawks spirit. Marauder Ben Katz told the Hamilton Spectator that “the playoffs have a way of helping you recover (from the sophomore jinx and a season in which he was sidelined by mononucleosis, as well as muscle damage to his thigh). Hewitt finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Katz notched 17 and Scully 15, with each grabbing 5 boards. Jon Behie had 12 points and 6 rebounds, while Adam Guiney was perfect, scoring 9 points (on 4-4 shooting, including 1-1 from beyond the arc), and pulling down a game-high 8 rebounds. Justin Gunter scored 5, Adam Steiner 2, Charles Kissi 2, John Obravac 2, Jeremy Patry 2 and Steve Martin 1. McMaster shot 35-64 from the floor, 5-14 from the arc, 13-22 from the line, while garnering 54 rebounds, 23 fouls, 25 assists, 22 turnovers, 3 blocks and 8 steals. Chris Keith led Laurier with 20 points. Andrew MacKay added 11, Wade Currie 8, Bert Riviere 8, Todd Cooney 7, Omar Miles 5, Chris Caruso 3 and Brett Coulthard 2. Keith told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record that “today was just a situation of them making you do things you don’t want to do. They just take away the things you are doing well. Hat’s off to their two big guys and all the guys who came into the game. They’ve got on of the best in Graham Hewitt. You’re not going to get any easy baskets with him.” Golden Hawks coach Peter Campbell said “we seemed to be nervous in the first half which was a surprise because I didn’t think there was any pressure on us. We didn’t shoot well in the first half and I think that hurt our confidence (in the second half). We came out and made some shots and battled hard and may it (the rally) just took too much energy.” The Golden Hawks (coached by Peter Campbell, assisted by Jamie Lockington, Paul Falco, Mike Quigley and Dave Wall, manager Melissa Amadio, student trainer Beth Doxsee, chiropractor David Orchard) also included Allan Lovett, Jason Korpela, Dan Jonker, Graham Ball, Rob Innes, James Hudson and Erik Schmidt. The Hawks shot 18-65 from the floor, 7-28 from the arc and 21-33 from the line while garnering 43 boards, 22 fouls, 10 assists, 10 turnovers, 3 blocks and 8 steals.
In the West final, 2nd-seeded Guelph defeated top-seeded McMaster 77-67. The Gryphons, who struggled all season, finally put it all together as they earned a berth in the nationals by avenging two regular season losses to the Marauders. Early on, the teams exchanged hoops. 2 fouls sent Marauder All-Star Graham Hewitt to the bench, with the home side down 15-11. But surprisingly, Mac responded, scoring 12 straight points over the next 3:40, to take a 23-15 lead with 8 minutes to play in the opening half. But Guelph continued to work hard, especially on the offensive glass, converting numerous second change opportunities. The inside-outside duo of league MVP Mike Ayanbadejo and Kyle Julius were on fire, and the strong work of Radhi Knapp (11 first half rebounds) powered the Gryphons to a 35-33 halftime advantage. The play was even early in the second half. It wasn’t until Mac freshman Adam Steiner hit a banked 3-point shot that the home side opened a 53-47 lead. However, that seemed to spark the visitors, who scored the next 15 points in just over 5 minutes, taking a 62-53 advantage with 5:51 on the clock. The Marauders tried to rally, but some poor free throw shooting, and continued strong play by Guelph negated any comeback. Julius capped the night with an off-balance banked “3” of his own, his 7th successful shot from beyond the arc, to seal it. Julius finished with 25 points on 8-14 from the floor, 7-11 from the arc and 2-4 from the line. Ayanbadejo had 24 points on 9-18 from the floor and 6-7 from the line and 16 boards. Radhi Knapp had 12 on 6-7 from the floor and 12 boards. Nadan Kapetanovic scored 9, John-Scott Esposito 5 and Mark Halfpenny 2. Julius told the Hamilton Specator that “there wasn’t much difference in the teams all year. There’s so much talent on both sides. But tonight, Mike got hot and then I got hot. We were the dynamic duo.” The Gryphons shot 28-54 (.519) from the floor, 7-15 (.467) from the arc and 14-22 (.636) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, 20 fouls, 17 assists, 10 turnovers, 1 block and 6 steals. Graham Hewitt led McMaster with 20 points on 8-11 from the floor. Rob Scully added 15 on 6-17 from the floor. Adam Guiney scored 12 and grabbed 7 boards. Ben Katz scored 10, Adam Steiner 5, Justin Gunter 3 and Chaz Elhag 2, while John Obrovac, Charles Kissi, Jon Behie, Jeremy Patry, Reginald Akrong, Abdul El-Danab and Steve Martin were scoreless. The Marauders (coached by Joe Raso, assisted by Rod Bynum) hit 26-55 (.473) from the floor, 6-14 (.429) from the arc and 9-17 (.529) from the line, while collecting 25 boards, 20 fouls, 23 assists, 13 turnovers, 4 blocks and 4 steals.
