Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Rugby: Former CIS players suit up for Canada on international stage

Canada is unbeaten so far at the 2013 Pacific Nations Cup thanks to wins over Fiji and Tonga, a feat made possible by the addition of several stars from Canadian universities. One of those, Queen’s fly half Liam Underwood, was in the spotlight during the team’s brief stopover in Kingston last weekend. He’s one of numerous collegiate superstars that have made an immediate impact on the international stage.

On Wednesday in Ottawa, Underwood earned his first career start for the Canadian senior men’s team, playing the full 80 minutes in Canada’s 20-18 victory over Fiji. Three days later, he saw the field as a late-game substitute against Tonga—an appearance made in front of 3,382 fans at Richardson Stadium, two kilometres down the road from the Gaels’ home field.

Underwood isn’t a run-of-the-mill prospect, picked solely to fill the end of the roster or brought on to placate the Queen’s faithful. He’s an integral cog in the Canadian rugby machine—one that ran roughshod over an esteemed Tongan side for much of last Saturday’s tilt, prevailing 36-27 after leading by as much as 23 points in the second half.

“I think I’ve competed pretty hard,” Underwood said. “It’s only my second year with [Team Canada], and I think training, everything’s been going pretty well.”

The tight PNC schedule has forced head coach Kieran Crowley to shuffle his starting lineup from game to game, regularly rotating his reserves into tight contests to preserve everyone’s health for the next one. This all-hands-on-deck approach has dulled the line between starter and substitute; the strategy’s worked because all players have been willing and ready contributors.

Underwood earned his international shot through standout play for the Ontario Blues of the Canadian Rugby Championship league and for Queen’s in the OUA. Both clubs won championships in 2012; while Underwood missed most of this year’s Gaels season to compete with the Blues, he played in a couple of regular-season games and put forth a virtuoso performance in the Ontario final, tallying 14 solo points in Queen’s 29-18 victory over Western.

That championship pedigree—he earned another OUA ring in 2009 with Queen’s as a rookie—has prepared him well for this year’s PNC tournament, where Canada’s one win away from a spotless showing.

“It definitely helps a lot. It’s the next level—it’s above high school, it’s above club,” Underwood said of his university career. “Playing good rugby helps all the time.”

While there’s no CIS men’s rugby competition to bind the individual conferences together, there are hotbeds of collegiate talent in Ontario and on either coast — particularly, in a Team Canada context, on the Western isle.

Three current members of the Victoria Vikes have suited up for Canada at the PNC: Nathan Hirayama, Phil Mack and Sean Duke, a former Gael who scored in the win over Tonga. Other Vikes, including veteran international Adam Kleeberger and former Canadian U20 player Beau Parker, have experience with junior and senior national sides.

The school’s ability to cultivate young talent has paid dividends on both ends. In 2010, Victoria won their third Rounsefell Cup, awarded to the British Columbia provincial club champion. That Vikes team also featured Ryan Hamilton and Andrew Tiedemann—each part of this Canadian PNC squad.

Canada’s roster is peppered with CIS alums from across the country. Captain Aaron Carpenter won three OUA titles with McMaster. Hulking forward Tyler Hotson played at UBC. Conor Trainor was a longtime rival of Underwood’s as a Western Mustang. Hubert Buydens was a Canada West All-Star—in football, as an offensive lineman for Saskatchewan.

“[University play] prepares the guys for competition,” said Crowley, a former New Zealand All Black who signed on as Canada’s head coach in 2008. “Any competition that we have is beneficial as long as the guys get good, quality rugby.”

Canada’s PNC fixtures are interspersed with a variety of other competitions—most notably, an international test match against Ireland this Friday at BMO Field. After that, Canada heads overseas to face Japan on June 19 in their final dose of PNC action.

From last week onwards, Canada is set to play four high-quality matches in two weeks—exemplifying the pressing need for depth outside the starting 15. Top CIS graduates are seemingly the perfect fit to bolster Canada’s roster: young, immensely talented and accustomed to compressed schedules after balancing university and club play.

The road’s only beginning for players like Underwood—but their contributions are already clear.

Continue reading...

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Calculated Reactions: 2013's top CCAA men's basketball prospects

This is part 2 of the 2013 version of this project. See part 1, the women's version, for a full explanation of the methodology, and also last year's top men's prospects.

This was a good year for CCAA prospects: we identified nine women's players, and now seven men's players, as potential candidates to play up a level based on their stats. Consequently, we had to cut some players from this piece who would otherwise be included, for the sake of keeping this at a readable length. For the record, they are: Kadeem Willis (Lakeland), OCAA player of the year Felix Adjei (Seneca), and Garnet Blais (Algonquin). All of them have, I believe, two years of eligibility left, and so in other years they would make the list.

Of the seven players below, three have already committed to a CIS team.

(* denotes minutes played that have been adjusted at the team level to reflect a more realistic number.)

**

Chase Bowden
6-6 forward, 2nd year, Holland College
Season
Conf/Lg
Year
Minutes
Per Game
Per 40
eFG%UsagePER
PTSREBASTBLKSTLPTSREB
2012-13
ACAA
1st
573
16.2
9.1
1.3
1.1
1.3
23.7
13.4
63.7%
20.9%
33.3
2013-14
CIS
2nd
470
11.9
6.8
1.0
0.7
0.9
20.3
11.6
58.6%
18.2%
25.0
Most similar: Paul Gareau, Derek Waldner, Kevin McCleery

Apparently you can shoot 63.7%, but not be named an All-Canadian.

Bowden, whom I believe has used just one year of eligibility (he took some time off basketball), led the ACAA in whatever version of field-goal percentage you wish to use (except three-pointers) as well as defensive rebounding and offensive rating. He was one board short of averaging a double-double at nationals, where Holland took home silver and, en route, they also got some attention for a what-just-happened?! win in the conference semifinal.

Holland, as best as I can tell, are a share-the-ball team: of the eight players in the Hurricanes' regular rotation last year, all had personal usage rates of between 16% and 23% of the team's possessions, the most equal such distribution of any ACAA team. Bowden's 21% is low for a big scorer, but CIS players with an eFG% around 64% (which Bowden is, of course, not projected to hit) are typically using even fewer possessions than that. It was an impressive season and while he was named ACAA rookie of the year, I'm not sure what else he had to do to pick up another award.

The projected PER and minutes played, 25.0 and 470, would have put Bowden in the top 60 or 70 players in CIS last year, roughly equivalent to Boris Hadzimuratovic, who isn't a bad comp for him either.

His offensive rating of 128 is not just the highest in the ACAA, but would also lead the ACAC and OCAA as well.



