2004-05 OUA – men

REGULAR SEASON

	EAST				WEST
	Carleton	22-0	34-1	Dave Smart	Brock	19-3	29-6	Ken Murray
	York	16-6	19-12	Tom Oliveri	Waterloo	19-3	26-8	Tom Kieswetter
	Ottawa	12-10	21-18	Dave DeAveiro	McMaster	13-9	20-11	Joe Raso
	Queen’s	11-11	13-19	Chris Oliver	Guelph	11-11	16-18	Chris O’Rourke
	Toronto	9-13	15-17	Mike Katz	Wilfrid Laurier	10-12	15-15	Peter Campbell
	Laurentian	8-14	10-19	Virgil Hill	Lakehead	10-12	13-20	Scott Morrison
	RMC	3-19	4-24	Kevin Maguire	Windsor	7-15	8-18	Patrick Osborne
	Ryerson	1-21	1-28	Patrick Williams	Western	5-17	6-22	Brad Campbell

Playoff non-qualifiers:

       RMC Paladins: Jonathan Carreiro, Bryan Matthews, Bradley Krajcik, Mitchell Tracy, Jared Harnish, David Duizer, Steve Scriver, Kevin Dulude, Matthew Bentley, Matthew McLeod, Douglas Russell, Adam Asquini, Grant Anderson, coach Kevin Maguire

       Ryerson Rams: Duane Benjamin, Sanel Sehic, Vlad Nikolic, Justin Bobb, Mark Heinzlreiter, Geoff Proctor, Vlad Matevski, Mark Anthony Demeritte, Igor Bakovic, Brandon Krupa, Alex Cibiri, Peter Veltmann, Kern Lewis, coach Patrick Williams

       Western Mustangs: James Yoon, Matthew Curtis, Jules Sylvestre, Kyle Coatsworth, Bradley Smith, Greg Ross, Tyler Done, Jeremy Mitchell, Kenneth Colosimo, Kurt Weiland, Alan Paron, Dave Wilson, Jeremy McCall, Adam Ruickbie, coach Brad Campbell

       Windsor Lancers: Walleed Alwan, Sadiki Robertson, Justin Goggins, Michael Lalonde, David Ouellette, Trevor Boose, Ryan Steer, Ezekiel Egbo, Wesley Arthur, Matthew Burhart, Christopher Shaw, Gregory Allin, Allen Mujacic, Rich Allin, Temidayo Tokunboh, coach Pat Osborne

In the East quarterfinals, the 3rd-seeded University of Ottawa Gee-Gees shook a season-long problem and dumped 6th-seeded Laurentian 79-65. There was no late collapse as they wasted a big lead, no rally to withstand and no dramatic finish. In fact, it was just an old-fashioned blowout as the Gee-Gees moved to within one game of qualifying for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men’s basketball championships for the first time since 1993. The Gee-Gees maturity proved the difference against the Voyageurs as veterans Jermaine Campbell, Alex McLeod, Teti Kabetu, Marko Jovic and Curtis Shakespeare elevated their game in the second half to blow open a tight affair. “We had to step up,” said Kabetu. “For us veterans, there aren’t many more chances to go to nationals.” McLeod noted that “opportunities to go where we want to go don’t come around every year. We need to make some noise this year and we shouldn’t be a team that looks young out there anymore. We’re all third and fourth-year guys and I think that helped us down the stretch.” Indeed, it did. Although the Gee-Gees did an excellent job of shutting down the Voyageurs big guns, Ben Palmer and Andrew Greig, early in the first half, Laurentian was able to build a 24-20 lead on deadly perimeter shooting by Aaron Sidenberg and Lucas Weibenga. But then Ottawa went back to its bread-and-butter, pounding the ball to Jermaine Campbell in the blocks and finding McLeod for the open treys as they rallied with a late 12-5 to take a 33-29 lead at the half. The Gee-Gees ratcheted up their intensity and focus in the second half as their full-court pressure began to yield dividends and they quickly stretched the margin to double digits. With Kabetu, Shakespeare and Jovic knocking down the open looks, the Gee-Gees extended their margin to as many as 23 and the Voyageurs never threatened. Maintaining that focus was key, Campbell said. “We’ve had a tendency to take things lightly and think that teams are going to roll over. We didn’t do that today. It’s the playoffs and we just tried to keep our calm, run our offence and play hard D.” Coach David DeAveiro was elated by the Gee-Gees’ second-half effort. “We came out with more energy in that second half. We couldn’t have played worse than we did in that first half and we were still up by four.” Laurentian coach Virgil Hill said his troops were plagued by nerves. “Unfortunately, we didn’t play our best in this crucial time. Since we missed out on the playoffs last year, I think there was some nervousness going into this game. This experience was a good one for the team and we can definitely use this as a building block for next season.” Five Gee-Gees hit double figures. Jermaine Campbell led the way with 18 points on 5-10 from the floor and 6 boards. Alex McLeod scored 16 on 5-5 from the floor, 4-4 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Marko Jovic scored 15 on 3-9 from the floor and 7-8 from the line. Teti Kabetu notched 15 on 4-8 from the floor, 5-6 from the line, 7 boards and 3 steals. Curtis Shakespeare scored 11 on 5-10 from the floor and 8 boards. Gregory Sam scored 2, while Sean Peter was scoreless. The Gee-Gees shot 22-46 (.478) from the floor, 9-14 (.643) from the arc and 24-33 (.727) from the line, while garnering 29 boards, 6 assists, 13 fouls, 13 turnovers, 8 steals and 3 blocks. Ben Palmer led Laurentian with 16 points on 6-10 from the floor and 4 boards. Aaron Sidenberg added 9 on 3-9 from the floor, while Lucas Weibenga scored 9 on 3-6 from the floor. Matt Brown scored 8, Brody Bishop 7, Andrew Greig 6, Jermaine Glenn 4, Alex Whiteman 4 and Nathan Graham 2, while Geoffrey McCrae, Lucas Allen and Matthew Battistoni were scoreless. Laurentian (coached by Virgil Hill) also included Chris Hill, Jesse Adjei and Jonathan Rass. The Voyageurs shot 20-47 (.426) from the floor, 8-15 (.533) from the arc and 17-24 (.708) from the line, while garnering 24 boards, 6 assists, 24 fouls, 17 turnovers, 6 steals and 1 block.

