Laval guard Elyse Jobin's hometown paper has a feature today on her efforts to make Canada's under-19 women's team, a few months after her university season was cut short by a broken leg.

Canada finished second behind the U.S. at the FIBA Americas qualifier last summer (Ottawa native Stephanie MacDonald, who is a sophomore at Canisius in the NCAA, was on the team and). Quoth Jobin:
"Qualifying last year was such a big thing for us and we surprised so many people. I thought I had a good part in that and I want to be on the team that goes to the world championship."
Canada will compete in the FIBA U19 World Championship For Women, July 23-Aug. 2 in Bangkok, Thailand. The previous U19 teams finished ninth in at the 2005 and '07 tourneys, so if they can reach the quarter-finals, that will be an improvement.

Hoopster eyes spot on Cdn. team; Elyse Jobin coming off strong rookie season with Laval Rouge et Or (Sean Hatcherd, Moncton Times & Transcript)
It's kind of a fun diversion with Canadian university hockey to track who some of these guys played with in their younger days. Acadia goalie Mike Chiasson and defenceman Nathan Welton were minor hockey teammates with a certain No. 87 on the Pittsburgh Penguins:
" 'He comes home and he’s just like one of us all over again,' Chiasson said. 'You would never know he's the top player in the NHL. He knows where he’s from and he keeps in touch with everyone. He’s been great like that ever since he’s moved on.' "
Related:
Former teammates making journey to Pittsburgh to see Crosby
It turns out Sean Anthony, a 6-foot-4 forward who graduated as McGill's all-time fourth-leading scorer, is getting some national team consideration in the Phillipines. He's presently in Tokyo playing for a Filopino national developmental team.

Anthony's mother is Filipina, and he impressed recently during a tryout camp in Las Vegas for Filipino-Americans.
"Sean played in a scrimmage between Filipino-Americans and Smart-Gilas in Las Vegas and he impressed with good shot selection, tough defence and overall court sense ... He’s still learning and adjusting to coach (Rajko Toroman's) system. He also played in our games against the Red Bull and Talk ‘N Text teams, where he (contributed) good quality minutes." — Noli Eala, executive director, Phillipines national team
The Phillipines is currently 63rd in the FIBA World Rankings, so even the discussed expansion of the Olympics from 12-16 teams might not help its bid to qualify for the 2012 London Summer Games. Still, it sounds like a great adventure for Sean Anthony.

(Thanks to McGill SID Earl Zukerman for the info.)
Veteran journalists Mike Hogan of The FAN 590 i in Toronto and Jim Mullin of CKNW in Vancouver have a new initiative which could help better co-ordinate media coverage of Canadian university football.

The two are forming the University Football Reporters of Canada (ufrc.wordpress.com), which at first glance sounds promising. Their efforts would include overhauling how the Top 10 is voted on and honouring the sport's history through the creation of a wing for university football at the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

For the Top 10, the UFRC proposes having a combined coaches' and media poll. The media side would include six voters from the West, six from Ontario, six from the Atlantic/Québec region, six national media members and three at-large members. It sounds like it could make the polling more transparent, which would reduce the accusations of a regional bias.
Acadia's recruiting class is going to make the Axemen an intriguing young team in the AUS next winter. Forward Owen Klassen, out of Kingston, Ont., was considered the big get, along two guards from New Brunswick, Jonathan Kamba and Anthony Sears, the latter of whom was profiled in the Times-Transcript this week:
"Sears, who helped Riverview High win the New Brunswick senior boys AAA high school championship in 2008 and was selected the Northeast Conference senior boys AAA player of the year this past season, is expected to get big minutes right away in Wolfville at the point, where he's shown he can excel as a shooter, passer or slasher.

" 'I hope to contribute as soon as I can. I want to be able to run the point at a high level and get everybody involved,' said Sears, who will graduate from Riverview High in June and study business and recreation management at Acadia.

" 'I'm going to be surrounded by a lot of really good players and I want to get everybody involved. I might not be as much of a scorer as I was this season, but that's how I want to play.' "
Related:
Royals star headed to Acadia U; Anthony Sears considered one of the top high school basketball recruits in Canada (Sean Hatchard, Moncton Times & Transcript)
Monty Mosher offered a key bit of understanding earlier this week about how the recession will affect Canadian Interuniversity Sport schools:
"Any troubles this year could be the thin edge of the wedge. Universities fear a downturn in enrolments, given high tuitions and rising unemployment, which could impact future budgets.

AUS members had to make commitments to remain in their respective sports last fall. That means changes, if more are forthcoming, would be more likely for 2010-2011.
As an aside, Atlantic conference president Phil Currie is quoted, "In fact, even without the Final 8 (men’s basketball tournament), we probably had one of the best years we’ve ever had."

Just to be cheeky, if the AUS didn't need to host the Final 8 to make money, why were they so eager to get it back for 2011?

Related:
AUS hangs tough, for now (Monty Mosher, Halifax Chronicle-Herald)
It's more of a business story than a sports story, but the student paper at Portland State has a feature today on incoming Trinity Western guard Tyrell Mara, who played in the past two NCAA Tournaments:
"When asked where he sees himself in the next five years, Mara said he would like to be playing basketball in Western Europe half the year and the other half he would be returning to his roots, of course with his traditional positive outlook.

" '(In five years) I’m back locally in Vancouver where I live, working in the community and working with my high school coaching basketball.' "
Related:
Positive potential; Tyrell Mara grades out well in the classroom, on the court and life (Daily Vanguard)
Manitoba Bisons alum Israel Idonije has always shown versatility in his NFL career, which helps explain why he's got a new two-year contract with the Chicago Bears. Last year he was a 305-lb. defensive tackle and this season he's aiming to line up as a 265-lb. defensive end:
"The leaner version of Israel Idonije has been on display this off-season as the Bears defensive lineman slimmed down to 270 pounds from 300-plus. And he’s not done just yet.

"The 6-foot-6-inch Idonije topped off at 306 pounds last season as the Bears used him at defensive tackle. He was gaining weight at this time last year.

"Playing at his targeted weight (of 265 lbs.) in '09, Idonije should be valuable as an edge rusher in the defensive end rotation. He could see action inside on passing down, when the Bears move into their nickel package."
Related:
Israel Idonije plans to shed a few more pounds for training camp (Vaughan McClure, Chicago Tribune)
By now, you probably heard that Duncan McLean, a backup linebacker with the Calgary Dinos, has received a two-year doping ban.