In the East quarterfinals, Errol Fraser scored 34 points as 5th-seeded Ryerson steamrolled 4th-seeded Laurentian 85-67. Ryerson stormed to a 41-31 lead over Laurentian at the half, scoring almost at will by pounding the ball to Jon Reid in the low post, while forcing the Voyageurs a step out of their comfort zone on the perimeter and completely dominating the defensive boards. When the Voyageurs collapsed their indifferent defence to stop Reid, Fraser and Vladimir Matevski began drilling uncontested perimeter jumpers. Only a bit of NBA-range bombing by Jim Jefferson kept Laurentian vaguely within reach. But even those distant Laurentian hopes dissipated early in the second half when Fraser began driving the baseline at will for layups or hammering three-pointers. The Rams quickly extended their lead to 22 and coasted home. After an inconsistent regular season, “I felt I had something to prove to the whole OUA,” said Fraser, who starred at Algonquin for two years before transferring to Ryerson. “I really I had to step up.” Coach Terry Haggerty was elated by the Rams defensive pressure and 41-21 rebounding edge. “They didn’t get a single offensive rebound in the first half.” Errol Fraser led Ryerson with 34 points. Vladimir Matevski added 19, Jon Reid 17 and 14 boards, Sasha Ivankovic 6, Mark Ibrahimovic 5, Omar Bryan 3 and Dwayne Sybbliss 2. The Rams shot 18-36 (.500) from the floor, 5-16 (.313) from the arc, and 8-12 (.667) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, 11 fouls, 7 assists, 6 turnovers, 5 blocks and 1 steal. Jim Jefferson led Laurentian with 23 points. Justin Colley added 15, Jermaine Pendley 12, Colin Yates 8, Andrew Greig 2, Ryan Done 2 and Nathan Graham 2, while Daniel Sumpton, Jermaine Glenn, Aaron Sidenberg, Jacob Raskevicius, Marius Stankiewicz and Ben Palmer were scoreless. The Voyageurs (coached by Virgil Hill) shot 26-56 (.464) from the floor, 9-19 (.474) from the arc and 6-11 (.545) from the line, while garnering 21 boards, 11 fouls, 4 assists, 9 turnovers, 1 block and 3 steals.