       In the other East quarterfinal, 5th-seeded Toronto upset host and 4th-seeded Queen’s 56-49 as Kenny Hilborn scored 15 on 4-8 from the floor, 5-6 from the line and 5 boards. Paul Zyla notched 12 on 5-7 from the floor. Paul Sergautis scored 9 on 3-11 from the floor and 7 boards. Mike Williams scored 7 on 3-6 from the line and 11 boards. Mohammed Safarzadeh scored 6, Mike Degiorgio 6 and Dwayne Grant 1, while Lanre Asiwaju, Joe Crampton and Rob Paris were scoreless. The Blues shot 16-48 (.333) from the floor, 6-19 (.316) from the arc and 18-25 (.720) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, 5 assists, 23 fouls, 14 turnovers, 8 steals and 1 block. Kyle McCleery led the Golden Gaels with 13 points on 3-7 from the arc and 6 boards. Jordan Balaban scored 10 on 1-11 from the floor, 7-8 from the line and 8 boards. Neal Dawson scored 8 and grabbed 7 boards. Jon Cudney scored 5, Brendan O’Leary 5, Ryan Hairsine 4, Adam Wilson 2 and Cam Eby 2, while Alex Liang was scoreless. The Golden Gaels (coached by Chris Oliver) also included Dennis Jensen, Kurt Domuracki, Mark Thomas, Jeff Bolton, Rob Shaw and Adrian Cordova. Queen’s shot 14-52 (.269) from the floor, 5-22 (.227) from the arc and 16-24 (.667) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, 11 assists, 15 turnovers and 6 steals. Both squads had trouble scoring early, until the Varsity Blues went on a 10-0 run, including a pair of three-pointers from Mo Safarzadeh, to jump in front 12-5. U of T went to the half holding a 22-18 advantage. Early in the second half however, Varsity Blues centre Mike Williams got into foul trouble and the Golden Gaels capitalized, moving out to a 41-36 lead. With Queen’s up five at the five-minute mark, Williams returned and scored five straight points and provide the spark U of T needed as they ended the game on a 20-8 run to grab the road win. The victory was the Varsity Blues first in the playoffs since their 67-58 OUA bronze medal win over Guelph in 1997.

