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johnson"},{"term":"do not adjust your set"},{"term":"funding"},{"term":"host berths"},{"term":"international basketball"},{"term":"interviews"},{"term":"journalism"},{"term":"mud fights"},{"term":"schedules"},{"term":"technical difficulties"},{"term":"ted goveia"},{"term":"tiering"},{"term":"tragedy"},{"term":"trinity western"},{"term":"trivia"},{"term":"university sport"},{"term":"Étienne Légaré"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The CIS Blog"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"News and notes on U SPORTS - even if we refuse to change our name"},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/posts\/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/-\/Warriors?alt=json-in-script"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/search\/label\/Warriors"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/-\/Warriors\/-\/Warriors?alt=json-in-script\u0026start-index=26\u0026max-results=25"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Scott Hastie"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08081415078301065374"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"200"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"25"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-5377534046245226843"},"published":{"$t":"2017-09-16T17:27:00.002-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2017-09-21T13:02:50.939-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Top 10"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Football: Week 4 Top 10 tracker — Waterloo bandwagon accepting passengers"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cb\u003EScoreline of the week: Waterloo 45, Carleton 43\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo the Battle of Waterloo will be between undefeateds, and no one saw that coming.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen the preseason chatter picked up, there was a thought that Waterloo would get a win or three against the soft underbelly of OUA. The Warriors going to 4-0 after surmounting a 20-point halftime deficit against Carleton takes it up a couple notches. So often it seems underdogs, or teams that don't have a history of winning, just accept their fate at that point Instead, \u003Cb\u003ELucas McConnell \u003C\/b\u003Eand the Warriors offence converted on third-and-longish on back-to-back touchdown drives late in the third quarter. Waterloo scored on five consecutive possessions (on drives covering 74, 61, 75, 84 and 50 yards). \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThen there was a last stand with 12 seconds left to seal Waterloo's latest biggest-win-since.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003E🏈: \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Ravens?src=hash\"\u003E#Ravens\u003C\/a\u003E can't convert on 3rd down and turn the ball over down 45-37 under 2 min left in 4th Q. \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/g6co3dD0zU\"\u003Epic.twitter.com\/g6co3dD0zU\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— Carleton Ravens (@CURavens) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CURavens\/status\/909142592885059584\"\u003ESeptember 16, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003E🏈: TOUCHDOWN!\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wilsonbirch\"\u003E@wilsonbirch\u003C\/a\u003E with the grab. 2pts needed down 45-43 near the end of 4th Q. \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/czltRWXkAy\"\u003Epic.twitter.com\/czltRWXkAy\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— Carleton Ravens (@CURavens) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CURavens\/status\/909145214463430657\"\u003ESeptember 16, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-video\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"und\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/E3mz0JNw60\"\u003Epic.twitter.com\/E3mz0JNw60\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— Carleton Ravens (@CURavens) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CURavens\/status\/909145591451717633\"\u003ESeptember 16, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003EAll told, there 1,314 yards offence (679 Waterloo, 635 Carleton).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EQuestions abound:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EHas Waterloo already done enough to clinch a playoff berth? \u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003EYes, and there is nothing barbed about that. With their next two at home against the past two Yates Cup champions (Laurier, then Guelph), and then two east-of-the-GTA roadies, it's a tough second-half schedule. One would think there's at least a split coming out of those Queen's\/Ottawa games.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut should Waterloo end up 4-4, it's in a decent spot. It gained a tiebreaker against Carleton (1-3), whose ceiling is probably 4-4. Queen's (0-3) also has no margin for error with Western.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EIs Chris Bertoia OUA coach of the year?\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E Easy call there.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWhat are the \"last time it happened\" dates to remember for Waterloo?\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;Quickly.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELast playoff appearance:\u003C\/b\u003E 2003, as the No. 8 seed in an eight-team playoff. They lost 70-7 against McMaster, and that alone might have been brought an end to having eight teams make the OUA playoffs.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELast season above .500: \u003C\/b\u003E2001, 4-3-1. Ontario didn't have regular-season overtime until '02. The tie was a 21-21 saw-off against McMaster, which was in the midst of a 36-game unbeaten streak against OUA teams.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELast season in the Yates Cup (hey, you never know):\u003C\/b\u003E 1999.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003EAnyway, on to how the ballot is shaping up. The top half will change little: Nos. 1, 3 and 4 all won by healthy margins. Laurier put up 40 points and pitched two shutout quarters after recess. But with most teams having played three or four games there's now enough in the can to start ranking teams based on potential.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMontréal (3-0 RSEQ, 28-1 win against Sherbrooke) — \u003C\/b\u003E Sherbrooke didn't score against Montréal, which justifies this whole not-gonna-figure-out-who's-third-in-Quebec stance.\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"und\"\u003EW + W + W. \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uVcmmZBQXa\"\u003Epic.twitter.com\/uVcmmZBQXa\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— Carabins (@Carabins) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Carabins\/status\/908875662781554691\"\u003ESeptember 16, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELaval (2-1 RSEQ, bye week)\u003C\/b\u003E — I had Laval No. 3 last week.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECalgary (3-0 Canada West, 76-17 road win against Manitoba)\u003C\/b\u003E — Does the two-yard score that defensive lineman\u003Cb\u003E Joel Van Pelt\u003C\/b\u003E caught in the second quarter qualify as a Fat Guy Touchdown? Probably not, since he managed a passable Big Guy Cartwheel?\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-video\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003ETOUCHDOWN \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Dinos?src=hash\"\u003E#Dinos\u003C\/a\u003E! \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JoelPelt\"\u003E@joelpelt\u003C\/a\u003E hauls in the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/josiahjay\"\u003E@josiahjay\u003C\/a\u003E pass, and it's 39-3 Dinos midway through the 2nd \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/GoDinos?src=hash\"\u003E#GoDinos\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7ZS8VwP1Xf\"\u003Epic.twitter.com\/7ZS8VwP1Xf\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— UCalgary Dinos (@UCDinos) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UCDinos\/status\/909133067054231552\"\u003ESeptember 16, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWestern (4-0 OUA, 59-7 road win against Windsor)\u003C\/b\u003E — Pretty self-explanatory. Windsor, by the by, has allowed 213 points in four weeks. The three stingiest OUA teams have allowed 155 combined.\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003EFB | Touchdown Mustangs! Merchant keeps it himself and takes it in from 54-yards out to make it 49-0 for \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/westernu?src=hash\"\u003E#westernu\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/GoStangs?src=hash\"\u003E#GoStangs\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/D78xUvHgZC\"\u003Epic.twitter.com\/D78xUvHgZC\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— Western Mustangs (@WesternMustangs) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WesternMustangs\/status\/909127671984082945\"\u003ESeptember 16, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELaurier (3-0 OUA, 40-17 win at Queen's)\u003C\/b\u003E — Remember the peak of the Buffalo Bills' K-Gun\u0026nbsp; offence in the early 1990s? Laurier is running that sort of stuff with \u003Cb\u003EMichael Knevel \u003C\/b\u003Eand \u003Cb\u003EMichael Faulds \u003C\/b\u003Eseems to have the counter-move ready whenever someone counters them. \u003Cb\u003ERobbie Smith\u003C\/b\u003E, meantime, set a school record with 4½ sacks against Queen's. There is some symmetry there, since Queen's single-game sack record was set against Laurier in 2008 by \u003Cb\u003EDee Sterling\u003C\/b\u003E, also in a September game at Richardson.\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003EM🏈- Robbie Smith with a sack, breaking Laurier's single game sack record with 4.5 😱Kwaku Boateng held the record at 4 in 2014 \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WeAreHAWKS?src=hash\"\u003E#WeAreHAWKS\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— Laurier Golden Hawks (@WLUAthletics) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WLUAthletics\/status\/909139652287877120\"\u003ESeptember 16, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERegina (2-1 Canada West, 28-18 home win against Alberta)\u003C\/b\u003E — It looks like Regina might have been oversold. A a 10-point margin and a 448-384 edge in yardage against Alberta seems nondescript.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn \"Canada West gonna Canada West,\" the score wasn't that high, but both quarterbacks had more than 300 yards.\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003EJust like we drew it up? 🤔 \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pgQ3KXfJVf\"\u003Epic.twitter.com\/pgQ3KXfJVf\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— U. of Regina Rams (@reginarams) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/reginarams\/status\/909191347516579840\"\u003ESeptember 16, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaskatchewan (2-1 Canada\u0026nbsp; West, road loss against UBC) — \u003C\/b\u003EHow well the Huskies rate depends on how they get on at UBC and whether anyone puts stock in the McMaster exhibition game.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOttawa (3-1 OUA, road loss against No. 9 McMaster)\u003C\/b\u003E — There might be a case to drop \u003Ci\u003Eboth\u003C\/i\u003E the Gee-Gees and Marauders, who set offensive football back a half-century in the first half.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe teams combined for 226 yards of offence and 159 in penalties during the first two quarters as Ottawa inched out to a 4-0 lead. The Southern Ontario humidity — estimated at 38 C at field level — apparently gassed the Gee-Gees, though. Mac started having \u003Cb\u003EJackson White\u003C\/b\u003E roll out, forcing Ottawa's defensive linemen to chase (and cramp). That adjustment, along with White settling down and making some plays with his legs, paid off with three touchdown drives. Ottawa never came close to scoring.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMcMaster (2-1 OUA, 24-7 home win against No. 8 Ottawa) —\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;I put McMaster No. 8 last week and might be duty-bound to leave them there. They beat a ranked team, but the game was a dud.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EShouting out McMaster's \u003Cb\u003ERobbie Yochim\u003C\/b\u003E, who lost a three-game interception streak by the margin of a toenail. From the press box view at Ron Joyce Stadium, Yochim was in bounds when he made an over-the-shoulder pick during the first quarter, but the official in the vicinity ruled otherwise. \u003Ci\u003EC'est la vie.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EUBC (2-1 Canada West, 31-10 home win against No. 7 Saskatchewan)\u003C\/b\u003E — Statement ma— wait, the Thunderbirds have sparklers that shoot out of the goal posts after a touchdown? Sweet sassy molassy!\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003E.\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bncmgs\"\u003E@bncmgs\u003C\/a\u003E to the house!! 🏈🔥\u003Cbr \/\u003E17-7 'Birds.\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UBCHomecoming?src=hash\"\u003E#UBCHomecoming\u003C\/a\u003E | \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/GoBirdsGo?src=hash\"\u003E#GoBirdsGo\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ww1emopfQd\"\u003Epic.twitter.com\/ww1emopfQd\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ubctbirds\/status\/909237567769296897\"\u003ESeptember 17, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003EA three-touchdown win over a higher-ranked team probably rates a three-spot jump for UBC. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Thunderbirds were always this good, but having Regina right out of the gate didn't do them any favours. Going off play-by-play, it looks like UBC played perfect complementary football in the third quarter. Back-to-back second-down stops induced punts, and \u003Cb\u003EMichael O'Connor\u003C\/b\u003E put together successive touchdown drives to take the lead out to 17 points. Saskatchewan got only three points the rest of the way.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EAlso in consideration:\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGuelph (2-2 OUA, 43-6 road win against Toronto)\u003C\/b\u003E — I didn't vote for UBC last week but assumed it would beat Saskatchewan in its homecoming game, and that worked out for everybody, besides Saskatchewan. Does that mean follow suit and leave out the Gryphons, who have 34, 82 and 43 points in their last three games, before they play McMaster in their homecoming game?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI'll admit to being painted into a corner with Guelph. One, there is a disdain for putting in a team one hadn't supported previously after it throttled a bottom feeder. Beating U of T 23-6, 43-6 or 63-6, should not make a difference. At the other end of the spectrum, rewarding close losses never sits well. If you're good, you'll upset one of the big teams. But Guelph's losses, both in overtime, don't look that bad. Recency factor also means one could put less stock in the Ottawa game in Week 1.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEasy storyline for McMaster at Guelph for next week: Marauders freshman QB\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EJackson White\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003Eused to back up Guelph QB\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EJames Roberts\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;in high school.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWaterloo (4-0 OUA, 45-43 road win against Carleton) — \u003C\/b\u003EDocked by yours truly for barely beating Toronto, but impossible to ignore after the hole they dug out of against Carleton.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaint Mary's (3-0 AUS, 17-10 win against Acadia)\u003C\/b\u003E — Apparently played to the level of competition, which could require revising their ranking. Saint Mary's had a short week with a Friday night game after last weekend's trip to Quebec. It's understandable, but not excusable.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/5377534046245226843\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/09\/football-week-4-top-10-tracker-waterloo.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/5377534046245226843"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/5377534046245226843"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/09\/football-week-4-top-10-tracker-waterloo.html","title":"Football: Week 4 Top 10 tracker — Waterloo bandwagon accepting passengers"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-1532132797855151445"},"published":{"$t":"2017-09-04T11:30:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2017-09-05T03:02:56.829-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Football"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"SMU Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Top 10"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"U of S Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Football: Top 10, the Break Up The Warriors! edition"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Ballots were due at 10 p.m. ET on Monday, or about 35 minutes after Guelph at No. 5 (on my ballot) Western kicked off after being delayed by an electrical storm. So one just had to go off of form and send in a ballot in, so you can anticipate what happened next. Western and Guelph ended up playing a barnburner, with the Mustangs prevailing 41-34 in overtime.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnyone who told you Western, Ottawa and Waterloo would be the 2-0 2-0 teams in OUA after two weeks is lying. Laurier and McMaster are 1-0 after having their byes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EIs it hackneyed to start hashtagging posts #WaterlooIsActuallyGood? They are swarming the end zone like bumblebees, all apologies to the estate of \u003Cb\u003EStompin' Tom Connors\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003EHE. CAN'T. BE. STOPPED! 🏃🏻💨\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETre Ford does it again, w\/ a 21 yrd run! That's 123 yrds on the ground for Ford! 36-8 Warriors! 🖤💛\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UWWarriorsFB\"\u003E@UWWarriorsFB\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8Ze6h7VyaZ\"\u003Epic.twitter.com\/8Ze6h7VyaZ\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— UWaterloo Warriors (@WlooWarriors) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WlooWarriors\/status\/904781348463927298\"\u003ESeptember 4, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003EWaterloo, by early success and by sentiment and penitence on the part of the author (so. many. bad. jokes. over. the. years.), rates being \"OUA 3\" this week after Western and Laurier. As for a fourth (or fifth) OUA team or an AUS representative to fill the 9 or 10-hole?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMcMaster \u003C\/b\u003E(1-0 OUA) won by 14 points on the road against Carleton (1-1 after winning at Queen's the week prior). The Marauders gained fewer than 200 yards, though.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOttawa\u003C\/b\u003E (2-0 OUA) has eked out close wins, beating Guelph on the road in overtime and beating Queen's by one point in a rainy-day home opener. The Gee-Gees offence has yet to breach the end zone, as they got by Queen's 14-13 after\u003Cb\u003E Jackson Bennett\u003C\/b\u003E's 99-yard kickoff-return TD with 1:46 left in the game.\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003E🔥 Jackson Bennett with the return TD for the win \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/OUAsport\"\u003E@OUAsport\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USPORTSca\"\u003E@USPORTSca\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WZPuZDQ7l6\"\u003Epic.twitter.com\/WZPuZDQ7l6\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— Gee-Gees Football (@GeeGeesFootball) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GeeGeesFootball\/status\/904829086899560452\"\u003ESeptember 4, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaint Mary's \u003C\/b\u003E(1-0 AUS) had a bye. But their lone game, a 15-point win against St. Francis Xavier, looks better since St. FX shut out Mount Allison last weekend. And SMU QB\u003Cb\u003E Kaleb Scott \u003C\/b\u003Ecould be the real deal.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003EIt gets really real this weekend, with Regina at Calgary on Friday while Montréal welcomes in Laval for the co-main event on Saturday.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELaval (2-0 RSEQ, at Montréal on Saturday) —\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;Let's not overlook the big story of the week. McGill was ahead of Laval for 21 minutes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThen\u003Cb\u003E Hugo Richard\u003C\/b\u003E happened — eight completions in a row as Laval, assisted along by a takeaway in |McGill territory, scored three touchdowns in the final 2½ minutes of the second quarter.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMontréal (1-0 RSEQ, vs. Laval on Saturday)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EThe road team has won the last three Dunsmore Cup finals. So that must mean you can't call a Week 3 game a \"must-win.\"\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERegina (1-0 CW, at Calgary on Friday) —\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;Have to tighten up discipline-wise after having 18 penalties during an otherwise thorough win against UBC.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECalgary (1-0\u0026nbsp;CW, host Regina on Friday) —\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EHave to tighten up discipline-wise after having 18 penalties during an otherwise thorough win against Alberta.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWestern (2-0\u0026nbsp;OUA, at McMaster on Saturday) —\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;Chris Merchant (27-of-41 for 378 passing, 112 rushing, three total touchdowns) did the dual-threat thing very, very well against Guelph. Western has leaks defensively — it gave up an 81-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter — but there's time to repair that.\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003EFB | We've had rain, lightning, and now overtime. The \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/guelph_gryphons\"\u003E@guelph_gryphons\u003C\/a\u003E and Mustangs are tied 34-34 heading into OT at TD Stadium \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/GoStangs?src=hash\"\u003E#GoStangs\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— Western Mustangs (@WesternMustangs) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WesternMustangs\/status\/904921883161882624\"\u003ESeptember 5, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"\u003EFB | Mustangs shut down the Gryphons on third down to take the game 41-34 in overtime! \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/PurpleReign?src=hash\"\u003E#PurpleReign\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E— Western Mustangs (@WesternMustangs) \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WesternMustangs\/status\/904924138552348672\"\u003ESeptember 5, 2017\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003EAfter that drawn-out game against Guelph, which ended around 12:20 a.m., Western has only a 5½-day turnaround before trekking to McMaster on Saturday. The Marauders had the extra day of rest time. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat will likely not be another 41-34 game. They might combine for 41 points. Maybe.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELaurier (1-0\u0026nbsp;OUA, host Carleton on Saturday) —\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;Get bumped ahead without playing since UBC lost. Calling it now: based on the offensive showing from Carleton and Queen's thus far, Laurier's defence will make it to Week 5 without allowing a touchdown. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOf course, now that I said that, they'll probably play a 41-38 game next weekend.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaskatchewan (1-0 CW, host Alberta on Friday)\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003E— \u003C\/b\u003EGood weekend for the green teams; the Huskies had more points and yards (44, 563) on the road against the Manitoba Bisons than the Roughriders (38, 467) did against the Blue Bombers at Taylor Field 2.0.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMcMaster (1-0 OUA, host Western on Saturday)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EExhibition games are supposed to be considered, and McMaster did defeat Saskatchewan at home on Aug. 25. At the same time, the Huskies evinced a working defence \u003Ci\u003Eand\u003C\/i\u003E offence during their three-touchdown road victory.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere were a combined 12 sacks and 13 first downs via the pass during Mac's 23-9 win at Carleton. Mac had only one drive longer than 50 yards, and it was one that was only completed due to a fumble recovery in the end zone. The other Marauder TDs were through a \u003Cb\u003ERobbie Yochim \u003C\/b\u003Epick-six and a short-field score set up by a strip-sack. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaint Mary's (1-0 AUS, at Bishop's on Saturday)\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EOut of sight on a bye week means out of mind so the eastern Huskies might not get any love from the cognoscenti this weekend. It also seems weird to put them when they didn't play and drop Ottawa, who did play, and did win, just in a rather turgid game where neither team got much accomplished offensively.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe situation will change if the Huskies come away from Bishop's with a W this week.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWaterloo (2-0 OUA, host Toronto on Saturday) — \u003C\/b\u003EHung half-a-hundred on York on Monday, after doing the same at Windsor. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe favourable early schedule has helped the Warriors of\u003Cb\u003E Lucas McConnell\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003ETre Ford\u003C\/b\u003E, but the rebuilding initiative seems to be taking. It's early yet. They might be a seat-filler while we await for someone, anyone to emerge from the ooze and land themselves an OUA quarter-final on home turf.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Top 10 is supposed to promote the game, which is why I am more inclined to give a vote to an improving team based on a small sample size. One is supposed to treat every team like they're starting from zero .\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAlso considered:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOttawa (2-0 OUA, at York on Saturday) — \u003C\/b\u003EWait, Ottawa won and dropped out? Well, zero offensive touchdowns through two games against a pair of (likely) 0-2 teams.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGlad \u003Ci\u003Esomeone\u003C\/i\u003E paid attention; in April 2016, All Canada Gridiron poster Leatherhead said \u003Cb\u003EAlain Pae\u003C\/b\u003E, late of the Prague Lions, was the \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.allcanadagridiron.info\/forum2\/index.php?topic=26276.560\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Esurprise recruit of 2016 in the entire CIS\u003C\/a\u003E.\" It was off by a year, but the 23-year-old from the Czech Republic had four sacks against Queen's, two in the first quarter and two on the final two plays of the game. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere's another player who makes the case for the CFL should consider international players who come through U Sports national players. We got a big tent! \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELate Monday afternoon quarterbacking:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EQueen's played with fire, and Bennett of Ottawa burned them. Without taking away any agency from the Gee-Gees hybrid defender and the 11 teammates blocking for them, that game-changer was facilitated by the newly adopted rule (following suit with the CFL) that a team must kick off following a field goal in the last three minutes of the half.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Gaels outgained Ottawa by 133 yards and had zero turnovers and fewer penalty yards, and yet lost. \u0026nbsp;Playing conservatively and being unable to use up all of the remaining time will do that to a team. In fairness, leading rusher\u003Cb\u003E Jonah Pataki \u003C\/b\u003Ewas injured with about 5½ minutes left, which hurt their ground-and-pound game.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EStill, Queen's was living on the margins well enough, playing field position. With 2:04 left, it had the three-point lead and faced third-and-5 at Ottawa's 31. Granted, every traditional-minded coach in that situation opts for the field goal and the six-point lead because, according to ancient lore, it shows faith that the defence won't give up a game-deciding converted touchdown. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe new school would say keeping possession is paramount. A successful third-down gamble likely means using up even more time before extending the lead to six points, or even 10. Even with a turnover on downs, you're still playing on the opponents' tendency toward conservatism, since they'll take the field thinking, \"Get the field goal, go to overtime.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOttawa certainly would have taken that tack, especially in bad weather and with first-time starting QB \u003Cb\u003EAlex Lavric\u003C\/b\u003E at the controls. (Lavric had 5.1 ANY\/A* in his first start.) The Gee-Gees had run only two plays inside of Queen's 25-yard line the game's first 57-some minutes. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGiven Lavric's callowness and the stressors upon him (rain, the clock, a pretty stout Queen's pass rush), what was the likelihood of Ottawa pulling off an 80-yard touchdown drive? I realize one might counter with, \"well, it's not like kickoff return touchdowns happen frequently, either.\" (Queen's had been punting to the sideline all day, so clearly it was concerned about its coverage and Ottawa's returners.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith the \"must kick off\" rule, Queen's opened that window for Ottawa through kicking the field goal. Point being, \u003Ci\u003Edon't open that window\u003C\/i\u003E. The rule change should make teams more inclined to gamble and leave less to chance.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESome kudos to U Sports for making a rule change where it's common sense to comply with what the pros do. It still seems odd kickoffs are from the 45-yard line. They've only had about 30 years to get into alignment with the CFL on that rule.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E(* \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.sportingcharts.com\/dictionary\/nfl\/adjusted-net-yards-per-pass-attempt.aspx\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EAdjusted net yards \/ attempt\u003C\/a\u003E.)\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/1532132797855151445\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/09\/football-we-join-this-ballot-already-in.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/1532132797855151445"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/1532132797855151445"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/09\/football-we-join-this-ballot-already-in.html","title":"Football: Top 10, the Break Up The Warriors! edition"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-7077024032233525250"},"published":{"$t":"2017-07-13T22:47:00.005-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2017-07-14T11:42:12.858-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Axemen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bisons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"CIS football"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Dinos"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Bears"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"McMaster Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mounties"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Regina Rams"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"SMU Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"U of S Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Thunderbirds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"X-Men"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Football: Ultimate U Sports all-star team — one player per school for 27 positions"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Oit2QtTW4T4\/WWD4xR2W5sI\/AAAAAAAADO0\/i0Ufczw22vwMCdqSrJDux0tlvkae2FN9ACLcBGAs\/s1600\/Akiem%2BHicks%252C%2BRams%2Band%2BBears.jpeg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"480\" data-original-width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Oit2QtTW4T4\/WWD4xR2W5sI\/AAAAAAAADO0\/i0Ufczw22vwMCdqSrJDux0tlvkae2FN9ACLcBGAs\/s1600\/Akiem%2BHicks%252C%2BRams%2Band%2BBears.jpeg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EAkiem Hicks with the Regina Rams in 2011 and with the CFL's Chicago Bears in 2016, when he had seven sacks.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003EThere are 27 football-playing universities across our country. There are also, give or take a special teams selection, 27 spots to fill when an all-star team is chosen.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA fun writing exercise — read: it's summer and there's not a lot going on — was hatched from that numerical coincidence. Pick an all-star team drawing from the past 40-some years of the university game while using\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003Eonly one player from each team\u003C\/i\u003E. No loading the lines with Lavals (any number of CFL all-star linemen), or stacking the team with 'Stangs (do you pick two-time Hec Crighton Trophy winner\u003Cb\u003E Tim Tindale \u003C\/b\u003Ewho went on to NFL glory with the Buffalo Bills or record-setting receiver \u003Cb\u003EAndy Fantuz\u003C\/b\u003E, who won a receiving title in the CFL?)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETalk about a Sophie's Choice, although this does not purport to be some all-time all-star team. Leaving out defunct programs (or the departed, hey there Simon Fraser) means being unable to select a legit legend such as \u003Cb\u003ETony Proudfoot\u003C\/b\u003E, since he played at the University of New Brunswick.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother controlled variable was confining choices to a loosely defined modern era. A hard-line historian type would say the modern era begins in 1965 with the establishment of the Vanier Cup. Or 1967, the centennial year, when the format went from an invitational to a four-team playoff, 47 years before the U.S. finally got one. As a habitual goalpost-mover, I'll slide the start of the modern era to some point around 1971, when the Old Four (Queen's, Western, McGill and University of Toronto) was phased out and the current four-conference alignment began taking shape in earnest.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EWithout further ado, here's a squad that reflects the best of each and every program from Acadia on the east coast to to UBC on the west coast and all points in between.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESpecial thanks for this post to Jim Mullin, who was great with putting forward some 1970s players.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EDefence\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDefensive end — Leroy Blugh, Bishop's (Edmonton, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003EBlugh was a prototype for the Canadian pass rusher as an all-Canadian at Bishop's when the \u003Cb\u003EIan Breck\u003C\/b\u003E's Gaiters punched above their weight on the regular in the 1980s. Born in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, raised in Napanee, Ont., Blugh twice had double-digit sack totals during his Gaiters years. From there, he played 15 seasons in the CFL, 14 with Edmonton, during a Canadian Football Hall of Fame career.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBlugh has \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/montrealgazette.com\/sports\/football\/cfl\/herb-zurkowsky-tackling-cancer-diabetes-puts-life-in-perspective-for-cfl-great-leroy-blugh\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Edealt with cancer and diabetes in recent years\u003C\/a\u003E, but still works in football as the defensive line coach for the Ottawa Redblacks. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDefensive tackle — Israel Idonije, Manitoba (Chicago Bears, NFL). \u003C\/b\u003EA true Canadian success story, having gone from playing one high school season on a re-constituted team to making the NFL as an undrafted free agent who had a long-term career at both end and D-tackle. Idonije, fittingly for someone who played in Chicago, was also a Walter Payton Man of the Year Award finalist for his humanitarian work with children in Africa, Manitoba and Chicago.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIdonije, if memory serves, was a defensive end during his U of M days, but he can slide inside for purposes of making an imaginary lineup of football players.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDefensive tackle — Akiem Hicks, Regina (New Orleans Saints, NFL). \u003C\/b\u003EWell, it wouldn't be a complete list without a Californian who found succor in Canada West. Wait, this isn't a basketball article. The great thing about university sport is that the tent is big enough to accommodate Americans who, to put it elegantly, fall off the conveyor belt of the shamateur sports-industrial complex down south and need a Plan B.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHicks, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/sports\/football\/hickss-path-to-the-2012-nfl-draft-has-been-a-long-one\/article4102628\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eafter his plans to play at LSU were thwarted\u003C\/a\u003E, found a home playing at the U of R in 2010 and '11, becoming the first Ram to be taken in the NFL draft.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELong-time Seattle Seahawks punter\u003Cb\u003E Jon Ryan \u003C\/b\u003Elikely also gets the honourable mention from the Rams' alumni roll.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDefensive end — Ricky Foley, York (Argonauts, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003EThe first really tough choice on a school representative, as the pick from the Lions boiled down to either Foley or running back\u003Cb\u003E Andre Durie\u003C\/b\u003E. In the end, the difference in stature between the two long-time Toronto Argonauts mainstays wasn't as big as it was between two other OUA running backs extraordinaire from early aughts (oh, guess which ones) and other possibilities from their respective teams.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThree of the four defensive line picks have small-town roots. Foley came out of Courtice, Ont., to develop at York, before going on to an 11-year CFL career that included contributing to three Grey Cup-winning teams. It's a shame his playing days might have ended so inelegantly — \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/sports\/football\/cfl\/ricky-foley-argos-released-by-text-1.4050503\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Egetting cut from the Argos by text message\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;— but what endures is about Foley with the Argonauts is that he \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/ublicly%20stuck%20up%20for%20and%20believed%20wholeheartedly%20in%20his%20hometown%20organization%20when%20others%20wouldn%E2%80%99t.\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Epublicly stuck up for and believed wholeheartedly in his hometown organization when others wouldn’t\u003C\/a\u003E.\"\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELinebacker — Michael O'Shea, Guelph (Ticats and Argonauts, CFL).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EBreaking this team down to distinct defensive and offensive line positions is way too granular, even for this blog. It is safe to say O'Shea is the Mike linebacker.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYou already know the boilery stuff with O'Shea — second player in CFL history to record 1,000 career tackles across 16 seasons on each side of the Argos-Ticats rivalry. One seared memory is of his first go-round in Hamilton in the mid-1990s. The Tiger-Cats were a gong show for pretty much the whole decade, but you couldn't laugh at them as long as the Canadian linebacker from North Bay was out there competing so intensely.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EO'Shea's string of championships include leading Guelph to a Yates Cup in 1992.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELinebacker — Jason Van Geel, Waterloo.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003ERunning back\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EMike Bradley\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003Eis the ultimate Warrior, of course, and could fill the role of \"national player who's third on the depth chart at running back and plays on all special teams,\" since that's what Bradley did for six seasons in the CFL with Edmonton. Bradley's position, though, has competition.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat shifted the Warriors' shortlist over to the dark side, defence, and it came down to same-name stars from Waterloo's first Yates Cup winner in 1997, Van Geel at linebacker and\u003Cb\u003E Jason Tibbits \u003C\/b\u003Eat cornerback. Twenty years ago this fall, Van Geel was the national defensive player of the year after helping Waterloo reach a summit many UW folk probably thought was unattainable in the days when the school set a dubious mark for consecutive football losses.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe first point of reference with those Waterloo teams that won the Yates in '97 and '99 — against Western at J.W. Little Stadium both times, the latter time in the final game there — is probably the offence. Tuffy Knight had the Warriors running the wishbone, with Ryan Wilkinson as the triple-option triggerman. The second point of reference, of course, is that a Waterloo guy got tackled illegally by Ottawa's mascot during the '97 national semifinal.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHowever, the Warriors also had success they had never seen before (or since) because they played some great defence. Van Geel was at the forefront of that, and Tibbits (a five-times OUA all-star, four times at corner and once as a returner) covered things well on the back end.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELinebacker — Frank Balkovec, University of Toronto (Edmonton, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003EHere's your hook for this linebacker selection: Balkovec \u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003Ewas the top pick back in 1984 after playing just a single season of football for the Varsity Blues\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBalkovec, at least from a three-decades-removed vantage point, embodies a bygone era before everyone and everything became over-scheduled and multi-sport student-athletes were still easy to find. Everything is more intense now and in some ways we're poorer for it.\u0026nbsp;Balkovec was a \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/varsityblues.ca\/hof.aspx?hof=149\u0026amp;path=row\u0026amp;kiosk=\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ethree-sport guy at U of T\u003C\/a\u003E who contributed to a Yates-winning team in 1983 and was also a three-time Canadian champion in indoor shot put. After university, he was an eight-year CFLer.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDefensive back — Marc-Olivier Brouillette, Montreal (Alouettes, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003EWait, is this based on university feats or pro accomplishments? To quote Abe Simpson, it's a little from Column A, a little from Column B. Brouillette converted from quarterback with the Carabins to a hard-hitting defensive player with the CFL's Als, playing both safety and linebacker.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBrouillette recently retired as a player to pursue a legal career. He was a CFL East all-star in 2016, so he ended on a personal high note.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDefensive back — Mark Montreuil, Concordia (San Diego Chargers, NFL). \u003C\/b\u003EBefore Laval, Montréal and Sherbrooke came along to create a truly Quebec conference, Montreuil came up through the North Shore Broncos juniors and the Stingers to make the NFL. The cornerback, who remains the last Stinger chosen in the NFL draft, played three seasons with the San Diego Chargers and also played in NFL Europe with the late and lamented London Monarchs.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAn alternate from the Stingers is linebacker \u003Cb\u003ECory Greenwood\u003C\/b\u003E, an undrafted free agent who was a special teams player for Kansas City earlier this decade. Greenwood is the second-most accomplished Kingston, Ont., athlete to wear No. 93.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDefensive back —\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELaurent Deslauriers, UBC.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EA \u003Cb\u003EJim Mullin \u003C\/b\u003Enomination, Deslauriers was an all-Canadian and Vanier Cup champion for the Thunderbirds and a CFL West all-star and Grey Cup champion as a pro with Edmonton. Deslauriers was primarily a defensive halfback — by the way, isn't that position due for a renaming? — but \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.gothunderbirds.ca\/hof.aspx?hof=40\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ewas dominant in all three phases\u003C\/a\u003E. He set still-extant school records as a return man and played slotback when the Thunderbirds won the Vanier in 1982.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDefensive back —\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPaul Bennett, Laurier. \u003C\/b\u003ESomething about Canadian football that's often lost on its detractors is how it still makes room for a certain amount of community spirit and volunteerism. (Some of that is borne from necessity; or as one former player once put it to me, \"everyone knows there's no money in Canadian football.\")\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhat was cool, at least to an incorrigible sports nerd, about reading up on Bennett, was a testimonial from \u003Cb\u003EScott Taylor\u003C\/b\u003E about how \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/mytoba.ca\/news\/paul-bennett-still-a-manitoba-hero\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehis greatest work might have come after he left the game\u003C\/a\u003E.\" Bennett, a volunteer high school coach in Winnipeg, also came up with the idea of creating community recognition awards for people \"who have devoted their lives to acting without thought of reward for themselves.\" That speaks to the personalities that football developed in the 1960s and '70s, people were about social justice.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUntil last year, Bennett was the only Ontario conference player with five punt return touchdowns in one season.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDefensive back — Richard Karikari, St. Francis Xavier. \u003C\/b\u003EIt was a six-of-one decision with St. FX, since linebacker\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EHenoc Muamba \u003C\/b\u003Eand now-retired defensive back Karikari have each been CFL all-star selections. Muamba was also a league-wide pick whereas Karikari was a East selection.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHowever, Karikari might have been a more impactful university player. In the early aughts, he gave the X-Men that \"offensive defensive back,\" as a pass defender who was also a touchdown threat as a return man. It's relatively rare for a defensive player to be a finalist for the Hec Crighton, but Karikari achieved that in 2002.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt goes without saying that the greatest X-Men footballer remains\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EPaul Brule\u003C\/b\u003E, who scored 45 touchdowns in two seasons — including eight in one game — in the 1960s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhether it's Karikari or Muamba from St. FX, five of the 12 defensive players were born outside Canada. \u003Ci\u003EBig tent, people!\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ci\u003EOffence\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOffensive line — Miles Gorrell, Ottawa (Stampeders, Concordes, Rough Riders, Ticats and Blue Bombers, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003EThe roster would be incomplete if the Gee-Gees rep was someone who was not part of the all-time dominant 1975 team. Gorrell might be the first person to gently point out he was in his first season on the varsity in '75. However, one can only extrapolate how good he must have been in his final season with the Gees, 1977, in order to rate being named team MVP whilst at a position that generally gets the least attention.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat period where Gorrell \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ottawasun.com\/2013\/10\/02\/ottawa-redblacks-scout-miles-gorrell-entering-canadian-football-hall-of-fame\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Egrew up in Ottawa\u003C\/a\u003E\" sowed the seeds for an association with the CFL that's gone on almost 40 years. As a scout, Gorrell had a vital role in helping the CFL's Redblacks win the Grey Cup as a third-year team in 2016.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI wasn't alive in 1975, but those Gee-Gees \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/ottawacitizen.com\/sports\/football\/fast-football-friends-1975-gee-gees-walk-in-glory-together\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Estill have a hold on the city's sports imagination, especially among sportswriters of a particular vintage\u003C\/a\u003E. They are the only football team ever inducted into the city's sports hall of fame.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOffensive line — Mike Schad, Queen's (Philadelphia Eagles, NFL).\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;A personal reason for getting emotionally invested in university football as an adolescent around 1989 was the discovery that Schad, who blocked for my first favourite football player, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback \u003Cb\u003ERandall Cunningham\u003C\/b\u003E, had grown up 30 minutes down the 401 in Belleville, Ont, and had played at Queen's, not one of those U.S. football factories featured on ABC and CBS on Friday afternoons. \u003Ci\u003EWow, he made it from here to the NFL\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGranted, there were other reasons for becoming a hardcore football fan around that point in my miseducation (one, my mother went back to school and that created a bond to Queen's and two, I kept getting cut from rep teams in hockey and fast-pitch softball and was too short for basketball, so football became the refuge for my sports fantasies). But enough about me.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESchad remains the lone Canadian university player ever selected in the first round of the NFL draft, going No. 23 overall to the L.A. Rams in 1986. His NFL years were spent mostly in Philly, where he played guard on some teams that were playoff regulars. Going in the first round is a singular achievement unlikely to ever be matched. Every year around NFL draft time when my Twitter timeline fills with updates on Canadian players who might get picked up in the seventh round or get a mini-camp invite I can't help but have a haughty internal response (poor character, I know): \u003Ci\u003EYeah, but my alma mater produced a NFL first-round pick.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOffensive line — Pierre Lavertu, Laval (Stampeders, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003EProof positive that the upper crust of university football has pro-ready graduates. Lavertu has yet to dress out for Calgary this season due to injuries, but as interior lineman who can play centre or guard, he has been part of a Stampeders offensive line that has arguably has the most sustained success of any position group in the CFL since 2014.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELavertu was an RSEQ all-star in all four of his seasons with the Rouge et Or from 2010-13 and since he was at Laval, you know all four of those seasons involved making it to the last game of the season. It seems fitting that the power program of the past two decades is represented by an offensive lineman. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOffensive line — Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, McGill (Kansas City Chiefs, NFL). \u003C\/b\u003EStarting guard on a playoff team, while also working toward becoming a doctor. Duvernay-Tardif and his ghostwriter at \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.theplayerstribune.com\/le-docteur-laurent-duvernay-tardif-kansas-city-chiefs\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThe Players' Tribune can explain that better than I can\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe McGill \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/sports\/football\/j-p-darche-and-laurent-duvernay-tardif-tread-remarkably-similar-paths\/article33888922\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ealternate is also a doctor who played in the NFL with Kansas City\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EJean-Philippe Darche\u003C\/b\u003E. A linebacker at the university level, Darche was a long snapper in the NFL and played in Super Bowl 40 with the Seahawks.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOffensive line —\u0026nbsp;Scott Flory, Saskatchewan (Alouettes, CFL).\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;It could be either Flory or Gene Makowsky repping Huskie Pride.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EFlory: 15 seasons with the same CFL team, nine-time all-star, two-time Outstanding Offensive Lineman recipient, president of the CFL Players' Association, now helping coach the Huskies\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMakowsky, 17 seasons with the same CFL team, five-time all-star, now a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Saskatchewan, deadpan \u003Ci\u003ECorner Gas \u003C\/i\u003Eguest spot.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ETheir teams went head-to-head in the 2009 and '10 Grey Cup games. Flory's team won both. So, totally arbitrarily, Flory \u0026gt; Makowsky, although the latter played more offensive tackle.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIf positional integrity is a must, there are Laval and Saskatchewan alumni who currently start at right tackle in the CFL — \u003Cb\u003EJason Lauzon-Séguin\u003C\/b\u003E with Ottawa and\u003Cb\u003E Patrick Neufeld \u003C\/b\u003Ewith Winnipeg.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn to the GLORY BOYS:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReceiver — Andy Fantuz, Western (Roughriders, CFL).\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;Granted, offensive stats accumulated in the '00s-era OUA have to be taken with the same grain of salt as scoring stats from the 1980s NHL, but it's wild to revisit just how far ahead of everyone Fantuz is on the career lists for yards and receiving touchdowns. His tally of 4,123 in the former is almost 1,000 ahead of \u0026nbsp;the next most prolific pass receiver and his 41 TD catches (remember, regular season only) is eight more than the next guy.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETo put the second one in perspective: \u003Cb\u003EDanny Vandervoort\u003C\/b\u003E, who is getting his feet wet at slotback with the B.C. Lions, averaged almost one touchdown per game across four seasons with McMaster. He finished 12 TDs shy of Fantuz' mark.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFantuz delivered on his potential over 11 seasons in the CFL, with the high point coming in 2010 when his league-most 1,380 yards made him the first Canadian to win a receiving title since another 'Stang, \u003Cb\u003EDave Sapunjis\u003C\/b\u003E, back in 1995.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReceiver — Brian Fryer, Alberta (Washington, NFL; Edmonton, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003EA \"first\" guy — the first Canadian university receiver to gain 1,000 yards in a season and the first player, full stop, to be drafted by a NFL team and go directly into the league, as he played for the Washington NFL team during the American bicentennial year of 1976. Out of context, that's impressive enough, but in context it stands out even more since that was during the\u003Cb\u003E George Allen \u003C\/b\u003Eera in D.C. and Allen was known to over-emphasize playing veterans.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAfter calling it a career on the field — with a Vanier Cup title with the Golden Bears and a role in the five-in-a-row Edmonton CFL dynasty —\u0026nbsp;he made a successful move into a second career as executive director of Football Alberta.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReceiver — Don Blair, Calgary (Lions, CFL).\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;The first non-lineman to represent Canada in the East-West Shrine Game showcase! The Dinos have had their share of superlative offences and individual talents over the last four decades. It will take something ludicrous to bump out the seared image of the 1995 Vanier Cup, when Blair scored four touchdowns (three receiving, one by recovering a blocked punt) when Calgary dropped 54 points on Western. Fun fact, unless you're from London: the Dinos did most of the damage with their backup quarterback after the starter was knocked out of the game.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBlair was a No. 1 overall choice who had a stellar CFL career. Like Fantuz and Fryer, he set a national receiving record and won the Hec Crighton. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReceiver — Samuel Giguère, Sherbrooke (Ticats and Alouettes, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003EThe second-newest program manages to sneak a player in at a deep position. While Sherbrooke has generally been the Partick Thistle to Laval and Montréal's Celtics and Rangers in the Quebec conference, the small school has helped a few individual talents blossom over their 14 seasons.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGiguère was one of the first bona fide prospects to emerged at Sherbrooke, possessing enough specs to earn a couple NFL trials before returning north to fulfill the role of national wide-side receiver. Now 33 years old, he's playing for the Alouettes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother Vert et Or receiver who's in the CFL, \u003Cb\u003ESimon Charbonneau\u003C\/b\u003E, could have also been the pick. Charbonneau was borderline unstoppable in the 2010 Dunsmore Cup when Sherbrooke nearly upset Laval. (That day, we were just a couple plays away from an Ottawa-Sherbrooke Uteck Bowl instead of a been-there-done-that Western-Laval matchup.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERunning back — Daryl Stephenson, Windsor (Blue Bombers, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003EIn 2006, there was some discord when Stephenson won the Hec Crighton, but it wasn't about him. It was more about having seven winners in a row from the OUA. To some extent, and I didn't articulate this well enough at that time, it was also about the virtues and drawbacks of the \"career award bias,\" so-called. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELikewise, for reasons having nothing to do with Stephenson, the only rusher to ever top 5,000 career yards, this was the hardest piece of the puzzle. First it involved whether to have a fifth pass receiver to reflect the Canadian game of 2017 instead of a second running back. There was also a thought that the choice should reflect that this fictional team would actually play against fictional juggernaut, like the Monstars with Laval's and UBC's combined budget. That would mean giving some weight to receiving skills.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUltimately, though, better to have a second running back. That brought it down to, as hinted in the preamble, the three star rushers from the early-aughts: Stephenson of Windsor, Durie of York and, you guessed it, \u003Cb\u003EJesse Lumsden\u003C\/b\u003E of McMaster. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUltimately, the (ir-)rationale was that Stephenson exemplifies the best of Windsor so much more than anyone else. He was a dogged competitor and gave everything to make Windsor, for a time, a playoff team. As a pro, he also made a great adjustment to being a depth player with the Blue Bombers, which surely must be tough for university players who are used to being the focal point as a feature back.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo that's how it turned out: Stephenson in, Lumsden over to the bobsleigh track.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERunning back \u0026nbsp;— Éric Lapointe, Mount Allison (Alouettes, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003ELapointe is in the Hall of Fame as an amateur player, but it could just as easily be as builder. I'll just do a \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/neatesager.blogspot.ca\/2007\/02\/ric-lapointes-lasting-impact-just-ask.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Emini-oral history from some people who were around him every day at Mount A\u003C\/a\u003E:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMathieu Gauthier, defensive end:\u003C\/b\u003E \u003Ci\u003E\"Éric was one of the first French football players to make it into the mainstream pop culture in Quebec ... One quick example of his influence is in a recent recruiting event at a Montreal CEGEP. While the MTA recruiters had qualified only 5-6 guys who seamed like a right fit for MTA (only these kids got an invitation to the event), 34 kids showed up for the presentation when they learned that Éric Lapointe was going to be there.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\"He certainly had an influence on a generation of kids, who chose football instead of hockey and other sports.\"\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EJorge Barrera, a Mounties rookie in 1995 who is now an investigative reporter with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network:\u003C\/b\u003E \u003Ci\u003E\"Éric Lapointe had the aura of a star the moment he walked into the Mount Allison football locker room in his rookie year. While other rookies were subjected to the humiliating rituals of initiation, Lapointe moved above it all, his hair long and safe from the clippers.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\"On the field he made things simple for his coaches. The offensive co-ordinator once remarked that running the Mt. A. offence with Lapointe was like playing Nintendo football: Sweep right, sweep left and Lapointe outran them all.\"\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EJulian Dickinson, receiver: \u003C\/b\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\"If you never saw him play at Mount Allison, you have no idea how good he really was. There was one play that probably best illustrates what he could do on the football field and what he could do for a team. It was 1996, Eric's second year. We were playing St. FX in the AUAA finals in Antigonish and we got absolutely pummelled in the first half. We must have been down at least three touchdowns and I'm sure most people in the locker room thought that game was over.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\"But Eric came out in the second half and ripped off a 99-yard run that snaked all over the field, left about 10 defenders rolling on their bellies in the mud and ended with Eric in the end zone. It was the best individual play I've ever seen in a football game. He went on to rush for about 300 yards that game and brought us within a few points of winning that game. And this wasn't a cupcake defence. There were All-Canadians on the X defence, which would eventually play in the Vanier Cup.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\"It was an amazing feat. At the end of the game he was bloody, bruised, covered in mud and his jersey was torn like he'd been through a war. I remember he did a TV interview after the game with his helmet on because he was so busted up about losing, he couldn't show his face.\"\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETwenty-three spots down. By process of elimination, you should know who is QB1.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EQuarterback — Chris Flynn, Saint Mary's (Montreal Machine, World League; Rough Riders, CFL). \u003C\/b\u003ENo. Words. Necessary.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" class=\"YOUTUBE-iframe-video\" data-thumbnail-src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/S4P12kfxMNk\/0.jpg\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S4P12kfxMNk?feature=player_embedded\" width=\"320\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Flynn legend only grows with time, perhaps in part since it was an unfinished symphony-type thing since there was no second act in the CFL.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ci\u003ESpecialists\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003EKicker \u0026nbsp;— Al Charuk, Acadia (Lions, Argonauts).\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;Total Calvinball cop-out with choosing the \u003Ci\u003Ebotteur\u003C\/i\u003E, since it's more about picking a definitive Acadia player whose feats included using his foot. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn a four-season span in the 1970s, Acadia had three Hec Crighton winners — Charuk in '74, followed by The Bobs back-to-back with receiver\u003Cb\u003E Bob Stracina \u003C\/b\u003Eand quarterback \u003Cb\u003EBob Cameron \u003C\/b\u003Ein '76 and '77. \u0026nbsp;In 2014, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.sportsnet.ca\/usports\/top-50-cis-football-players-of-vanier-cup-era\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ESportsnet\u003C\/a\u003E ranked Cameron the 28th-best player of the Vanier Cup era with Charuk 35th and Stracina 37th. The former, of course, punted in the CFL for nigh on a quarter-century. Charuk and Stracina, between scoring touchdowns and placekicker, each scored more than 100 points in a season for Acadia.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe default selection was Cameron, due in perhaps to a stronger association since he had the longest pro career. On second thought, Charuk was a two-way player who won the Hec as a defensive back — where he once had a 10-interception season — and fashioned a CFL career as a receiver.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERush cover — Jason Arakgi, McMaster (Lions).\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;As the man himself put it, \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/vancouversun.com\/sports\/football\/cfl\/bc-lions\/jason-arakgi-qa-on-the-art-of-the-tackle-anthropology-and-furniture-building\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eyou're only as good as the bottom guy\u003C\/a\u003E\" and well, Arakgi is the CFL's career leader in special teams tackles and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3downnation.com\/2016\/08\/18\/life-outside-spotlight-fine-arakgi\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eplayed on all special teams even in his final season, 2016\u003C\/a\u003E. One could also hold up his career arc — \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.bclions.com\/2017\/06\/19\/jason-arakgi-story-quiet-leader\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Espend nine seasons all with one team, perform a significant function very well and then leave the game on one's own terms to step into a second career\u003C\/a\u003E — as a good example for young athletes to emulate. Only a very, very few get to play forever, but there are other entry points to parlaying athletic aptitude into a good life.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003EReturner — Tunde Adeleke, Carleton (Stampeders).\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;Special teams touchdowns are supposed to be a rare treat, but Adeleke made them a staple in Carleton's offensive diet over his four seasons. In 2016, he became the first player since\u003Cb\u003E Paul Bennett \u003C\/b\u003Ewith five punt return touchdowns in one season.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" class=\"YOUTUBE-iframe-video\" data-thumbnail-src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/LWAfpV3myPU\/0.jpg\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LWAfpV3myPU?feature=player_embedded\" width=\"320\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was just wild how people around the Ravens just came to expect the brilliant breakaway runs. Like no one before him (at least in my time), Adeleke combined with psychic peripheral vision with high-class wheels, since he also had the fastest 40-yard dash at the 2017 CFL combine.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFeel free to disagree with the selections, or the process. But please remember that any substitutions either have to be at the same position or require a two-position switch.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/7077024032233525250\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/07\/football-ultimate-all-star-team-one.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7077024032233525250"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7077024032233525250"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2017\/07\/football-ultimate-all-star-team-one.html","title":"Football: Ultimate U Sports all-star team — one player per school for 27 positions"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Oit2QtTW4T4\/WWD4xR2W5sI\/AAAAAAAADO0\/i0Ufczw22vwMCdqSrJDux0tlvkae2FN9ACLcBGAs\/s72-c\/Akiem%2BHicks%252C%2BRams%2Band%2BBears.jpeg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-3370888370791047337"},"published":{"$t":"2016-08-02T16:45:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-08-02T23:33:19.905-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Eligibility"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gaiters"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mounties"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"SMU Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Vanier Cup"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Vanier Cup games that time did not forget, since they never happened "},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FZpS6odQhOE\/V6D9-HOSuII\/AAAAAAAADLQ\/uG13KKKuOisk6VeiQb2zK3S0K-ZLuu66wCLcB\/s1600\/20031115%2BMitchell%2BBowl%2B278-XL.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FZpS6odQhOE\/V6D9-HOSuII\/AAAAAAAADLQ\/uG13KKKuOisk6VeiQb2zK3S0K-ZLuu66wCLcB\/s640\/20031115%2BMitchell%2BBowl%2B278-XL.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EWhat might have been: Mathieu Bertrand shattered McMaster's Vanier Cup ambitions in 2003 with a game-winning TD run.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003EVictors write the history, and CIS football obsessives with too much time on their hands rewrite it to tide them over until the start of the season.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPerhaps this post idea sprang as a rearguard action against the prospect of another football season where the road to the Vanier Cup will go through the Laval\/Montreal\/\u003Cb\u003EBlake Nill\u003C\/b\u003E axis of awesomeness. The endless loop will involve some riveting conference playoff games that might be available only via webcast, the OUA being three-tiered (powerhouses, the pretty goods, the perpetually mediocre), and the AUS champion getting the obligatory pat on the head after travelling a few thousand kilometres to get \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mitchell_Bowl\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eblown out in the Mitchell Bowl\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo much depends on the bowl rotation when it comes to having a memorable final four. I am the guiltiest of trolling sundry Londoners when the team with the biggest football budget in Ontario, non-\u003Cb\u003EStu Lang\u003C\/b\u003E division, has their Vanier Cup drought extended for another year. In fairness, three of the four Yates Cup-winning teams\u003Cb\u003E Greg Marshall \u003C\/b\u003Ehas produced since 2007 were on the road for their semifinal bowl.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnyway, today's twist on fantasy football is imagining Vanier Cup matchups that could, would, should have happened. The parameters: maximum of two different outcomes in the conference finals or the bowls.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E1986\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWhat happened: UBC 25, Western 23\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWhat might have been: Bishop's-Western\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELike their 1982, '97 and 2015 teams, the '86 Thunderbirds ventured down east for the semifinal, won it, and stuck around to win the Vanier too. That championship game was the first to match two undefeated teams, and it was one of the most dramatic, as \u003Cb\u003EEric Pututo \u003C\/b\u003Ecame off the bench to march UBC down a muddy field before connecting with \u003Cb\u003ERob Ros\u003C\/b\u003E on the winning touchdown in the final seconds.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHowever, the Bishop's Gaiters of coach\u003Cb\u003E Ian Breck \u003C\/b\u003Ecertainly rated an opportunity to play for all the marbles at least once. The small school reached the Dunsmore Cup nine times in 11 seasons from 1984 through '94, winning four times. In '86, they won the O-QIFC (aka the Nontario conference) for the first time and hosted the semifinal on campus. Alas for BU, UBC pulled out a 32-30 win.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBishop's vs. Western would have been the small Quebec school against the large Ontario school, with both wearing purple and silver. (They did meet in the 1994 semifinal, and in an interlocking regular-season game in '99, and yes, it looked weird.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" class=\"YOUTUBE-iframe-video\" data-thumbnail-src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/3cAMLfMwlrY\/0.jpg\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3cAMLfMwlrY?feature=player_embedded\" width=\"320\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI am in no position to say whether '86 was Bishop's best shot at a national title during Breck's 24-season tenure. To nine-year-old me, football was boring and violent, and then-Gaiters star\u003Cb\u003E Leroy Blugh \u003C\/b\u003Ewas a member of the North Fredericksburgh Kings junior men's fastpitch team, which won the first of back-to-back Canadian titles that summer.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlso, in 1992 the Gaiters were ranked No. 2 heading into conference championship week, with a high-octane O led by QB \u003Cb\u003EJim Murphy \u003C\/b\u003Eand a speedy D bolstered by future long-time CFL deep back \u003Cb\u003ETom Europe\u003C\/b\u003E. Queen's stunned Bishop's 32-6. That day had two defining moments - a Queen's goal-line stand that maintained a halftime lead, and \u003Cb\u003EBrad Elberg \u003C\/b\u003Ehousing the second-half kickoff, going 86 yards through the muck and mire. They played on grass back then, you know.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOdd note about UBC: all four of their Vanier Cup winning teams have had to go east for the semifinal. In 1987, UBC defeated Laurier at home, then got on the plane and lost the Vanier to McGill.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E1997\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWhat happened: UBC 39, Ottawa 23\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWhat might have been: Mount Allison-Waterloo\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EKids, back in the '90s, you needed a landline to get on the Internet. Waterloo being good and the Atlantic conference having relative parity with the rest of the country were also whole things.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the actual game, UBC, with QB \u003Cb\u003EShawn Olson \u003C\/b\u003Eand the tailback tag-team of \u003Cb\u003EMark Nohra \u003C\/b\u003Eand \u003Cb\u003EAkbal Singh \u003C\/b\u003Eworking behind a stacked offensive line, beat Ottawa decisively. It was a bad game in front of a bad crowd of only 8,000 at Skydome. The small gathering might or might not have included an undergrad from another eastern Ontario university who relished the Gee-Gees getting their comeuppance, who would go on to become uOttawa's play-by-play commentator.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBoth semis were high-scoring games, with UBC outlasting Mount Allison 34-29 in the Atlantic Bowl while Ottawa defeated Waterloo 44-37 to get the unification belt in Ontario. Since this is fantasy, one can assume the Mounties would have a healthy\u003Cb\u003E Éric Lapointe \u003C\/b\u003Einstead of having to carry on without the two-time Hec Crighton Trophy winner, who was out with a broken arm. Lapointe might have helped the Mount A defence get more rest, which would have helped defensive end\u003Cb\u003E Mathieu Gauthier \u003C\/b\u003Eand his mates keep up the fight. \u0026nbsp; \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Churchill matchup is mostly remembered for the infamous \"illegal interference by an unauthorized person\" penalty on Ottawa that was called when the Gee-Gees mascot took down a Waterloo receiver. The fallout from that, apart from enduring infamy, was that the officials penalized Ottawa half the distance to the goal. Waterloo 'dive back'\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EEddie Kim \u003C\/b\u003Ebroke a 17-yard touchdown run on an inside dive on the next play.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOttawa's speed won the day, as\u003Cb\u003E Chris Evraire \u003C\/b\u003Eaccounted for two of their\u0026nbsp;three punt return TDs. That said, it would have been something to have the engineering school which had never won a Yates Cup before 1997 against the small school from the Maritimes, who probably would have had more support at Skydome despite Waterloo's proximity to the GTA.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWarriors coach \u003Cb\u003ETuffy Knight \u003C\/b\u003Ehad his wishbone running on all eight cylinders that season with option QB\u003Cb\u003E Ryan Wilkinson \u003C\/b\u003Eand 'pitch back' \u003Cb\u003EJarrett Smith\u003C\/b\u003E. The Mounties had a good offence built around Lapointe, who's now in the Hall of Fame as a university player. With all that running, they might have finished that game in 2½ hours, even with extra TV timeouts.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2000\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWhat happened: Ottawa 42, Regina 39\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWhat might have been: Ottawa-Saint Mary's\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOttawa was dominant in the final seasons of the old O-Q (four conference titles and two Vanier berths from 1995-2000), while the\u003Cb\u003E Blake Nill \u003C\/b\u003EHuskies repped the Atlantic every November from '99 till 2004.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBoth teams were at a peak in 2000. The tectonic shifts in the university game factored into Ottawa an SMU never getting together for a game that would have included teams that with explosion-play capability in all three phases, and swarming defences.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENill also had some experience with the Gee-Gees, since he was defensive coordinator at St. FX when they shut down Ottawa 13-5 in the '96 Atlantic Bowl.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe prologue was 1999, when Laval beat an 8-0 Ottawa team in the playoffs on the way to their first national title, and Regina imported their junior program into Canada West. (Ottawa was on CIAU probation, so 6-2 Laval hosted that Dunsmore Cup.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaval's ascendancy led to Ottawa and Queen's shifting their football teams back to the OUA, which diminished the bilingual university's ability to fish in the deepening Quebec recruiting pool. Regina, with 27-year-old QB\u003Cb\u003E Darryl Leason\u003C\/b\u003E, also made one of the great road runs in 2000, upsetting Saint Mary's 40-36 in Atlantic Bowl in Halifax. That game probably started the conversation about an age cap in university football.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe way that Atlantic Bowl got away from the Huskies is unforgettable. Saint Mary's opened a two-score lead. A poorly directed kickoff created a wide field for\u003Cb\u003E Neal Hughes \u003C\/b\u003Eto house a kickoff with an 89-yard return, saving Regina the trouble of the need to run a one-minute drill for a touchdown and try to recover the ensuing short kickoff.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA quick exchange of possession followed Hughes' touchdown, and Saint Mary's gave a safety that cut the lead to a field goal. Of course, that meant kicking off again, which was a trigger for fatalists. Hughes broke a 67-yard return into the red zone, and Regina capitalized for the TD.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe tightening of the age rules certainly set back Saint Mary's. So have tighter budgets and OUA's introduction of \u003Cstrike\u003Escholarships\u003C\/strike\u003E athlete financial awards keeping more players at home. They were great in their time.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor those who don't recall, or don't care, 42-39 was a misleading score. The Rams scored a window-dressing touchdown and two-point convert with zeroes on the clock.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2003\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWhat happened: Laval 14, Saint Mary's 7\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWhat might have been: McMaster-Saint Mary's\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs alluded to up top, the bowl rotation has been less than serendipitous for\u003Cb\u003E Greg Marshall \u003C\/b\u003Eas a head coach. The four-in-a-row Marauders got to host a national semifinal thrice from 2000 till '03. By the last one in 2003, the \"if not now, when?\" desperation had traction beyond just the Marauders and their following, since OUA's Vanier Cup absence stood at seven seasons.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaval got by McMaster 36-32 in the Mitchell Bowl on the margin of \u003Cb\u003EMathieu Bertrand\u003C\/b\u003E's long touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. Memories are hazy, and the game isn't on YouTube, but the way it's recalled is the Marauders were blitzing, so Bertrand coolly called his own number and scored on a quarterback draw. The Marauders had time to respond, but a pass just sailed past a receiver's hands inside the 10-yard line in the final seconds.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWho knows how Mac would have fared against SMU. We know that Laval eighty-sixed a great storyline. Mac would have been in its first Vanier since the event's infancy, while SMU was going for a three-peat. That's the contrast in team histories broadcasters love. Mac and SMU also had a familiarity after playing in the 2002 semifinal. Then you have the whole Maritimer resentment of Upper Canada.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEverything happens for a reason, though. McMaster would eventually get another chance against Laval.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2010\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWhat happened: Laval 29, Calgary 2\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWhat might have been: Calgary vs. Ottawa\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECalgary and\u003Cb\u003E Erik Glavic\u003C\/b\u003E, two-time Hec Crighton winner, against Ottawa and \u003Cb\u003EBrad Sinopoli\u003C\/b\u003E, the 2010 Hec honouree. Now that is a quarterback matchup that would play in Peoria: two dual threats who often extended plays beyond all logical limits.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOttawa got home-field advantage throughout the Yates Cup playoffs on the margin of a one-point home win against Western in the season opener. The Mustangs avenged that with a two-point win in the Yates Cup, prevailing on\u003Cb\u003E Lirim Hajrallahu\u003C\/b\u003E's late field goal. That probably seemed just to the Mustangs, who in the regular-season game had a potential game-icing TD taken off the board after being penalized for a pick play.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the reg-season game, Ottawa took the lead with 35 seconds left. In the Yates, there was 1:45 left when Ottawa kicked a sure go-ahead field goal on a third-and-1. That left Western just enough time to reply. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENow, how can one say Ottawa should have been in the Vanier after failing to get it done on their home field in the Yates? Well, the Yates was close, and the spoils of winning was a Uteck Bowl against a banged-up Laval team with a first-year starting quarterback. The Rouge et Or just slipped by Sherbrooke 19-18 to get out of Quebec.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWestern went toe-to-toe with Laval, but the Rouge et Or took down four interceptions and eked by 13-11 at a blustery PEPS. Ottawa was the more advanced team in the passing phase, and was capable of challenging Laval's back eight. Both the 2009 Queen's and 2011 McMaster teams beat Laval by taking vertical shots, along with doing a lot of other good stuff.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAny other matchup would have been more watchable than Laval plowing over Calgary in a snow bowl. \u0026nbsp;Or maybe it would not have been.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat's the point; we'll never know, but it's fun to imagine.\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/3370888370791047337\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/08\/vanier-cup-games-that-time-did-not.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/3370888370791047337"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/3370888370791047337"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/08\/vanier-cup-games-that-time-did-not.html","title":"Vanier Cup games that time did not forget, since they never happened "}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FZpS6odQhOE\/V6D9-HOSuII\/AAAAAAAADLQ\/uG13KKKuOisk6VeiQb2zK3S0K-ZLuu66wCLcB\/s72-c\/20031115%2BMitchell%2BBowl%2B278-XL.