Jordon Fray
6-2 guard, 2nd year, Medicine Hat College
Season
Conf/Lg
Year
Minutes
Per Game
Per 40
eFG%UsagePER
PTSREBASTBLKSTLPTSREB
2012-13
ACAC
1st
666*
16.3
8.1
3.6
0.5
2.2
20.6
10.3
46.2%
25.7%
24.8
2013-14
CIS
2nd
546
12.0
6.1
2.6
0.3
1.5
17.6
8.9
42.2%
22.3%
14.9
Most similar: Evens Laroche, Keenan Jeppesen

The first player we've profiled from the Medicine Hat Sans Frontiers, Fray's inclusion here depends a little bit more on his remaining years of eligibility than with Chase Bowden above, who'd be here even if he just had two years left. Fray, it is fair to say, had a less impressive season, but still a very solid one. Especially when you consider he played for a below-.500 team that didn't advance in the conference playoffs (another way in which his season differs from Bowden's).

His profile is kind of all over the place, but in a good way: he led his team in points, assists, and rebounds to make up for shooting just 47% on twos and 8 of 31 on threes.

Note: the school website has at least three first names for Fray: Jordan, Jordon, and Jason. He's Jordan in the stats, and the team did not respond to a request for clarification on the matter, so I will assume that's his name. (UPDATE: 5:38pm - word from the coach is that his name is "Jordon" and it has been corrected above.)



Rob Olsen
6-1 guard, 3rd year, Lethbridge College
Season
Conf/Lg
Year
Minutes
Per Game
Per 40
eFG%UsagePER
PTSREBASTBLKSTLPTSREB
2009-10
ACAC
1st
346
10.3
4.3
2.2
0.2
1.4
22.5
9.4
47.5%
21.1%
24.7
2012-13
ACAC
2nd
736
19.0
6.0
2.4
0.2
2.0
23.8
7.6
56.7%
22.2%
24.8
2013-14
CIS
3rd
604
14.9
4.9
1.9
0.2
1.6
19.8
6.6
50.4%
19.3%
18.7
Most similar: Sam Freeman, Paul Kovacs, Terrance Brown

Jared Baker
6-2 guard, 3rd year, Lethbridge College
Season
Conf/Lg
Year
Minutes
Per Game
Per 40
eFG%UsagePER
PTSREBASTBLKSTLPTSREB
2009-10
ACAC
1st
443
5.7
4.9
2.8
0.0
1.1
11.7
10.2
37.8%
16.8%
13.6
2012-13
ACAC
2nd
696
15.0
5.8
3.1
0.0
3.0
19.8
7.7
52.4%
19.7%
23.3
2013-14
CIS
3rd
571
11.6
4.8
2.5
0.0
2.3
16.3
6.7
45.9%
17.2%
17.0
Most similar: Sam Freeman, Isiah Pasquale, Tremaine Fraser

I can't promise that I haven't mixed up the stats for these guys. Their names are generic enough to confuse, they both spent 2010-11 and 2011-12 on missionary work, and they were even named Southern Alberta 4A Boys League MVP in consecutive years. And, of course, they've both already committed to the other Lethbridge for next year. Half of the players on that Lethbridge's roster come from this Lethbridge.

Sam Freeman's presence atop both their comp lists is no coincidence, but I like how they're also matched to different Laurentian shooters.

Together these two players comprised most of the run-and-bomb Lethbridge offence, finishing third and six in the ACAC in number of threes made. Olsen had a marginally better season, shooting better and fouling less, but there is not much to separate them. It's a good package for the 'Horns to add, especially with their two leading scorers, Derek Waldner and Julian Spear Chief-Morris, having exhausted their eligibility.



Marako Lundy
6-4 forward, 3rd year, Niagara College
Season

Conf/Lg
Year
Minutes
Per Game
Per 40
eFG%UsagePER
PTSREBASTBLKSTLPTSREB
2011-12
OCAA
1st
193
12.5
3.2
1.5
0.1
0.6
28.6
7.3
53.7%
30.5%
29.0
2012-13
OCAA
2nd
559
14.6
5.5
2.3
1.0
1.9
22.0
8.3
51.9%
22.9%
27.3
2013-14
CIS
3rd
458
10.4
4.1
1.6
0.6
1.3
18.1
7.2
45.5%
19.9%
17.1
Most similar: Tyler Fidler, Jeff Friesen, Tommy Nixon

Lundy came to Niagara through the Noble Preparatory Academy in Nassau — the name of which would cause me to raise an eyebrow, if the school were located in Nevada or North Carolina (and if it had 50 students and twice as many basketball coaches as teachers).

He wasn't on our radar after 2011-12 because he missed half the season. Good when he did play, though. The Knights managed to get two players on this list, partially because of their above-average offence (first in Ontario in points, but third when adjusted for pace) built around solid ball movement and outside shooting. Lundy is that type of player. His PER was fourth-highest in Ontario, his true shooting percentage fifth.

No relation to former Always OUA hack and current Ottawa Senators flack Chris Lund.



Thomas Watson
6-2 guard, 3rd year, University of King's College
Season
Conf/Lg
Year
Minutes
Per Game
Per 40
eFG%UsagePER
PTSREBASTBLKSTLPTSREB
2011-12
ACAA
1st
324
6.5
1.4
0.6
0.0
0.6
16.8
3.6
45.7%
21.4%
24.0
2012-13
ACAA
2nd
603
20.2
4.9
1.4
0.1
2.1
25.4
6.2
52.1%
26.8%
26.9
2013-14
CIS
3rd
494
13.1
3.3
0.9
0.1
1.3
21.2
5.4
46.1%
23.3%
16.5
Most similar: Joseph Jones, Casey Fox, Jonathan Cooper

Not to be confused with his U of A near-namesake, this Watson was first in scoring in the Atlantic league and third in possessions used on a middling King's team. His role was significantly expanded from his first year, and he was considerably more valuable as a result. (His projected CIS line a year ago included a 4.9 PER, which is about all I need to say.)

It's a little difficult to find comparisons for Watson. Essentially, he combined two distinct roles: a high-volume shooter outside and a physical presence inside. He accounted for almost a third of his team's free throw attempts. I tried to find a CIS player who has done this to the same extent, gaining both lots of threes and lots of whistles, and the only one who came up was Phil Scrubb. Anyone know who that is?

Take the regular method we use to find comparable players, but without matching on the player's FTM/FGA rate, and you get a set of top 25 comparisons for Watson, who average 0.21 FTM per FGA. But his rate was double that. So when you try to look for players who have similar stats in all those other categories, then add this outlier to the mix, you get some odd matches. Jones is similar along most dimensions, but with a much lower PER. Cooper was more of a distributor than Watson, and so on.

Which is to say, Watson may not do this at the next level, if he were given the opportunity. The rate at which a player gets to the line is not something that's currently baked into our projection system, but is probably something we should consider adding.