In the other East quarterfinal, 3rd-seeded Ottawa defeated 6th-seeded RMC 71-67 in a bruising nailbiter. The Gee-Gees dug themselves an early hole when starting center Eric Stenstrom picked up three quick fouls and reserve center Gianni Constantiello was sidelined by an ankle injury, allowing RMC to crash the offensive boards and take a 14-8 lead. But Greg Sam came off the bench and hammered a pair from beyond the arc to rally the Gee-Gees back to 20-18 lead. Point guard Alex McLeod and Marko Jovic promptly added three-pointers and Jermaine Campbell posted up for four buckets as Ottawa extended its lead to 12 before relinquishing seven unanswered points to take a 38-33 edge at the break. Although the Paladins made several serious runs at the Gee-Gees, the second half belonged to McLeod, who masterfully controlled the tempo and countered a number of RMC rallies with three-pointers, running jumpers or impeccable feeds to teammates for layups as Ottawa repeatedly quelled the threats. McLeod capped the performance with a pair of critical free throws in the final minute to stem the Paladin’s last push as the Gee-Gees hung on for the win. “That’s why he starts and that’s why I brought him in (to the program),” said Gee-Gees coach David DeAveiro. “We just had to do it,” added McLeod. “It was physical but it was a good game. We banged on them a bit too. What goes around comes around.” McLeod led Ottawa with 19 points. Jovic added 17, Campbell 12 and Sam 11, Eric Stenstrom 4, Curtis Shakespeare 4, Andrew Gayle 2 and Gianni Constantiello 2. The Gee-Gees shot 27-56 (.482) from the floor, 8-18 (.444) from the arc, while amassing 26 boards, 15 fouls, 4 assists, 7 turnovers, 3 blocks and 3 steals. Dulude finished with 40 points and 12 boards for RMC (coached by Craig Norman). Bayode Ajayi added 15, Jonathan Carrero 6 and Douglas Russell 6, while Joseph Grozelle, Jared Harnish, Matthew Bentley, Gabriel Hanselpacker, Stephen Scriver, Jerome Patry, Chad Gehl, Andrew Garsch and Grant Anderson were scoreless. The Paladins shot 22-49 (.449) from the floor, 11-25 (.440) from the arc, and 12-17 (.706) from the line, while garnering 27 rebounds, 14 fouls, 3 assists, 8 turnovers and 4 steals.
In the East semis, 2nd-seeded York defeated 3rd-seeded Ottawa 70-50 to set up a rematch of the 2002 final. The Yeomen led from start to finish and used their size advantage and a tough 2-3 zone to great advantage while dismantling Ottawa. The Gee-Gees kept it close for about 10 minutes on perimeter bombing by guard Alex McLeod but their offence stalled when York coach Bob Bain shifted the Yeomen defence into a 2-3 zone. “It really shut down their outside shooters and that’s pretty much the best part of their game,” said Daniel Eves, who led York with 23 points. Ottawa coach David DeAveiro said York’s superior size made it easy for the Yeoman to post-up his smaller Gee-Gees for layups in the paint. “I thought we had a chance. But we didn’t finish around the basket and it’s a very good zone. Our guys couldn’t see over their big guys.” Daniel Eves led York with 23 points and 4 boards. Scott McLeod added 10, Ryan French 9 and 9 boards, Jordan Foebel 7, Tom McChesney 5, David Tyczynski 5, Jerome Sta Maria 4. The Yeomen shot 24-56 (.429), 5-18 (.278) from the arc, and 17-20 (.850) from the line, while collecting 35 boards, 10 fouls, 3 assists, 16 turnovers, 6 blocks and 13 steals. Alex McLeod paced Ottawa with 17 and 7 boards. Greg Sam scored 8, Marko Jovic 7, Ali Mahmoud 4, Chibuzoh Ehirim 4, Jermaine Campbell 4, Curtis Shakespeare 4 and Eric Stenstrom 2, while Teti Kabetu, Ben Ritsma, Uchenna Ejiogu, Andrew Gayle, Gianni Constantiello, Jonathan Daniel and Adam White were scoreless. The Gee-Gees (coached by David DeAveiro, assisted by James Derouin) shot 18-58 (.310) from the floor, 5-21 (.238) from the arc, 9-12 (.750) from the line, while amassing 28 boards, 13 fouls, 3 assists, 21 turnovers and 7 steals.