       In the East semis, 3rd-seeded Ottawa pasted 2nd-seeded host York 79-67 as Greg Sam scored 22 on 7-12 from the floor, 6-8 from the line and 4 boards. Marko Jovic scored 18 on 8-13 from the floor. Jermaine Campbell scored 12 on 5-7 from the floor and 5 boards. Teti Kabetu notched 8 on 6-6 from the line. Alex Mcleod scored 7 on 3-6 from the floor. Dax Dessureault scored 5 and grabbed 5 boards. Sean Peter scored 5 and Curtis Shakespeare 2. The Gee-Gees shot 27-52 (.519) from the floor, 5-11 (.455) from the arc and 20-32 (.625) from the line, while garnering 24 boards, 9 assists, 12 fouls, 10 steals and 3 blocks. Tut Ruach, Branislav Misovic and Jordan Foebel each scored 16 for the Lions. Ruach hit 6-13 from the floor, grabbed 5 boards and dished 6 assists. Misovic hit 5-9 from the floor, while Foebel hit 8-15 from the floor and grabbed 11 boards. Brian Banks scored 9 on 4-7 from the floor. Scott Mcleod scored 4, Mike DiClaudio 3 and Daniel Eves 3 on 1-12 from the floor and 10 boards. Eylon Zemer and Darko Trifunovic were held scoreless. The Lions (coached by Bob Bain/Tom Oliveri, was Bain on sabbatical?) also included Zach Labieniec, Mark Prskalo, Frank Stones, Raymond Montaniel, Matthew Terjeko, Matthew Parfitt and James Chen. York shot 27-65 (.415) from the floor, 7-21 (.333) from the arc and 6-10 from the line, while garnering 39 boards, 15 assists, 21 fouls, 18 turnovers, 2 steals and 5 blocks. The Gees-Gees earned their first berth in the nationals since 1993 after getting steady leadership from guards Kabetu, Sam and Jovic. “We finally got the monkey off our backs in a big game and without a doubt it was led by the kids we’ve had here from the beginning four years ago”, commented an elated Head Coach David DeAveiro. “We showed tremendous resilience after the Lions took the lead with 10 minutes left by defending and running our stuff. Teti’s defence on the Tut Ruach was outstanding, Greg was the best offensive player on the floor and Marko was outstanding, especially early. Once again, that York team gave us all we could handle – they are just so big and strong – but this time we were finally able to hold them off.” Kabetu harassed OUA Rookie of the Year Ruach into 7 turnovers with outstanding ball pressure defensively, did not turn the ball over and went 6-6 from the free throw line down the stretch. Jovic had 13 of his 18 points in the first half on 6-7 shooting, propelling the Gee-Gees to a 43-31 halftime lead. After closing the first half on a 23-6 run, Ottawa watched York run off the first 5 points of the second half and it looked like déjà vu all over again for Gee-Gees supporters who have watched Ottawa blow double digit leads twice to the Lions this season. But the Gee-Gees withstood that charge and when Sam answered with a long trey from the right wing as Ottawa ahead 50-38 with 17:20 remaining. But then the wheels fell off temporarily for the Gee-Gees as York got lifts from 6’10” Jordan Foebel has a big shot block in the run and 6’0” guard Bryan Banks hit a hoop to ignite a 13-0 run that gave York a 51-50 lead with 12 minutes to play. With 9 minutes to play, Banks fed Foebel for an easy lay-up after drawing a couple of Gee-Gees and York’s lead was 2 at 57-55. From that point onward, Ottawa allowed only 10 points and the veterans went to work offensively to close out the Lions. When Sam finished a sweet take to the rim, Ottawa led by 6 at 68-62 with 4 minutes to play. Jovic then knocked down a 20 footer from the right baseline to give the Gee-Gees an 8 point lead with under 3 minutes to play and essentially nail the game and Kabetu made all his free throws down the stretch.
       In the other East semi, top-seeded host Carleton whipped 5th-seeded Toronto 85-49 as Mike Smart scored 23 on 6-15 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 8-8 from the line, 4 boards and 7 assists. Aaron Doornekamp scored 14 on 5-9 from the floor and Jean-Emmanuelle Jean-Marie 14 on 7-9 from the floor and 7 boards. Osvaldo Jeanty scored 13 on 5-8 from the floor, 3-5 from the arc and 5 boards. Stuart Turnbull scored 8 on 5-6 from the line and 3 boards. Sheldon Stewart scored 6 on 2-4 from the floor. Ryan Bell scored 5 and grabbed 5 boards, while Robert Saunders scored 2. John Marshall, Shawn McCleery, Matt Ross and Pat Ross were scoreless. The Ravens shot 29-60 (.483) from the floor, 9-23 (.391) from the arc and 18-19 (.947) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, 17 assists, 9 turnovers, 3 blocks and 6 steals, including 3 by Jeanty. Mike Williams paced the Varsity Blues with 15 points on 7-9 from the floor and 7 boards before fouling out. Mike Degiorgio scored 9 on 4-9 from the floor. Paul Sergautis scored 9 on 4-11 from the floor. Rob Paris scored 5 and Kenny Hilborn 4 on 1-5 from the floor. Dwayne Grant scored 3, Paul Zyla 2 and Mohammed Safarzadeh 2, while Lanre Asiwaju, Joe Crampton, Kelly Mukutuma and Dave Tron were scoreless. The Blues (coached by Mike Katz, assisted by Nat Graham, Stephan Barrie, Rick Dilena, Jama Mahlalela, Tom Lyttle and Andrew Summerville) also included Dayo Baiyewu. Toronto shot 20-51 (.392) from the floor, 3-8 (.375) from the arc, and 6-8 from the line, while garnering 18 boards, 18 fouls, 6 assists, 12 turnovers, 5 steals and 2 blocks. If there was an ember left amidst the ashes of the massacre, it wasn’t easily discernible. Even the final score wasn’t a true measure of Carleton’s dominance. The Ravens were focused from the start, said veteran point guard Mike Smart. “After two weeks off, you can either be rusty or you can be excited to play and we were excited to play. We came out hard and played hard. We like to play in these big games. We thrive in this type of atmosphere.” Backcourt mate Osvaldo Jeanty added that the Ravens are finding their stride and were determined to leave everything on the floor to ensure that they qualified for the national tourney. “We’re starting to play a lot better,” Jeanty said. “We’re slowly getting into playoff and championship form. We haven’t been playing that well lately and we were determined to step up. If we just keep getting rebounds, making stops and hitting shots, we’re pretty hard to beat.” The Ravens rained treys on the Varsity Blues in the first half, drilling a phenomenal nine bombs from beyond the arc, including a trio apiece by Smart and Jeanty as they exploded to a 53-24 lead. They dominated the boards on both ends of the floor, typically contained the Blues to single-shot possessions, and left the Blues gasping for air with an array of full-court presses. The shell-shocked Blues were unable to rally within more than 24 in the second half as Carleton sustained its defensive pressure and coasted to the easy win while giving several of the Ravens reserves a chance to taste the playoff experience. “We shot the ball pretty well,” said coach Dave Smart. “I don’t know if we defended great but we did shoot the ball well. We played hard and aggressive.” Smart added that his veteran backcourt demonstrated their experience. “Mike and Oz both played really well. Mike is really starting to look to score a little more and that makes us a whole lot tougher to defend.” The semi-final wins by Carleton and Ottawa marked the first time since 1986, when the CIS was experimenting with a 16-team draw, that a pair of teams from the same city accomplished the feat of qualifying for the nationals. That year, both Winnipeg (Manitoba and Winnipeg) and Hogtown (Toronto and York) qualified a pair.