Alex Campbell
6-2 guard, 3rd year, Niagara College
Season
Conf/Lg
Year
Minutes
Per Game
Per 40
eFG%UsagePER
PTSREBASTBLKSTLPTSREB
2011-12
OCAA
1st
552
18.1
5.2
2.2
0.3
1.6
23.6
6.7
49.6%
24.7%
26.5
2012-13
OCAA
2nd
692
16.2
6.2
3.5
0.6
1.9
19.7
7.6
47.3%
21.1%
24.8
2013-14
CIS
3rd
567
11.7
4.7
2.5
0.4
1.3
16.4
6.6
42.1%
18.4%
16.3
Most similar: Kale Harrison, Kyle Grewal, Éric Côté-Kougnima

And here's our other shooter from Niagara, except he's moving on to Windsor. Campbell appears to be a less flashy version of teammate Lundy, which is not meant to be a disparaging comment; he may in fact be the superior athlete and player.

Campbell probably should have been on last year's list, too, and I'm not sure why he wasn't. In some ways it was a better season, and obviously he was a year younger then.

Interestingly, also joining the Lancers this fall (after a year off) is Khalid Abdel-Gabar, whom we identified as a prospect in this space last year. As noted then, he has experience defeating Guelph and Waterloo, so playing for Windsor should be no different for him, really.

Continue reading...

Friday, May 31, 2013

Men's Hockey: STU head coach Troy Ryan resigns

So much for the quiet off-season. The Daily Gleaner's Nick Murray reports (pay-walled) that St. Thomas Tommies men's hockey head coach Troy Ryan submitted his resignation yesterday.
After two years of trying to rebuild the program, Ryan informed STU athletic director Mike Eagles last Friday he was done and gave his official two weeks' notice on Thursday, forfeiting the final year of his three-year contract.
Though neither Ryan or Eagles would comment on what exactly went wrong between Ryan and the Tommies' organization, Ryan said it just wasn't a good fit anymore.
"You're always optimistic that, and it's not placing blame, but that things would get better or things would change, or I would get better at dealing with certain situations," Ryan said in an interview Thursday.
"It just got to the point where I didn't think it was the best fit. Whether I wasn't the best fit or they weren't the best fit for me, it's time to leave."
There were rumours all season that Ryan was butting heads with the STU administration over both funding for the hockey program and its losing record, especially since AD Eagles was the previous hockey coach. Whenever Ryan was asked about the issue by media, he'd say there were no real money problems and point to their impressive new hockey facilities as example of the fact, and express confidence that the rebuild would work over time. If you read between the lines of some of his quotes to the Gleaner, he hints that everything wasn't as rosy as he pretended.
"The ideal thing in the AUS is you build a strong foundation. You try to build the hockey schools and the culture around your team, build the community involvement and build the alumni relations. One of the big mistakes that we made, or that I made, is you need to bring people in from the outside into your program."
"It's OK to disagree, and ultimately I'm an employee of the university...you're never going to agree on everything. That's just the nature of the beast and that's part of coaching hockey," Ryan said. "Some things were obviously too difficult to overcome. There was no one thing; it was assessing the situation.
"It's trying to decide whether I could have enough of an impact on everything to make this successful. When you decide yourself that you're not going to have enough of an impact to accomplish what you want to accomplish, why are you doing it?"
Ryan was a proven builder in Junior 'A' hockey, which is probably why he won the competition for the STU job. He's also a former AUS player, a scrappy forward with both UNB and his hometown Saint Mary's Huskies. At the time I, like many, didn't think STU could have picked a better man for the job.

The Gleaner's Bill Hunt devotes his weekly column today to reactions from the Tommies players.
"It's not like I was totally blindsided by it, but it was definitely a bit of a surprise," said goaltender Jon Groenheyde, who made the AUS all-rookie team with the Tommies last season. "It's obviously a decision he had to make," he said. "He has to do what he has to do. It's none of my business. My business is still the same ... it's still to come into camp ready to go and to win games next season and stop the puck." Groenheyde said Ryan was "a great guy. He was always good to me. It doesn't really effect my mindset. I'm interested to see what's going to happen."
"The thing is, he's a real passionate guy," said [Stephen] Sanza. "It's tough for him. It's a weird league to coach. It's not like the OHL. You can't make trades. It's hard to make decisions. I hope he does well wherever he's going to coach. Hopefully we get someone soon, someone who has a good background in coaching and can hopefully start recruiting some guys for next year."
Team captain Felix Poulin said he "didn't see that one coming. I'm sure Troy was heading us in the right direction. Even if we had tough years, we had the good mentality. I can't really explain why. Sorry, I'm just really surprised. I don't have any words yet. I just hope he's comfortable with his decision."
St. Thomas has posted a release on their website stating that they are beginning their search for a new coach, and indicate that they'll be taking another look at previous candidates (which I believe could include a current Halifax Mooseheads assistant coach who is a former star AUS player?).

Selfishly, I'm going to miss Coach Ryan if for no other reason than he always gave long, frank, insightful answers to our sometimes dumb questions.

UPDATE:
  • The Tommies most public long-suffering superfan/promoter has had enough:  http://stutommies.com/2013/06/when-enough-is-finally-enough.html
  • The voice of TommiesTV is calling it quits: " I have decided not to return as play-by-play announcer for Tommies TV next season. I want to thank coaches and players for their support. Especially thanks to fans who faithfully watched/listened the past 6 seasons, and mostly to Harold DeCourcey, great friend and sidekick."
  • In today's Gleaner, Bruce Hallihan devotes his weekly column to a Q&A with Troy Ryan. In part: Q: Why now, in the heart of recruiting season? A: I wish I was staying, to be honest, but it didn't make sense any longer. I hope the right people understand. I don't think it's for the reasons a lot of people think either. Some people think it's because they weren't giving (the program) financial support. I would never use that as an excuse, because I came in knowing that situation. It would be like me complaining it's a liberal arts school. Q: I repeatedly hear 'It's all Troy Ryan vs. Mike Eagles or Mike Eagles vs. Troy Ryan. Is that a fair statement? A: No. It's not that simple. I don't think it's any big secret that we didn't get along great, but that's life. I don't necessarily think it's all Mike. I know my own personality, I know that I can be trouble. I can be too blunt. I wish I would have learned earlier how to work within an institution. When I disagree with Mike, I disagree with him. After reading some of the online things that were being said about Mike, I went on Facebook and said, 'I don't think he deserves some of the stuff that's being thrown at him.' I don't think the same way he does and I don't see the direction of the program the same way he does, but ultimately it was my job probably to bend more towards them because they're in charge, they're my bosses. I couldn't do it.