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-7169832032799803905"},"published":{"$t":"2016-03-01T15:46:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2016-03-01T15:54:15.977-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bisons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Carabins"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"CIS Issues"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Eligibility"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Football"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gaiters"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Gaels"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lions"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Media Coverage"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mount Royal Cougars"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Panthers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Soccer"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Volleyball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Wilson Cup"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"X-Men"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Eligibility: York Lions' brief history of OUA forfeits"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"How many people does it take to check player eligibility? Or more to the point, how many times can York University play an ineligible player and not have severe consequences?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFurther to that, what does it say about the state of Ontario University Athletics that media — choose your adjective(s); corporate media, old media, legacy media, traditional media, the salary-and-benefits media — does not even deign to cover it? Apart from the blogs maintained by us hobbyists who find other ways to get paid, the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/02\/york-lions-booted-from-oua-wilson-cup.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EYork Lions' men's basketball team's ouster from the OUA Wilson Cup\u003C\/a\u003E was hardly covered, by anyone.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis is a public university, funded by the province, and no one seems to care that one of its most public departments is dropping the ball. By unofficial count, starting with the most recent first, York has forfeited games five times since \u003Cb\u003EJennifer Myers\u003C\/b\u003E' \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/yfile.news.yorku.ca\/2012\/05\/16\/jennifer-myers-named-president-of-ontario-university-athletics\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehire as director of sports and recreation in 2008\u003C\/a\u003E. Myers is also a past OUA president.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2015-16, men's basketball — \u003C\/b\u003EForfeited nine games after using \u003Cb\u003ERaheem Isaac\u003C\/b\u003E, who was not eligible since he had played exhibition games for Windsor and OUA rules proscribe playing for two teams in one season.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2011-12, women's volleyball — \u003C\/b\u003EDisqualified from hosting the OUA final four after playing middle hitter \u003Cb\u003EMichelle Pierce d\u003C\/b\u003Euring a 3-0 quarter-final against the RMC Paladins. Pierce, another Windsor transfer, had not played an OUA match in 365 games, but was not eligible for the playoffs since she had not competed during the regular season. As a result, OUA had to move the final four to Ottawa. As CIS Blog alumnus \u003Cb\u003EAndrew Bucholtz\u003C\/b\u003E put it at that time, \"\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/ca.sports.yahoo.com\/blogs\/eh-game\/top-seeded-york-women-volleyball-team-disqualified-oua-002334879.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EFrom what's come out, York has to bear most of the blame for this fiasco\u003C\/a\u003E.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2010-11, women's soccer\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003ERelatively minor, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.oua.ca\/sports\/wsoc\/2010-11\/releases\/7272.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Esince this was self-disclosed\u003C\/a\u003E, although the culprit was midfielder \u003Cb\u003ERita Keimakh\u003C\/b\u003E, who was a former national under-20 and Big Ten player. On Tuesday after Thanksgiving weekend, Keimakh dropped a class, reducing her load to 7½ hours per week. York required 9 hours in order to be considered a full-time student and, thus, OUA-eligible. Keimakh competed one day later. It was caught and the game was forfeited to McMaster six days later. To her credit, Keimakh competed for York in later seasons.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2009-10, football\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E—\u003Cb\u003E Patrick Hooey\u003C\/b\u003E had played for Saint Mary's in 2008, and enrolled at York with intentions to start a new degree, so he could play right away. Instead, he was enrolled as a \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2009\/09\/football-york-discloses-it-played.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Efull-time undergraduate student\u003C\/a\u003E\" but coach\u003Cb\u003E Mike McLean\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003Eallowed him to play in the season opener against Windsor. If memory serves, York self-disclosed the error, calling it a \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/yfile.news.yorku.ca\/2009\/09\/11\/new-u-of-t-library-fee-hits-york-students-staff-and-faculty\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ebreakdown in communications\u003C\/a\u003E,\" after Saint Mary's athletic director \u003Cb\u003ESteve Sarty \u003C\/b\u003Ealerted them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMcLean (career record: 0-16) left coaching after that season.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2008-09, men's soccer\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003E\u003Ci\u003EWhere have you gone, \u003Cb\u003EAndrea Lombardo\u003C\/b\u003E? A shut-in sports blogger turns his lonely eyes to you, woo-woo-woo.\u003C\/i\u003E Actually, Lombardo works at York, in the admissions department, and no doubt is great at his job. Hopefully, he would be a good sport about his line of work seeming ironic, lo, these many years later. In 2008, he played four games for the No. 1-ranked men's soccer Lions after having played for Toronto FC during its maiden Major League Soccer campaign.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs \u003Ci\u003EMacLean's\u003C\/i\u003E put it: \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/general\/york-universitys-soccer-scandal\/\"\u003EThe fact that they managed to play four games with this illegal player ... is just mind blowing. The fact that they didn’t know it was illegal is somewhat hilarious\u003C\/a\u003E.\" \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI apologize, fully completely, to Mses. Keimakh and Pierce and Messrs. Hooey, Isaac, Lombardo and even McLean that unpleasant incidents from their past have to be exhumed. It's just that a thread runs through all of this, which is that is seems like this isn't begin taken very seriously, by anyone whatsoever.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat is very, very bad. That goes for the scary thought that this happens since there is essentially no check and balance. Those have to be there. It can derive from \u003Cb\u003E1) \u003C\/b\u003Esome combination of intensely local news coverage that has a collective long memory; \u003Cb\u003E2) \u003C\/b\u003Eengaged alumni who expect more from an alma mater's varsity sports program and \u003Cb\u003E3) \u003C\/b\u003Ean athletic conference, OUA in this case, keeping member schools accountable. Honestly, I feel like the Walter Sobchak character in \u003Ci\u003EThe Big Lebowski\u003C\/i\u003E, minus the concealed carry, of course.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThis is not 'Nam ... this is high-performance sport. There are rules.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" class=\"YOUTUBE-iframe-video\" data-thumbnail-src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/P41gT4eicrE\/0.jpg\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/P41gT4eicrE?feature=player_embedded\" width=\"320\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYork is far from alone in having had player eligibility issues, of course, and this is not meant to be a call-out or a castigation. It just bears pointing out that a serious sports conference takes these matters seriously. That might help with getting the media to pay attention outside of Vanier Cup and Super Championship Weekend time, when they wonder why no one cares when they do a drive-by on something they have ignored for the other 49 weeks of the year.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHere is a brief list of other eligibility-related forfeits in recent years:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2015-16\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EWaterloo men's volleyball\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2014-15\u0026nbsp;— \u003C\/b\u003EQueen's football; Calgary football; Mount Royal men's soccer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2012-13 —\u003C\/b\u003E Bishop's football; UPEI men's soccer; St. Francis Xavier men's soccer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2011-12 — \u003C\/b\u003EUBC football; Montreal football\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2010-11 — \u003C\/b\u003ELaurier football\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2009-10 — \u003C\/b\u003EManitoba football; Simon Fraser football.\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/7169832032799803905\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/eligibility-york-lions-brief-history-of.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7169832032799803905"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7169832032799803905"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2016\/03\/eligibility-york-lions-brief-history-of.html","title":"Eligibility: York Lions' brief history of OUA forfeits"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"sager"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08757652892056684490"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-HoppI3_eGQc\/VrWGl9xFY2I\/AAAAAAAADEA\/ucwvqUnIa7M\/s220\/Neate1379-4x4M.JPG"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/P41gT4eicrE\/default.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-6795779968820879482"},"published":{"$t":"2014-02-12T13:02:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2014-06-21T21:58:12.518-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball Week In Review"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Capers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Citadins"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Martlets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Panthers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Redmen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Sea-Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"SMU Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Thunderwolves"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tigers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Varsity Reds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Vikes"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Voyageurs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"WolfPack"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Basketball: Week In Review, Feb. 5–9"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ci\u003ENext in a series of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/kenpom.com\/\"\u003Ekenpom-inspired\u003C\/a\u003E Week in Review. Through games on Sunday.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBiggest upsets\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2. MBB: TRU (26%) over Victoria, Friday (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/sports\/mbkb\/2013-14\/boxscores\/20140207_vdh6.xml\"\u003Ebox\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/b\u003E. Ta'Quan Zimmerman gives the people what they want. 14-29 shooting, three 3s, 31 points. Add in nine rebounds, four assists and a lone turnover. Kid can hoop, and his effort led Thompson Rivers to the win over the No. 4 ranked Victoria Vikes. The 82 points on 71 possessions from TRU is the impressive number here, because Victoria had the best DRtg in the conference, at 87.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E1. MBB: Memorial (22%) over Dalhousie, Saturday (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/sports\/mbkb\/2013-14\/boxscores\/20140208_s1qb.xml\"\u003Ebox\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/b\u003E. The box score from this one is bizarre. Dalhousie shot 28 per cent and only lost by five. They only had five turnovers though, which is why the margin was so slim. No standout performers on either side \u0026mdash; Memorial was just efficient. Caleb Gould had 15 points on 7-10 shooting while also snagging 12 rebounds. The win doesn't do much for the standings, as Memorial is 2-14 and Dalhousie is 4-12. Interesting note: Jacob Hynes of Memorial played 27 minutes and did not attempt a field goal. He split a pair of free throws, grabbed three rebounds, an assist and a block. Unsurprisingly, he has the lowest usage rate (5.6%) in the country.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECrazy comebacks\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe teams who should have lost, but didn't.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E4. MBB: McGill (4.1%) over UQAM, Saturday (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/sports\/mbkb\/2013-14\/boxscores\/20140208_1727.xml?view=plays\"\u003Eplay-by-play\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/b\u003E. Fairly close game throughout, but a Simon Bibeau three with seven seconds left tied the game and sent it to overtime. The low point for McGill was just before nailing that three. They went on to outscore UQAM 7-5 in the OT period and won 78-76.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E3. WBB: Laurier (3.9%) over Lakehead, Friday (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/sports\/wbkb\/2013-14\/boxscores\/20140207_m1pl.xml?view=plays\"\u003Eplay-by-play\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/b\u003E. Lakehead continues their 2014 surge and nearly swept the Golden Hawks this weekend. Laurier was able to steal the first game on the double-header, despite being down 30-16 with 7:27 left in the first half. The Golden Hawks didn't just win; they were actually able to come back and hold the lead going into the locker room, dropping 28 points in the quarter. The OUA West continues to be the strangest conference in women's hoops.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-lrI4NG5JMHY\/UvmwK2OaSSI\/AAAAAAAABQc\/q-wUnsy6NPk\/s1600\/WBB_UNB_CBU_WP_20140207.png\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-lrI4NG5JMHY\/UvmwK2OaSSI\/AAAAAAAABQc\/q-wUnsy6NPk\/s1600\/WBB_UNB_CBU_WP_20140207.png\" height=\"193\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EWBB: UNB 57 at Cape Breton 62 (OT) (Feb. 7, 2014)\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cb\u003E2. MBB: Waterloo (3.6%) over Western, Saturday (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/sports\/mbkb\/2013-14\/boxscores\/20140208_yega.xml?view=plays\"\u003Eplay-by-play\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/b\u003E. It has to be a frustrating season for fans of the Western Mustangs, who have not shown any consistency this year. They lost to Waterloo in crazy fashion, allowing the game to go to overtime. The play-by-play is inaccurate, so it's hard to tell exactly what happened, but the low point was with Waterloo down by two late in the fourth. Warrior guard Mike Helsby knocked down a two-pointer to knot it at 71, and Waterloo would prevail in OT. Western's Eric McDonald missed a tying free throw late, and Greg Morrow missed the ensuing putback. So it goes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E1. WBB: Cape Breton (\u0026lt;0.1%) over UNB, Friday (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/sports\/wbkb\/2013-14\/boxscores\/20140207_9mhs.xml?view=plays\"\u003Eplay-by-play\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/b\u003E. Down 13 with 4:27 to go, and their chances of winning basically at zero (see chart), Cape Breton mounted a ridiculous comeback, albeit in a low-scoring affair. With 29 seconds left, the Capers took a 50-49 lead. UNB tied it with a free throw, and yet again, the game headed to overtime. Free throws with 42 seconds left gave the Capers a one-point lead, and the Varsity Reds went cold for the rest of the game to concede the loss.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBiggest changes in SRS\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EUp: Laurentian MBB (+3, 15 to 12) and Lakehead WBB (+3, 24 to 21)\u003C\/b\u003E. \u003Cbr \/\u003ELaurentian has been inconsistent this year and most of that has to do with playing on the road. They are 3-6 away from Sudbury and 9-2 at home. They beat Ryerson this weekend, hanging 82 points on a team with a better defensive rating than Carleton. The Voyageurs probably have the best home atmosphere I have been to this year (and yes, I have been to Lakehead). The place is packed, the fans are loud and the players love it. Expect them to sink next week though, as they travel to Ottawa to take on the Gee-Gees and Ravens.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBeating a dead horse a bit here, but Lakehead is putting out a solid women's basketball product. Jylisa Williams is damn fun to watch and the team can get points from a handful of other players. The Thunderwolves let the first game against Laurier slip away, but they were able to win the second. Should they have completed the sweep, their ranking would have soared even higher. If they had Williams all season, the OUA West would be even more competitive than it already is. Scary thought.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDown: McGill MBB (11 to 15)\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003ECan we rally to rescind RSEQ's berth in the Final 8 this year? McGill seems likely to emerge from the conference, but they have not taken advantage of weaker teams. Their offense is 10th in ORtg and they play against a division that has not had anyone else sniff the top-ten rankings. Someone is going to miss out on the tournament so we can watch McGill get pummelled. This RSEQ rant is a recording.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESlowest game of the week: WBB UQAM at McGill, Thursday (66 possessions)\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E62-59 is the final, and the teams combined for 39 turnovers. Probably not the game you would want to show someone who has never watched basketball before. Their rematch was just as slow. RSEQ hoops, you guys!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFastest game of the week: MBB SMU at UPEI, Saturday (96 possessions)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn a match-up of the No. 2 (UPEI) and No. 3 (SMU) teams in pace, 96 possessions should not come as a surprise. A 97-93 win for UPEI was the result, but SMU actually launched a late comeback attempt. Down 91-73 with 2:17 left, SMU went on a tear and made it a two-point game late. Not too surprising to see an up-tempo team put up points in a hurry, though.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETa'Quan Zimmerman Watch\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHave to give credit to Zimmerman this week for his performance over a fantastic defensive team. I talked about his stats in the win over Victoria early, but in the rematch, Zimmerman was just as impressive. He had 23 points on 9-17 shooting, including three of six from beyond the arc. Only four rebounds and two assists, but an efficient evening nonetheless. Thompson Rivers has just an outside shot of making the Final 8, but it would be fun to see what he could do on the national stage.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBest games of the upcoming week\u003C\/b\u003E (all times Eastern)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EAll listed games include webcast link.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWBB: Western at Brock (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.brocktv.ca\/live\"\u003EWednesday, 6:00pm\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/b\u003E. This tilt is massive. Brock is tied at 11-9 with McMaster, and Mac has the tie-breaker in points. Western is sniffing Laurier, only one game behind. Brock needs to create separation to earn a home playoff game, but Western could get an important bye and home game.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMBB: Laurentian at Ottawa (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ssncanada.ca\/game\/5259\/\"\u003EFriday 8:00pm\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/b\u003E. Ottawa's No. 2 seed is safe, but Laurentian could use a win over Ottawa to give themselves an outside shot of getting ahead of Ryerson. The Voyageurs are behind two games but they need this one to even have a chance.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWBB: Saskatchewan at Alberta (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/client.stretchinternet.com\/client\/canadawest.portal\"\u003EFriday 8:00pm, Saturday 7:00pm\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/b\u003E. A win for Saskatchewan would tie the two squads and give the Huskies some more credibility as a wild card bid. They have beat the better teams in the Pacific division, and splitting the games with Alberta \u0026mdash; the loss being a close one \u0026mdash; would be a positive.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMBB: Saskatchewan at Alberta (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/client.stretchinternet.com\/client\/canadawest.portal\"\u003EFriday 10:00pm, Saturday 9:00pm\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/b\u003E. Same schools, different teams. Saskatchewan peaked at No. 5 in the CIS rankings (now No. 9) and a win over Alberta would be beneficial to their playoff run. They can't get first place in the Prairie division, but they could at least raise some eyebrows about their chances at making the Final 8.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMBB: Victoria at UBC (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/client.stretchinternet.com\/client\/canadawest.portal\"\u003EFriday 11:00pm\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/b\u003E. UBC does not have many wins over good teams this year. They have a notable win over Saskatchewan, but a win over Victoria could put them over Thompson Rivers and help UBC avoid the Vikes in playoff action for as long as possible.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWBB: Western at Laurier (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/links\/vwvtp0\"\u003ESaturday, 1:00pm\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/b\u003E. This could be the most important game in the OUA on Saturday. Should Western beat Brock and Mac beat Laurier, the teams would be tied for 2nd place. It would be a winner-take-all battle and an important one, because you get home-court advantage and a bye. Both teams have been shaky against the other playoff teams, so you can guarantee that they want to play as few games as possible in playoffs.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/6795779968820879482\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2014\/02\/basketball-week-in-review-feb-59.html#comment-form","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6795779968820879482"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6795779968820879482"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2014\/02\/basketball-week-in-review-feb-59.html","title":"Basketball: Week In Review, Feb. 5–9"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Scott Hastie"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08081415078301065374"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-lrI4NG5JMHY\/UvmwK2OaSSI\/AAAAAAAABQc\/q-wUnsy6NPk\/s72-c\/WBB_UNB_CBU_WP_20140207.png","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-803609518668811884"},"published":{"$t":"2014-01-02T11:44:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2014-01-02T11:44:39.524-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Gaels"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Hockey"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lions"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Patriotes"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Redmen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ryerson Rams"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Varsity Blues"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Men's Hockey: OUA Mid-Season Wrapup"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"It’s been thirty years, but the Queen’s Golden Gaels finally find themselves back in the CIS Top 10 with OUA teams set to hit the ice again and enter the second half of the season. As the games begin to mean more and we come out of the turn and into the final stretch of the playoff push, here's five of the biggest storylines from the conference over the first half, and that are worth watching as we begin the second.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EGaels on Top\u003C\/h4\u003EIt took until the eighth week for Queen’s to finally crack the top ten and take the eighth spot. In spite of three other OUA teams placing ahead of them in the voters’ eyes, the Gaels find themselves atop the conference standings with a two-point lead on #5 McGill. More impressively, despite racking up two losses in overtime and three as a result of shootouts, the Gaels remain undefeated in regulation, the only team in the OUA who can claim that (the only other in CIS is the #1 Calgary Dinos). \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHead coach \u003Cb\u003EBrett Gibson\u003C\/b\u003E has found success through a balanced attack, as not one player on the team finds themselves even in the top fifty of CIS scorers. \u003Cb\u003EKelly Jackson\u003C\/b\u003E, who leads the team with eight goals in fourteen games, only comes in tied for fifteenth in the OUA. Netminder \u003Cb\u003EKevin Bailie\u003C\/b\u003E, who previously played with the Oshawa Generals and London Knights, has also played a large part in the Gaels' early success, boasting the third best save percentage in the country at .941, with an impressive 1.78 GAA to boot. It’s not as if Bailie’s had an easy go of things, either, with the team right in the middle of the OUA pack in terms of shots faced, yet second best in the nation in total goals against.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe other factor that was in the Gaels' favour over the first half was a favourable schedule that put them at home nine times in fifteen games. They have a tough month ahead of them waiting in January, when they will play a dreadful seven road games which includes visits to two tough barns; McGill (7-1-0 at home this season) and Carleton (5-1-0). However, with RMC on the schedule twice, as well as games against UOIT, Laurier and Nipissing, and a pair against a lackluster Concordia team, Queen’s should find themselves with home-ice advantage in the first round for just the second time in Gibson’s eight-year term behind the bench.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EUsual Suspects in their Usual Spots\u003C\/h4\u003EWith the exception of Queen’s, whose success, as highlighted above, is unprecedented to anyone born after Canada’s official adoption of the metric system, there really isn’t much difference in who the top contenders coming out of each conference will be. In six of the last seven regular seasons, Western and Lakehead have finished in the top three spots in the West, while McGill and UQTR have done the same in the East (the one year it didn’t happen, Lakehead finished fourth). With hot starts for all four teams this season, they all look poised to repeat the pattern yet again.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the East, McGill and UQTR each have 11 wins going into the break, and with 23 and 22 points, respectively, hold the second and third spots in the division. McGill are being led by American-import offensive defenseman \u003Cb\u003ERyan McKiernan\u003C\/b\u003E, who has notched eight goals and 17 points in 15 games. Meanwhile, UQTR’s success is in part thanks to goaltender \u003Cb\u003EMarc-Antoine Gelinas\u003C\/b\u003E, whose fourth nation-wide with an impressive .940 save percentage.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the West, Lakehead are back at the top of the division with a solid 11-3-0 record heading into the break. \u003Cb\u003EMike Hammond\u003C\/b\u003E leads the Thunderwolves on offense with 18 points already this campaign. Western is also looking good again this year, currently tied for third in the West with 20 points. They’ve relied heavily offensively on \u003Cb\u003EMatt Clarke\u003C\/b\u003E, who’s fourth in points and sixth in goals nationally, and \u003Cb\u003EDaniel Erlich\u003C\/b\u003E, also tied in fourth with 25 points, but third in assists in the country.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAll four teams look poised to take home-ice advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs and to make deep runs in pursuit of a University Cup appearance.