The curious part, at least from an outsider's perspective, is the time lag between the athlete being tested and the reporting of the positive test.
"McLean, a native of Vernon, B.C., was tested on March 20. He was suspended from the Dinos this month when the team was notified of the results of a urine test."
Someone I was talking to put it this way: If football players are tested in August and it takes a couple months for a positive test to be reported, what's the incentive for someone who knows he's playing his final season to train clean, if no one will find out until after the season?

I'm not one to call someone a cheater or cast aspersions on the offender's team or school, but that seems like a loophole in the enforcement.

Related:
U of C football player tests positive for steroids (CBC.ca, May 27)
Queen's Golden Gaels centre Dan Bederman, a two-time OUA all-star, has signed a free-agent deal with the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Since there is no chance of this site ever being viewed as impartial when it comes to anything Queen's Football-related, here's hoping the 6-foot-3, 320-lb. Bederman makes good on his opportunity. Centres don't get a lot of glory, but was the anchor for a blocking group which cleared the way for Mike Giffin to have consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons and gave the other Dan B., as in quarterback Brannagan, plenty of time to throw.

Hamilton has an established Canadian centre, five-year veteran Marwan Hage, who is signed through 2010 and is one of the CFL's best-paid O-linemen. Getting a foothold as a lineman in the CFL is very difficult. All Bederman can do is give it all he has, eh.

The other Gael who was thought to have a good shot at being signed, defensive back-kick returner Jimmy Allin, hasn't been picked up. Allin's unique skill set probably mandates that someone has to give him a look. If not, though, people wouldn't mind if he wore the Tricolour for another season.
The emotion was palpable the night the Windsor Lancers cut down the nets after beating Ottawa for the OUA women's basketball title, which was to be expected given all that the region has endured in the past few months (you might have heard something about that when junior hockey's Spitfires won the Memorial Cup last Sunday).

Now the Lancers' rise has been chronicled on film:
"Dream Circles is the 40-minute production of University of Windsor professor Min Bae, which will premiere June 16 at the Capitol Theatre.

"The film chronicles the team's transformation from perennial loser to OUA champions in 2008-09.

" 'It's highly emotional,' Lancers' coach Chantal Vallee said. 'I was exhausted after watching it. It has a great ending and a great beginning. It's really artistic. It's not a documentary, it's a film.' "
There is a premiere on June 16. Information on tickets is in the Windsor Star's story.

Lancers women's hoops team gets Hollywood treatment (Mary Caton, The Windsor Star)
Canada Basketball's invite list for the women's team tryout camp this week includes some homegrown talent:
  • Laval point guard Chanelle St-Amour and post Marie-Michelle Genois;
  • UBC post Leanne Evans;
  • Simon Fraser post Laurelle Weigl; former Clan guard Teresa Gabriele is also back, as you would take for granted;
  • Former Winnipeg star Uzo Asagwara, who averaged 28 points during her final CIS season in '06-07;
Also of note is that Gonzaga forward Janelle Bekkering (sister of Henry and Ross of Calgary Dinos fame) was also invited, along with Ottawa native Kadie Riverin, who ran the point at Rice University in Houston from 2004-08 and spent last season playing in Switzerland.

Canada is gearing up for the FIBA Americas qualifier, where it needs a top-three finish to qualify for the worlds in September 2010.

Please speak up if there are any alumnae on the tryout whom I missed.
There's a push on for the Edmonton Oilers to sign Alberta's all-Canadian goalie, Aaron Sorochan, as a free agent.
"... Sorochan is sitting right under the noses of Oilers management.

The homegrown stopper, a two-time CIS all-star who backstopped the Alberta Golden Bears to two national titles, has finished his studies at the University of Alberta and is looking for a place to play.

Besides, it’s not like the Oilers don’t know about the 25-year-old Sorochan — they invited him to camp a few years ago and even signed him to an amateur tryout contract in December 2007 to back up Mathieu Garon against New Jersey after (Dwayne) Roloson was shelved by the flu." — OilersNation.com
Coming Down The Pipe! has also expressed hope the Oilers would take a flier on Sorochan.

Related:
A backyard find? (OilersNation.com)
Safety Doug Goldsby, who began his career at UBC playing quarterback, has signed with the Montreal Alouettes:
"Goldsby has signed for three years plus an option after being protected by the Alouettes as an undrafted Canadian free agent. He played seven games in 2008 with the UBC Thunderbirds, recording 25 tackles and two tackles for a loss and participated in the East-West Bowl. He is 22."
Canada Basketball announced tryout and final rosters for six of its national teams Friday (U16, U19 and development teams which will play at the July 1-12 Summer Universiade in Belgrade, Serbia. Here's a rundown of Canadian Interuniversity Sport content:

Junior men's national team (FIBA U19 World Championship, Auckland, New Zealand)
  • Two of the players who have followed Greg Francis from NEDA to the U of A, wing Rob Dewar and guard Jordan Baker, are attending the team's tryout camp.
  • First-year Alberta coach Greg Francis is the team's head coach, with Ottawa's Dave DeAveiro on staff as an assistant.
  • As a sidenote, Brampton native Tristan Thompson, who is considered one of the best high school players in the U.S., is listed on the tryout roster. Cory Joseph and Junior Cadougan, two point guards from the GTA who have been playing at prep schools in the U.S., are not, however.
Junior women's national team (FIBA U19 World Championship For Women, July 23-Aug. 2, Bangkok, Thailand)
Men's development team (World Student Games, Belgrade, Serbia, July 1-12)
  • Nine current Canadian university players are confirmed: Boris Bakovic (Ryerson), who had a good tournament with the U21 team two summers ago; Calgary big man Ross Bekkering; graduated Carleton forward Aaron Doornekamp; reigning CIS player of the year Jacob Doerksen (Trinity Western); graduated UBC guard Chris Dyck; graduated Windsor post player Greg Surmacz; fifth-year Ottawa guard Josh Gibson-Bascombe; Cape Breton combo forward Philip Nkrumah; and St. FX guard Christian (T-Bear) Upshaw.
  • Guelph's Chris O'Rourke is coach.
Women's development team (World Student Games, Belgrade, Serbia, July 1-12)
  • The long list for the women's team for the student games includes...
  • In the frontcourt, Simon Fraser's Laurelle Weigl and Robyn Buna; UVic's CIS player of the year, Kayla Dykstra; UBC's Leanne Evans and Zara Huntley; Laval's Marie-Michelle Genois;
  • Among the guards, Cape Breton's Kelsey Hodgson; Saskatchewan's Lindsay DeGroot; McMaster's Taylor Smith and Laval's Chanelle St-Amour.
  • UBC's Deb Huband and Laval's Linda Marquis are co-coaches, with Cape Breton's Fabian McKenzie as the assistant. Ottawa assistant coach Moriah Trowell will also be a team manager.
A note to whoever ends up rooming with incoming Guelph guard Brady Heslip: He's going to need most of the closet space for his collection of basketball sneakers, which is in the area of 75, 80 pairs.