In the other East semi, top-ranked and top-seeded Carleton spanked 5th-seeded Ryerson 70-57 as speedy guard Matt Ross saved the Ravens bacon. The 6-0 reserve had long been a fan favorite at the Raven’s Nest since arriving on campus three years ago. Whenever the 6-0 reserve checks in at the scorer’s table, a buzz seems to hum through the crowd, as if in anticipation of his madcap baseline drives and the energy boost he invariably provides to the Ravens. He’ll also be remembered as the man who saved Carleton’s CIS hopes in the 2003 campaign. With Carleton trailing by four and appearing unable to generate much in the way of offense besides knifing layups from fellow reserve Mike Smart off the seemingly bottomless Ravens bench, Ross completely turned the tide during a critical two-minute stretch of Carleton’s 70-55 win over Ryerson. He buried a three-pointer, took a charge, ripped down four enormous defensive rebounds and then capped an 8-0 Carleton run with a 15-foot jumper that steadied the wobbly Raven’s ship and deflated Ryerson’s hopes. Despite controlling the boards and playing tenacious defence, the Ravens were lucky to be only trailing 33-30 at the half after indulging in uncharacteristic bad shot selection and near-pathological refusal to pass the ball to open teammates. Ryerson extended its lead to 44-40 with 12 minutes to play when coach Dave Smart inserted Ross into the line-up and the momentum shifted. “We were tentative in that first half,” said Ross. “We didn’t make plays. In the second half, we were way more aggressive and got some easy buckets.” Mike Smart added that “we just decided enough was enough. This is our gym. We’re gonna send a message. We’re ready to go (against York). We gotta just be aggressive. We got the best team in the country and we just gotta be confident in ourselves.” Coach Dave Smart said the “big game” experience of Ross and Mike Smart at national and provincial juvenile-level championships proved the difference. “Mike and Matt made plays and took over the game.” Mike Smart led Carleton with 18 points. Osvaldo Jeanty added 14, Robbie Smart 12 and Josh Poirier 10, Matt Ross 6, B.J. Charles 4, Paul Larmand 4 and Charlie Cattran 2. The Ravens shot 23-55 (.418), 7-20 from the arc (.350), and 17-22 (.773) from the line, while garnering 29 boards, 13 fouls, 5 assists, 7 turnovers, 1 block and 5 steals. Errol Fraser and Jonathan Reid each scored 19 to lead Ryerson. Reid added 8 boards. Sasha Ivankovic scored 7 and grabbed 10 boards. Vladimir Matevski scored 5, Mark Ibrahimovic 4 and Dwayne Sybbliss 3, while Waleed Belcher, Vladimir Nikolic, Hakeem Baiyewu, Omar Bryan, Shae Frattura, Wayne Lord, Tim Lockett-Smith, Brandon Emmanuel and Yaw-Scottie Afful were scoreless. The Rams (coached by Terry Haggerty) shot 23-57 (.404) from the floor, 5-16 (.313) from the arc, and 6-9 (.667) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, 20 fouls, 4 assists, 9 turnovers, 6 blocks and 5 steals. Ryerson led 33-30 at the half. Rams guard Errol Fraser told The Eyeopener “I felt so confident that we were going to knock them off. We could have surprised the world, surprised the country, surprised everybody. … The coaches drew up the game plan and we were following it extremely well. We could have knocked out the number-one team. We matched them punch for punch for the first 28 minutes, but when Vlady (guard Vladimir Matevski) got his fourth personal foul that’s when things fell apart.” Sasha Ivankovic said an inability to exploit mismatches undid the Rams. “I was being guarded by a guard and I didn’t go against him in the post. I wasn’t scoring any points against him. We just didn’t put them away when we had the chance.” Jon Reid said “we played them good for 30 minutes then we just sort of relaxed. We let them hang around and they made us pay. We were better than them for most of the game and they just came back and stomped all over us.”