       The East final was a scruffy sort of blue-collar game, just what you’d expect when emotions run high and there’s so much on line. Yet the top-seeded Carleton Ravens continued to prove that they have the answers to whatever opponents have to throw at them as they downed the 3rd-seeded crosstown-rival University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 68-63 at the Ravens’ Nest at Alumni Hall and Sports Centre to capture their third consecutive OUA East crown and fourth of the last five campaigns. The win all but Guaranteed Carleton the top seed at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport national championships in Halifax, where they hoped to stamp themselves with the ‘Dynasty’ imprimatur by becoming the first team to three-peat since Brandon accomplished the feat in 1989. The Ravens also extended their various winning streaks: 74 straight CIS regular and postseason, 50 straight OUA regular and postseason, and 18 straight against the Gee-Gees. It was accomplished largely through the poise and leadership of a trio of veteran guards, Mike Smart, Osvaldo Jeanty and Matt Ross, who stepped up down the stretch with a series of critical buckets as Carleton quelled a series of Ottawa threats. Smart said the trio were able to capitalize on their big game experience. “We’ve gotta lot of guys who’ve played in these kinds of situations. So, you don’t think about missing those shots when you need them. They’re going up. If you don’t shoot them, you’re going to hear about it. When I kick it out to Matt or Oz, I want to know it’s going up and that they believe it’s going to go in. And most of the time it does.” The Ravens broke to an early 17-6 lead on a series of aggressive penetration dribble-drives by Jeanty. But the Gee-Gees tightened their perimeter defence as Sean Peter and Teti Kabetu denied Jeanty and Smart access to the ball, while Marko Jovic steadied his teammate’s nerves on the offensive end of the floor by drilling a series of perimeter jumpers to rally Ottawa with a 20-3 run. Jeanty stemmed the bleeding with a trey but the Gee-Gees began pounding the ball to Jermaine Campbell in the blocks to sustain a slim lead into the half, heading into the lockers with a 36-35 edge. The Gee-Gees built their lead to 40-37 early in the second half when Campbell was whistled for an intentional foul, allowing the Ravens to capitalize on a five-point swing to regain the lead. That set the stage for the three vets to take command, with each hitting critical buckets down the stretch whenever Ottawa rallied with one. Smart finally pulled out the win, scoring nine of Carleton’s last 10 points. Ravens coach Dave Smart said the win was equally attributable to the contributions of Sheldon Stewart and Ryan Bell off the bench, who stepped with solid minutes after starters Aaron Doornekamp and Jean-Emmanuelle Jean-Marie got in foul trouble. “For us to win that game with Aaron and Manny basically not playing for 30 minutes is a credit to Mike and Oz and Matt and a lot of others like Sheldon and Aaron, when we needed them. But it would’ve been nice if we couldn’t put them away. We had three chances to stretch the lead to nine and we just never did.” Jeanty paced Carleton with 17 points on 5-10 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 5-6 from the line and 7 boards. Mike Smart added 16 on 5-8 from the floor, 3- 4 from the arc, 5 boards and 5 assists. Jean-Emmanuel Jean-Marie notched 9 on 4-7 from the floor. Matt Ross scored 8 on 3-9 from the floor and Sheldon Stewart 8 on 4-6 from the floor. Aaron Doornekamp scored 6 on 2-5 from the floor. Ryan Bell scored 4, while Stuart Turnbull was scoreless. The Ravens shot 25-49 (.510) from the floor, 9-18 from the arc and 9-14 (.643) from the line, while garnering 27 boards, 14 assists, 21 fouls, 13 turnovers, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Alex McLeod paced the Gee-Gees with 18 points on 7-12 from the floor, 3-8 from the line and 3 boards. Marko Jovic, Jermaine Campbell and Curtis Shakespeare each scored 13. Jovic was 5-13 from the floor and grabbed 5 boards. Campbell was 4-6 from the floor, 5-6 from the line and grabbed 4 boards. Shakespeare hit 3-7 from the floor, 7-10 from the line and grabbed 5 boards. Dax Dessureault scored 4 and Sean Peter 2, while Teti Kabetu, Greg Sam and Kevin O’Hearn were scoreless. The Gee-Gees hit 20-51 (.392) from the floor, 2-13 (.154) from the arc and 21-31 (.677) from the line, while garnering 25 boards, 5 assists, 18 fouls, 6 turnovers, 5 steals and 2 blocks.

       In the West quarterfinals, 5th-seeded Lakehead thumped 4th-seeded host Guelph 81-66 as Kiraan Posey scored 22 on 8-14 from the floor, 5-6 from the line and 3 boards. Scott Seely added 17 on 4-5 from the floor, 8-8 from the line, 8 boards and 5 assists. E.L. Adams notched 13 on 11-12 from the line and 2 steals. Lee Reckman scored 11 on 5-11 from the floor. Aaron Casella notched 10 on 2-4 from the arc. Matt Verboom scored 8 on 2-4 from the floor and 5 boards, while Justin Dickens, Matthew Erdman, Sandy Millar and Kieran O’Rourke were scoreless. The Wolves shot 23-46 from the floor, 5-13 (.385) from the arc and 30-33 (.909) from the line, while garnering 21 boards, 11 assists, 18 fouls, 6 turnovers, 8 steals and 2 blocks. Jeff Rosar paced the Gryphons with 24 points on 8-14 from the floor, 8-8 from the line and 11 boards. John-Scott Esposito added 10 on 3-7 from the floor. Taylor Brown scored 8 on 3-5 from the floor, while Eric Malcolm scored 8 on 3-8 from the floor. Jonathan Odumeru added 6, Jonathan Gurnham 5, Nick Pankerichan 3 and Shane Cooney 2, while Mark Valvasori and Phil Mathies were scoreless. Guelph (coached by Chris O’Rourke, assisted by Pat Dooley, Matt King and Toffer Treiguts, manager Okiimi Peters, trainer Dani McCullough) also included Andrew Skiperis, Nadan Kapetanovic, Matt Rosar, Jeff Rosar, Duncan Milne and Christopher MacDonald. The Gryphons shot 24-52 (.462) from the floor, 5-17 (.294) from the arc and 13-15 (.867) from the line, while garnering 25 boards, 8 assists, 25 fouls, 15 turnovers and 2 steals. Lakehead Head Coach Scott Morrison was very proud of his team’s play. “Obviously we’re really pleased to get the win and it was a result of a real team effort. I’m really happy with how the guys stayed focused all week and proud of how we came in here and finished the job.” The first half was a very close affair with Lakehead heading into the intermission with a 33-27 lead. Lakehead came out quick in the second and opened a 10-point gap but Guelph fought back to bring them within 6. However, fouls hurt the Gryphons as the second half progressed and the Thunderwolves couldn’t seem to miss from the penalty stripe. Guelph star Rosar fouled out with about 4 minutes left and it seemed to take the spark out of the Gryphons as Lakehead cruised to the win.