That's from a Q&A that Heslip did with SLAM Online. The 6-foot-2 guard, son of Gryphons legend Tom Heslip and nephew of Jay Triano of Toronto Raptors and USA Basketball renown, averaged 28 points and four assists for Burlington Nelson last season. Brady also had good comments on why he is staying in Canada in place of going to a NCAA D-1 mid-major:
"Just the fact that I’m going to be home in Canada and I'm going to be an impact player right away and be able to start. I’m going to be able to do what I want to do for five years as opposed to learning the ropes down there for two years and getting my two years to play. That was a major factor in me wanting to stay."
Greg Layson also profiled Brady Heslip last month.

Related:
A Collector With Game; Brady Heslip's sneaks are as hot as his shooting hand (Chris O'Leary, SLAM Online)
Top young Canadian player's collection matches his game (Canada Basketball)
You have to read about incoming UBC Thunderbirds defensive end Ben Kahriman, the child of Bosnian refugees who "literally got the last train out of Serbia" during the war in the 1990s. Honestly, it is heart-in-the-throat stuff, about a young man and his parents who have overcome more than you could while passing through 100 lifetimes.
"Kahriman might have received Division I offers had it not been for his physical setbacks, but he isn't deterred by it. He believes he still might wind up playing at that level if UBC joins the NCAA, which the Canadian university has been considering. The key is that the prestigious university presents the best springboard to his longer-term goals — helping people from his native country.

" 'There's still a lot of hatred between the religions, and there's a still a lot of anger between Montenegro and Serbia, Bosnia and Serbia,' he said. 'My main goal in life is to help people in that region develop stable government.' "
Words kind of fail when you read about this:
"' I remember since I was little, like 3 or 4, at the dinner table there would be talk about the war and everything,' Kahriman said. 'My mom, she didn't want to hide anything from me. She wanted me to know everything that was happening and didn't want to shield us.'

"... 'When I got older, probably fourth or fifth grade, I developed a resentment against what happened and the fact that a lot of innocent civilians died like my grandparents,' "
There's someone you have to cheer for, regardless of rooting interest.

Kahriman clan gets off train ride to nowhere (Carl Steward, InsideBayArea.com)
Balkan war refugee achieves college football dream (Vytas Mazeika, San Jose Mercury News)
The Windsor Star quotes from Lancers coach Chris Oliver today about two of his incoming players, 6-foot-10 post Blake Pauls from Leamington and 6-6 guard Justin Wiltshire from Pickering via Lincoln (Ill.) Community College, a U.S. juco:

On Pauls: "He's got the potential to be very good at our level ... He's not going to be asked to do a lot in terms of offence right away but he has to learn to play off the ball and to rebound and defend. If he can master those nuances then he has a chance for minutes (next season)."

On Wiltshire, who helped Pickering win the OFSAA quad-A title in 2008 (well, Devoe Joseph and Cory Joseph had a lot to do with it, too): "He's the heir apparent to Andre (Smyth). At times this year, we didn't have any size in the backcourt, especially when Andre got in foul trouble. Justin will give us the type of rebounder you need to play a small lineup."

Related:
Lancers land Pauls; Top basketball recruits sign on (Mary Caton, The Windsor Star)
Jim Thomas' reports at The Hoop-la.com are always a source of good information. His latest includes a note that it might not be too long before one of the Toronto area's brightest coaching stars is running a university team:
"Humber College coach Darryl Glenn turned down the Manitoba job in early April for family reasons I believe but is still one of the hottest candidates for a CIS job out there. All three Toronto universities will be looking for new coaches over the next three years and Glenn will be a superb catch for any one of these schools. Darryl is highly respected in the basketball community and with his success at Humber can write his own ticket to a CIS coaching job very soon." (emphasis mine)
Toronto's Mike Katz, York's Bob Bain and Ryerson's Glenn Taylor are the deans of the OUA East coaching ranks. Glenn, though, has a solid record that merits a look.

Ottawa coach Dave DeAveiro also has a lot of ties to the Toronto area. It wouldn't do to speculate, but with his university having already lost one coach, the mind does reel a bit.

Thomas also reckons that Chris O'Rourke at Guelph has the best recruiting class in OUA men's basketball, along with Dave Smart at national champion Carleton.
The Victoria Vikes announced Tuesday that guard Carmen Lapthorne, who guided Camosun College to a provincial title and a berth at the Canadian collegiate championship, has come aboard for next season:
"We're fortunate to get player of this caliber, who can have an impact in our league right away. She has a high basketball IQ, great natural instincts, and an ability to flat-out shoot the ball." — UVic coach Brian Cheng (team release)
Lapthorne averaged 12.9 points and 3.1 assists for Camosun last season.

Everyone who played significant minutes for the 17-6 Vikes last season, including player of the year Kayla Dykstra. Cheng also has commitments from two of B.C.'s best frontcourt players, 6-footer Elyse Matthews and 5-foot-11 Allison Mulock.

Canada West basketball will be fun to follow with the new two-division format and cross-over playoffs. It opens it up for the teams who aren't the UBC men or Simon Fraser women.
Two schools can play at this transfer game: The word is out that the Queen's Golden Gaels have added linebacker Shomari Williams, who played three seasons for the Houston Cougars, a Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) school.


