- Top 100 returnees: G Josh Gibson-Bascombe (6th), G-F Warren Ward (80th)
- Other key returnees: G Donnie Gibson, F Nemanja Baletic, F Louis Gauthier, PG Max Clarkson, C Matt Michaud
- Newcomers: G Ryan Malcolm-Campbell, G Kemeish Edwards
- Coach: David DeAveiro (10th season)
- Offence and defence: 103, 83 (+20)
- Last year's results: 32-7 overall, 3rd in RPI, won CIS Final 8 consolation championship
- Looking ahead: Ottawa comes into this season facing a scenario similar to 2007-08, having lost three key players off a tournament team. They came out of that pretty well, ultimately falling one game short of nationals despite Gibson-Bascombe being limited by a knee injury during the stretch drive. This time, they have the two-years-older-and-wiser JGB entering his fifth season, but the supporting cast might need time to come around, especially on the defensive end. Offensively, only 53% of scoring has returned.
It's only a matter of when Ward will emerge as a dangerous swingman. Donnie Gibson cannot be left alone on the wing. Max Clarkson should also pick up more minutes at the point (his dad, 1970s-vintage Ottawa Rough Riders receiver Ross Clarkson, has taught at Ottawa, by the way). Without graduated stalwarts Dax Dessureault and David Labentowicz, though, Ottawa will have questions about how well it can cut off access to the rim. One pre-season press release ID'd Ryan Malcolm-Campbell as their best defender. That might well be, but when a rookie is projected as a team's best defender, people will wonder about the team as a whole, no slight on Malcolm-Campbell. Ultimately, Ottawa's still a solid team and DeAveiro will not let them go quietly into the night.
Rob's explanation of Top 100 players by Player Efficiency Ratings (PER) and Net Efficiency may be found in the
women's preview.
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