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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Football: Looking back at CFL mock drafts

A few weeks ago, we ran a CFL mock draft by Tyler Honeywood. There were several other mock drafts published out there (see full list at bottom), and today we'll look at some of the more interesting and unexpected picks.
**

HIGHER THAN EXPECTED

Steven Lumbala (RB, Calgary)
Drafted 1-5 by Montreal



Identified as one of three reaches by our Andrew Bucholtz, Lumbala wasn't predicted to go in anyone's first round, and only showed up in the mocks of those who did three or more rounds. As Andrew says, the Als may be looking for a Canadian backup running back, and Lumbala could be the best one out there.

Lumbala was an excellent CIS player, although a lot of his success came against some lesser Canada West teams; against McMaster in last year's Mitchell Bowl, he ran for just 39 yards on 14 carries in "a 45-6 demolition.

Apparently, CFL teams were concerned with his size, injury history, and "lack of lickety-split." If you know what that last phrase could possibly mean, you are the only person in the world who can claim that.


Kris Robertson (DB, Concordia)
Drafted 2-11 by Winnipeg


"Regardless of how you approach it, Robertson sure seems like a compelling CFL prospect. A defensive back with that kind of speed, that kind of vertical and proven ball-hawking ability? Oh, and he can also return kicks? It's hard to see how he was passed over for a combine invite initially, unless everyone just decided to ignore the Stingers this year."

That's Andrew again, writing about Robertson following the combine. Ten years after Moneyball, and we're still seeing players ranked lower by scouts because of their height (or reading nonsense like this).

Our Jared Book saw Robertson play while at Concordia, though Robertson's role increased after he graduated, and he remembers a September 2010 game against McGill as his coming-out party. Says Jared, "I'm not sure he can start defensively but a Canadian return specialist makes him a very interesting prospect. That's usually a spot that goes to Americans."

Robertson's speed was notable as far back as four years ago, when he ran the fastest 40 time on the Concordia team as a rookie. But it wasn't just speed: this year he won the 40, the broad jump, the vertical jump, and in my view should win the Least Quotable award too. This paragraph contains more words than he answered to six questions in this CFL.ca video. But maybe I'm wordy.

He was mocked at 26th, 28th, and 30th by those who included him in their drafts. 11th is quite the difference.

**

LOWER THAN EXPECTED

Matt Vonk (OL, Waterloo/Laurier)
Drafted 5-38 by Saskatchewan

Vonk's a casualty of the Waterloo PED hysteria, transferring to Laurier and playing his first year there in 2010. Then, he had to sit out 2011 when CIS ruled that "I forgot to check if my Laurier courses would count at Waterloo" was not a valid compassionate appeal. (Vonk's listed major on the Waterloo site is kinesiology, which probably isn't the best program to take at Laurier if you want to use those credits for a Waterloo degree.) So he has just two years under his belt, and will likely come back to Waterloo for another year.

Some mock drafts had him going in the first round (or early second), perhaps relying too much on prospect lists. Vonk represents a lower-risk player, with no real NFL interest in him, but also lower-reward. "Swinging for a double" is a good phrase here.


Elie Ngoyi (DE, Bishop's)
Drafted 6-51 by Edmonton

Another of Andrew's identified steals, except this time the player went at the end of the sixth round, not the beginning of the second. Ngoyi was mocked anywhere from 8th to 21st and fell to 51st in part because of the strong DL class this year. Most teams had already picked one, and B.C. (who had multiple shots at him) had more pressing needs at other positions. Teams presumably thought they could wait on him since basically everyone else needed him less as the draft went on.

Ngoyi also may have NFL interest. There isn't a report saying such, as far as I can tell, but NFL teams love their combine stars and if CFL teams were aware of any interest, it could further explain his slide down to the 50s. (He was predicted to go no later than 21st.)

**

Mock drafts used:


Continue reading...

Wednesday, May 08, 2013

On CIS and Sportsnet's big six-year deal

From the release:
Sportsnet today announced it has reached a six-year agreement with Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), the national governing body of university sport in Canada, for the multiplatform rights to an all-encompassing portfolio of sports across television, online, and mobile.

The agreement, which begins this season and runs through the 2018/19 school year, features expanded coverage of men’s and women’s CIS sports, headlined by the Vanier Cup and including the following marquee events: Football (Mitchell Bowl and Uteck Bowl), Men’s and Women’s Hockey Championships; Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, and more to be announced at a later date.
More details are to come, for example if there will be any regular-season games in football or basketball, two practices that should be continued and should start happening, respectively. Another suggestion is to show some of the preseason exhibitions between CIS men's basketball programs and NCAA Division 1 teams; there were 32 of those to choose from last year.

Over at Eh Game, our Andrew Bucholtz has more on what this means on the football side. I agree with much of what he says. One of the reasons the Vanier-Grey pairing, however, worked so well in 2011 is the mere fact that the Vanier Cup was an outstanding game. The rematch, which McMaster lost by 23 points, probably didn't do much for the many CFL fans in attendance, not to mention the Toronto-based media who either didn't travel to Vancouver for the previous year's game or went to bed before it ended. The negative effect of decoupling the two football championships may be overstated, or at least not as directly related to ratings and perception as much as the quality of the competition itself and of the surrounding broadcast. It's certainly better having TSN in one city and Sportsnet in the other than trying to split TSN people between two events, at any rate.

A key next step for Sportsnet, now that they basically have all the rights to all the events, is to give those broadcasts to people who have an idea about the league. Without naming names, I'll say if this is supposed to be a next step in CIS coverage, it's probably time to stop acting like basketball players outside of Ontario don't exist, to stop being surprised to learn how strong and talented a player of the year is, to learn how to pronounce names, to know which questions are grossly inappropriate to ask, and to treat the games in a non-superficial way — all, at one time or another, fouls committed by TSN or The Score. I also believe there was a time when Sportsnet's CIS hockey broadcasts only showed CHL stats for the players, and it would be nice for things like that to get the "dustbin of history" treatment.

Having said that: this is excellent news. We have criticized the various networks for their aggressively disinterested coverage of CIS championships, and by various networks I mean TSN (see here, and here), and I'm sure I speak for more than a few CIS followers when I say we're looking forward to Sportsnet's treatment of the events. We are by no means the only authority on CIS around here — aw, heck, we're hardly an authority — but as far as I know, only one network has gone to the effort to ask us for help in gathering background info for a tournament, and it was indeed Sportsnet. That's a good sign that they'll take this seriously.

(We at The CIS Blog also welcome Sportsnet to the very short list of media outlets who in recent years have sent reporters to all five championship tournaments in football and men's and women's basketball and hockey.)
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Monday, April 22, 2013

Football: 2013 CFL mock draft

Today we welcome a CFL mock draft piece from Tyler Honeywood (@T_Honeywood), a former Acadia Axemen offensive lineman and a 2012 CFL E-Camp attendee. His look at the draft, with some contributions from myself, begins after the introduction.