Watch Shomari Williams tackle in Sports | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

The estimable Duane Forde had a report on Williams over the long weekend (a friend of the blog had mentioned a while ago that the Brampton native was coming to Queen's, but that it was on the QT).
"Williams, a native of Brampton, Ontario, has spent the past three seasons playing for the University of Houston Cougars but, after graduating earlier this spring and turning down multiple job offers, he's taking his talents north to Kingston, Ontario, where he'll suit up for the Queen's Golden Gaels. The 6'2”, 245 lbs. linebacker saw the field as a true freshman in 2006 and has earned regular playing time on the Cougar defence over the last two years, as well as contributing on special teams throughout his tenure in Houston. Despite his size, Williams also carved out a reputation as one of the fastest linebackers at UH, backing that up with a 4.61 second forty-yard dash in recent testing. That combination of size, experience, and mobility should have Williams challenging the aforementioned (Montreal's Joash) Gesse and (Concordia's Cory) Greenwood to become the top rated linebacker in the Class of 2010."
Suffice to say, Gaels defensive co-ordinator Pat Tracey will have options in the second level of his defence, depending on who returns from last season's fourth-year players (here one thinks of someone such as Thaine Carter, the Presidents' Trophy winner who has been drafted by Winnipeg of the CFL).

The CFL might want Williams as a linebacker, although he could play there or give Queen's a pass rusher coming off the edge with Osie Ukwuoma on the other side, if he returns from the Calgary Stampeders. That would be something to see.
The Ottawa Citizen had a nice feature on former Ottawa Gee-Gees footballer Trevor Monaghan's work with Cree youth in Chisasabi, Que., near James Bay.
"This is the second year Monaghan has brought kids from Chisasabi. Last year, 17 came made the two-day bus ride. This year, 25 have achieved the school attendance level required to come to camp.

"Monaghan is planning to start a summer six-on-six tackle program in Chisasabi, a community that doesn't yet have a dedicated football field.

"The camp in Ottawa is spring training for players, whom he hopes will bring their new enthusiasm back to other teens in Chisasabi."
Monaghan's bio says he played for the Gee-Gees from 1997-99 and again in 2001. One wishes him all the best in his efforts.
The Toronto Stealth semi-pro team began its maiden season in the Women's Blue-Chip Basketball League on Saturday ... suffice to say, Toronto Star hoops chronicler Doug Smith came away impressed:
"It was a rather interesting, and somewhat surprising to me, night at Ryerson on Saturday. I was fully impressed by the crowd – more than 100 doesn’t sound like much but I’ve been at national team events the past without audiences that big and it was a Saturday night of a long weekend for a team no one’s heard of at a gym that you need a GPS to find.

"The calibre of play wasn't the greatest but you have to figure it's only going to get better and that’s the most important thing. There needs to be places for women – and men – to develop their skills during or after their college careers and this is a perfect opportunity.

"Minor league sports, particularly minor league basketball is this (Toronto) market, is a dicey proposition at best and who knows how long the Stealth will actually last. But I think it deserves a chance, and it deserves some support; I presume I'll be back if time permits and if I had a young daughter interested in the game, I'd take her to see the Stealth play some night.

"You should, too."
The Stealth's CIS contingent includes former Brock star Jodie Ebeling, a five-time OUA all-star who was once invited to a WNBA free-agent camp. Three current or former U of T posts, Laila Bellony, Tara Kinnear and Nicki Schutz, are also on the team, along with guard Kim Lee (Waterloo) and forwards Kerri Jilesen (Laurier) and Ashley Stephen (St. FX).

The Stealth's home games are at Kerr Hall on the Ryerson campus, all on Saturday night at 7 p.m. Their home games include:
  • May 30 vs. Flint
  • June 6 vs. Detroit
  • June 27 vs. Detroit
  • July 18 vs. Montreal
Related:
Semi-pro league gives women's hoops a boost (Doug Smith, Toronto Star, May 17)
As if the rivalry between CU and the U of O needed more spice. Veteran coach Shelley Coolidge is now the Carleton Ravens' skipper, after being fairly successful with the rival Ottawa Gee-Gees.
"I am looking forward to the opportunity and challenge of coaching the Carleton Ravens and remaining in the QSSF. I am also happy that with my new position I can continue to work with the youth of Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec and watch the growth of Girls Hockey in our region." press release
It's a good move for Carleton, which is really stepping it up as a sports school. The women's hockey Ravens have had good battles in the playoffs with Ottawa for the past three years (their best-of-3 series last season was a five-gamer, thanks to multiple overtimes).

Coolidge guided the Gee-Gees to four CIS championship appearances in six seasons, including a silver-medal showing in 2003-04.
In the absence of much to talk about, here's a bullet-point list of how The Score could arrange the University Rush schedule, presuming they pick it up on Sept. 12, the first week the OUA has Saturday games.

This schedule gets Western, Laurier and Queen's three appearances apiece in the regular season, with Ottawa appearing twice, while still leaving an opening for an out-of-conference game featuring the Calgary Dinos.
  • Week 2, Sept. 12, Laurier at Western: Use the KISS principle and start with the teams who have combined for four of the past five Yates Cups, especially since the Golden Hawks were much improved by the end of last season.

  • Week 3, Sept. 19, Queen's at Ottawa: The Score has to budget trips east of Toronto. It announced one trip to Queen's in Kingston and one to Ottawa at the outset of the '08 season, and later made a second trip to Kingston. This would be a rematch from the 2008 playoffs and an early chance to introduce viewers to Gee-Gees QB Brad Sinopoli. Ottawa-Queen's is a decent rivalry.

    Waterloo-Laurier or Western-Windsor, the latter of which is a night game, are also options if the OUA and The Score want to get the Warriors and Lancers some exposure. Granted, it's not clear why that would be an objective.

  • Week 4, Sept. 26, Western at Guelph: A good chance to get the Gryphons on. Laurier-McMaster is also a strong possibility, although that would mean having to give up one of the two good October matchups involving the Golden Hawks (sees Weeks 5 & 8).

  • Week 5, Oct. 3, Ottawa at Laurier: The Score aired these two teams at the same point last season, with the Golden Hawks winning a 22-21 thriller (don't ask which contributor to this site missed that one to take in an 80-0 blowout). Laurier and Ottawa also put on a good show in 2006, with the Gee-Gees having to come from behind for the win.

    Western's homecoming game vs. McMaster should also get some consideration, just to remind people that some universities still have homecoming football games [/bitter Queen's grad].

  • Week 6, Oct. 10, Manitoba at Calgary: There is an argument for doing a Canada West game, since the only Saturday game in Ontario and Quebec is Queen's at Waterloo. It wouldn't hurt The Score to air a Canada West regular-season game. It wouldn't come cheap, though.

    (Just a note: The bowl matchups are QUFL-OUA and Canada West-AUS this season. Hat tip to Ben Matchett from the U of Calgary. I was evidently a year ahead.)

