REGULAR SEASON
Loyola | 18-3 | 26-12 | Doug Daigneault | ||
McGill | 16-5 | 18-7 | Sam Wimisner | ||
Macdonald Abbott | 15-6 | Pat Baker | |||
S.G.W. | 14-7 | 18-13 | Wilf Jackson | ||
Bishop’s | 7-14 | 15-23 | Garth Smith | ||
Sherbrooke | 6-15 | ||||
Laval | 6-15 | Lamarche | |||
RMC-Kingston | 3-18 | ||||
In the regular season, Loyola finished atop the standings with an (18-3) record.
Playoff non-qualifiers:
Bishop’s: Bishop’s Gaiters: Bruce Stevenson, Mike Dudgeon, Iain Smith, Jon Fjeld, Marc Gagnon, Lynn McKelvy, Brian Hutchins, Bob Cooney, David Simpson, Keith Rorison, Gus Haig, Bob Gillies, Channel, Ken Baker, coach Garth Smith, manager Brian Kirby
College Militaire Royale-St. Jean: Simon Bekkering
Laval: Pierre Dion, Doyon, Roy, Charles Goudreau, Sawtell, Mahajoub, Bellemare, Lesieur, Leblond, Boulais, Alain, Schlader, Salhi, coach Lamarch, manager Duguay, assistant manager Fallon
Royal Military College Paladins: Steve Lucas, Rod Capern; Victor Crunch, Ted Bain,
Sherbrooke Vert et Or: Alain Champoux, Jean-Pierre Ferdais,
In the postseason semis, Loyola defeated Sir George Williams 88-74 despite a 35-point effort from Georgian guard Tom Brethel. The Georgians tried to slow down the game early and trailed only 8-7 after eight minutes. But several costly turnovers put Loyola ahead 39-17 by the break. Brethel was held to a scant five points after shooting 0-10 from the floor but he exploded in the second half for 30 points. The Georgians outscored Loyola 57-49 in the second half but were unable to overcome the 22-point halftime deficit. Mike Hickey added 14 for SGW. Loyola was paced by Trevor Briggs’ 25 points. Greg Gill added 19. John Dore and Wayne Hussey each scored 16 and Earl Lewis hit for 11.
In the other semi, McGill nipped Macdonald College 79-76 despite a 32- point effort from guard Jim Guild, including 20 in the first half. But Guild failed to score in the final seven minutes. McGill was paced by 6-9 centre John Naponick, who scored 24, including two three-point plays with under four minutes to go. Chad Gaffield added 19 and 6-10 Kit Kennard, whom the McGill Daily described as a “quixotic youth who spends his free time composing impassioned love poems to Wilt Chamberlain,” scored 18.
In the final, McGill defeated Loyola 73-71 to capture their first victory over the Warriors in five attempts (including all three regular season contests) during the season. 6-10 centre John Naponick, a third-year dentistry student and native of Albany, N.Y. who formerly played at the University of Virginia and was a former defensive end with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, scored 24 in dominating the contest. He grabbed 29 rebounds and blocked seven shots and received a standing ovation from the fans with seven minutes to play when he dribbled the ball up the court. McGill was ahead by four at the half and by 11 with 2:13 to go. Loyola cut the margin to two but McGill prevailed. The Redmen won the first QUAA title despite entering the league a scant month before play began. They’d dropped basketball altogether in 1970 because of budget cutbacks and only lined up a team when former McGill player Sam Wimisner and law student Ira Turetsky received a $1,000 grant from the Martlet Foundation to put together a team. They also got $200 from the alumni. But they would have to provide their own transportation for games, pay for gas, supply their own uniforms and even coach the team. “We’re just a bunch of orphans,” said grad student Joe Prah, who played at St. Vincent’s College in Pennsylvania for four years. ‘We even have to buy our own sneakers and socks.” Guard Chad Gaffield added 16 for the Redmen, while Joe Prah scored 9. Rookie John Dore paced the Warriors with 19, while Earl Lewis and Trevor Briggs pitched in 16 apiece. “The thing that sticks out most in my mind is the Quebec championship game against Loyola, a team that had beaten us three times during the season,” coach Sam Wimisner said. “I wasn’t sure we believed we could beat them. Joe Prah went to the basket in a play eerily similar to the one in which he broke his hand a month earlier. In both cases, we were down by a point late in the game and we had to make a statement to Loyola that we have the confidence to beat you. … Despite breaking his hand on a similar play, when the same play presented itself Joe never hesitated and made the basket and was fouled. That was the difference in the game.” Prah had missed several games during the regular season when he broke his hand during a conference game.
The co-bronze medalist Sir George Williams Georgians: Tom Brethel; Terry O’Brien; Pierre Hargrove; G Stevens; Jeff Neiman; M Dawson; Art McQuade; John Corrigan; J Zulauskis; coach Wilf Jackson
The co-bronze medalist Macdonald: Jim Guild; Ken Smythe; Dave Algar; Chris Hunter; Peter Kelly; B Russell; Jean Michaud; Wayne Boyle; Pat Norwood; Andy Christie; Joe Amiel; Barry Russell; Pete Havard; coach Al Armitage; manager Cam Little; manager Howie Hoag
The runner-up Loyola Warriors: John Dore; Earl Lewis; Trevor Briggs; J McCarthy; D Osborne; J Butler; Greg Gill; Wayne Hussey; J Kalinkewicz; J Majtenyi; G Miller; D Butler; Bob Breen; coach Doug Daigneault; assistant Steve Konchalski; manager Lachchuk; trainer Blackwell
The champion McGill Redmen: John Naponick; Chad Gaffield; Kit Kennard; Joe Prah; Bob Wylie; Howie Roseman; Cliff Bochner; Kevin Walsh; Frank Schell; Phil Ross; Phil Thompson; Paul Lemaitre; Brian Riordan; coach Sam Wimisner; assistant Ira Turetsky; manager Gary Trudeau