In the East final, the top-seeded Carleton Ravens set the tone early, diving for loose balls, clawing for every rebound and defending like their lives depended upon it. Abetted by the decibel-level clamour of a sold-out Raven’s Nest and led by fifth-year seniors Robbie Smart, Charlie Cattran and Jafeth Maseruka, the Ravens buried the 2nd-seeded York Yeomen 77-63. Smart was nothing short of spectacular at point guard, at all times in full control of the accelerator on the Raven’s engine as he easily handled York’s full-court pressure, directed traffic and threaded precision passes to teammates for open jumpers or uncontested layups. Cattran was the anchor of a Ravens defensive plan that held OUA East player of the year Ryan French to a measly two points and probably had him thinking sitting on a cactus would’ve been more pleasant, while Maseruka led Carleton in scoring with 18 points, including four-of-six from beyond the three-point arc. Nothing but a win was acceptable, the senior trio said of the final home game of their careers. “Everyone on the team came to play. It wasn’t a perfect game but that almost makes it better. We weren’t too sharp. We just really wanted it,” said Smart. Revenge for last year’s season-ending loss to York in the OUA finals was a great motivator, added Cattran. “It’s been a long week and we’ve thinking about it probably too much. But in some ways, it helped us because everyone played hard.” Maseruka added that “it was our last chance to get back to Halifax. If it wasn’t now, it was going to be never for me and Robbie and Charlie.” Coach Dave Smart was elated by the Ravens work ethic, effort level and willingness to absorb what were often brutal body blows in the paint from the larger, more physical Yeomen. “The kids played hard. It was a war down there and the kids did a great job. They made everything tough for them.” In fact, Carleton all but completely shut down York’s powerful inside game in the first half. The Yeomen generated exactly two points in the paint as Carleton collapsed its defence and made the Yeomen work deep into the shot clock on every possession, often forcing them into last-second desperation three-point attempts. Remarkably, eight of those three-point bombs dropped in to keep the Yeomen within striking range as the half-time buzzer sounded with Carleton leading 34-28. But the Ravens embedded the dagger early in the second half when Maseruka drained a pair of free throws and drove the baseline for a layup to ignite a 16-2 Carleton run capped by a pair of trifectas from rookie guard Osvaldo Jeanty. Although York briefly rallied back to within seven, Cattran tipped-in an offensive rebound and Robbie Smart hammered a three-pointer with the shot clock winding down to quell the threat. While the three-member Toronto officiating crew did their best to rally York back into the contest down the stretch with several phantom calls, a pair of three-pointers by Maseruka and a series of knifing layups by Jeanty and Mike Smart sealed York’s fate. Along with Maseruka, the Ravens had four scorers in double figures. Jeanty had 13, Paul Larmand 12, while Robbie and Mike Smart each notched 11. Matt Ross scored 5, Charlie Cattran 4, B.J. Charles 1 and Josh Poirier 1, along with 7 boards. The Ravens shot 25-54 (.463) from the floor, 12-27 (.444) from the arc, and 15-21 (.714) from the line, while collecting 35 boards, 17 fouls, 7 assists, 9 turnovers, 1 block and 4 steals. Daniel Eves led York with 20. Branislav Misovic added 17, Tom McChesney 14, Jerome Sta Maria 3, Scott McLeod 3, Ryan French 2, David Tyczynski 2 and Jordan Foebel 2, while Raymond Montaniel, Ammer Askary, Mike Di Claudio, John Marshall, Kirk Murray and Ryan Millar were scoreless. The Yeomen shot 22-62 (.355) from the floor, 11-24 (.458) from the arc, and 8-14 (.571) from the line, while garnering 31 boards, 19 fouls, 3 assists, 9 turnovers, 5 blocks and 6 steals. The Yeomen also included Ian Vincent. Robbie Smart was chosen the game MVP.