    Toronto-McMaster is the most appealing of the three Thursday matchups, since the improving Varsity Blues or the Marauders have yet to be slotted in.

    Go ahead and laugh about Queen's and Waterloo being the only ones playing on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. The two nerdy engineering schools' students are too busy studying to go home for the weekend, much less attend a football game.

  • Week 7, Oct. 17, Western at Queen's (1 p.m.) and McMaster-Windsor (7 p.m.): How can you not have the rivalry game? Adding a second game also makes sure the Marauders and Lancers get covered in a game with playoff implications.

  • Week 8, Oct. 24, Queen's at Laurier: This week usually is left open in order to show the game with the greatest playoff implications. In that regard, it could be the Guelph-McMaster game.
A couple CFL comings-and-goings to note: Former Acadia and Ottawa slotback Ivan Birungi has been signed by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The Edmonton Eskimos also released former Laval tailback Pierre-Luc Yao.

Related:
Bombers sign three, including non-import receiver (TSN.ca)
There is no late hockey on Thursday night, so if you're up at midnight, flick over to Rogers Sportsnet East.

A circus shot that Concordia point guard Damian Buckley made last year in a game against the Virginia Cavaliers will appear on an episode of The Best Damn Sports Show entitled "Random Acts of Awesome." It airs at midnight (all times ET) on Thursday on the 'Net East. It will be repeated Saturday at 1:30 a.m. on Sportsnet Ontario and at 2:30 a.m. on Sportsnet East.

Here's the shot, for those who haven't seen. Buckley had the ball knocked away at the top of the key by a Virginia player. He dove to recover the ball while well out from the basket, fired it toward the basket while still down and swished it:



The kicker is that even diehard CIS devotees might not have seen Buckley's shot (the guy writing the post very much included). It is far and away the most viewed clip at the ConUStingers YouTube channel, though.
The Canada West men's hockey playoff format was revamped at the Canada West annual general meeting in Winnipeg this past week. Instead of six of the conference's seven teams making the playoffs, now only the top four will qualify for the postseason. It's far from a subtle change and is something that undoubtedly add more importance to the regular season.

Under the previous system when all but one team made the conference playoffs, it was more of a feat to not make the playoffs than to make them. In many ways teams had to play their way out of the playoffs rather than play their way in - and that's not the way it should be. The move to shrink the playoff pool is a good move as it makes the regular season more critical, and the playoffs truly a showcase for the best of the best in the conference. In a conference with only seven teams having four playoff spots is the best option. Lower seeds have been able to hang with the top teams in the playoffs, as illustrated by the #6 seeded Regina Cougars who beat the #3 seed Manitoba Bisons in the opening round and then pushed Alberta to three games in the conference semifinals, but the regular season needs to hold more importance and the playoff format change is the only way to do that.

The new system is simple - four teams, two semifinal series and a championship final. It will avoid the lengthy layoffs that teams have seen in the past with the top two teams clinching byes in the first round of the playoffs under the old six team format. Those layoffs in many cases have hindered teams more than helped them - as seen this playoff season when both Alberta and Saskatchewan struggled to get their powerplays in sync after their first round byes coupled with players heading off to China for the FISU games.

Maybe if the conference can get back to eight teams having a six team playoff would make sense, but with any expansion in men's hockey a far ways off, moving to a four team playoff is the best thing for the league. The old playoff format which saw every team but one make the playoffs de-valued the regular season to an extent, and with only four teams gaining playoff berths now the regular season should take on added importance in the Canada West.
Some nice words about Vaughn Martin from Pro Football Weekly:
"From what we hear, San Diego is planning on taking advantage of Martin’s versatility within the club’s 3-4 scheme, lining him up mostly at defensive end but also getting him some snaps at nose tackle. We understand the Bolts’ hope is that the 23-year-old can be the eventual replacement for NT Jamal Williams, a three-time Pro Bowler but also an 11-year veteran with two bad knees. Coming from a different style of football in Canada, it will likely take Martin some time to adjust to the NFL. However, if he develops into the defensive force some think he can become, it will be yet another draft gem mined by GM A.J. Smith."
Related:
Chargers gambling on little-known Vaughn Martin to be next defensive force (Michael Blunda, Pro Football Weekly)
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are taking a flier on former Regina and Saint Mary's cornerback Jeff Lipinski:
"The Riders have signed former Regina Rams defensive back Joel Lipinski. He spent three seasons with the Rams before playing a season of junior football in B.C. He spent last season with the Saint Mary’s Huskies.

"Lipinski graduated from Campbell Collegiate, where he played quarterback. He’s another Canadian cornerback who is going to bidding for the field position with the Riders." — Rider Rumblings
Lipinski's fellow non-import defensive backs include another U of R product, Tamon George.

Related:
Riders to sign Lipinski (Murray McCormick, Rider Rumblings)
The University of Calgary will once again have a CIS women's hockey team as the Canada West voted the Dinos back into the conference at its annual meeting. Calgary had been without a Canada West women's team since 2002 after the team was forced to change leagues when a CIS rule change disallowed players to compete in a second league which forced the Dinos out as they had several players also suiting up for the Oval Extreme of the Western Women's Hockey League. Beginning in 2002 the Dinos started play in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference , and are that league's reigning champions.

With the inclusion of the Dinos, the Canada West women's circuit will now be seven strong - the same as men's hockey. Calgary had been the lone school with a CIS level men's program but not a women's program in the Canada West.


Along with the women's hockey squad making its return to the CIS, Calgary will also field a women's rugby team starting next season. The program had been operating at the club level since 1999. The rugby squad will join Victoria, UBC, Alberta and Lethbridge as part of a five team conference.
Alberta offensive lineman Gordon Hinse apparently scored a pretty sweet first contract from the Edmonton Eskimos:
"Get this: Hinse signed for four years AND an option. It's quite the long-term deal for a guy who was picked 11th overall in Saturday’s CFL draft.

"Can you imagine what the Simon Rottier and Dylan Steenbergen, the two offensive lineman picked ahead of Hinse must be thinking? Rottier was taken first overall. He must be hoping for a long-term contract, which means more money simply because of the length of the contract." — Rider Rumblings
Related:
Hinse goes deep with Edmonton (Rider Rumblings)
Canada West is set to make its decision to accept any of the three B.C. schools which have applied for membership and whether Fraser Valley and Thompson Rivers will have their probationary status lifted.