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EWoes in Waterloo\u003C\/h4\u003EComing into the season, the \u003Cb\u003EWaterloo Warriors\u003C\/b\u003E were ranked fifth in the country. The ranking was surprising to some as it came off the heels of a, (truthfully) rather disappointing regular season where the Warriors squeaked into the playoffs with the sixth seed in the OUA West with a 12-11-5 record. They proceeded to have a wonderful playoff run, knocking off the favoured Lakehead Thunderwolves in a two-game sweep, sliding past first-place Western in a third and deciding game, and then taking out Windsor in two before falling to UQTR in the Queen’s Cup finals. The Warriors snuck into the University Cup by virtue of beating Windsor, and eked out \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/03\/2013-university-cup-cinderella-story.html\"\u003Ea 2-1 win over Alberta\u003C\/a\u003E before being blown out by Saint Mary’s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EApparently, that was deserving of a number five ranking to kick off this season, the second highest ranking in the OUA (UQTR, last year’s OUA champions, were ranked only tenth). The season started out on a shaky foot, as Waterloo squeaked out one-goal wins over UOIT and Queen’s at home, before dropping three straight to divisional foes Windsor, York, and Western. Since then, the Warriors have been streaky, but the bad has outweighed the good, emphasized by an 8-2 thumping at the hand of \u003Cb\u003EToronto\u003C\/b\u003E, and a loss at home to \u003Cb\u003ENipissing\u003C\/b\u003E, in a game they were heavily favoured to win.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThey were promptly booted out of the top ten by the fourth week, but still, it’s been a disappointing start for a team with high expectations. The first half ended on a positive note with a 6-2 victory over \u003Cb\u003ECarleton\u003C\/b\u003E (after beating RMC by the same score the night previous), so head coach \u003Cb\u003EBrian Bourque\u003C\/b\u003E better hope his team can pick up where they left off.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EChris Chappell\u003C\/b\u003E has been a bright spot for the Warriors, as the former Saginaw Spirit forward leads the nation in goals, averaging one per game, and is tied for seventh in overall points. The Warriors will need to continue to find success on their top-ranked powerplay, and play better in the “big games” against divisional foes if they can turn this season around. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMeanwhile, players at the other end of University Avenue have had it even worse. The Laurier Golden Hawks, who managed a decent fifth-place finish in the West last year, find themselves in the basement this time around. The G-Hawks lost six of their first seven games, and while they’ve been steadily trying to climb out of the hole, they face a pretty steep climb if they hope to make the playoffs this season.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003ETwo Tiers in the East?\u003C\/h4\u003EThe Golden Hawks might have an easier time in the other half of the league. It would appear that the East is suffering from a lack of parity this season, after the \u003Cb\u003ELaurentian Voyageurs\u003C\/b\u003E' entrance bumped the Rams and Varsity Blues westward. While the Golden Hawks have a measly 11 points through the first half, that record would be good enough for the seventh spot in the East, not to mention Laurier’s two games in hand over \u003Cb\u003EUOIT\u003C\/b\u003E who sit one point ahead. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOf the 10 teams in the West, only two fall below .500 in terms of points percentage, contrasted with five in the East. However, when it comes to the remaining top teams in the East, the gap is enormous. While the top five teams understandably have an unblemished-in-regulation 14-0-1 record against the bottom five, their records against the West speak volumes. When the West has faced off against the East’s bottom five teams, they also have a commanding 38-8-0 record. However, when the West has faced off against the East’s top five, the record is 29-11-5 in favour of the Queen’s-McGill-UQTR-Ottawa-Carleton coalition.* With respect to the teams at the bottom of the East, especially as many of them are smaller schools still developing their programs, they face a difficult situation in trying to knock off the top five established schools. Further, as proven by the performance of the bottom five teams, it would appear that a top three finish in the East equals a much easier route to the second round than it does in the West.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E*It should be noted here that the West vs. East records include single wins for Queen’s and UOIT over Ryerson, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/11\/mens-hockey-rams-take-down-lions-in.html\"\u003Ewho forfeited two games\u003C\/a\u003E due to a suspension handed down by university administration.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EToronto Rivalry Heating Up\u003C\/h4\u003EAfter years of being split up, the three Toronto teams now find themselves battling it out in the West. Currently, the Ryerson Rams, Toronto Varsity Blues, and York Lions all find themselves in playoff contention, sitting in third, fifth, and sixth place, respectively.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOf course, the Varsity Blues and Lions have a long-held hateful rivalry that carries across all varsity sports. The rivalry between the blue \u0026amp; white and red \u0026amp; white is rooted in the historical traditions of both institutions, and their battles for supremacy in the city’s university athletics. However, Ryerson’s recent transformation that accompanied their renovation and move into Maple Leaf Gardens, and rise in success, has helped legitimize their program. It was less than a decade ago that Ryerson ended a five-season stint where they won just 11 games (from 2002-03 to 2006-07), and now that they’re a contender, with a \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/10\/hockey-queens-spoil-ryersons-mlg-opener.html\"\u003Ehigh-profile, professional looking hockey program\u003C\/a\u003E, they look poised to take over their intra-city rivals and insert themselves firmly into the rivalry conversation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEach team has faced each other once thus far, and the Varsity Blues currently sit undefeated in those games. Early in the season, the Blues blew out Ryerson in a 7-3 thrashing, before taking down York on the road 4-2 just over a week later. In the remaining first half match-up, the Rams were able to withstand a late York attack and come away with a close 4-3 victory.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the second half of the season, the rivalry continues with York heading to Maple Leaf Gardens to face Ryerson on the road on February 1, and then head to UT the next week. Meanwhile, Toronto make the short trip to Ryerson on Feb. 12 for the second last game of the year, in what should be an especially intense game with playoff implications at stake.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith just four points separating York from Ryerson and Toronto, this three-way rivalry should continue to heat up over the winter months and into the Queen’s Cup playoffs.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe OUA Game of the Week will begin again next week, with this weekend's national capital rivalry between the Gee-Gees and Ravens on Saturday night.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/803609518668811884\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2014\/01\/mens-hockey-oua-mid-season-wrapup.html#comment-form","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/803609518668811884"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/803609518668811884"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2014\/01\/mens-hockey-oua-mid-season-wrapup.html","title":"Men's Hockey: OUA Mid-Season Wrapup"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Kyle Brown"},"uri":{"$t":"https:\/\/plus.google.com\/100079013344179668072"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-7901548626500082250"},"published":{"$t":"2013-11-22T15:54:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-11-22T15:54:22.904-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Badgers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gryphons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tigers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Track and Field"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"X-Men"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"X-Women"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Track \u0026 Field: Gryphons start off with a bang!"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"The CIS track \u0026 field season officially kicked off on Friday, November 15th with the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.trackie.com\/track-and-field\/Results\/2013-zoltan-tenke-classic\/2390\/\"\u003EZoltan Tenke Classic\u003C\/a\u003E, hosted by the University of Guelph. The Classic is an annual but low-key event that opens up each season for the Guelph Gryphons, the powerhouse of CIS cross-country and track \u0026 field.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGuelph is coming off yet another successful cross-country season, as both the men's and women's teams took first place. Since head coach \u003Cb\u003EDave Scott-Thomas\u003C\/b\u003E took over the program in 2005, his teams have won eight consecutive cross-country national titles. Their winning ways on the trails have also carried over to the track. The men won national track \u0026 field titles in 2008, 2010 and 2013, while the women took home top honours in 2008. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlso at the meet along with the Gryphons were representatives from the Waterloo, Brock and a few independents \u0026mdash; all of whom were also kicking off their indoor seasons.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDue to the timing of the meet and the number of participants, there were only six track events; 60m, 1000m and 3000m for both men and women.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMeanwhile the field events (long jump, high jump, pole vault, weight throw and shot put) were mixed, which put the athletes in the unusual situation of having to compete against the opposite gender.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs expected, the hosts dominated, winning nine of the eleven events. The Gryphons won all of the female track events and swept the field events, but struggled by their standards in the male races.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMo Yassin\u003C\/b\u003E of Waterloo took home first place in the 60m dash. The third-year engineering student finished 6th last year at the OUA championships in that event.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn what was the most exciting race of the day, \u003Cb\u003ETommy Land\u003C\/b\u003E beat out Guelph teammate \u003Cb\u003EAdam Rowles\u003C\/b\u003E by one-hundredth of a second in the 1000m.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn the 3000m, heavily favoured \u003Cb\u003EAaron Hendrikx\u003C\/b\u003E was upset by the relatively unknown \u003Cb\u003EMatt Jurysta\u003C\/b\u003E of \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/speedriver\"\u003ESpeed River TFC\u003C\/a\u003E. Hendrikx is considered one of the top distance runners in the country, winning the 2013 cross-country championships (he was also the CIS Male Athlete of the Week at the time of the race).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother surprise came in the weight throw, as \u003Cb\u003ESarah Dougherty\u003C\/b\u003E beat two male competitors to finish second. Her personal-best throw of 16.46 metres was just a bit too short to top fellow Gryphon \u003Cb\u003EBrent Roubos\u003C\/b\u003E’ mark of 16.63m.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe high jump was also an event of note. Rookie \u003Cb\u003ESean Cate\u003C\/b\u003E won with a jump of 2.07 metres which, according to the Gryphons’ website, is the second best mark in school history.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhile Guelph was winning some serious hardware, nearly 1,800 kilometres away in Halifax, another meet was taking place. The Saint Mary’s Open started the year for athletes from Saint Mary’s, St. F-X, Dalhousie and Acadia. StFX won the event, but the Tigers had more first place finishes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUpcoming events on the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.trackie.com\/CIS\/TNF\/Calendar\/\"\u003ECIS track and field calendar\u003C\/a\u003E include:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENov. 29 – University of Toronto Blue and White\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENov. 30 – McGill Martlet Invitational\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENov. 30 – Western Season Opener\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENov. 30 – York Xmas Open\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/7901548626500082250\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/11\/track-field-gryphons-start-off-with-bang.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7901548626500082250"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7901548626500082250"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/11\/track-field-gryphons-start-off-with-bang.html","title":"Track \u0026 Field: Gryphons start off with a bang!"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Graham Neysmith"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/18087411272443037026"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-8020016309213055041"},"published":{"$t":"2013-11-05T11:38:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-11-05T19:07:39.285-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Algoma Thunderbirds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Badgers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Gaels"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gryphons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lions"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"previews"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ryerson Rams"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Thunderwolves"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Varsity Blues"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Voyageurs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Tiers of the OUA: A Men's Basketball Season Preview"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"For the 2013-14 OUA preview, I've divided all the teams up into tiers. Ontario is deep this year with four teams being in the conversation for nationals. There are other teams who could surprise too, if they get a few lucky bounces and some transfers pan out. Then, we have some programs floundering in the basement without a shred of hope of making noise. For each team, I've given a projected finish and a player to watch. That player is a combination of on-court entertainment while also being a barometer for the success a team will have. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003ECIS Title Contenders\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003ECarleton Ravens\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere is no weakness in the Ravens’ game. Sure, their jerseys are lacking in creativity, but that’s the most significant criticism I can find. The team that claimed its ninth CIS title in 11 seasons this past year, Carleton will put more distance between themselves and the rest of the pack come March 2014.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBehind \u003Cb\u003ETyson Hinz\u003C\/b\u003E, the \u003Cb\u003EScrubb\u003C\/b\u003E brothers, and transfer \u003Cb\u003EVictor Raso\u003C\/b\u003E there is just no way another team beats these guys. We’re talking about a team that nearly beat the Syracuse Orange.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPhil Scrubb\u003C\/b\u003E is the best player in the country — this much is tough to debate and until he shows any signs of slowing down, Carleton is a lock to compete for the W.P. McGee Trophy. Scrubb led the conference in PER (with Tyson Hinz and \u003Cb\u003EThomas Scrubb\u003C\/b\u003E right behind him) and he shoots 47 per cent on two point shots and 41 per cent on three point shots. (Unless otherwise specified, all statistics refer to the 2012-13 season.) \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELast year, Dave Smart orchestrated the best offence and defence in the country. Not just the OUA — the entire CIS. The Ottawa Gee-Gees had an offensive rating of 107, second in the country to Carleton’s 122 (!). The gap between the Ravens and the field for defensive was closer — Carleton put up a defensive rating of 84, with the next closest figure being 89 from the Ryerson Rams.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECarleton owns the best REB% in the league at 41 per cent. They get to the line at a great pace – second to McMaster – and shoot the highest 78 per cent at the charity stripe. The Ravens hold teams to a 40 per cent eFG% too. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIf you haven’t caught on yet, Carleton can do it all and their key players all fall somewhere in the top ten in the nation. Expect another dominating season from the Ravens.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Phil Scrubb. I just want to know what this guy’s ceiling is. He opened the year with 38 points on 13 shots through two games. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: CIS Finals – Wilson Cup Champions\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EWindsor Lancers\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis is a veteran team. \u003Cb\u003EJosh Collins\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EEnrico Diloreto\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003ELien Phillip\u003C\/b\u003E are all in their fifth year of eligibility. They are this year’s version of the 2012-13 Lakehead Thunderwolves, relying on experience through the long season. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWindsor’s strength lies in their defence, which plays a suffocating press that forces turnovers at the highest rate in the conference. Phillip grabs 28% of the Lancers’ defensive rebounds, good for No.1 in that category. He’s also a highly capable defender on the block and while not a player who blocks shots (he only had 14 blocks last season), Phillip can bother shots in a help situation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe concern for this team will be how they function on offence. \u003Cb\u003EMichael Petrella\u003C\/b\u003E played a ton of minutes at guard for the Lancers last year, but with his departure, Windsor has to look elsewhere to get the ball moving on offence. Collins is a top-level point guard, great at distributing the ball to his teammates. His average of 4.1 assists per game put him at 15th in the country. But the issue here is his turnovers. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe talented teams in the OUA prey on turnovers, and if you can’t control turnovers — as Collins has shown — you’re not going to win. Last year, take a look at the OUA teams who made it to the CIS Final 8: Lakehead, with Greg Carter and Dwyane Harvey leading the charge; Carleton, with the Scrubb brothers and Clinton Springer Williams wreaking havoc on ball-handlers; Ottawa, with Johnny Berhanemeskel and Warren Ward finishing top-five in total steals, and the Lancers. Windsor as a team has a low TOV% (20 per cent) but Collins owns a 24 per cent TOV%. It’s tough to build a successful offence around that, proven by their lowly 98 O-Rtg. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother key to shoring up their offence will be reigning in Diloreto. He’s a talented offensive player, but he shoots an abysmal eFG% of 44 per cent. His shooting is only compounded by his USG%, which ranks 13th in the league among qualified players. If coach \u003Cb\u003EChris Oliver\u003C\/b\u003E can move some of those possessions to \u003Cb\u003ERotimi Osuntola Jr.\u003C\/b\u003E - a hyper-efficient guard with range - Windsor should be able to come out on top of the OUA West.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELastly, they need to improve in all areas of free throws — both getting to the line and knocking them down. Their free throw to field goal attempted ratio is second worst in the OUA (to Western), and their free throw percentage is the worst, at 65%. If they can do a better job at getting to the line and setting up that hellacious press that Oliver has crafted, the O-Rtg should improve greatly.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Lien Phillip - Professional-level talent, will be key to maintaining their defence. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Medal at the CIS Championship - potential Wilson Cup finalist\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EContenders for a Final 8 berth\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EMcMaster Marauders\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe talk in Hamilton has been about nationals, and I think that’s a fair conversation to have.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAdam Presutti\u003C\/b\u003E had a rough sophomore season, riddled with injuries causing him to never catch on in the lineup. Outside of that, McMaster’s roster all made significant strides; \u003Cb\u003EJoe Rocca\u003C\/b\u003E become a reliable offensive weapon, \u003Cb\u003ETaylor Black\u003C\/b\u003E emerged as one of the best players in the conference (and nation), \u003Cb\u003ERohan Boney\u003C\/b\u003E won a Rookie of the Year award and \u003Cb\u003ENathan McCarthy\u003C\/b\u003E proved himself to be a top defensive big man. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith all of those players back, the Marauders seemed poised to build off a good season in 2012-13. It started off rough, with only two wins and five losses after the interlock period. But the team would turn it around and finish 13-8 and were this close to getting to the Final Four before succumbing to Lakehead in the Thunderdome. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMcMaster had an average offence, but that was largely a product of Boney and Redpath having to take control when Presutti missed games. When the 2011 CIS Rookie of the Year did play however, he improved the offence with his playmaking ability. Presutti posted a 26 per cent AST% last season, good for second in the conference.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhere McMaster hangs their hat is on defense, and don’t expect a regression there. Boney is a great defender, Black and McCarthy can handle nearly any frontcourt and head coach \u003Cb\u003EAmos Connolly\u003C\/b\u003E has added some other talent to beef up the defense. \u003Cb\u003ETrevon McNeil\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EHamid Nessek\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003ELeon Alexander\u003C\/b\u003E — all in their first year with the program — are solid players who are overwhelming when defending the perimeter. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBlack could take the next step and be in the conversation for an All-Canadian spot. He posted the best PER for players not from Carleton and has shown a knack for scoring at the right time and taking over quarters.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI’m very high on this team because I’ve already said a couple hundred words about them and haven’t even talked about some players who won't be playing major minutes for them. They lost \u003Cb\u003EScott Laws\u003C\/b\u003E, an emotional leader for the team, but as the team matures, they should have been able to replace the void.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThey’ll need to knock off a ranked team to get to the CIS Final 8, but don’t be surprised if they do. This team is ten players deep and capable of playing with any team in the conference.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Taylor Black. He is only in his fourth year of eligibility and has already made noise through the beginning of this season. Just how good can he be?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Second in the OUA West, potential Wilson Cup finalist.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EOttawa Gee-Gees\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith the departure of \u003Cb\u003EWarren Ward\u003C\/b\u003E — a player who received NBA camp invites and praise from professional hoops writers — \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ottawacitizen.com\/sports\/Former+Warren+Ward+signs+deal+Germany\/8737365\/story.html\"\u003Eto Germany\u003C\/a\u003E, it’s easy to sweep the Gee-Gees out of the conversation. But there is more to the Garnet and Grey than Ward. \u003Cb\u003EJohnny Berhanemeskel\u003C\/b\u003E is the league-leader in three-pointers made, \u003Cb\u003EVikas Gill\u003C\/b\u003E is an efficient option to take some more of the offensive load and \u003Cb\u003EMike L’Africain\u003C\/b\u003E has been stellar through the Gee-Gees undefeated pre-season. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETo say L’Africain struggled through his sophomore season is putting things gently. Offensively, he was unable to be efficient while playing off Ward’s double teams and was an average defender with a D-Rtg of 98. But L’Africain has all the tools to be an effective point guard for an electric offence. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHead coach \u003Cb\u003EJames Derouin\u003C\/b\u003E has looked to increase the tempo of the game, and that lends to L’Africain’s ball handling abilities and decision-making. Last year, the second-year guard finished 16th in the OUA for assists. Playing alongside Gill and Berhanemeskel gives L’Africain two lethal weapons on the perimeter, so his assist numbers should improve this year.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI mentioned earlier that the Ottawa offence is second in the conference and while it will regress due to the loss of Ward, it will still be up there with the best. The defence is what’s suspect here.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMatt Nelson\u003C\/b\u003E, a six-foot-nine centre, hardly played last year after suffering multiple injuries. In fact, he even doesn’t show up on the CIS roster for last year’s team. But he’ll be the key to keeping the Gee-Gees defence in the upper echelon of the OUA ranks. Ottawa played a small-ball rotation, with Gill at six-foot-seven being the largest player on the court. While this rotation led them to a CIS bronze, it’s hard to imagine this being sustainable after losing a strong perimeter defender in Ward. If Nelson can come in and become a fearsome paint presence, Ottawa’s defence could take a leap. But that’s a tall task for a second-year player with minimal on-court experience. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother key piece to the defensive puzzle is \u003Cb\u003ECaleb Agada\u003C\/b\u003E, who showed himself to have a little something during the Gee-Gees CIS Final 8 run. He has been getting a lot of minutes early in the season and I'm bullish on his perimeter defence being able to slow some offences down.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENelson should have time to grow, however. Last year, Derouin had his team forcing opponents into difficult shots, gang-rebounding and forcing turnovers. All of those skills do not require height; they require extreme amounts of will and no player missing a beat. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith Derouin behind the bench, L’Africain poised to become a top OUA point guard and the majority of the parts from a CIS medal finish still in tact, the Gee-Gees could be in the hunt for a CIS wild card berth.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Mike L’Africain. With Ward gone, someone will have to take over on offense and orchestrate. Can L'Africain pick up the slack? My quick answer is yes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: potentially in the OUA bronze medal game - CIS wild card conversation\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003ERyerson Rams\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYou could make the case for Ryerson to be a CIS contender. They have the pieces; they only lost one player from last year’s team and added some intriguing talent.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut I’m pessimistic about this Rams squad. Their offence earned a pedestrian O-Rtg of 100 despite having \u003Cb\u003EJahmal Jones\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EAaron Best\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EJordan Gauthier\u003C\/b\u003E. Those players though, might be the reason that their offence struggled. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBoth Best and Jones have been efficient on two-point shot attempts: Best shot 55 per cent from inside the arc while Jones shot 45 per cent last year. That figure from Jones is a dip in production from his first three years in OUA play, when he shot 48.3 per cent in 2011-12 and a scorching 52.4 per cent in 2010-11. His shot totals through those years were all within 11 FGA of each other. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGauthier shot 51 per cent on non-threes last year, but 122 of 266 shot attempts were threes last year, where he only made 40 — or 32 per cent of his attempts.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt’s the three-point shots that are killing the Rams. Through twenty games last year, 38 per cent of Ryerson’s shots were threes and they only shot 29.0 per cent behind the arc. That’s a lot of threes for a team that isn’t particularly good at it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETeams with similar three-point shot rates? Carleton with 39.5 per cent and Ottawa with 39.7 per cent. But those squads are really, really good at threes. The Ravens knocked down 40.2 per cent of threes and Ottawa knocked down 40.1 per cent.