       In the other West quarterfinal, 6th-seeded Wilfrid Laurier dumped 3rd-seeded host McMaster 82-67 as Wade Currie scored 20 on 7-16 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 2 boards. Rob Innes added 16 on 7-13 from the floor and 11 boards. Matthew Walker scored 10 on 3-6 from the floor. Bert Riviere scored 10 on 4-5 from the floor and 3 boards. Andrew MacKay scored 7, Todd Cooney 7, Omar Miles 6, Corey McLaren 4 and Brett Coulthard 2, while Jamie Campbell, Joseph Dako and Trevor Csima were scoreless. Laurier shot 32-67 (.478) from the floor, 4-14 (.286) from the arc and 14-28 from the line, while garnering 41 boards, 8 assists, 23 fouls, 12 turnovers, 6 steals and 6 blocks. Nathan Histed paced the Marauders with 16 points on 5-11 from the floor, 5-8 from the line and 4 boards. Adam Guiney scored 14 on 4-11 from the floor and 10 boards. Adam Steiner scored 12 on 6-10 from the floor and 5 boards. Martin Ajayi scored 12 on 4-17 from the floor, 6 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Robert Scully notched 11 on 4-13 from the floor and 6 boards. Steven Raphael scored 2, while Jeremy Patry, Matthew Webber, Andrew Losier, Andrew Capern, Jon Behie and Matt Wood were scoreless. The Marauders (coached by Joe Raso, assisted by Amos Connolly) also included Kyle Cupido, Adam Masterton, Ben Katz, Nathan Histed and Joe Polizzi. McMaster shot 24-66 (.364) from the floor, 4-16 from the arc and 15-23 (.652) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, 13 assists, 24 fouls, 16 turnovers, 10 steals and 3 blocks. Laurier avenged two regular season losses to the Marauders. Rob Innes set the tone early for the Hawks by aggressively driving the paint. Seven possessions into the game all 5 Golden Hawk starters had hit the scoresheet as Laurier jumped to a 19–7 lead and then extended the margin to 46-30 at the half. The Marauders came out strong at the start of the second half with an 11-6 run but another Wade Currie trey put the Hawks up 55-41. Another Marauder run of 6-0 was answered by the Golden Hawks with a 15-2 run. The Marauders mounted one last 13-0 charge but the Hawks hit their free throws when they needed them, notching 8-12 from the line down the stretch to pull out the win. Marauders coach Joe Raso told the Hamilton Spectator that “I’m still trying to figure out what we did wrong, and more likely, what I did wrong. … I thought we got tired and that hurt us a lot. Some of our older guys hit the wall. We’ve got to correct that with a little more depth.”

       In the West semis, the 2nd-seeded host Brock Badgers thrashed the 6th-seeded Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 93-61 as Morgan Fairweather scored 23 on 9-14 from the floor and 5-8 from the arc. Kevin French notched 18 on 8-12 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 3 assists. Brad Rootes scored 14 on 6-7 from the floor, 12 assists and 3 steals. Jesse Tipping scored 11 on 4-10 from the floor, while Kevin Steinstra scored 10 on 4-4 from the floor and 7 boards. Scott Murray scored 9 on 3-5 from the floor. Ryan Walker scored 4, Matthew Bassett-Spiers 2 and Dusty Bianchin 2, while Rory Tufford, Derrick Stryker and Branko Miskovic were scoreless. Rootes told the St. Catharines Standard that “we just all did our thing and everybody showed up to play.” Badgers coach Ken Murray said Rootes “ran the show out there – he found the open shooters and knocked down a couple of shots when we needed them. It was just an all-around strong effort.” Brock shot 36-62 (.581) from the floor, 13-26 from the arc and 8-10 from the line, while garnering 38 boards, 23 assists, 16 turnovers, 9 steals and 2 blocks. Bert Riviere paced Laurier with 13 points on 5-11 from the floor, 3-7 from the line and 3 boards. Matthew Walker scored 12 on 4-7 from the floor. Rob Innes scored 9 on 3-7 from the floor and Andrew Mackay 9 on 4-8 from the floor and 4 boards. Todd Cooney scored 5, Wade Currie 4, Corey Mclaren 2, Jamie Campbell 3, Trevor Csima 2 and Brett Coulthard 1. Joseph Dako and Omar Miles were scoreless. Laurier (coached by Peter Campbell, assisted by Jason Hurley, Paul Falco, Mike Quigley and Dave Wahl, managers Menah Song and Haley Caldwell, student trainer Jessica McLaughlin, chiropractor David Orchard) also included Jermaine Pendley, Luke Nieuwland, Sharmarke Ismail, Trevor Csima and Jamie Tudhope. The Hawks shot 22-55 (.400) from the floor, 2-8 from the arc and 15-29 (.517) from the line, while garnering 25 boards, 12 assists, 13 fouls, 16 turnovers, 12 steals and 1 block. Brock was propelled by a near flawless first half, shooting 22-for-31 (.710). Morgan Fairweather hit a trio from beyond the arc to open the affair and the Badgers hit nine treys in the frame as they took a 55-35 lead at the half. Brock finished with a team season high 13 three-pointers on 26 attempts, one shy of the school record set for made threes in 1991-92. Brock’s offense cooled in the second period as coach Ken Murray rested his starters. But the Badgers still opened with a 10-2 run and coasted, leading by as many as 39.