Mock draft season seems to be upon us with only two weeks remaining until the CFL draft on May 6. The NFL draft, coming up this week, gets more publicity, but it also factors into the CFL draft stock for a few players eligible for this year's import draft. With the level of football talent in Canada on the rise, many players are succeeding in the NCAA and garnering professional interest down south and that is reflected in this mock draft. Some players who should go higher may have fallen due to the risk of them potentially not coming north.

Also it must be noted that unlike the NFL draft, the CFL draft is not really a draft for today. Often, players are not expected to make an immediate impact like they are in the States. More stock in the Canadian draft is put into tangibles like speed, athleticism and other measurables of that nature. That is why you will see athletic players who had low stats in the CIS go sooner than more heralded athletes. An example of this is 2011 sixth-round pick Chris Hodgson who barely registered a stat and only had one season of CIS football under his belt, yet tested well and the Lions took him in the last round.

Another CFL draft wrinkle is that players who could potentially be a ratio buster (players who can play positions that are typically American, such as offensive tackle, corner, defensive end three technique, running back and short side recievers) usually are where the reaches happen.

**

ROUND 1

1. Hamilton – Linden Gaydosh – DL – Calgary

With the addition of Brian Bulcke from Calgary, and after drafting Boise State nose tackle Michael Atkinson last season, the Tabbies look poised to start one of their seven Canadians on the defensive line. Adding Gaydosh would provide the Ti-Cats with the advantage of having a All-Canadian depth chart at nose tackle. This pick could also be McMaster offensive tackle Matt Sewell if Hamilton evaluates him as a potential ratio-busting OT.

2. Winnipeg – Mike Edem – LB/S – Calgary

All recent moves by the Winnipeg front office suggest that they will maintain their ratio down the middle of the defence: Cauchy Muamba was added in the off-season, and they look positioned to maintain that in this area. Edem poses some interesting options for the Blue Bombers, as he is such a versatile athlete. He is physical enough to play at the line of scrimmage and set the edge, but also on the next play be able to run stride for stride with a slotback in the seam. Edem has been projected many ways; however, if the Bombers were able to add him in the draft, they could model one of the best athletes in the draft into the player they want him to be. He could ultimately have an impact next season as a backup at a starting non-import (NIM) position, and contribute on specials with his athleticism. Edem is equally athletic as former No. 1 pick Henoc Muamba.

3. Montreal (via Edmonton) – Stefan Charles – DL – Regina

This pick may change significantly come April 25th, the first day of the NFL draft. Charles is an NCAA-type athlete playing in CIS. Montreal is in a position of power to dictate their draft however they seem fit since they already have a strong NIM nucleus, so the Als are able to wait on the uber-talented Charles for when he is ready to play in the CFL. Stefan Charles possesses CFL starting ability, which is something that cannot be taken lightly. With Montreal already having a solid base of non-import DEs, I see them selecting Charles here.

4. Saskatchewan – Ben D’Aguilar – DE/OLB – McMaster

The Roughriders signed the Argos' Ricky Foley in the offseason, suggesting that they will likely start a non-import defensive end. D’Aguilar would fit well in Saskatchewan where he can offer future starting potential as a backup to Foley, and he also possesses special teams potential as one of the most athletic players in the draft.

5. Montreal – Seydou Junior Haïdara – WR – Laval

If you could pick one weakness out on the Alouettes roster, it would be their lack of NIM depth. Haidara is a physically gifted receiver who possesses a diverse range of tools. He is athletic enough to see some starting potential in his near future, and can also contribute as a special team player, an area of his game where he takes pride. Haïdara does not possess the same risk to the Alouettes as other CFL clubs, as he would likely be more enticed to report to Alouettes training camp than go back to Laval for his last year.

6. British Columbia – Corey Watman – OL – Eastern Michigan

The Lions are consistently one of the strongest organizations, and some of their success can be attributed to their non-import nucleus. Watman is a battle-tested player, having started multiple years in the NCAA, eliminating some of the risk in drafting him. Watman would possess great value for the Lions next season as a backup interior o-lineman who could eventually take over at centre from Angus Reid.

7. Calgary – Matt Sewell – OL – McMaster

If someone evaluates Sewell as a potential ratio-buster at offensive tackle, he will be long gone by this point. He may not be as effective in the CFL if he has to move to guard, as he will have to battle leverage issues. Sewell is one of the best CIS offensive lineman produced in the last few years and should have a great career regardless of where he ultimately ends up on the offensive line.

8. Toronto – Matt Vonk – OL – Waterloo

Vonk, whom Duane Forde called one of the most athletic offensive lineman in CIS, and one of the best at the combine, combines positional versatility (I think he ends up playing center at the next level), with years of starting experience. Vonk does not present the same risk to the Argos as drafting redshirt junior NCAA guys, since they know he is limited to the CFL, however he does possess a very similar ceiling as the NCAA guys. He is a natural knee bender and a phenomenal athlete on the offensive line. The perfect example of swinging for a double: you know exactly what you're getting with Vonk, and, once he adds the necessary strength and mass, could be the best offensive lineman when we look at this year's class five years down the road.

9. Ottawa – Connor Williams – DL – Utah State

I believe this selection will be between Williams and Craighead (see #10, below), both NCAA guys with solid track records and both natives of the Ottawa area. I fully expect the Ottawa franchise to select the Ottawa native they believe has the best chance of playing in the CFL. Craighead is a multiple year starter at UTEP with prototypical NFL size, so I see them going the safer way with this selection.



ROUND 2

10. Edmonton (via Hamilton) – Brander Craighead – OT – UTEP

Edmonton has made several moves to suggest they would love to go with a non-import at offensive tackle: the addition of Carson Rockhill, and a depth chart that already contains Matt O’Donnell and Dylan Steenbergen. They look poised to go with four non-imports on the O line this year. Craighead possesses the physical capabilities to play on the edge in the CFL and if the Eskimos' Canadian tackle trio develops, he will give them some interesting options in 2014.

11. Winnipeg – Elie Ngoyi – DL – Bishop's

One of the most physically gifted individuals in the draft, Ngoyi is still extremely raw as a defensive lineman. However the skills are there for a defensive-line coach to work with. Immediately Ngoyi offers unique ability as a 260-plus-pound special team player. Ngoyi has a great motor, and even if he never fully develops as a defensive end, he will still be worth this selection based on what he contributes to special teams.