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI’m not saying that Ryerson should abandon the three-point shot. My point is that they’ll need to make better decisions in the half court. The three aforementioned guards lead the team in USG% and if they want to make it to the Final 8 tournament, head coach \u003Cb\u003ERoy Rana\u003C\/b\u003E is going to have to reign their shooting in. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstead, they should look to \u003Cb\u003EBjorn Michaelsen\u003C\/b\u003E. He is a solid big man and shoots a team-best eFG% of 56 per cent. He is polished in the post and should receive more touches than he did last year. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERyerson is capable of making nationals, but it will take a major shift in player tendencies to get there. Can Rana change the established player styles of his three guards?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Aaron Best. In his third year, he has the opportunity to climb into the top five scorers of the OUA. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: potentially in the OUA bronze medal game - Wild card conversation\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EUp-and-comers\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003ELaurentian Voyageurs\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EManny Pasquale\u003C\/b\u003E is gone, but this team has the ability to rework itself and make noise in the OUA East. Don’t expect them to be challenging Ottawa or Carleton at the top of the standings, but they should have upset potential in the playoffs.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGeorges Serresse\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EJamie Weldon\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EStephen Williams\u003C\/b\u003E have all moved on from the program but \u003Cb\u003EJosh Budd\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003ENelson Yengue\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003ETychon Carter-Newman\u003C\/b\u003E should have no issues filling those minutes. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBudd has already shown a scoring prowess, leading the team in scoring over Waterloo in the season opener. Carter-Newman is a defensive monster and able to clean up some plays on the offensive glass too. Nelson Yengue didn’t use a ton of offensive possessions last year, but made good on the times he did, shooting a 52 per cent eFG%.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis team is balanced, with an O-Rtg and D-Rtg of 101. \u003Cb\u003EAlex Ratte\u003C\/b\u003E had a great year last year while leading the team in USG%, but it’ll be interesting to see how the loss of Pasquale impacts the defenders he faces. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI’m buying Voyageur stock because of that Sudbury advantage and returning players who are capable of filling in for the losses. The only thing that worries me about this team is what happens when Ratte has an off night or takes on an elite defender. Who takes on the shooting responsibilities? It looks like Budd, but he only averaged 7.2 points a game last year in 24 minutes per game. Will he be able to carry the offence?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Josh Budd. I hinted at it before, but I’m really curious to see if the fourth-year can take these offensive units to new heights in the post-Pasquale era.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Third in OUA East\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EQueen’s Golden Gaels\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EQueen’s has never made the national tournament. For a school with rich history and enough spirit to support a handful of OUA competitors, that’s a jarring fact. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut the Gaels seem to be building towards something now. Last year, rookies \u003Cb\u003ESukhpreet Singh\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003ERoshane Roberts\u003C\/b\u003E were second and third in minutes played per game. Fourth-year \u003Cb\u003EGreg Faulkner\u003C\/b\u003E led the team in minutes and scoring before going down with an injury. His strong debut in tricolour after transferring from Carleton put Queen’s at 6-3 heading into the winter break. The wheels fell off later in the season, going 1-4 in their final five games without Faulkner to finish 10-10.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt’s those outstanding rookies that put the Gaels in the up-and-coming conversation. Both were thrust into high usage situations, tasked with carrying the offence. The adjustment from high school to the OUA got the best of the two, with Singh putting up an eFG% of 46 per cent and Roberts hitting at a 40 per cent clip. Those are two sobering numbers, but there are positives.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESingh got the line at an all-OUA level. His free throw rate of 0.37 was good for ninth in Ontario. He only made 74 percent of his free throw attempts, but for a rookie to come out and make a habit of getting to the charity stripe is nothing short of impressive. Singh also has an elite play-making ability, finishing his first-year campaign with a 21 per cent assist rate to put him at tenth in the conference.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor Roberts, there are not many redeeming offensive numbers. All around, it looks pretty bleak. He’s not a great shooter from anywhere, doesn’t do well at the line (71 per cent last year) and averaged just over an assist a game. Those numbers will definitely turn around as he gains experience.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhere Roberts could redeem himself is to grow on the defensive end. He showed promise; he averaged a hair over a steal per game last year and owned an impressively low 2.6 fouls committed per 40 minutes. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMike Mullins\u003C\/b\u003E — brother of Columbia University and member of the Canadian development team Grant Mullins — joins the team and should take some of the scoring load off of Roberts.\u003Cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENikola Misljencevic\u003C\/b\u003E has had a strong pre-season, including 20 points over No. 8 McGill to lead his team to an OT victory. He only averaged seven shots a game, but it’s likely that he’ll take more possessions too.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDon’t expect a breakout season though. This team will likely be building off of last year’s success and give their young players more on-court experience.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Greg Faulkner. He is a savvy player with range who has the potential to go for 30 if the defence is sleeping on him.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Loss in OUA quarterfinals\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003ELaurier Golden Hawks\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis one is a tough call. Their roster screams \"average\" as evidenced by last year’s O-Rtg of 94 and D-Rtg of 101. Both marks are just middle of the pack, but more importantly, they are far off from the mark of teams that compete for the Wilson Cup year-in and year-out.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EStill, they have a chance to make a run. \u003Cb\u003EMax Allin\u003C\/b\u003E, in his final year of eligibility, is one of the best scorers in the country. He plays an efficient style; good three-point shooting and a ton of free throws. Third-year \u003Cb\u003EWill Coulthard\u003C\/b\u003E has one of the quickest triggers in the conference, willing to throw it up at any second. Consistency is still an issue for him, though. He used the most possessions out of any player on his team, but only shot at an eFG% of 45 per cent. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhile those two players are good on the offensive end, there are not many other players to rely on and that’s where we see the difference between them and true contenders. Allin and Coulthard combine for many of the team’s possessions per game but the others go to players who simply are not efficient enough to be deemed worthy of using a possession.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe next two leaders in USG% are \u003Cb\u003EPatrick Donnelly\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EJamar Forde\u003C\/b\u003E, at 20 per cent and 19 per cent respectively. Donnelly, who left the team late last year for unknown reasons but is back now, shot a horrific 39 per cent eFG%. That’s 96th worst among players that played at least one-third of team minutes. There were only 107 players that qualified. Forde isn’t much better - he ranks 85th in the category.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHead coach \u003Cb\u003EPeter Campbell\u003C\/b\u003E will have to either move those shots to Coulthard and Allin or find new sources of offence. \u003Cb\u003EMatt Chesson\u003C\/b\u003E, OUA Rookie of the Year, and incoming rookie \u003Cb\u003EJack Simmons\u003C\/b\u003E could give them that offence. Chesson has size and a post-game, while Simmons has put up 11.6 points through five preseason games.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETheir defence is average but should be better with Donnelly back, Chesson playing more minutes and Allin maintaining a low foul rate. Turning that offence around is more important than making that defence on par with team’s in the running for the title.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Max Allin. He broke the school scoring record last year in his first game back after the passing of his father. Allin can light it up with the best of them and is always worth a look.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Fourth in OUA West - OUA semifinal loss\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003ELakehead Thunderwolves\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI refuse to put Lakehead in the basement. Yes, \u003Cb\u003EScott Morrison\u003C\/b\u003E is on a professional leave of absence, scouting for the NBA D-League’s Maine Red Claws. Yes, the group of players like \u003Cb\u003EJoseph Jones\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EGreg Carter\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EYoosrie Sahlia\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EBen Johnson\u003C\/b\u003E, and \u003Cb\u003EMatthew Schmidt\u003C\/b\u003E who took this program to a new level are all gone. But the Thunderwolves will find a way, as they always seem to.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELakehead had a surprising preseason, playing the Victoria Vikes tough and grinding through a game against Carleton. They dropped some games to inferior opponents, but once this team plays gets their feet wet and uses that Thunderdome advantage, they’ll be back in the conversation for the top of the OUA West. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESince the majority of players who played for this team are gone (and \u003Cb\u003ERyan Thomson\u003C\/b\u003E is sitting out the year to recover from knee surgery), I’ll shy away from putting stock in team stats. However, we can look at some players with increased roles that will try to get Lakehead back in the CIS Final 8.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAnthony McIntosh\u003C\/b\u003E is a fourth-year player who has been asked to take on increased importance for this squad. He did not log major minutes last year — his highest minute total was in the final game of the regular season with 13 — but has already played a ton in the preseason.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EIgor Lebov\u003C\/b\u003E is a transfer from Franklin Pierce University and he has a wealth of talent. Lebov could another one of those players that Morrison has plucked out of seemingly nowhere and has potential to lead this team in scoring.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EJustin Bell\u003C\/b\u003E is in his final year of eligibility after bouncing around the OUA. He’s played for Ottawa and York but looks poised to grab a starting forward spot on the roster. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith so many moving parts, this season could go very right or very wrong for the Thunderwolves. Not having Morrison behind the bench puts a damper on my optimism slightly. What will kill this team’s chances is a slow start in the difficult interlock period.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Igor Lebov. The transfer is a talented player on offensive who can hit from anywhere on the court. He could give below-average defenders nightmares.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Third in the OUA West, loss in the semifinals\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EPlayoffs, but barely\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EYork Lions\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHead coach \u003Cb\u003ETom Olivieri\u003C\/b\u003E has built a good roster here, with a lot of depth and experience. True, this team is competing in a tough conference, but I like their chances.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAaron Rados\u003C\/b\u003E is leading this squad as a fifth-year forward. He plays tough and led the team in minutes last year, although just barely beating out \u003Cb\u003EDavid Tyndale\u003C\/b\u003E. Rados will be asked to take on more of the offensive load this year since Tyndale was a major source of their scoring.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis could be a good shift though, as Rados had a 52 per cent eFG% last year, a respectable mark in the top-third of the conference. He spreads his shots well; taking just under half his shots from three while shooting a decent 35 per cent and getting to the line consistently. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Lions’ defence was respectable last year too, posting a D-Rtg of 103. A lot of that can be credited to \u003Cb\u003ENick Tufegdzich\u003C\/b\u003E, a fourth-year forward who anchors this defense. Olivieri has to hope that his presence inside can push that D-Rtg south of 100. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI’ve put this team in the \"up-and-coming\" section because I think their experience will pay off. But there is no time for growing pains and the loss of Tyndale can’t linger on the offence. Tyndale was an \"oh no the shot clock is running down, here just take the ball\" guy and did a decent job in that role. But do they have the pieces to replace that? They should, as Olivieri seems intent on playing nine guys in his rotation, according to a York Lions website video. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Aaron Rados. With more possessions heading for his hands, he is one of the most intriguing players in the OUA East.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Sixth in OUA East, lose in quarterfinals.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EWestern Mustangs\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI’m expecting this team to squeak into the playoffs but only as a product of a weaker lower half of the OUA. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI’m not a fan of this team whatsoever, as they play a rough style that is not exactly fun to watch. Last year, in a regular season match-up against McMaster, the Mustangs could not hit a shot from anywhere on the court. Mac was running them out of the gym and instead of accepting that the game was lost, Western decided to just start playing dirty. They began to hit players at every possible second and it became a safety concern.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat Mustang squad is the proud owner of the worst O-Rtg in the conference, at 86. The leader for that offensive unit was \u003Cb\u003EPeter Scholtes\u003C\/b\u003E, who used 27% of the possessions but put up an eFG% of 41 per cent. He is back to lead the offensive, which is not an encouraging sign. Western also turned the ball over on 25% of their possessions last year.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlongside him on offence is \u003Cb\u003EQuinn Henderson\u003C\/b\u003E. He too used a lot of possessions for them and shot a better percentage at 47 per cent, but that mark is not something to structure an offence around.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDefensively, this team was bad. They posted a D-Rtg of 106 and turned the ball over at an OUA-worst rate of 25 per cent of possesions. There is reason for optimism, though. \u003Cb\u003EGreg Morrow\u003C\/b\u003E is back for a third-year and he was the strongest defensive player for the Stangs last year. He also shot a great percentage from the field with a 58 per cent eFG%, so if you’re looking for a bright spot, here it is.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EEric McDonald\u003C\/b\u003E is a transfer from Guelph and could provide more offence for the squad. He had a strong preseason, including 18 points against Acadia.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBrad Campbell\u003C\/b\u003E has added some recruits but it’s yet to be seen how many minutes they will play. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWestern’s experience could pay off and they should prey on weaker OUA teams like Waterloo, Guelph, Toronto and Algoma. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Greg Morrow. He shoots the best percentage (by far) on this team and can get his own shot. Will he be given the keys to the offence over Scholtes though?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Fifth in the OUA West. Quarterfinal loss.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EGuelph Gryphons\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGuelph is just too young of a team to put in a category other than the basement. \u003Cb\u003EZach Angus\u003C\/b\u003E is one of my favourite players to watch in this league, but he can only do so much. Angus and \u003Cb\u003EMichel Clark\u003C\/b\u003E are two returning players who logged major minutes, but the rest of the returning cast are relative unknowns. 13 (!!!) players averaged double-digit minutes per game last year too, and they need to figure out their rotation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETheir O-Rtg and D-Rtg were so bad last year, I contemplated not putting them in to save the horror. For offense, Guelph was tied for third worst in the league with 92 and for defense, they were second worst in the league, with 107. What’s scary is that \u003Cb\u003EDan McCarthy\u003C\/b\u003E — one of the team’s best defenders — is gone. \u003Cb\u003EAdam Kemp\u003C\/b\u003E is a six-foot-seven forward and has a year of experience under his belt. They will need him to anchor the defence.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOffensively, McCarthy’s departure means that the team will need to look elsewhere for offence. He used a lot of possessions for the team last year and the Gryphons will miss his production. For a player using as many possessions as McCarthy did, you would want his eFG% to be higher (it was 46 per cent) but Guelph needs whatever they can get.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThey have a fresh crop of rookies, with 12 first-year players listed on their 2013-14 roster. It’ll be a rough start for the season to them if head coach \u003Cb\u003EChris O’Rourke\u003C\/b\u003E spreads the minutes as much as he did last year.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGuelph has committed themselves to the development of athletics, with a new indoor complex, brand-new football stadium and revamped soccer complex. They have some highly competitive teams in soccer, rugby, football, field hockey and cross country (to name a few). Basketball has been lacking though. Could this be the year where they start to turn that around? Probably not on paper, but through the development of their first-years, it could be the beginning.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Zach Angus. He is a tough player with solid stroke and ability to get to the hoop. He’ll get more touches this year and it’ll be fun to see what he does with it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Sixth in the OUA West. Quarterfinal loss.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EBasement Dwellers\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EToronto Varsity Blues\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI’ve put Toronto here because of the conference they play in, but I’m optimistic about the future of this team.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor one, \u003Cb\u003EJohn Campbell\u003C\/b\u003E is the new coach. He is leaving Dalhousie, where he took two teams to the Final 8. He has implemented a new system, but said that it’s been \"challenging\" to introduce. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThen there is the new Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport opening in 2014. If you’ve seen the promotions for it, you know that Toronto has laid the foundation to host a CIS-best athletic department.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut for this year, they have \u003Cb\u003EAlex Hill\u003C\/b\u003E returning, \u003Cb\u003EMatt Savel\u003C\/b\u003E should hopefully be healthy and \u003Cb\u003EDakota Laurin\u003C\/b\u003E should get more shots since \u003Cb\u003EArun Kumar\u003C\/b\u003E has left. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELast year, Kumar and Hill used a large proportion of the team’s possessions and neither was even close to efficient. Losing Kumar is a blessing for Campbell, as he stopped any and all ball movement. If he can rein Hill in a bit, Toronto will improve on offence.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe defence was an issue last year, but again that comes from Kumar. He is a short guard and let a lot of guys get by him. If your point guard can’t defend in the OUA, you’re going to have a bad time.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese guys will be worth a watch to see what Campbell can do, but you won’t see these guys making much noise in a loaded OUA East.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Eighth in the OUA East. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EAlgoma Thunderbirds\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe newest OUA team could turn into a Lakehead-lite. Their coach, \u003Cb\u003EThomas Cory\u003C\/b\u003E, casts a wide net in recruiting — he grabbed recruits from British Columbia and Michigan — and he has been the team’s coach through their college competition. Throw in the travel factor, where teams are playing in Sudbury the night before and you’ve got a distinct advantage. The two schools even share the same weird \"Thunder\" prefix. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMcMaster’s \u003Cb\u003EJoe Rocca\u003C\/b\u003E said that the team is ultra-athletic and will look to just run teams out of the gym, a sentiment Mac coach \u003Cb\u003EAmos Connolly\u003C\/b\u003E echoed in a separate interview.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThey’ll be able to surprise some teams too, with teams having to do so much travelling to get there.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: \u003Cb\u003ETerrell Campbell\u003C\/b\u003E. Athletic player who can get up and down the court as fast as anyone. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Seventh in OUA East.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EBrock Badgers\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe new head coach in St. Catharines has already called this a rebuilding season, but Brock seems to finally be having a positive rebuild.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor the past couple of seasons, the Badgers have fielded teams that struggle to mesh on the offensive end. Last year, they put up a brutal O-Rtg of 90. With \u003Cb\u003ECharles Kissi\u003C\/b\u003E in charge, the offence already looks better when I watched a preseason game against Niagara College. The ball moved a lot quicker and they were playing an inside-out style instead of the iso-ball of years past.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMike Luby\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EBrian Nahimana\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EJameson Tipping\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EMark Gibson\u003C\/b\u003E have all moved on from the program. Tipping had two years of eligbility remaining but left the program to play for the Brampton A’s — where Tipping’s older brother is the president and his father is the owner. Tipping used a lot of possessions for this team but was a treat to watch, as he could get to the hoop with ease, back you down in the post and hurt you from outside — evidenced by his 34 per cent mark from three. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETshing Kasamba\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EIssack Egueh\u003C\/b\u003E played the most minutes of returning players and are set to lead this squad. Alongside them is \u003Cb\u003EDani Egaldi\u003C\/b\u003E, a six-foot-seven rookie with long arms and scoring touch. He doesn’t have the size to handle older players on the defensive end but his quickness is a plus if Kissi wants to switch him on to a guard.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYou don’t want to look too much into last year’s team stats because the roster will be comprised of a whole new crew. I’m looking forward to seeing where this team ends up in February because they could be really coming into their own. Egaldi is a player with OUA Rookie of the Year potential and Kissi is a coach who seems intent on changing the culture at Brock. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Dani Egaldi. I can’t say enough about him. He looks like he could really give defence problems with his size and ball handling abilities. Needs to find a three point shot, though.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Eighth in OUA West\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EWaterloo Warriors\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Warriors only lost two players — Brendan Smith and Kyrie Coleman — but having so many players return is exactly what I don’t like about this squad.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWaterloo was just as bad as Western was last year offensively and marginally better defensively. Their offence lacks any balance and their defence is susceptible to foul trouble, with abysmal fouling numbers for their major players. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI’ll highlight some positives for the team, though: it’s \u003Cb\u003EGreg Francis\u003C\/b\u003E’ second year with the program, and perhaps that will give the team a little more stability. \u003Cb\u003EJaspreet Gill\u003C\/b\u003E has potential to be a dynamic offensive weapon too. But I’m running low on positives.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESimply, this roster lacks the talent to compete. In losing Smith, they lost their best rebounder, a loss that is already showing signs of problems as they nearly got doubled in rebounds in their season opener. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETo get back to the playoffs, players need to have worked hard at becoming better defenders and cleaning the defensive glass. Otherwise, this team is going to be lucky to reach the quarterfinals again.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPlayer to Watch\u003C\/b\u003E: Jaspreet Gill. He could be asked to take even more shots than he did last year, and that could lead to some eye popping stat totals.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProjected Finish\u003C\/b\u003E: Seventh in the OUA West.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/8020016309213055041\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/11\/the-tiers-of-oua-mens-basketball-season.html#comment-form","title":"6 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/8020016309213055041"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/8020016309213055041"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/11\/the-tiers-of-oua-mens-basketball-season.html","title":"The Tiers of the OUA: A Men's Basketball Season Preview"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Scott Hastie"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/08081415078301065374"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"6"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-6779922688049154853"},"published":{"$t":"2013-08-25T07:00:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-08-30T21:58:20.690-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"CIS Countdown 2013"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Football"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Gaels"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gryphons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lions"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"OUA Football Recap"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"previews"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Varsity Blues"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Yates Cup"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Football: 2013 OUA preview"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ci\u003EFraser Caldwell, Perry King, and Neate Sager answer some burning questions about the Ontario teams ahead of Sunday's openers. \u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EDisclosure: Fraser is employed by McMaster's athletics department as a communications assistant.