       In the other West semi, top-seeded Waterloo dumped 5th-seeded Lakehead 78-65. Waterloo’s three-point shooting proved the difference as they repeatedly quelled Lakehead threats with the big trey. Lakehead Head Coach Scott Morrison said the Thunderwolves came out tight in the big game. “We probably lost this game off the start, we came out a little nervous, deviated from our game plan and gave them open looks and easy baskets which is something you can’t do against a team like Waterloo. I’ve got to give credit to the Warriors; for knocking down their shots and being patient with their offense and best of luck to them the rest of the way.” Playing before a hometown crowd of 1,200, the Warriors qualified for their first nationals since 1998. They jumped to an early four-point lead before Morrison called a timeout and the Wolves responded with a 5-0 run. But Andrew Coatsworth hit a trey and reserve forward Chris Edwards took command of the boards as Waterloo moved ahead for good and then extended their lead to 41-31 at the half. Lakehead came out of the break with a renewed vigour, and fed the ball to Posey, who deposited 8 points on the Warriors in the first two minutes of game play, pushing his game total to a staggering 20 points with 18 minutes remaining on the clock. Waterloo switched defenders on Posey, choosing to go with Andrew Coatsworth instead of fifth year forward Dave Munkley, and the tactic worked, as Coatsworth suffocated Posey. Without a go-to man, Lakehead lost steam. Meanwhile, Mike Sovran came alive and began drilling jumpers or setting up Graham Jarman for layups. Graham Jarman paced the Warriors with 22 on 7-13 from the floor, 6-6 from the line and 3 assists. Andrew Coatsworth added 15 on 5-8 from the floor and 7 boards. Mike Sovran scored 12 on 4-8 from the floor and 7 assists. Gerard Magennis notched 11 on 4-11 from the floor. Michael Davis scored 9 on 4-5 from the floor and 5 boards. Chris Edwards scored 5, Andrew Westlake 2 and Duran Wedderburn 2, while Dave Munkley and Matt Kieswetter were scoreless. The Warriors also included Olivier Quesnel, Nathan Tucker, Boris Zadkovic and Dan White. The Warriors shot 27-52 (.519) from the floor, 9-21 (.429) from the arc and 15-15 from the line, while garnering 28 boards, 21 assists, 11 fouls, 15 turnovers, 4 steals and 2 blocks. Kiraan Posey paced Lakehead with 22 points on 10-18 from the floor and 5 boards. Everett Adams added 16 on 5-10 from the floor, 5-7 from the line and 5 boards. Matthew Verboom scored 10 on 4-6 from the floor and 10 boards. Lee Reckmann scored 9 on 4-12 from the floor. Scott Seeley scored 6 on 2-8 from the floor. Justin Dickens scored 2, while Aaron Casella, Matthew Erdman and Kieran O’Rourke were scoreless. Lakehead (coached by Scott Morrison, assisted by Ryan Dudley and Brian Cameron) also included Ryan Precious, Djordje Varagic, Chris Richards, Sandy Millar, Steve Zapior, Matthew Verboom and Ted Morris. The Wolves hit 26-59 (.441) from the floor, 5-15 from the arc and 8-11 (.727) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, 10 assists, 17 fouls, 13 turnovers, 9 steals and 2 blocks.

In the West final, 2nd-seeded Brock defeated top-seeded host Waterloo 71-65 as Kevin Stienstra scored 24 on 9-13 from the floor, 6-11 from the line and 8 boards. Brad Rootes added 13 on 5-11 from the floor and 6 assists. Morgan Fairweather scored 13 on 5-11 from the floor and 3-6 from the arc. Dusty Bianchin scored 8 on 3-5 from the floor and 9 boards. Scott Murray scored 1, while Rory Tufford, Ryan Walker, Branko Miskovic and Jessie Tipping were scoreless. The Badgers shot 27-52 (.519) from the floor, 8-16 from the arc and 9-16 (.562) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, 9 assists, 13 fouls, 16 turnovers, 5 steals and 1 block. Dave Munkley paced Waterloo with 17 points on 6-17 from the floor, 5-7 from the line and 5 boards. Graham Jarman added 12 on 6-10 from the floor and 4 boards. Mike Sovran scored 11 on 4-10 from the floor and 4 boards. Michael Davis scored 10 on 5-8 from the floor. Andrew Coatsworth scored 9 on 4-8 from the floor. Chris Edwards scored 6, while Gerard Magennis, Andrew Westlake and Matt Kieswetter were scoreless. The Warriors shot 27-63 (.429) from the floor, 2-13 (.154) from the arc and 9-12 from the line, while garnering 28 boards, 14 assists, 16 fouls, 12 turnovers, 9 steals and 1 block. Brock rallied from a four-point second-half deficit to defeat Waterloo for the first time during the season and collect their 13th straight win. OUA MVP Kevin Stienstra (Vineland) tied the game at 11:32 after Brock erased a nine-point Waterloo lead. After again knotting the score at 55, Steinstra and the Badgers closed out the affair with a 14-8 run. Brock had repeatedly pounded the ball to Steinstra in the first half as they built a 10-point lead. But their offence went sour as Waterloo responded with a 12-0 run to knot the score at 24 to the delight of their rabid home fans. Andrew Coatsworth hit a trey and Dave Munkley a transition bucket as Waterloo took a four-point lead at the half. Waterloo opened the second frame with a 10-5 run and led by as many as nine before Brock evaporated the margin with a Brad Rootes floater, a baseline drive by Kevin French and a Morgan Fairweather trey, setting the stage for Steinstra’s critical buckets down the stretch. Brock forward Dusty Bianchin sealed the win with a pair of free throws with two minutes to play and a steal for a transition layup in the final minute. Steinstra told the St. Catharines Standard that “they always double, so it’s not a whole lot difference than all the other teams that double me, so I’m starting to get used to it. … Dusty (Bianchin) played great. He was putting people on the floor if were getting to the hoop. He had a great steal and right at the end, he knocked his two free throws. He came ready to play.” Badgers coach Ken Murray said “here’s a kid like Dusty who doesn’t score very much for us and he scored eight points and 9 rebounds. Again, it was somebody different to step it up for us. … (Waterloo) force you to play their style of game, which is a little different than ours. We got caught up into it. Warriors coach Tom Kieswetter said “it was just as intense (as regular season games). We just shot better than they did last time. This time, they shot better than we did and they win it.”