12. British Columbia – Hunter Steward – OL – Liberty

A big future offensive lineman to add to the Lions' collection of non-import depth. While Steward is not the player that McMillan (see #18) is, he possesses a much higher probability of playing in the CFL. McMillan at the very worst will kick around NFL camps next season even if he is not drafted, as Iowa offensive linemen (especially those who are 6-6 and athletic) are extremely appealing to NFL teams.

13. Calgary (via Saskatchewan) – Alex Anthony – WR – Laurier

Calgary is in need of non-import receiver depth and Anthony is an interesting player who possesses all the physical tools needed to succeed as a NIM receiver at the next level. He has experience as both an inside and outside receiver, but he earns this pick at 13 over some of the small receivers as a result of his speed and size and future special team potential.

14. Montreal – Carl-Olivier (C.O.) Prime – LB – Wagner College

Prime is a big physical body that offers great special team value. He could initially offer some depth behind Shea Emry while also adding an upgrade to some of the larger positions on the return units. Has also played fullback in the past and could pose some interesting options for teams at that position.

15. Hamilton (via Edmonton through BC) – Natey Adjei – WR – Buffalo

The Ti-Cats have done a good job of adding talent the last couple of years through the draft, having Mike Atkinson, Fredi Plesius and Arnaud Gascon-Nadon all waiting in the wings. This gives them the luxury of not having to select a player for this year and instead gamble on an NCAA future. Adjei has bounced around the States the last handful of years, but one thing remains constant: he is a great athlete. Adjei, who has yet to make an impact in the NCAA, would be a safe bet to play in the CFL at some point. He has starting non-import potential, which is always worth it with this selection in the 2nd round.

16. Calgary – Jesse Joseph – DL – UConn

Joseph has had some trouble with injuries, but he remains supremely talented. Eligible for the 2013 NFL draft, he will likely get overlooked for medical reasons. He would be an immediate upgrade for Calgary once he returns to health.

17. Toronto – Hosam Shahin – DL – Rice

A potential CFL game-changer, Shahin has NFL potential so obviously there is some risk in this selection. The Argos are not desperate to add non-import talent, having just come off a Grey Cup victory with a strong non-import base. Shahin gives the Argos a nice lottery ticket in case the NFL does not work out for him next season.

18. Ottawa – Nolan McMillan – OL – Iowa

I would be surprised if McMillan didn’t kick around the NFL for a year or two after leaving Iowa. He possesses size for the league and comes from a great program pedigree. Of all the red shirt juniors in this years draft McMillan has the best NFL chance outside of outside of Boseko Lokombo. Ottawa is in the position to take this gamble with their second-round selection, with McMillan a potential ratio-buster at offensive tackle.



ROUND 3

19. Hamilton – Yannick Morin-Plante – WR – Laval

Hamilton needs to address some of their non-import depth issues, especially since they routinely went with three NIM receivers last season. Morin-Plante offers CFL size/speed and has special teams experience at Laval. And for what it's worth, le Noir et Or have not shied away from Laval talent in the past.

20. Winnipeg – Mike DiCroce – WR – McMaster

DiCroce is an interesting prospect that could go much higher than this, as he offers the ability to backup both the slot and REC position and is a slightly more polished Canadian WR then the others I have taken before him. While DiCroce hasn’t shown much value on return units as a blocker, his ability to catch the football has drawn comparisons to Andre Talbot. He could be a real wild-card come draft day.

21. BC (via Edmonton) – Patrick Chenard – DB – Sherbrooke

With the Lions losing Muamba in the offseason, they need to address some of the depth issues associated. They do not necessarily need to add a starting-calibre player at free safety, as they look poised to go non-import at defensive tackle with Jabar Westerman, but Chenard fits the bill required of CFL FSs. He will offer an immediate value as he brings his speed and open-field tackling ability to the coverage units for BC.

22. Saskatchewan – Isaac Dell – FB – Laurier

Dell is one of the most interesting players in the draft, really the definition of what the Canadian full-back position has developed into. He is a capable receiver, athletic enough to contribute on special teams and has the physical capability to develop into a good blocker in time. Has the frame and athleticism to be able to add even more lean mass, which will help aid his transition as a blocker. Really reminds me of a poor man’s Patrick Lavoie who was drafted by Montreal 11th overall in 2012 and had a fantastic rookie campaign. With Saskatchewan rostering two of the oldest fullbacks in the league, the selection of Dell would make sense on so many levels.

23. Montreal – Stephen Alli – WR – Florida

Another physically gifted player, Alli looks like a NFL WR coming off the bus, however for one reason or another he has yet to put it all together down south. Montreal, who possess many draft picks, can take the calculated gamble with this selection in hopes that Alli develops (but not too much!) next year for the Gators. He looks like a good bet to play in the CFL at some point.

24. Edmonton (via Hamilton via BC) – Kalonji Kashama – DL – Eastern Michigan

Kashama comes from strong CFL history (three brothers in the league) and looks extremely likely to play in the CFL at some point. While he could go much higher than this, the threat that he realizes his potential next season and ends up in NFL camp is a real possibility, thus the fall in the draft.

25. Calgary – Andy Mulumba – DL – Eastern Michigan

The Stamps diversify their investment in NCAA players here by pairing Joseph at 16 with Mulumba at 25. It is likely at least one of them plays in the CFL next season. The NFL risk for Mulumba is; if he does not end up in NFL camp, he will likely get selected much higher.

26. Edmonton (via Toronto) – Brent Urban – DL – Virginia

While Urban will likely get NFL looks next season as a 3-4 defensive end, he could eventually see himself playing in the CFL. He has the potential to be a Doug Brown clone on the inside, and if the Eskimos want to maintain their ratio at defensive tackle in the future he would be a fantastic stash pick here.

27. Ottawa – Tolu Akinwumi – DB – Rice

Tolu gives the Ottawa franchise a nice free safety option for next season; he gets the nod over Oregon’s Boseko Lokomko who will likely never play a snap in the CFL.



ROUND 4

28. Calgary – Cam Redl – OL – Saskatchewan

Would have likely been a much higher pick than this if not for health concerns. Redl has size that, as the saying goes, cannot be taught and offers the Stamps a great risk/reward with this selection.

29. Winnipeg – Brett Jones – OL – Regina

An accomplished CIS offensive lineman, Jones is the Canadian version of Corey Watman. He may fall in the draft as teams pigeonhole him as a centre-only prospect. The potential is there for a long CFL career.

30. Montreal (via Edmonton) – Kris Robertson – DB – Concordia

Robertson offers rare physical ability, and once he learns the nuances of playing DB in the CFL, he could add some unique depth possibilities to his game. With many backup defensive backs being Canadian, Robertson would offer the team the luxury of getting out of a game if an import gets injured. Robertson is one of the rare CIS athletes that is athletic enough to play corner in the CFL.

