Basketball is different here; a Case in point

Getting a different perspective is one side benefit of the CIS vs. NCAA weekend. Here's one odd observation via Case Keefer of the Daily Kansan, who was in Ottawa to cover the Jayhawks' wins Saturday over McGill (72-67) and Carleton (84-83):

"While Canadian players are on the bench, they cheer and chant during important situations. It’s kind of freaking me out. Not that there’s anything wrong with it – I’m just not used to it. It reminds me of a softball game in America. The players on Ottawa's bench just started chanting 'Defense!' and McGill did something similar a couple times this afternoon."
Actually, that would be "DE-fence! DE-fence!"

In all honesty, having played (very) little hoops (and badly at that) and covered basketball (no great shakes at that either), it had never sunk in that the players on the bench chanting "defence" was a Canadian thing. Who knows, maybe it stems from the fact that while Americans play in very loud, packed gyms, Canadian ballers often do play in gyms in front of just family and friends.

There's more on the Scotiabank Place doubleheader over at the mothership, Out of Left Field.
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3 comments:

  1. I just love the fact the Kansan sent a beat writer. To Ottawa. For an exhibition game. Against a school from Canada. Canadian papers don't send reporters to the next city much less the next province or country for that matter.

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  2. And, of course, the Kansan is a student newspaper. The Charlatan's recap of the Acadia-Carleton game was...uh, let's say it had errors.

    My favourite part of the "DE-fence! DE-fence!" chant is it never stops, at least at the games I've seen. Important situations, unimportant...the bench players just keep going. Gotta do something, I guess.

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  3. I used to line up each starter's water bottle in the order they were likely to come out of the game.

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