       The Wilson Cup was much a much-hyped affair, featuring the nation’s two top-ranked units. But call a spade a spade. Down the stretch, when it mattered, the Carleton Ravens owned the Brock Badgers. They defended with ferocity, hit the big shots, got real nasty on the glass and pretty much did what they had to do, when they had to do it. For every challenge and every spurt, they had the answer. It yielded a third consecutive Ontario University Athletics title. More frightening for potential foes at the CIS nationals was that the Ravens defeated the second-ranked team in the nation 61-58 in what can only be described as an extraordinarily hostile environment, a raucous and sold-out Bob Davis Gymnasium determined to lift their beloved Badgers into ending Carleton’s phenomenal now-75 Canadian Interuniversity Sport regular and postseason game winning streak. Yet, the Ravens maintained their poise from the start and eventually flashed that unique capacity to deflect the potential knockout punches, slide in when their foes least expect it and put them on the ropes with a few quick but lethal blows. In the final, those took the form of veterans Mike Smart and Osvaldo Jeanty, and a pair of rookie reserves named Sheldon Stewart and Stuart Turnbull. Smart said the Ravens simply refused to panic, despite trailing 50-46 with roughly eight minutes to play. “There was still quite a bit of time left. We knew it was going to be a close game and it was just a matter of getting the breaks when you can get them. We’ve done this before and we managed to pull it out.” Jeanty added that “four minutes is basically a lifetime.” Carleton used its bread-and-butter two-man game to take an early 12-11 lead, with Mike Smart drilling a pair of treys off screens by Aaron Doornekamp, and the rookie post, in turn, popping off the picks for a pair of treys off feeds from Smart. But the Ravens neglected their defensive rebounding responsibilities, allowing OUA West MVP Kevin Steinstra to dominate the boards as Brock rallied to an 18-17 lead midway through the half. Although Doornekamp and Carleton’s other frontcourt starter, Jean-Emmanuel Jean-Marie, were soon forced to the pines with foul trouble, reserve Sheldon Stewart stepped up with monumental minutes, hitting a 15-foot baseline jumper and a reverse layup, while scrapping for a raft of rebounds amidst the much taller Brock trees, allowing Carleton to slowly began to assert control. With rookie Stuart Turnbull and Osvaldo Jeanty each adding a pair of treys, the Ravens took a 37-31 lead into the lockers after hitting 8-of-15 from the arc. Brock came storming back in the second half. Morgan Fairweather drilled a pair of treys and then Brad Rootes drained another as the Badgers knotted the score at 40. The Badgers soon extended their lead to 50-46 with eight minutes by pounding the ball the Steinstra in the blocks. But then Smart and Jeanty took command. Smart scored seven straight as Carleton rallied back to a 53-50 lead and then inched ahead 56-52 on a Jeanty trey. Although Brock scrapped back to within one with less than a minute to play on a Fairweather trey, Turnbull and Jeanty had the answers from the line as Carleton pulled out the win. Turnbull hit one free throw and Jeanty hit a pair with nine seconds on the clock to close out the scoring before a Fairweather three-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the back of the rim. Coach Dave Smart said Stewart’s rebounding and defensive work against Steinstra proved the difference. “The way he battled Kevin, who in my opinion is the best player in the country, when we were in major foul trouble in the first half, was the key to the game.” Brock coach Ken Murray was disappointed in the Badgers inability to dominate Carleton on the glass. “Carleton basically outworked us. When we had a chance to pull out the game, they dug deep and showed their experience and showed why they’re undefeated. They find ways to beat you.” Mike Smart scored 17 on 6-12 from the floor, 2-7 from the arc, 4 boards and 5 assists. Osvaldo Jeanty added 13 on 3-7 from the arc, 4-6 from the line and 4 boards. Stuart Turnbull notched 9 on 2-4 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 5 boards. Aaron Doornekamp scored 8 on 3-12 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 7 boards. Jean-Emmanuel Jean-Marie scored 6 on 3-5 from the floor and 6 boards. Sheldon Stewart scored 4 and nabbed 7 boards. Matt Ross and Ryan Bell each scored 2. The Ravens hit 19-57 (.333) from the floor, 9-24 (.375) from the arc and 14-19 (.737) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, 13 assists, 18 fouls, 11 turnovers, 4 steals and 1 block. Kevin Stienstra paced Brock with 17 points on 7-12 from the floor, 3-8 from the line and 15 boards. Kevin French scored 13 on 5-12 from the floor and 5 boards. Morgan Fairweather notched 12 on 4-8 from the arc. Brad Rootes scored 12 on 3-7 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 4 boards and 6 assists. Branko Miskovic scored 4, while Ryan Walker, Scott Murray and Dustin Bianchin were scoreless. The Badgers shot 21-56 (.375) from the floor, 9-25 (.360) from the arc and 7-18 (.389) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, 15 assists, 17 fouls, 12 turnovers, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Steinstra told the St. Catharines Standard that “if we made even half (of our free throws), it would have been different.” Badgers coach Ken Murray said “to shoot 7 of 18 (from the line) is unacceptable and the university level.” Smart said “when they make adjustments, we make adjustments from there, so it really doesn’t surprise me. It’s hard to predict with us, how we’re going to start because everything we do is based on what they give us.”