In the league bronze medal match, McMaster earned a berth in the nationals by dumping York 88-79. The Yeomen were strong off the opening tip, taking an early lead. But the Marauders finally got their first lead, 18-17 eight minutes into the contest, as part of an 8-point run that gave the Maroon and Grey a 21-17 advantage. They did an excellent job of creating opportunities in the first half, moving the ball very well, and forcing the Yeomen to foul. McMaster went to the foul line 19 times in the opening 20 minutes, converting 16. That, and some York turnovers just before the intermission, allowed the OUA West squad to enter the locker room up 47-37. With the Marauders ahead by 11, York scored 9 straight points to cut the deficit to a basket, 54-52. But Mac point guard Justin Gunter hit a three-point shot the next time down the floor to stop the bleeding. York kept fighting, and got to within a single point, but Ben Katz hit back-to-back 3’s to give the Maroon and Grey some breathing room. The Yeomen were able to cut it to 5, 81-76, with 41.5 seconds on the clock, but McMaster took care of the basketball, and made their free throws to seal the victory. Marauder Graham Hewitt told the Hamilton Spectator that “we got a second chance at life. We didn’t get down and out about losing (the West final). We went and made the best of a bad situation.” Adam Guiney added that “we never really got down on ourselves. If someone’s shot isn’t falling, someone else gets it going.” Graham Hewitt led McMaster with 25 points on 10-17 from the floor, 5-7 from the line, 7 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals. Ben Katz added 19 on 7-9 from the field, including 5-6 from the arc. Adam Guiney scored 11, while reserve Jon Behie hit 10, Rob Scully 7, Adam Steiner 6, John Obrovac 5 and Justin Gunter 5. The Marauders shot 28-59 (.475) from the floor, 8-20 (.400) from the arc and 24-29 (.828) from the line, while garnering 26 boards, 19 fouls, 18 assists, 13 turnovers, 2 blocks and 12 steals. Ryan French led York with 21 points on 6-16 from the floor, 8-9 from the line and 12 boards. Branislav Misovic added 17 on 6-10 from the floor. Daniel Eves scored 15 and 7 boards. Tom McChesney scored 10, Jordan Foebel 8 and grabbed 8 boards. David Tyczynski scored 6 and Jerome Sta Maria 2. The Lions (coached by Bob Bain) also included Ammer Askary, Mike DiClaudio, John Marshall, Scott McLeod, Ryan Millar, Raymond Montaniel and Kirk Murray. The Yeomen hit 28-61 (.459) from the floor, 5-11 (.455) from the arc and 18-24 (.750) from the line, while collecting 39 boards, 21 fouls, 15 assists, 22 turnovers, 3 blocks and 5 steals.
In the Wilson Cup, Carleton dumped Guelph 64-56 on the stellar efforts of reserve Mike Smart. The game MVP nailed a long three-pointer with just under two minutes to play to stem a Guelph rally. The Gryphons had come back from 18 down to trim the margin to 4 when Smart iced the win for Carleton. He finished with 16 points and 10 boards. The Ravens perimeter shooting against proved decisive as they hit 8-24 from the beyond the arc, including threes by Robbie Smart, Mike Smart, Osvaldo Jeanty and Jafeth Maseruka. They rebounded and defended like demons, generally containing Guelph to a single shot and virtually nothing on the offensive glass. After Mike Ayanbadejo and J.S. Esposito trimmed the margin to four, Smart nailed the bomb, grabbed a defensive board and then hit a pair of free throws to ice the Carleton win. After Guelph took a 16-10 lead midway through the first half led by two Kyle Julius threes, the Ravens locked up the Gryphons during a 16-3 run which helped build Carleton leads as large as 11 in the first half. A 4-0 run highlighted by an Esposito steal and layup brought Guelph back to within 7 at 31-24 by halftime. In the second half, more tough Raven “d”, some nice inside work by Carleton’s fourth-year forward Josh Poirier (11 points-10 rebounds) and usual big shots by Rob Smart (9 points) gave Carleton a 55-37 lead. When Guelph’s fifth-year defensive stopper Mark Halfpenny fouled out with just under 6 minutes remaining, it appeared that the route was on. But Ayanbadejo and Esposito rallied Guelph back. The Ravens held the Gryphons to 27% shooting including 4-23 from three-point land and out-rebounded the Gryphons 43-35 in a game in which 48 fouls were called. After his pair of early threes, Julius made just one 3 the rest of the way as he finished with 11 points on 4-19 shooting. Ayanbadejo led Guelph with 19 points and 12 boards. Esposito added 16.