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGENERAL\u003C\/b\u003E: \u003Ci\u003EDoes the 8-games-in-9-weeks schedule make much of a difference vs. 8-in-8? In 2010, when teams also opened early, attendance was not significantly lower in those home openers, for whatever that's worth. And will the clear distinction from last year remain, with four good teams at the top?\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPK\u003C\/b\u003E: For the time being, I don't see this making a big difference but the potential of a rested team making a game of it with a powerhouse club this season is likely, and probably better for 1) morale on lower echelon clubs and 2) for competitive balance in the OUA. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIf a \"middle\" team, like a Toronto or a Guelph, can have some rest before taking on a (beatable) powerhouse, then we could have a chance for parity. If the added rest just gives the powerhouse clubs more ammo to load up, then so be it. Honestly, parity can only build interest, and ample rest goes a long way for a conference known to be more lighter in the belt, so to speak. The distinction between upper and lower echelon clubs should be distinct, but making efforts to support parity is a long term project, like it would be in the CFL or NFL.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENS\u003C\/b\u003E: Whether 2012 was an anomaly or watershed for competitive balance will be determined by how it plays out this fall; how is that for a nice fence-straddling opening statement? York and U of T \u0026mdash; which, you decide what it's worth, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.varsityblues.ca\/news\/2013\/8\/18\/FB_0818134255.aspx?path=football\"\u003Etied Concordia in exhibition last Sunday\u003C\/a\u003E \u0026mdash; are proving they can compete with mid-pack teams. Laurier and Ottawa definitely trended downward over 2011 and '12, but with new head coaches in place, there's some shot of renewal; new Gee-Gees coach \u003Cb\u003EJamie Barresi\u003C\/b\u003E has been described to me as an \"evil genius.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOverall, seeing each team post at least two wins last fall was a welcome sight. It is shaping up as a year where there is going to be some parity.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFC\u003C\/b\u003E: I don't foresee the new wrinkle in the schedule having any tangible effect on the product on the field. Where I do see a potential difference is in the marketing of games and the attendance\/viewership numbers. It's right to point out that an earlier start did nothing to dampen opening week receptions a few seasons ago. But I can't help but think that the hype machines in the OUA will lose some of their edge when teams are two games deep before students have attended a single class. Diehards will make their way to the stadium, but it's the casual student who has yet to even consider school or their varsity teams as they try to suck the last vestiges of free time from their summer.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Cy3i0gB0UrQ\/Uhld7kWkdqI\/AAAAAAAABM0\/l8MFFiLVC5s\/s1600\/marauders.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Cy3i0gB0UrQ\/Uhld7kWkdqI\/AAAAAAAABM0\/l8MFFiLVC5s\/s200\/marauders.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMcMASTER\u003C\/b\u003E (last year in OUA: 10-0, +26.0 SRS) \u0026mdash; \u003Ci\u003EOnly one non-Laval loss in two years is impressive. Do they take a step back without \u003Cb\u003EKyle Quinlan\u003C\/b\u003E (or other key players)? \u003Cb\u003EMarshall Ferguson\u003C\/b\u003E's numbers were usually impressive as well, so they may have a good system in place, or they may simply have had two very talented QBs in recent years.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENS\u003C\/b\u003E: McMaster is still McMaster and they have experienced new starters to plug in, including Ferguson replacing Quinlan as QB1, but keep in mind the depth players on a championship team always benefit from a 'halo effect.' They're still loaded, though, let's not kid ourselves.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFC\u003C\/b\u003E: This is not the seemingly invincible team of 2012. But the Marauders will be more competitive in 2013 than many realize (again, I work for them, so take that with as much salt as you wish). The list of graduands is long, and filled with many an all-star. Gone is Quinlan, quarterback and talisman, and with him two of McMaster's best receivers and four of their starting five offensive linemen. Also remove three starters from the defensive line, including CIS single-season sack leader \u003Cb\u003EBen D'Aguilar\u003C\/b\u003E. Oh, and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/11\/the-anatomy-of-mcmasters-yates-cup.html\"\u003EYates Cup MVP \u003Cb\u003EShane Beaton\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut the Marauders have built a great deal of depth in the past few years, and will be putting it to use in 2013. Ferguson will not be the athletic, defender-leaping threat that Quinlan was, but brings a cerebral approach and a sure set of hands to the McMaster offence, already \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/09\/calculated-reactions-2011-quarterback.html\"\u003Eproving capable during Quinlan's suspension in 2011\u003C\/a\u003E. While \u003Cb\u003ERob Babic\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EBrad Fochesato\u003C\/b\u003E represented dependable production through the air, \u003Cb\u003EDahlin Brooks\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EMax Cameron\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003ETyler Loveday\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EBen O'Connor\u003C\/b\u003E have all shown comparable ability in extended action. The Marauders will lean on a formidable secondary which returns all five of its starters, while hoping that the lines gell quickly in what is a tough early schedule.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-vuIkpHJe0CE\/UhleEvsH05I\/AAAAAAAABM8\/_QX5wYCHzfs\/s1600\/gryphons.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-vuIkpHJe0CE\/UhleEvsH05I\/AAAAAAAABM8\/_QX5wYCHzfs\/s200\/gryphons.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGUELPH\u003C\/b\u003E (8-2, +6.3 SRS) \u0026mdash; \u003Ci\u003ESome would say the Gryphons got lucky last year. If so, does it run out in 2013?\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENS\u003C\/b\u003E: With Quinlan moving on, Guelph's \u003Cb\u003EJazz Lindsey\u003C\/b\u003E and Queen's \u003Cb\u003EBilly McPhee\u003C\/b\u003E are the only incumbent QBs in the league who have guided a team to a 6-2 finish or greater. The Gryphons are evidently talented and have given themselves a leg up with their recruiting. One warning is that some regression might be inevitable after a year where seemingly every up-for-grabs football bounced into their hands.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFC\u003C\/b\u003E: There's an awful lot of hype surrounding this team this season, after an improbable run to the Yates Cup final a year ago. Many other pundits seem to think that the Gryphons are ready to take another step forward, but I have the opposite opinion. I think they overachieved in a big way a year ago, no more so than \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/11\/football-twice-in-lifetime-guelph-comes.html\"\u003Eduring that semifinal in which the Gaels mashed the self-destruct button\u003C\/a\u003E. Offensively, the Gryphons do have continuity going for them, and will return 11 of 12 starters. \u003Cb\u003ERob Farquharson\u003C\/b\u003E should be among the league rushing leaders once again, and Lindsey will be steady if unspectacular. But those who only remember the Gryphons' late-season romp should reacquaint themselves with Guelph's narrow victories over Toronto and Laurier. This was a Jekyll and Hyde team a year ago, and I think that we'll see more of Hyde in 2013.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-jHY09XBxZKg\/UhleIwpNDOI\/AAAAAAAABNE\/HQoKdZ18Z_k\/s1600\/mustangs.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-jHY09XBxZKg\/UhleIwpNDOI\/AAAAAAAABNE\/HQoKdZ18Z_k\/s200\/mustangs.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWESTERN\u003C\/b\u003E (6-4, +14.2 SRS) \u0026mdash; \u003Ci\u003EWhat determines the success of this team, one that drew Mac in last year's OUA semi, and might have gone to the Yates otherwise?\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFC\u003C\/b\u003E: How far along \u003Cb\u003EWill Finch\u003C\/b\u003E is in his progression will determine just how deep the Mustangs go this season. I see Western at the top of the heap, winning the Yates Cup, because I believe that he'll fulfil the potential that made him the top quarterback prospect in Canada in 2011. Finch doesn't need to be a world-beater, because he has the best running game in the province (by a landslide) at his beck-and-call, and the most well-rounded offensive line. Defensively, Western returns most starters, including defensive linemen \u003Cb\u003EDaryl Waud\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EDylan Ainsworth\u003C\/b\u003E, and linebacker \u003Cb\u003EBeau Landry\u003C\/b\u003E. The loss of \u003Cb\u003EHarold Mutabola\u003C\/b\u003E will hurt the secondary, but \u003Cb\u003EGreg Marshall\u003C\/b\u003E recruited heavily, and successfully, at that position. With the strength of Western's ground game, their line play, and the expected emergence of Finch, the Mustangs are in an enviable position this season.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENS\u003C\/b\u003E: Western could be very dangerous \u0026mdash; \u003Cb\u003EMatt Uren\u003C\/b\u003E is such a good all-purpose threat \u0026mdash; but Finch is still very early on in his maturation cycle as a quarterback. It might be another season before Marshall really opens up the whole playbook. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-UmNkEspahv4\/UhleMuIirPI\/AAAAAAAABNM\/JIkd_2YZyUY\/s1600\/goldengaels.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-UmNkEspahv4\/UhleMuIirPI\/AAAAAAAABNM\/JIkd_2YZyUY\/s200\/goldengaels.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003EQUEEN'S\u003C\/b\u003E (7-3, +10.7 SRS) \u0026mdash; \u003Ci\u003EAnother member of the top four that just missed a shot for the championship. Will they return to the Yates Cup for the first time since 2009, the year they won some other trophy as well?\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENS\u003C\/b\u003E: Queen's is in the same turn-hurt-into-hunger scenario some of its past teams faced. The 2009 team was coming off consecutive home playoff losses; their '92 Vanier winner also had a 22-point lead go up in smoke in the playoffs, just like the '12 crew did \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/11\/football-twice-in-lifetime-guelph-comes.html\"\u003Evs. Guelph last November\u003C\/a\u003E. Their window to win might not be as wide open as it is this fall; they return 20 starters and McPhee will now have a dedicated offensive coordinator with \u003Cb\u003ERyan Sheahan\u003C\/b\u003E rejoining the staff after his year with the Tiger-Cats. That might provide the solution to an all too frequently peaks-and-valleys passing game. There's a good skill-position group with the fifth-year trio of \u003Cb\u003ERyan Granberg\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EGiovanni Aprile\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EJustin Chapdelaine\u003C\/b\u003E, incoming D1 transfers \u003Cb\u003EBrandon Morgan\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EDaniel Heslop\u003C\/b\u003E, and the emerging \u003Cb\u003EAlex Carroll\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EChris Patrician\u003C\/b\u003E. Queen's, for the most part, has been steady in its running game, defence and special teams for the last two years, notwithstanding the inordinate number of punt blocks they allowed last fall.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFC\u003C\/b\u003E: A year ago, the Gaels remembered that they planned a kegger for the day of the Yates Cup and promptly shuffled out of their OUA semifinal. I wouldn't bank on that happening again. This is the most veteran squad in the province in 2013, with one last chance to take top prize before hanging up the tricolour. Aprile and Chapdelaine provide a great one-two threat through the air, and Granberg is reliable as always (though overused). Both lines are chalked full of experience and size, and will be among the very best in the province. Veterans abound on defence as well, with \u003Cb\u003EAndrew Lue\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EChase Dunawa\u003C\/b\u003E, and \u003Cb\u003ESam Sabourin\u003C\/b\u003E anchoring a fearsome back eight. But the lynchpin in it all may be McPhee, and that's why I don't think Queen's can win the championship they so desperately want this season. Quite simply, I've never thought very highly of McPhee as a passer. He does well underneath, and makes the routine play, but he doesn't protect the ball particularly well and he doesn't throw deep routes on par with a passer like Austin Kennedy. Maybe this is the year that McPhee makes a breakthrough, but I wouldn't bet on it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-TS45fJ8LJhY\/UhleRYGZfwI\/AAAAAAAABNU\/c5bWginfkq4\/s1600\/lancers.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-TS45fJ8LJhY\/UhleRYGZfwI\/AAAAAAAABNU\/c5bWginfkq4\/s200\/lancers.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWINDSOR\u003C\/b\u003E (3-6, -2.8 SRS) \u0026mdash; \u003Ci\u003EDo they have a shot at getting past those 5-at-4 or 6-at-3 matchups, losses in which seem inevitable for midpack OUA teams? Having perhaps the best returning OUA quarterback won't hurt.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFC\u003C\/b\u003E: The Lancers will have to navigate a few key losses in 2013, and how they fare this season may depend on how well they fill those holes. First and foremost, Windsor will be without the services of \u003Cb\u003EJordan Brescacin\u003C\/b\u003E, far and away the most dominant receiver in the OUA in 2012 (and as an aside, the fact that Brescacin is currently without a CFL employer baffles me). Look for the ball to be spread more evenly between returnees \u003Cb\u003EEvan Pszczonak\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003EDylan Whitfield\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EKyle Tyo\u003C\/b\u003E. Defensively, both of the Lancers' 2012 all-stars have graduated, in halfback \u003Cb\u003EMatt McGarva\u003C\/b\u003E and corner \u003Cb\u003EShea Pierre\u003C\/b\u003E. That could set Windsor's secondary back, at least momentarily. But if \u003Cb\u003EAustin Kennedy\u003C\/b\u003E can keep the Lancers' offence firing at the rate it did last season, it might not matter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-OvUv6eeJ9Jo\/UhleVCipRHI\/AAAAAAAABNc\/VRecdFS7jyk\/s1600\/geegees.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-OvUv6eeJ9Jo\/UhleVCipRHI\/AAAAAAAABNc\/VRecdFS7jyk\/s200\/geegees.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOTTAWA\u003C\/b\u003E (2-6, -3.3 SRS) \u0026mdash; \u003Ci\u003ECompared to the other 2-6 teams they weren't blown out nearly as badly, so they have to get better, right?\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFC\u003C\/b\u003E: Looking at the Gee-Gees and the Lancers, I think these teams could easily flip between 5th and 6th. Let's put it this way: both teams are better than the bottom half of this division, but a clear step behind the Big Four. I put Ottawa behind Windsor because their defence still terrifies me, but I'll get to that in a second. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe foundation of Ottawa's offence remains intact and very dangerous, with \u003Cb\u003EAaron Colbon\u003C\/b\u003E back under centre along with his two favourite targets, \u003Cb\u003ESimon Le Marquand\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EVincent Campbell\u003C\/b\u003E, and fifth-year rusher \u003Cb\u003EBrendan Gillanders\u003C\/b\u003E. With the offensive line intact and a year wiser, there's no reason to expect a regression on offence. But where the Gee-Gees were so often victimized last season was in their backfield, and that area will take time to address. Will the group be better than they were last season? Probably. But not good enough to make Ottawa a real threat in this division.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENS\u003C\/b\u003E: On gut instinct alone, Ottawa gets back in the playoffs. Colbon, Gillanders, and Le Marquand are a good set of fifth-year triplets on offence and their line play should improve on each side of the ball. Their 'back eight' has been an Achilles heel for a couple years, perhaps more schematically than athletically.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-ej0DYF6Md3E\/UhleooC9mSI\/AAAAAAAABN0\/-SLXFgZEqmE\/s1600\/lions.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-ej0DYF6Md3E\/UhleooC9mSI\/AAAAAAAABN0\/-SLXFgZEqmE\/s200\/lions.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003EYORK\u003C\/b\u003E (2-6, -12.6 SRS) and \u003Cb\u003ETORONTO\u003C\/b\u003E (2-6, -20.0 SRS) \u0026mdash; \u003Ci\u003EIs there any hope?\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPK\u003C\/b\u003E: They had games they could have won in 2012. Both teams came off seasons with upsides but not a whole lot of results. Toronto lost something after their Laurier opener, and York simply had trouble putting a complete performance in games last season. Both teams will be hungry, and have a lot of their core guys back to play. There are a lot of beatable teams in the OUA, including the Beta version of Carleton's program, and they have the assets to win.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-TYONdzeNn8o\/UhleuOwGstI\/AAAAAAAABN8\/cIurxg4bAz0\/s1600\/varsityblues.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-TYONdzeNn8o\/UhleuOwGstI\/AAAAAAAABN8\/cIurxg4bAz0\/s200\/varsityblues.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFC\u003C\/b\u003E: If I had to pick an adjective to best encapsulate Toronto, it would be “nondescript”. The Varsity Blues are there. They're not terrible. They're not very good. They're there. There's a reason that there were no All-Stars named from Toronto in 2012. The quarterbacking duo of \u003Cb\u003ESimon Nassar\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003ERichard Quittenton\u003C\/b\u003E return to do completely average things, and the amazingly-named \u003Cb\u003EPaul de Pass\u003C\/b\u003E will lead the way as Toronto's fifth-year receiver. Leading rusher \u003Cb\u003EAshton Nelson\u003C\/b\u003E is gone, but on the plus side, the Blues return the bulk of their young defence, which should improve this season. Still, they look to be set for yet another year in the murky middle ground of the OUA. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs for York, there are a lot of new faces in the Lions' defensive backfield this season, and rightly so. The secondary was victimized early and often last year en route to the dubious distinction of giving up the most passing yards of any defensive unit in the OUA. So in scanning the Lions' roster, it doesn't surprise me to see 12 rookie defensive backs listed. If York is to make further strides this year, it will need its defence to stop holding back a promising offence, which was quietly among the OUA's best last season. \u003Cb\u003EMyles Gibbon\u003C\/b\u003E has one last kick at the varsity can, as do primary targets \u003Cb\u003EWill Austin\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EJonelle Tolbert\u003C\/b\u003E. The question is whether that offence can adapt to the loss of leading rusher \u003Cb\u003EKyle Exume\u003C\/b\u003E. I think they'll manage.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-6WNx8TU3dYc\/Uhle1XA7u9I\/AAAAAAAABOE\/1GNZkZmqfzM\/s1600\/goldenhawks.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-6WNx8TU3dYc\/Uhle1XA7u9I\/AAAAAAAABOE\/1GNZkZmqfzM\/s200\/goldenhawks.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELAURIER\u003C\/b\u003E (3-6, -16.1 SRS) \u0026mdash; \u003Ci\u003E2012 was quite an awful year, especially by their standards. What happened? Can they improve?\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFC\u003C\/b\u003E: Remember when the Golden Hawks were perennial contenders and a feel-good story of small town success? Good, because those times are long gone. This team reached a new low last season, and I see nothing to expect an immediate turnaround. What seniors there were in last year's atrocious offence – which scored the fewest points in the OUA (109) by a fairly wide margin – are gone, including receivers \u003Cb\u003EAlex Anthony\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EAnton Bennett\u003C\/b\u003E, and fullback \u003Cb\u003EJosh Pirie\u003C\/b\u003E. Sophomore \u003Cb\u003EJames Fracas\u003C\/b\u003E takes over under centre, after being thrown to the wolves appearing in four games \u0026mdash; including Laurier's 34-0 quarterfinal thrashing at the hands of Queen's \u0026mdash; and completing 28 of 57 passes for 327, a pick and no points in 2012. Oh, and Laurier's only All-Star from a season ago, linebacker \u003Cb\u003EMitchell Bosch\u003C\/b\u003E is gone, alongside fellow linebacking starter \u003Cb\u003ENick Sapone\u003C\/b\u003E, defensive back \u003Cb\u003ECarlos Naranjo\u003C\/b\u003E and defensive linemen \u003Cb\u003EAlex Brouwers\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EBen Ivany\u003C\/b\u003E. This could be fun for the other teams in the league.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-37aWEUgUwfs\/Uhle5OdEMNI\/AAAAAAAABOM\/tK_bnwjNfkU\/s1600\/warriors.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-37aWEUgUwfs\/Uhle5OdEMNI\/AAAAAAAABOM\/tK_bnwjNfkU\/s200\/warriors.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWATERLOO\u003C\/b\u003E (2-6, -22.0 SRS) \u0026mdash; \u003Ci\u003EThe great saga continues: this team's last win over a non-York\/Toronto\/Windsor opponent was five years ago. Will they get one this year?\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFC\u003C\/b\u003E: Little by little, the Warriors pick up the pieces and get crucially older. With \u003Cb\u003EJoe Paopao\u003C\/b\u003E sticking around, the Warriors will also enjoy continuity at the top, which is a must if they want to dig themselves out of the cellar anytime soon. But returning your players only matters if those players were worth a toss in the first place. On offence, there were some things to like, namely, receiving warhorse \u003Cb\u003ENick Anapolsky\u003C\/b\u003E and lineman \u003Cb\u003EMatt Vonk\u003C\/b\u003E. But this is a group whose returning quarterbacking duo of \u003Cb\u003EJamie Cook\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003EBrian Chris\u003C\/b\u003E threw four more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (8), and didn't boast a single rusher inside the league's top 20. Not to mention, the offence means very little when your defensive line is being treated like a TTC turnstile and there's only scorched earth where your backfield should be. This will be another ugly season.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-xpIBmCwX5Ng\/UhlfZ_2jW4I\/AAAAAAAABOc\/HqiBqZy3Yvc\/s1600\/ravens.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-xpIBmCwX5Ng\/UhlfZ_2jW4I\/AAAAAAAABOc\/HqiBqZy3Yvc\/s200\/ravens.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECARLETON\u003C\/b\u003E (did not play) \u0026mdash; \u003Ci\u003EWhat is our realistic expectation for their success this year? Can you build a program from scratch that's instantly better than some or all of Waterloo, York, and Toronto?\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E[Ed. note: Neate has covered Carleton's return for Yahoo \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/ca.sports.yahoo.com\/blogs\/cfl-55-yard-line\/cis-corner-ottawa-gee-gees-carleton-ravens-giving-190803207.html\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/ca.sports.yahoo.com\/blogs\/cfl-55-yard-line\/cis-corner-carleton-ravens-reboot-nears-launch-amount-175607974.html\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFC\u003C\/b\u003E: In talking with football folk around McMaster and elsewhere, the sense that I get of Carleton is that this is a program with great potential, but one that won't be able to realize it for a few seasons. \u003Cb\u003ESteve Sumarah\u003C\/b\u003E has gathered together an impressive first class of recruits to much fanfare, but they remain just that: recruits. There's obviously a desire to win on the administration's part at Carleton, and they've put their money where their collective mouth is. But this football embryo needs time to grow. I would peg the Ravens at 1-7 this season, with the victory coming at the expense of Waterloo in Week 2.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/6779922688049154853\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/08\/football-2013-oua-preview_25.html#comment-form","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6779922688049154853"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6779922688049154853"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/08\/football-2013-oua-preview_25.html","title":"Football: 2013 OUA preview"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"The CIS Blog"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04279535209746489243"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Cy3i0gB0UrQ\/Uhld7kWkdqI\/AAAAAAAABM0\/l8MFFiLVC5s\/s72-c\/marauders.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-2118470235638410114"},"published":{"$t":"2013-05-21T09:00:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-05-22T15:09:22.198-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"CFL"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"CFL draft"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Dinos"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Football"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gaiters"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stingers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Football: Looking back at CFL mock drafts"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"A few weeks ago, we ran \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/04\/football-2013-cfl-mock-draft.html\"\u003Ea CFL mock draft\u003C\/a\u003E by \u003Cb\u003ETyler Honeywood\u003C\/b\u003E. 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. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E**\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EHIGHER THAN EXPECTED\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESteven Lumbala (RB, Calgary)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EDrafted 1-5 by Montreal\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"315\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_El9a1jXsEY\" width=\"560\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/ca.sports.yahoo.com\/blogs\/cfl-55-yard-line\/three-steals-three-reaches-cfl-draft-201330934.html\"\u003EIdentified as one of three reaches\u003C\/a\u003E by our \u003Cb\u003EAndrew Bucholtz\u003C\/b\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELumbala was an excellent CIS player, although a lot of his success came against some lesser Canada West teams; \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/11\/football-marauders-dismantle-dinos-in.html\"\u003Eagainst McMaster in last year's Mitchell Bowl\u003C\/a\u003E, he ran for just 39 yards on 14 carries in \"a 45-6 demolition. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.calgaryherald.com\/sports\/football\/calgary-stampeders\/Johnson+Lumbala+selection+fifth\/8345985\/story.html\"\u003EApparently\u003C\/a\u003E, 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EKris Robertson (DB, Concordia)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EDrafted 2-11 by Winnipeg\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\"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.\"\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat's Andrew again, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/ca.sports.yahoo.com\/blogs\/cfl-55-yard-line\/kristopher-robertson-shines-again-sunday-40-yard-dash-191227385.html\"\u003Ewriting about Robertson following the combine\u003C\/a\u003E. Ten years after \u003Ci\u003EMoneyball\u003C\/i\u003E, and we're still seeing players ranked lower by scouts because of their height (or reading \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.durhamregion.com\/sports\/article\/1617694--size-of-kris-robertson-s-heart-is-what-mattered-most\"\u003Enonsense like this\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOur \u003Cb\u003EJared Book\u003C\/b\u003E saw Robertson play while at Concordia, though Robertson's role increased after he graduated, and he remembers \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2010\/09\/football-quebec-sweeps-interlock-and.html\"\u003Ea September 2010 game against McGill\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERobertson's speed was notable as far back as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2009\/08\/cis-countdown-2009-concordia-stingers.html\"\u003Efour years ago\u003C\/a\u003E, 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 \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/video\/index\/id\/83409\"\u003Ethis CFL.ca video\u003C\/a\u003E. But maybe I'm wordy.