31. Edmonton (via Saskatchewan) – Simon Le Marquand – WR – Ottawa

Edmonton added a big-time player in receiver Shamawd Chambers last season, however they still need some non-import depth behind Chambers and Nate Coehoorn. Le Marquand meets the athletic standards for the position and at this juncture of the draft would be a great addition, with potential to make the roster in 2013.

32. Montreal – Chris Mercer – OL – Regina

A big athletic body that has only scratched the surface of his potential and could eventually develop into a starting quality offensive lineman. Montreal adds Mercer to a deep stable of Canadian offensive linemen.

33. BC – Kyle Norris – LB – SMU

Norris passes the eyeball test when it comes to Canadian linebackers, a good athlete that could come in immediately and fight for playing time on special teams. Norris’s physical tools will be attractive around this juncture of the draft. The Lions lost James Yurichuk to Toronto in the off-season and need to restock their non-import linebacking cupboard.

34. Calgary – Nicolas Boulay – LB – Sherbrooke

A big-hitting linebacker that isn’t a stranger to playing in space, Boulay would offer some depth to a relatively thin Stamps non-import linebacking crew. He also could battle immediately for special teams playing time after Calgary traded Akwasi Antwi to Toronto in the off-season. There is a glaring need on the Stamps depth chart for a couple more physical Canadians, and I fully expect them to address this in the draft.

35. Hamilton – Matt Albright – OL – SMU

Really a very similar prospect to Regina’s Chris Mercer: big guy, potential. Well put together, athletic linemen always seem to be in high demand in the CFL. Hamilton welcomes that added depth to their roster with Albright at 35.

36. Ottawa – Boseko Lokombo – LB – Oregon

At this point Ottawa throws up a Hail Mary with their final selection in the 2013 draft. Lokombo will likely never play in the CFL, but if he does he could be among the best players in the league.


**

And some other interesting names, in no particular order:
  • Steven Lumbala – RB – Calgary: Offers an interesting skill set for teams that are structured to start a non-import RB. Using Canadian RBs can be kind of linked to the “moneyball” philosophy, of taking advantage of a situation when it is too good to ignore. Possible landing place in BC or Calgary.
  • Stephen Adekolu – WR – Bishop's: Another WR that looks great coming off the bus but has yet to realize his potential. Some teams will likely see Akeem Foster when they evaluate him; size/strength/speed guys usually go much higher than you anticipate when it comes to CFL draft day. Intriguing prospect.
  • Shane Bergman – OL – Western: Another big body, though he is still raw, and needs to continue to work on becoming a better athlete. However the potential is there and he should intrigue more than just a few teams.
  • Guillaume Rioux – WR – Laval: A short, shifty, athletic slot receiver. He made a lot of hay in the return game at the CIS level, routinely being one of the most dangerous return men in the country. There is a market for WRs like him in the CFL, however the big question is how valuable is he once you take away the return ability? It is pretty rare for non-import returners in CFL. Would be a nice selection for the Argos to battle with 2012 draft pick Quincy Hurst.
  • Cayman Shutter – QB – Hawaii: Is he the Canadian to finally get back under center? American-trained, Shutter has deep CFL roots that may appeal to some CFL teams in the mid-rounds. Only problem is, there is no incentive ratio-wise. He may be limited if he cannot play QB as he isn’t a special athletic specimen that could easily transition to another position.
  • Mike Spence – DB – Western: A DB that isn’t afraid to mix it up on special teams and isn’t afraid to lay the lumber on WRs. Spence is athletic enough to make a serious contribution on special teams immediately, and possesses the skills that could appeal to non-import free safety teams as a potential starter down the road. Has potential to get drafted much higher.
  • Brent Wheeler – DL – Western: Western has done a great job of producing rotational/special team type d-lineman the past couple years in the CFL. It seems like they are all cut from the same cloth. Wheeler offers a skill set that is very attractive to teams looking for NIM depth and special team potential. Add in the strong program pedigree and it would be easy to see Wheeler making an impact.
  • Cameron Wade – DB – Acadia: A rangy, smart defender who is also a proven CIS special teams player. Wade offers interesting value for CFL clubs as he is larger than most of the other defensive backs in this year's class. Could go off the board much sooner depending on how teams evaluate the other free-safety candidates.
  • Jakob Piotrowksi – OL – Guelph: Was one of the toughest offensive linemen to play against in the OUA prior to missing the 2012 season with a shoulder injury. Had started for multiple seasons on the Gryphons' offensive line and would have likely been one of the first CIS offensive lineman taken in this year’s draft had he played in 2012. Played left tackle for the Gryphons but projects easily as a CFL guard. Possesses the size/speed/strength/nastiness and natural knee bend that you desire in Canadian offensive linemen. He is positioned to be one of the steals of the 2013 draft.
  • Matt Burke – FB – Bishop's: One of the more interesting players in the draft and could really go anywhere depending on what you see when you evaluate him. Burke gets projected as a CFL fullback, however he has limited college tape of doing so. If he commits himself to being a CFL fullback he could be valuable. An intriguing athlete that looks like a potential CFL special team contributor.
  • Brett Lauther – K – SMU: A dual-threat kicker, equally talented as former Huskie Justin Palardy and should entice CFL clubs. Is used to kicking in the elements, as Maritime winds are known to be less than friendly to kickers. The leg talent is there.
  • Michael Klassen – DL – Calgary: An athletic defensive lineman, Klassen comes from a program that is known to put players in the CFL. He has had plenty of exposure to CFL scouts and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him drafted in the mid-rounds. Again, another guy with the size/speed/special teams potential to be drafted higher than you might expect.
  • Kareem Ba – DL/LB – UBC: An enigma who made a great impression at last year's East/West Bowl, making several tackles in the game. However he failed to build on that momentum during his CIS 2012 season. The lack of 2012 production will surely be a red flag. Will be a true wildcard in the draft.
  • Matt McGarva – S – Windsor: A missile on defense that isn’t afraid to throw his head in the blender to make a play. Tested well enough at the combine to back up what he has shown on film, and should appeal to teams looking for a gritty special team player. Good fit as a "hot to the ball" guy on coverage units. Similar build to Mike Miller.
  • Cameron Thorn – OL – Guelph: Thorn, a former defensive tackle, offers some intriguing athletic value. He has never played the position but possesses great physical tools that could be projectable to playing tackle in the CFL. I could see the Alouettes drafting Thorn, teaching him some of the finer points of playing OL as a non-counter in training camp, and sending him back to Guelph to hone his skills on the offensive line. Thorn would eventually add to the Alouettes considerable stable of non-import lineman in 2014.