Reporter Jason Peters thinks UNBC's chances are "slimmer than a sheet of single-ply toilet paper," explaining:
"It's entirely possible that both SFU and UBC will remain in Canada West, possibly for the long haul.

"So does UNBC get in? What about UBC-O and VIU? Common sense says no to all three. At least not until the current Canada West picture is brought more into focus.

"As for the two probationary members — Thompson Rivers and Fraser Valley — their fates are as clear as a fog bank."
Something else notable about the Peters' story is that Canada West suggesting creating a Tier 2 for basketball, possibly as a sop to concerns raised by larger, more urban British Columbia schools about the calibre of competition. It might be dead in the water.

Anyway, as is our want, we'll stand to the side of it all and see how it shakes out at week's end.

Related:
UNBC basketball likely out of luck (Jason Peters, Prince George Citizen)
Some of these names will mean something to some of you. The London Free Press had a story today on Western's recruiting. Breaking down the commitments by by position group:
  • QB — Jason Schuler
  • Runnings back — Ken Eansor, from St. Thomas Aquinas in London
  • Offensive line — Eric Armitage (London), Shane Bergman (Waterford, which is near Brantford), Garet Dickinson (Aurora)
  • Defensive line — Mitchell Bec, a 6-foot-4, 240-pounder from Calgary; Scott Fournier from Ottawa.
  • Linebackers — Marcus Babic and Jared McCrory, both from Burlington
  • Defensive backs — Matt Lawson and Luke Thomas, both from the London area; Mike Spence out of Burlington.
  • Kicker — Lirim Hajrullahu from the St. Catharines area
Have at it if you have a guess on how any of these prospects will help Western.

Here's a highlight reel — it's a couple years old — of Scott Fournier. His father, Randy Fournier, who has coached in the CIAU/CIS with Carleton and Ottawa, was on the coaching staff with Western's Greg Marshall when Team Canada won the 2007 NFL Global Junior football championship.



Related:
Mustangs have solid winter recruiting players (Morris Dalla Costa, Sun Media)
This is a few weeks old, but it might (stress, might) have some implications on this border. Forward Adam Jespersen, a London, Ont., native whom HoopStars Canada was pretty high on, is transferring after one season at the University of Hawai'i.

Those who scour basketball-related message boards have probably already found plenty of speculation that Jespersen, who "is six-foot-eight and handles the ball like a guard," (London Free Press, Jan. 31, 2008) is about to come back to Canada. The Honululu Star-Bulletin noted that Jespersen "said he's looking to transfer to either a Big West Conference school or one near Toronto." There are plenty of D-1 schools within a short drive of the GTA (Niagara, Buffalo, Canisius just in Western New York state alone). There's also a pretty good basketball program at his hometown university, Western, which has done well at accommodating transfers. It's velly interesting.

It's never clear how much to dedicate to recruiting news (it stems from not being an insider and only having so many hours in the day). Not unlike Bol Kong, it bears keeping your eyes peeled.
Former Mustang Bess Lennox has signed on with the Southwest Slammers in Western Australia's State Basketball League. (You remember Bess Lennox: rebounding machine, finalist for CIS women's player of the year, owner of last year's highest game score among players not named Kayla Dykstra.)

Not only has she signed a contract, she's already appeared in two games (see here). Moreover, she's led the team in minutes played in both of them. Her playing time might be a reflection of the quality of the league, but regardless...to hop off a plane and play 38 minutes isn't something we can all do. (It's actually quite impressive: games in this league are 40 minutes long, with a shorter half-time break than the CIS.)

Now, Australia is already on the other side of the world from London, Ontario, but Bunbury (somewhat near Perth), is actually on the other side of Australia from other Australian cities you can probably name. And, as the map on the right shows, the Slammers are the most distant team out of all 12 in the league. So any way you look at it, there's a lot of distance involved.

By the way, her Mustang profile page says she plans to travel after graduation. I think this qualifies.
There are rumblings surrounding Vancouver baller Bol Kong.

Kong is the Sudan-born swingman who's been trying to get a visa to enter the U.S. since 2007 so he can play at Gonzaga. It got a lot of coverage two summers ago. He's lived two-thirds of his life in Canada but is a Sudanese citizen, which is the cause of a lot of red tape.

Since Rob Pettapiece put up a post late last week speculating that he might opt for a Canadian school this season, three anonymous commenters have said that the 6-foot-7 Kong is likely to join the Trinity Western Spartans. That iron is pretty hot, since TWU coach Scott Allen has added a transfer, guard Tyrell Mara from two-time NCAA Tournament team Portland State. Mara can play this season since he's beginning a new degree.

Understandably, maybe this only becomes newsworthy for the dead-tree medium once it is clear whether Kong can enter the U.S. (or the Vancouver Canucks are out of the NHL playoffs, whichever comes first).

One commenter thought there was something to the fact Kong's former coach at St. George's School in Vancouver, former Ottawa resident Brian Lee, has joined TWU's staff after previously stating he planned to pull back from coaching. To reiterate Rob's point, Gonzaga is also budgeted scholarship-wise if Kong can't come.
"Gonzaga's recent acquisition of Dallas-area point guard G.J. Vilarino has excited the fanbase in and around Spokane; however, it leaves 14 players for 13 scholarships. Basically, someone has to go. All else being equal, if you were the Bulldogs and had one player whose candidacy unfortunately required lots more work than the others, who might you lean towards when choosing your odd man out?

It makes one wonder whether Kong will stay closer to home. His adopted hometown is Vancouver, and the improved TWU Spartans are but one team in that area who could use a player of his talent, but we'll leave the speculation for his basketball career (NCAA, CIS, or wherever), to those who know more."
It is something to keep an eye on. The role of a blog is to say, "I bet people would like to hear about this," and hope that the paid, professional media follow suit. It's the difference between flipping rocks over and pointing out there are some rocks that need to be flipped.

One would hope Kong gets a resolution soon. It's past the point of doing a passionate plea. It does seem unusual that he would practise with Trinity Western players if he was only doing so to keep in shape. Lee's role is is neat variable, too. He is a former coach at St. Francis Xavier and Kong has been previously been rumoured to be headed there.

Mara, Kong and reigning CIS player of the year Jacob Doerksen all on one team would be pretty formidable, on paper. This will also be the first season where a B.C. team's road to the CIS Final 8 won't go through the UBC Thunderbirds, since the Canada West conference is dropping down to two divisions with cross-over playoffs.