       After the season, Chris Oliver bails for Windsor. Appointed as interim head coach is assistant Rob Smart, brother of Carleton coach Dave Smart and father of Carleton All-Canadians Robbie and Mike Smart. In appointing Oliver, Windsor director of athletics John Grace noted: “We are very excited to have Chris join our program. He has done a fantastic job turning around the Queen’s program and we are looking forward to him leading our Lancer Men’s Basketball program into the future.” Head coach of the Queen’s Golden Gaels for the previous three years, Oliver was 4-18 in his first season, then 10-12 in his second season, while earning a playoff berth for just the 6th time at Queen’s in the last 22 years. This past season, Oliver’s Golden Gaels team finished at 11-11 and hosted their first playoff home game at Queen’s in 35 years. Before taking over the Gaels, Chris was an assistant coach at McMaster under Joe Raso for six seasons. He also served as an assistant coach at the University of Victoria under the legendary Guy Vetrie while completing his National Coaching Certification Program Level IV certification. The Kitchener native also served as the Head Coach for Ontario’s Under 16 team and an Assistant Coach for Ontario’s Under 19 and Under 17 teams. Prior to making the jump to university coaching, he directed the St Mary’s high school girls’ team to an OFSAA Silver medal in 1995 and a Gold medal in 1996. “I am very excited to be coming to the University of Windsor and taking over the coaching duties for the Men’s Basketball program,” commented Oliver. “I believe there is tremendous opportunity at Windsor to build a championship calibre program and I look forward to the challenge of building upon their great tradition of basketball success.” Oliver graduated with a Bachelor of Kinesiology from McMaster University, a Bachelor of Education degree from Brock University, and a Master’s in Physical Education and Coaching Studies from the University of Victoria.

       Ryerson coach Patrick Williams announced that school officials had informed him that he was being fired. Dave Dubois, program director of Ryerson Sports and Recreation, told The Eyeopener that he was looking for a more experienced coach to help resurrect the program. “Our record wasn’t that good, so we thought it was best for the team that we made a move,” Dubois said. “Patrick is a great coach, but it’s the overall experience … as a (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) coach, you’ve got to have the whole package.” Dubois indicated that Williams would remain at a marginally reduced salary, as a Development Co-ordinator. He will be responsible for alumni relations, athletics bursaries, and the department’s annual golf tournament. In two years at the helm, Williams had a 1-43 record.

       At the annual OUA meetings, the league votes to expand its membership to 19 schools by admitting the Oshawa-based University of Ontario Institute of Technology, commencing in the 2006-07 athletic season. The Ridgebacks don’t propose to play basketball for several years, at the earliest. “We will be the new kids on the block,” said UOIT Athletic Director Ken Babcock. “It’s an opportunity to play with the best. We will be in awe initially when we face the likes of Queen’s or the University of Toronto but we are putting the right people in place to be successful, people with OUA and CIS experience.”

The expansion marks the first addition of a new OUA member in 13 years, dating back to 1993 when the Nipissing Lakers joined the conference. “We’re very excited to have UOIT join our family,” said OUA President David Dubois. “It’s a great institution and in a short time has proven to be dedicated to providing academic opportunity for its students. The same will hold true in terms of varsity athletics and we’re looking forward to having the university’s rowing and tennis teams compete in the league next season.” UOIT, a science and technology focused school with programs in Commerce, Criminology and Nursing, among others, began operation in the fall of 2002 and has quickly expanded to a student population of 3,100. That number will rise to 4,200 next year and is expected to reach 6,500 by 2010. The Ridgebacks nickname was the final choice from a pool of over 300 submissions by staff and students. A Ridgeback is a large, well-muscled hunting dog renowned for its ability to work in packs and defeat bigger, stronger foes. “Our goal will be to continue to attract the best staff, coaches and students to our campus with the common focus on excellence for everyone,” said Babcock. “The vision includes our campus as being Canada’s leader in athletics, recreation and wellness programs, combined with top flight athletic facilities, all of which will enrich the overall post-secondary experience for our students.”

The co-bronze medalist Waterloo Warriors: Dave Munkley; Graham Jarman; Mike Sovran; Michael Davis; Andrew Coatsworth; Chris Edwards; Gerard Magennis; Andrew Westlake; Matt Kieswetter; Durran Wedderburn; Daniel White; Oliver Quesnel; Boris Zadkovic; Nathan Tucker; coach Tom Kieswetter; assistant Gene Wolverton; assistant Bryan Nichol; administrative assistant Rob McDerman; therapist A.J. Saravanamuthu; therapist Cecilia Chan; therapist Krista Braiden

The co-bronze medalist Ottawa Gee-Gees: Alex McLeod; Marko Jovic; Jermaine Campbell; Curtis Shakespeare; Dax Dessureault; Sean Peter; Teti Kabetu; Greg Sam; Kevin O’Hearn; Alex Ethier; David Labentowicz; Miran Omanovic; Alexandre Duford; Gordon McGuinty; Adam Eisenstat; Geoffrey Eisenstat; Gregory Sam; redshirt Freeman Kamuntu; redshirt Andrew Gayle; coach David DeAveiro; assistant Jim Kent; assistant James Derouin; assistant Clarence Porter; therapist Melinda Pratt; strength & conditioning Craig Taylor

       The runner-up Brock Badgers: Kevin Steinstra; Brad Rootes; Kevin French; Morgan Fairweather; Branko Miskovic; Scott Murray; Dusty Bianchin; Blaine Labranche; Orhan Memedovski; Derrick Stryker; Rory Tufford; Ryan Walker; Jesse Tipping; Matthews Bassett-Spiers; coach Ken Murray; assistant Steve Atkin; assistant Brian Mulligan; therapist Joe Kenny; athletic director Lorne Adams; SID Shawn Whitely; media relations Mike Tucker; student therapist Lorenzo Love; student therapist Marcy Hadgraft

       The champion Carleton Ravens: Mike Smart; Osvaldo Jeanty; Jean-Emmanuel Jean-Marie; Aaron Doornekamp; Matt Ross; Ryan Bell; Stuart Turnbull; Sheldon Stewart; Robert Saunders; Shawn McCleery; John Marshall; Pat Ross; Drew Samuels; Andre Upshaw; coach Dave Smart; assistant Andy Sparks; assistant Taffe Charles; assistant Rob Smart; assistant Andy Stewart; athletic director Drew Love; trainer Nadine Smith; assistant trainer Adam Davies; SID David Kent; manager Aaron Blakeley; therapist Christie McPhee