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Tuesday, April 09, 2013

Basketball: A different version of "names of the year"
(or, "CIS scorekeepers are spellbound")

Nearly five years ago I had some fun at the expense of CIS statkeepers, particularly in basketball. I'm glad to report that since then, the names listed in boxscores are generally correct. However, now that CIS boxscores include play-by-play, it unfortunately means more opportunities for misspellings.

I fully admit I am the only person who seems to care about this, but having done the work to fix the names, I'm still going to share the many examples of typos or other inaccuracies that just shouldn't be happening.

These are all actual names as listed in men's basketball play-by-play. This is only men's basketball because I did that first. Women's basketball would presumably have the same problems.

**

Thomas Filigiano, Acadia
FILIGIANO,THOMA
FILIGIANO,THOMAS
FILGIANO,THOMAS

Issack Egueh, Brock
EGUEH,ISAACK
EGURH,ISSACK
EGUEH,ISAAC
EGUEH,ISSACK

C.J. Smith, Brock
SMITH,C.J.
SMITH,CJ
J. SMITH,C

Kelson Devereaux, Cape Breton
DEVEREAUX,KELSON
DEVEREAUX,KELSEN
DEVERAUX,KELSON

Clinton Springer-Williams, Carleton
SPRINGER-WILLIAMS,CLINTON
SPRINGER-WILLIAMS,C
SPRINGER-WIL,CLINTON
SPRING-WILL,CLINTON

Jean Pierre-Charles, Carleton (or Jean Emmanuel Pierre-Charles, depending)
PIERRE-CHARLES,JEAN
E PIERRE-CHARLES,J
EMMANUEL PIERRE,JEAN
PIERRE-CHARLES,JE

Jean-Andre Moussignac, Concordia
MOUSSIGNAC,JEAN-ANDRE
MOUSSIGNAC,JEAN-A
MOUSSIGNAC,J-A

Kashrell Lawrence, Dalhousie
LAWRENCE,KASHRELL
LAWERENCE,KASHRELL
LARENCE,KASHRELL

Joseph Nitychoruk, Lakehead
NITYCHORUK,JOSEPH
NITYCHORUK,JOSHEPH
NITYCHORUK,JOESPH

Mathew Schmidt, Lakehead
SCHMIDT,MATHEW
SCHMIDT,MATTHEW
SCHMIDT,MATT

Tychon Carter-Newman, Laurentian
CARTER-NEWMAN,TYCHON
CARTER-NEWMAN,T
CARTER-NEWMAN,TYCHAN

Laurier Beaulac-Dufresne, Laval:
BEAULAC-DUFRESNE,LAURIER
BEAULAC-D,LAURIER
,LAURIER BEAULAC-DUF
BEAULAC-DUF.,LAURIER
DUFRESNE,L
BEAULAC-DUF,LAURIER

Winn Clark, McGill
CLARK,WINN
CLARK,W
CLARK,D (huh?)

Aleksandar Mitrovic, McGill
MITROVIC,ALEKSANDAR
MITROVIC,A
MITROVIC,ALEKSANDER

Te'Jour Riley, McGill
RILEY,TE'JOUR
RILEY,Y
RILEY,T

Alpha Kisusi, Memorial
KISUSI,ALPHA
KISSUSI,ALPHAEUS
KISUSI,ALPHAEUS

Chris Henderson, Memorial
HENDERSON,CHRIS
HENDERSN,CHRISTOPHER
HENDERSO,CHRISTOPHER

Johnny Berhanemeskel, Ottawa
BERHANEMESKEL,JOHNNY
BERHANEMESKEL,JOHN
BERHANEMESKEL,JOHNN

Gabriel Gonthier-Dubue, Ottawa:
GONTHIER-DUBUE,GABRIEL
-DUBUE,GABRIEL G
GONTHIER-DUBUE,GABR
GONTHIER-DUBUE,GAB
G.-DUBUE,GABRIEL
GONTHIER-DUB,GABRIEL
GONTHIER-DUBUE,G

Sukhpreet Singh, Queen's
SINGH,SUKHPREET
SINGH,SUHKPREET
SING,SUKHPREET

Nikola Misljencevic, Queen's
MISLJENCEVIC,NIKOLA
MISLIJEVIC,NIKOLOA
MISLENCEVIC,NIKOLA

Juwon Ogunnaike-Grannum, Ryerson
OGUNNAIKE-GRANNUM,JUWON
OGUNNAIKE-GRANNUM,J
OGUNNAIKE-GRAN,JUWON
OGUNNAIKE-GARNNUM,J
OGUNNAIKE-G,JUWON

Osman Odol, Saint Mary's
ODOL,OSMAN
OLOL,OSMAN
OLAL,OSMON

Mike Pajovic, Toronto
PAJOVIC,MIKE
PAJOVIC,MILE
PAJOVIC,M

Alejandro Prescott-Cornejo, Toronto
PRESCOTT-CORNEJO,ALEJANDRO
PRESCOTT-CORNEJO,A
PRESCOTT-COMEJO,A
PRESCOTT,A
PRESCOTT-C,ALEJANDRO
P-CORNEJO,ALEJANDRO

Laszlo Schuetz, Toronto
SCHUETZ,LASZLO
SCHUETZ,LASZIO
SHUETZ,L

Dan Quiron, UNB
QUIRON,DAN
QUIRON,DANIEL
QUIRION,DANIEL

Opel Samuel Otieno, UPEI
SAMUELOTIENO,OPEL
OTIENO,OPEL SAMUEL
SAMUEL OTIENO,OPEL

Vincent Lanctot-Fortier, UQAM
LANCTOT-FORTIER,VINCENT
LANCTOT-FORT,VINCENT
L-FORTIER,VINCENT
,VINCENT LANCTOT-F
-FORTIER,VINCENT L

Rotimi Osuntola, Jr., Windsor
OSUNTOLA JR,ROTIMI
OSCUNTOLA,ROTIMNI
OSUNTOLA JR.,ROTIMNI
OSUNTOLA JR.,ROTIMI
OSUNTOLA,ROTIMI
JR,ROTIMI OSUNTOLA
,ROTIMI OSUNTOLA JR
,ROTIMNI OSUNTOLA JR
ROTIMI,OSUNTOLA JR

Matthew Ziobrowski, York
ZIOBROWSKI,MATT
ZIOBROWSKI,MATTHEW
ZIOBROWSKI,NICK (good hustle there, York scorekeepers)
ZIBROWSKI,MATTHEW

**

Many are double-barrelled last names, but many are not, and I don't know what having one or two last names has to do with spelling "Grannum" four different ways.

As I wrote in 2008: "There are two possibilities: the scorekeepers are incorrectly copying the names from the roster sheet, or the spellings on the team rosters are inconsistent from game to game. Neither mistake is hard to fix; neither mistake should happen as often as these do."

It's now 2013. There has been progress, but not enough. Let's fix this, okay?

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