(Cross-posted to Out of Left Field.)
It might be worthwhile to see how the CFL scouting bureau's list of top Canadian Interuniversity Sport talent stands up to the actual selections. The list is an aggregation of what the league is told by scouts and personnel people, it's not etched in stone. Still,
  1. Simeon Rottier, offensive line, Alberta — Selected No. 1 overall by Hamilton.

  2. Jamall Lee, running back, Bishop's — As expected, the B.C. Lions traded up to select the Port Coquitlam native at No. 3. The TSN panel debated the possibility of the Lions using Lee as a slotback instead of at tailback. Chris Schultz, if memory serves was adamant that Lee is a tailback.

  3. Étienne Légaré, defensive line, Laval — Went No. 2 to Toronto. The Argonauts have often reached for players who are on more of a NFL track. Légaré is more CFL-ready.

  4. Matt Carter, slotback, Acadia — Went No. 5 to B.C. TSN, which did a bang-up job airing the first two rounds, noted that Carter was a late-comer to football, since he was a competitive skier. As they put it, he could end up competing in Vancouver in 2010, but for the Lions, not for Canada.

  5. Dylan Steenbergen, offensive line, Calgary — Went No. 7 to Montréal.

  6. Matt Morencie, offensive line, Windsor — The first player to slip out of Round 1, going to B.C. in the third round (21st overall).

  7. Dee Sterling, defensive line, Queen's — Taken in the second round (12th overall) by Edmonton. First player taken out of the OUA.

  8. Tamon George, defensive back, Regina — They got this one right, since his home-province Saskatchewan Roughriders took George at No. 9 overall, the first pick of the second round. (Saskatchewan didn't have a first-rounder.) The 'Riders are pretty friendly to Canadian defensive backs, and the best of luck to George in becoming a ratio-buster as a Canadian cornerback.

    There is joke that makes light of the CFL's historical reluctance to play Canadians at certain positions. " 'A cornerback from the CIS? He won't be playing much 'CB' ... 'Yes, he will: Canadian Backup.' " The TSN guys were confident that George will get a chance to break through that artificial-grass ceiling, so to speak.

  9. Matt Morris, defensive back, Toronto — Undrafted. Mike Morris from UBC was drafted 19th overall by Winnipg.

  10. James Yurichuk, linebacker, Bishop's — The first player to jump the queue, going to B.C. with the No. 4 overall pick. A real coup for the Gaiters.

  11. Scott McHenry, slotback, Saskatchewan — Taken in the fourth round (32nd overall) by Calgary.

  12. Jonathan Pierre-Étienne, defensive line, Montréal — Taken in the fifth round (37th overall) by B.C., which has a pretty decent Canadian pass rusher named Brent Johnston.

  13. Steve Myddelton, offensive line, St. Francis Xavier — Fourth round (30th overall) to Calgary. Veteran tackle Jeff Pilon will not play forever, but TSN analyst Duane Fordes Stampeders draft preview noted they have six Canadian O-linemen already on the roster. Calgary is deep in Canadian backs and receivers.

  14. Mike Cornell, linebacker, Ottawa — Undrafted.

  15. Stan Van Sichem, defensive line, Regina — Fourth round (25th overall) to the Alouettes.
The first five players on the list all went in the first round. After that, the results are mixed, but the causation is unclear. Teams have their own ideas about what they need. Besides, the draft is an art, not an exact science, eh. Overall, the list served its purpose as grist for debate.
The Bishop's Gaiters, with running back Jamall Lee and linebacker James Yurichuk going back-to-back to the B.C. Lions with the Nos. 3-4 selections in the first round of the CFL Canadian college draft, obviously had the best day. Incidentally, the draft tracker on the mainpage of cfl.ca doesn't list the players' schools, which would seem to run counter to commissioner Mark Cohon's talk about playing up their ties with Canadian Interuniversity Sport.

Teams are listed in order of who had the first player taken from within their conference. Canada West had the No. 1 overall pick, so it gets the honour of going first.

Can West had the most players taken, 17. There were 10 drafted out of the 10-team OUA, but from only six schools. Seven players were taken out Québec and four from the Atlantic conference.

Concordia goes into next fall as the best team to not have a player taken in the '09 draft.

CANADA WEST

Alberta (2) — T Simeon Rottier (1st, Tiger-Cats), T-G Gordon Hinse (11th, Eskimos).

Calgary (3) — OL Dylan Steenbergen (7th, Als), DB James Green (18th, Argos), LB Andrea Bonaventura (20th, Eskimos)

Regina (5) — CB Tamon George (9th, 'Riders), OL Nick Hutchins (17th, 'Riders), OL John Hashem (24th, Stampeders), DL Stan Van Sichem (25th, Als) WR John Kanaroski (48th, Stampeders, making him Mr. Irrelevant).

Manitoba (1) — OL Matt Singer (15th, Als)

UBC (2) — OL Mike Morris (19th, Blue Bombers), DE Scott McCuaig (22nd, Tiger-Cats).

Saskatchewan (2) — DL Ivan Brown (31st, Als), SB Scott McHenry (32nd, Stampeders).

SFU (2) — DB Raymond Wladichuk (38th, Tiger-Cats) DB Anthony Deslauriers (42nd, Argos).

OUA

Queen's (3) — DT Dee Sterling (12th, Eskimos), DE Osie Ukwuoma (40th, Stampeders), LB Thaine Carter (45th, Blue Bombers). Some commentary on the Queen's guys is over at Out of Left Field.

Windsor (1) — OL Matt Morencie (21st, Lions).

Laurier (2) — OL Adam Bestard (27th, Blue Bombers), FB Peter Quinney (35th, Blue Bombers).

Western (2) — T Zach Pollari (26th, Argos), LB Jason Kosec (44th, Eskimos). The Argonauts like their Mustangs players. Western had only two players drafted off a team which won the Yates Cup, underlining the fact that they're still a relatively young team.

Guelph (1) — DB Brad Crawford (43rd, Argos).

Ottawa (1) — OL Ryan Mousseau (47th, Als).

Both of the players on the CFL scouting bureau list who went undrafted, Ottawa LB Mike Cornell and Toronto DB Matt Morris, are from Ontario schools. The conference also didn't have a skill-position player (QB, tailback, wideout or slotback) selected.

QUFL

Laval (2) — DL Étienne Légaré (2nd, Argos), RB Guillaume Allard-Cameus (33rd, Tiger-Cats).