After the season, Lou Pero steps down as coach of Lakehead after 14 years to become Student Athlete Development Manager at the university. He is later appointed assistant women’s coach.
In July, Terry Haggerty steps aside after 22 years at the Ryerson helm to become manager of interuniversity sport. Haggerty closes his coaching career with a 277-426 record, including a 140-203 record in OUA play. He is replaced by assistant Patrick Williams, operator of a business called BOUNCE (Basketball Operations to the Novice, Competitive and Elite), which offers basketball instruction to youngsters. “Patrick is one of the brightest young basketball minds that I have ever met,” Haggerty said. “In working with him last year, he showed an outstanding knowledge of the game and the ability to effectively communicate and motivate our players. For players who truly want to work on their game he will be a coach that everyone will want to play for. I greatly look forward to having him on our staff and working with him in the coming year.” Williams has a total of ten years’ experience in instructing and coaching basketball. A product of Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, he attended Gavilan College in Gilroy, California from 1991 to 1993. After returning to Scarborough, he spent eight years with the Scarborough YMCA as the Basketball Programs Coordinator, Basketball Instructor and Director of Sports and Recreation. Since 1997, Williams has operated his own business, Basketball Operations to the Novice, Competitive and Elite (BOUNCE) – originally called Home Court Advantage, offering basketball instruction to players of all ages.
In October, Sherwyn Benn is selected as interim coach of Toronto. The first black head coach of the Blues, Benn replaces Ken Olynyk, who after 14 years departs to become athletic director of the University College of the Cariboo in Kamloops, which is joining Canada West in 2005. Athletic director Liz Hoffman says Benn, a former Blues player, “has been a tremendous leader and mentor both on and off the court during his nine years at the U of T. His basketball knowledge and experience, as well as his outstanding work ethic, have us very excited about the season ahead.”
The bronze medalist McMaster Marauders: Justin Gunter; Ben Katz; Jon Behie; Adam Guiney; Rob Scully; Adam Steiner; John Obrovac; Abdul El-Danab; Charles Kissi; Chaz Elhag; Graham Hewitt; Jeremy Patry; Reginald Akrong; Stephen Martin; coach Joe Raso; assistant Rod Bynum; assistant Jeff Joseph; assistant Ray Kybartas; assistant Andrew Sergi; assistant Cesare Piccini; manager Larry Holmes; manager Matt Wood; therapist Tracy Burchall; therapist Steve Guy; strength & conditioning Chris Malcolm; SID Cameron Dunlop
The silver medalist Guelph Gryphons: John Scott Esposito; Mike Ayanbadejo; Nadan Kapetanovic; Radhi Knapp; Kyle Julius; John-Michael Irving; Mark Halfpenny; Matt Rosar; Adam Lobodici; Mike Muir; Jordan Spence; Jeff Foster; Taylor Brown; Mike Hurt; coach Chris O’Rourke; assistant Alex Urosevic; assistant Pat Dooley; assistant Dan Yarmey; manager Zach Szereszewski; trainer Rory Klatt; SID Michelle Turley
The champion Carleton Ravens: Robbie Smart; Jafeth Maseruka; Charlie Cattran; Josh Poirier; Osvaldo Jeanty; Paul Larmand; Matt Ross; Michael Smart; B.J. Charles; Rob McLean; Pat Ross; Shawn McCleery; Bernard Edmunds; Nick Khylstov; Ben Doornekamp; coach Dave Smart; assistant Bill Arden; assistant Taffe Charles; assistant Bill Fraser; therapist Bruce Marshall; athletic director Drew Love; SID David Kent; equipment Paul Blackman; staging director Robert Leroy; statistician Laurien Hogan