Bishop's (2) — RB Jamall Lee (3rd, Lions), LB James Yurichuk (4th, Lions).

Montréal (2) — DL Nickolas Morin-Soucy (23rd, Als), DE Jonathan Pierre-Étienne (37th, Lions)

Sherbrooke (1) — RB Benoit Boulanger (39th, Als).

Concordia — Mousseau (47th, Als) played four seasons with the Stingers before joining Ottawa for the 2008 season.

AUS

Acadia (1) — SB Matt Carter (5th, B.C. Lions).

Saint Mary's (1) — SB/FB Darcy Brown (6th, Hamilton). The reach of the first round. All the best to Brown, who didn't pick himself No. 6 overall.

St. Francis Xavier (2) — OL Steve Myddleton (30th, Calgary), OL Gordon Sawler (34th, Argos).

The Ticats' record with Canadian university players is hit-and-miss at best, as noted last night. It was last year that Hamilton was talking about making Queen's Mike Giffin a fullback, and now he's with Montreal.

The invaluable Howard Tsumura had a report on Friday night about UBC adding three players from Western Washington University, which folded its football team in January.

That includes a 6-foot-3, 285-lb. tackle, Kelly Kurisu, who has his full five years of eligibility (well, as long as UBC plays in a league with a five-year rule).
"Kelly Kurisu is going to be special ... His high school tape was unbelievable. He can run. He might be the (incoming recruit) that I am most excited about. Kelly is the real deal." — UBC coach Ted Goveia
UBC also added two other Western Washington players, QB Cole Morgan and linebacker Hunter Spencer. Neither was a starter. Spencer was a scout-teamer and one source listed him at 5-foot-8, 185 lbs., so he might have to learn a new position along with new rules.

There is a natural migration part between B.C. and the west coast of the United States, Washington and California especially. UBC has already announced that five U.S. players have committed to the Thunderbirds, which makes it seem like they're positioning themselves for a potential NCAA move.

That's only one reading. Another is that many of Canada's top academic schools are starting to look to the U.S. for student recruitment and likewise, studying in Canada looks pretty good since tuition is probably lower, even for a foreign student.

Related:
WWU tackle Kurisu looks outside the box, finds gridiron future with UBC Thunderbirds (Howard Tsumura, Little Man on Campus)
The upshot of tomorrow's CFL Canadian college draft is that the players selected face long odds of having a lengthy pro career. However, player agent Darren Gill told The Canadian Press there is a corollary between the teams who put time and thought into the draft and the ones who can't or won't:
"Gill also notes that the Grey Cup-champion Calgary Stampeders have amassed the highest percentage of starters from the draft during the six-year span (from 2002-07) at 18.2 per cent. At the other end of the spectrum, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats — who select first overall Saturday after posting a league-worst 3-15 record — have seen almost 45 per cent of their draft picks never play a down in the CFL, compared to just 20.5 per cent for the Stamps."
It's central to understanding the three-down Canadian game that scouting is relatively unsophisticated compared to the major pro sports leagues and the NHL can afford. The league survives on low overhead (lean and mean), so they scrimp on scouting. Gill notes, "Limited financial resources simply means that teams cannot dedicate the necessary funds for dedicated personnel to scout the upcoming draft talent ... With that being said, I believe that teams do see the positive effect of a good draft and many are starting to put more effort into their scouting efforts."

However, it is reassuring to read the teams which do right by Canadian talent are rewarded on the field. Paraphrasing what Barry Alvarez said when he took over the woebegone Wisconsin Badgers two decades ago, the heart and soul of the CFL comes from Canada; the arms, hands and legs come from somewhere else. (The draft is pretty heavy in linemen.) It seems important to keep that in mind ahead of Saturday's selections.

The B.C. Lions have a deal in principle to move up to the No. 3 overall pick and take the hometown kid, record-setting Bishop's Gaiters running back Jamall Lee.

Related:
CFL agent Darren Gill offers his clients some sage advice (The Canadian Press)
Don't ask how this came to attention or why a columnist in South Carolina devoted an entire column to it, but it tickled the giggly:
"As for the CFL, its top pick is expected to be Alberta offensive lineman Simeon Rottier. By the time the draft is done it’ll read like a who’s who of Canadian stars, although those of us unfamiliar with Canadian college ball might be asking, “Who?”
That could apply to a wide swath of Canada, too, sad but true, but that's why we're here, eh.
Bol Kong, to this point kept out of the U.S. due to visa issues (not with Kong personally, but that's another story), is one of six commitments to the Gonzaga Bulldogs program. However, he may be the only one of those six who's not there to stay.

Gonzaga's recent acquisition of Dallas-area point guard G.J. Vilarino has excited the fanbase in and around Spokane; however, it leaves 14 players for 13 scholarships. Basically, someone has to go. All else being equal, if you were the Bulldogs and had one player whose candidacy unfortunately required lots more work than the others, who might you lean towards when choosing your odd man out?

It makes one wonder whether Kong will stay closer to home. His adopted hometown is Vancouver, and the improved TWU Spartans are but one team in that area who could use a player of his talent, but we'll leave the speculation for his basketball career (NCAA, CIS, or wherever), to those who know more. For now, it'll be good to keep an eye on Kong and see how this plays out.
Jeff Lukomski, who was the Regina Cougars' leading men's basketball scorer (16.1 points per game) last season, is going to try his hand at playing for the football team. He's trying out for the Rams as either defensive back or a receiver.
" 'I knew four years ago that I wasn't ready, physically or academically, to play both,' Lukomski said Wednesday following a media conference at the Rams' clubhouse. 'Now I'm a little bit older, my GPA is a little more settled and my body size is better for football, so I thought I'd give it a try.'

"... Since the end of the (basketball) Cougars' campaign, he has been watching his diet and working out with his best friend, Rams running back Graham Mosiondz. As a result, Lukomski has gone from 175 pounds to 193."
The U of R also has an incoming frosh, Jared Janotta (great sports name!), who's planning to double up in basketball and football. Regina receiver coach Chris Warnecke did it a decade ago.

Western guard/wide receiver Jason Milliquet, of course, almost played in the Vanier Cup and the Final 8 championship game last season. It's also understandable that a fifth-year athlete would figure its now or never. McGill slotback Erik Galas and Queen's tight end Scott Stinson each took up hoops after completing their football eligibility last fall.

Related:
U of R athletes will play both football and basketball (Regina Leader-Post)
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