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHe was mocked at 26th, 28th, and 30th by those who included him in their drafts. 11th is quite the difference.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E**\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELOWER THAN EXPECTED\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMatt Vonk (OL, Waterloo\/Laurier)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EDrafted 5-38 by Saskatchewan\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EVonk's a casualty of the Waterloo PED hysteria, transferring to Laurier and playing his first year there in 2010. Then, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.therecord.com\/sports\/university\/article\/499010--warrior-turned-hawk-left-out-in-the-cold-again\"\u003Ehe had to sit out 2011\u003C\/a\u003E 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESome 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. \"\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/04\/football-2013-cfl-mock-draft.html\"\u003ESwinging for a double\u003C\/a\u003E\" is a good phrase here.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EElie Ngoyi (DE, Bishop's)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EDrafted 6-51 by Edmonton\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnother 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.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENgoyi 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.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E**\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMock drafts used:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cflhorsemen.ca\/goal-digger-barry-britto.html\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBarry Britto\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/ca.sports.yahoo.com\/blogs\/cfl-55-yard-line\/mock-first-round-2013-cfl-draft-where-team-185547432.html\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAndrew Bucholtz\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E (first round)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cfl.ca\/page\/justin-dunks-2013-cfl-mock-draft-v20\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EJustin Dunk\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/04\/football-2013-cfl-mock-draft.html\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETyler Honeywood\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.calgarysun.com\/2013\/05\/05\/mitchells-2013-mock-cfl-draft\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EScott Mitchell\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.newstalk980.com\/blog\/cfl-draft-mock-draft-round-1\/108411\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EJamie Nye\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/ridleyscouting.com\/BrandonR1U.pdf\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBrandon Patterson\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/2118470235638410114\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/05\/football-looking-back-at-cfl-mock-drafts.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/2118470235638410114"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/2118470235638410114"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/05\/football-looking-back-at-cfl-mock-drafts.html","title":"Football: Looking back at CFL mock drafts"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Rob Pettapiece"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/_El9a1jXsEY\/default.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-6265682976298326607"},"published":{"$t":"2013-03-14T18:18:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-15T10:45:26.649-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"2013 University Cup"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Bears"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Hockey"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"University Cup"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"2013 University Cup: Cinderella story continues for Warriors"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"You know when they say that the fear of players and fans at a short tournament like the University Cup is running into a hot goalie - well it happened to the top-ranked and favourite Alberta Golden Bears as they outshot the Waterloo Warriors 43-13, yet still lost 2-1 in the first game at the 2013 University Cup in Saskatoon. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-qgRBQm31qyI\/UUJkqrK8YfI\/AAAAAAAAAHk\/vSaP1tPlozA\/s1600\/WAT+Keaton+Hartigan-J1D11701.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"266\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-qgRBQm31qyI\/UUJkqrK8YfI\/AAAAAAAAAHk\/vSaP1tPlozA\/s400\/WAT+Keaton+Hartigan-J1D11701.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E(photo courtesy of Josh Schaefer Photography\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003E)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAll the goals in the game came on power plays. The CIS's top point guy, \u003Cb\u003EJustin Larson\u003C\/b\u003E, put the underdog Warriors up 1-0 at 14:09 on a sweet pass from \u003Cb\u003EColin Behenna\u003C\/b\u003E. There wasn't another goal until 7:55 of the third when \u003Cb\u003EBlake Chartier\u003C\/b\u003E was all alone in front of the net to put in another Behenna pass. Alberta finally scored on the PP at 16:30 of the third as Torrie Dyke scored on the rebound of a heavy \u003Cb\u003EJesse Craige\u003C\/b\u003E shot.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Bears hit the crossbar or posts five times in the game, including a final scoring attempt as time expired. Player of Game \u003Cb\u003EKeaton Hartigan\u003C\/b\u003E made 42 saves in the game to steal the win, and break the afternoon pool wide open.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/championships\/mice\/2013\/releases\/game1a\"\u003ECIS game capsule and score sheet\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/6265682976298326607\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/03\/2013-university-cup-cinderella-story.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6265682976298326607"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6265682976298326607"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/03\/2013-university-cup-cinderella-story.html","title":"2013 University Cup: Cinderella story continues for Warriors"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"David Kilfoil"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/16821812362923440575"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"22","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_ZSfv79uXrWQ\/SmbzQBQU15I\/AAAAAAAAAAM\/-NRmEHNVB7o\/S220\/David.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-qgRBQm31qyI\/UUJkqrK8YfI\/AAAAAAAAAHk\/vSaP1tPlozA\/s72-c\/WAT+Keaton+Hartigan-J1D11701.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-5396013433167405553"},"published":{"$t":"2013-03-07T09:00:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-03-07T09:00:10.235-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Basketball: A story still untold"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Would you watch the following movie?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003EA local basketball star returns from playing college ball elsewhere to join his hometown school, and leads them in scoring. He's also selected as a nationwide first-team all-star. But it's not quite enough to push his team over the edge just yet; they will lose the conference championship by one point on their home floor.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThe next year, they get closer. This player (already a member of the national team) gets even better, averages 28 points and 14 rebounds, is once again named an all-star, and he carries his team to the national semifinals, where they lose by eight and will ultimately settle for bronze.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETo begin his third year with the team, he tops 30 points four times, and they post only one (exhibition) loss, in their first 15 games. After a pair of close misses, could this be the year? \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThen, halfway through the season (and this is where the story will get familiar to some of you), while travelling with the team in Florida, that star player dies.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EHis teammates somehow play another 18 games after his death. They don't lose a single one of them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAnd, oh yeah, they win a national championship. At home, in their jammed-to-capacity gym. By one point. The winning shot comes with two seconds left.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThese are cynical times and if you made up that screenplay today, people would scoff at the lack of realism. \"As if that would really happen.\" The word \"Disney\" might be thrown around as a derisive adjective.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOf course, it did really happen, exactly like that. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMany readers already know that the above is the story of \u003Cb\u003EMike Moser\u003C\/b\u003E and the 1975 Waterloo Warriors men's basketball team. But I'd bet many more out there do not. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI went to many Waterloo basketball games and had friends on the team, but it took me a couple of years to figure out there was more to the story than \"Mike Moser died young.\" The Waterloo athletics department posted a brief video on the subject, \"\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1pgUY_t4Exk\"\u003ETriumph over Tragedy\u003C\/a\u003E\", nearly two and a half years ago ... over which time it has apparently not even gathered 5,000 views. If a prerequisite for knowing the full Mike Moser story is \"watching the current Warriors play basketball several times\" or \"subscribing to uwwarrior on YouTube\" (or, for that matter, reading \u003Ci\u003EThe CIS Blog\u003C\/i\u003E) ... well, it's clear not many people in this country will ever make it that far. How many Moser winners in the last ten years know the history of its namesake and what happened to his team?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere's no reason why that story can't be retold \u0026mdash; or told for the first time, really. It should have been made into a movie years ago. Done well, it would be better than almost any sports film that's been made since. What \u003Ci\u003Edoesn't\u003C\/i\u003E it have? Not much is missing. For all its charms, \u003Ci\u003EHoosiers\u003C\/i\u003E wasn't about moving on after the sudden death of Jimmy Chitwood. \u003Ci\u003EMiracle\u003C\/i\u003E made millions, and that team certainly succeeded on a larger scale than Waterloo, but there were many more than two seconds left in that game, not to mention another one still to play. \u003Ci\u003EMoneyball\u003C\/i\u003E has the winning streak but not the championship nor any actual drama. \u003Ci\u003ERudy\u003C\/i\u003E, like many other \"based-on\" movies, has notable inaccuracies \u0026mdash; but you wouldn't need to add or change a thing to the Waterloo story. The actual events are dramatic enough.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe quality of the entertainment provided is secondary, however, to the simple main goal here: telling the story. Maybe then it wouldn't be news, and maybe I wouldn't have to write this again when they give out the Moser next March.\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/5396013433167405553\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/03\/basketball-story-still-untold.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/5396013433167405553"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/5396013433167405553"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2013\/03\/basketball-story-still-untold.html","title":"Basketball: A story still untold"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Rob Pettapiece"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-7284721679356398647"},"published":{"$t":"2012-10-25T16:10:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2012-10-28T19:20:37.703-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Aigles Bleus"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Axemen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bisons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Dinos"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Hockey"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Patriotes"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ravens"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Thunderwolves"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"U of S Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UBC Thunderbirds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Varsity Reds"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"X-Men"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Men’s Hockey: Weekend Games to Watch"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Some suggestions follow which might be the most important or interesting CIS men’s hockey games to watch this weekend. As luck would have it, we’ve got several nationally ranked teams facing off against each other. \u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: blue;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENow with more updates!\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFriday\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Ci\u003E \u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EAUS\u003C\/i\u003E – \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/playerv2.streamit.ca\/PlayerV2.aspx?eventid=286\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EUNB @ Acadia\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. Battle of two of the three teams tied for first place in the AUS sees top-ranked Varsity Reds in Wolfville to play the 7th ranked Axemen. Home ice advantage on the Olympic-sized surface may give Acadia the edge in this much anticipated game. How big a game? The V-Reds are traveling down Thursday evening to avoid bus legs.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003ESpecial teams were the difference in this tight-checking game, especially since Acadia scored three power play goals in the first period for early lead and held on for a 4-2 win.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003ECanada West\u003C\/i\u003E – \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.leaguestat.com\/canadawest\/mens\/en\/stats\/schedule.php?date=2012-10-26\u0026amp;season_id=22\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESask. @ UBC\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. Another battle for first place, but the 10th ranked 4-1-1 Thunderbirds will be playing a traditional CanWest power for the first time this season in the No.2 ranked Huskies. Home teams usually have the edge, but a win for UBC would add a lot of legitimacy to their place in the standings.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EUBC blew leads twice as the Huskies got the comeback 5-4 win. \u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EOUA East\u003C\/i\u003E – \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ssncanada.ca\/game\/4613\/\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOttawa @ Carleton\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. Last week in the National Capital Battle (not sure what they call this one) the Ravens won 5-2 in the Gee-Gees rink. Now it is Carleton’s turn to host.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThis rivalry game finished with a combined 28 minor penalties and 5-2 win for Ottawa.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EOUA West\u003C\/i\u003E – \u003Cb\u003EWestern @ Lakehead\u003C\/b\u003E. Traditionally strong Mustangs seem to be in hangover mode after losing the national championship in OT in March. Lakehead players rebelled and got their coach sacked, and then a few days later pushed Laurier to OT and then won 4-0 against them the next day. Quite a week for the 8th ranked team.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003ELakehead built up 3-goal lead in front of over 3000 fans and Western scored twice in the third period to make it close.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESaturday\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EAUS\u003C\/i\u003E – \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/playerv2.streamit.ca\/PlayerV2.aspx?eventid=20\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EStFX @ UdeM\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. The 5th ranked X-Men, who may or may not still have a share of 1st place by Saturday, take on the 6th ranked Aigles Bleus in M oncton.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli style=\"margin-left: 40px;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003ERaphael Pouliot and Guillaume Paranteau \u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003Eeach had a pair of goals to power Moncton to a \u003C\/span\u003E4-2 win and move into sole possession of first place in the AUS.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003ECanada West\u003C\/i\u003E – \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.leaguestat.com\/canadawest\/mens\/en\/stats\/schedule.php?date=2012-10-27\u0026amp;season_id=22\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EManitoba @ Calgary\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. Since western teams play weekend pairs of games, you can just as easily swap the Friday and Saturday picks. The 9th ranked Dinos haven’t played any of the big boys yet in conference play. Now they get the Bisons.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli style=\"margin-left: 40px;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EAfter a 4-1 loss the night before the Dinos rebounded with a 3-2 overtime shootout win to split the weekend with the Bisons (who pick up 3 points). \u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EOUA East\u003C\/i\u003E – Neither game looks very big. Sorry.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EOUA Wes\u003C\/i\u003Et – \u003Cb\u003EWindsor @ Waterloo\u003C\/b\u003E. The Lancers and Warriors battle for second place in the standings.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli style=\"margin-left: 40px;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;Lots of goals in this one as Windsor outshot Waterloo 40-28 in 7-5 win. Warriors scored twice in third period to make it close, but Lancers got the empty-netter for insurance.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003ESunday\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EOUA East\u003C\/i\u003E – \u003Cb\u003EUQTR @ Ottawa\u003C\/b\u003E. Wednesday night les Patriotes lost 4-0 lost in the Ravens’ nest. Now they visit the GeeGees’ stable. Luvin’ Ottawa much?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli style=\"margin-left: 40px;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003ERaphael Boudreau scored 53 seconds into overtime to give les Patriotes the 3-2 win.\u003C\/i\u003E \u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/7284721679356398647\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/10\/mens-hockey-weekend-games-to-watch.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7284721679356398647"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7284721679356398647"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/10\/mens-hockey-weekend-games-to-watch.html","title":"Men’s Hockey: Weekend Games to Watch"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"David Kilfoil"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/16821812362923440575"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"22","height":"32","src":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_ZSfv79uXrWQ\/SmbzQBQU15I\/AAAAAAAAAAM\/-NRmEHNVB7o\/S220\/David.jpg"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-3950623391805195585"},"published":{"$t":"2012-10-14T09:00:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2012-10-31T01:26:27.442-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Football"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Gaels"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gryphons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Linking the country"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Panthers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"SMU Huskies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Soccer"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"X-Men"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Linking the country: Should we add a \"forfeit\" tag to the blog?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ci\u003EWhat you missed while pinch-hitting for Alex Rodriguez ...\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWe'll have more on the Laval\/Montreal game soon, and how to reconcile this result with \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/10\/football-montreal-letdown.html\"\u003Elast week's disappointing loss by les Carabins\u003C\/a\u003E, but for now we can say that the point differential in the game means Laval only has to beat Bishop's (at home) and Concordia (away) to avoid playing in any other team's stadium the rest of the year. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMcMaster\/Windsor looked close, but from what I saw in the first half it wasn't nearly as close as the score indicated, and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/sports\/fball\/2012-13\/boxscores\/20121013_88zh.xml\"\u003Ethe second half proved that to be true\u003C\/a\u003E. At one point Mac had been whistled for 40 objectionable or unnecessary yards in a four-play period, yet after those plays still had possession inside the Windsor 40 ... and that kind of sums up the day. They were 24.5-point favourites \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/10\/football-week-7-point-spreads.html\"\u003Ebased on our calculations\u003C\/a\u003E, and ended up winning by 21.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFrom Friday, we learned of more eligibility issues, this time in men's soccer. St. F-X and UPEI each forfeit a win and a tie after using a player \"who had also participated with a foreign team within the past 365 days as a 21-year old.\" The release doesn't name the players, which is silly, because \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/surveyoronline.wordpress.com\/2012\/09\/27\/soccer-panthers-eligibility-mistake-may-prove-costly\/\"\u003Ethe UPEI coach already has\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.pe.ca\/Sports\/2012-10-05\/article-3093066\/Irish-player-allowed-to-stay-with-Panthers\/1\"\u003Eit's not really a secret\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/thechronicleherald.ca\/sports\/147328-st-fx-upei-disciplined-over-using-ineligible-athletes\"\u003Eto anyone\u003C\/a\u003E. And \u003Ci\u003Eespecially\u003C\/i\u003E because the players\u0026mdash;\u003Cb\u003EMichael Hojdar\u003C\/b\u003E for X and \u003Cb\u003EMark Behan\u003C\/b\u003E for UPEI\u0026mdash;will be allowed to play the rest of the year, in one of those only-in-CIS situations where the importance of eligibility varies depending on the wind. (Hat-tip to \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Nova_Canuck\/status\/256802565180780545\"\u003ERobert Murray\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA disappointing second half (outscored 16-0 in 30 minutes, otherwise known as a \"half-Waterloo\") led to a loss by the 5th-ranked Queen's Golden Gaels. After a pick-six, Queen's drove precisely 22 yards in four minutes (yards per minute: 5.5), then watched Guelph gain 76 in 63 seconds (yards per minute: 72.3). So that didn't go well, and that was pretty much the game. Once again, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.guelphmercury.com\/sports\/university\/article\/817307--football-gryphs-secure-second-place-finish\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003Every\u003C\/i\u003E solid lede\u003C\/a\u003E in the Metroland paper's game recap. (Wouldn't \"Hello, good bye\" work better?) \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA proud day for Waterloo alumni everywhere as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ottawasun.com\/2012\/10\/13\/ottawa-gee-gees-crush-waterloo-warriors-in-oua-football-action\"\u003EOttawa beat them 61 to 0\u003C\/a\u003E. (Amazing what dominating a terrible team can do for expectations.) \u003Cb\u003ENick Anapolski\u003C\/b\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/sports\/fball\/2012-13\/boxscores\/20121013_mgls.xml\"\u003Ewas a one-man offence for the Warriors\u003C\/a\u003E, but ultimately not in a good way. (Hat-tip to \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/neatebuzzthenet\/\"\u003ENeate Sager\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESaint Mary's \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/sports\/fball\/2012-13\/boxscores\/20121013_58gy.xml\"\u003Elost to Mount Allison, 25-12\u003C\/a\u003E, this time with \u003Cb\u003EJahmeek Taylor\u003C\/b\u003E though, despite his \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/thechronicleherald.ca\/sports\/146512-smu-s-taylor-battling-turf-toe\"\u003E\"battling a painful turf toe\"\u003C\/a\u003E. (This story came out \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/10\/football-aus-season-so-far.html\"\u003Ethe day after we asked what happened to him\u003C\/a\u003E.) That makes two wins in four games since someone suggested the Mounties should be removed from the league.\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/3950623391805195585\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/10\/linking-country-should-we-add-forfeit.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/3950623391805195585"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/3950623391805195585"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/10\/linking-country-should-we-add-forfeit.html","title":"Linking the country: Should we add a \"forfeit\" tag to the blog?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Rob Pettapiece"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-8211551315601095569"},"published":{"$t":"2012-10-07T09:00:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2012-10-07T09:00:06.654-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Football"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gaiters"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gryphons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Hockey"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Linking the country"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Martlets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"MUBL"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Redmen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ryerson Rams"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stingers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"X-Men"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Linking the country: It wouldn't be CIS football season without last-minute losses and forfeited games"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Concordia might have lost more than one football game this week, as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/accrofootmag.com\/2012\/10\/cisfball-un-joueur-inadmissible-chez-les-stingers\/\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERémi Aboussouan\u003C\/b\u003E is reporting\u003C\/a\u003E they will forfeit retroactively all 2012 games so far, due to the use of an ineligible player (not named in the report). The Gaiters and X-Men would gain a win each if this turns out to be true.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen the Mustangs were down 33-7 at the half, most people probably assumed they would lose. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.lfpress.com\/2012\/10\/06\/guelph-gryphons-defeat-western-mustangs-42-39-in-nail-biting-oua-football-match\"\u003EAnd they did\u003C\/a\u003E. But it wasn't that easy for Guelph, who in the second half gave up 29 points, didn't get into the end zone, but still won 42-39. Somewhat amusingly, the Mustangs' main QB in this game, \u003Cb\u003EBlake Huggins\u003C\/b\u003E, played just last week for the OFC London Beefeaters. Huggins \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.lfpress.com\/2012\/10\/03\/cis-will-finch-may-still-start-at-qb-for-the-mustangs-despite-appendectomy\"\u003Econsidered this a callup to the major leagues\u003C\/a\u003E, which I guess is one way of looking at it. (Question: if appearing on a game roster is enough to \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.lfpress.com\/2012\/10\/05\/down-a-quarterback-beefs-still-have-faith\"\u003Emake you ineligible for further junior football that year\u003C\/a\u003E, would the same not apply if you were on the season roster, as Huggins was \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/westernmustangs.ca\/documents\/2012\/10\/4\/Football.pdf\"\u003Eto begin the year\u003C\/a\u003E?)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd in what figured to be the best OUA game of the week, the Lancers didn't really show up (\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.thewhig.com\/2012\/10\/06\/gaels-beat-windsor\"\u003E\"finally scored in the game’s 50th minute\" is not a phrase you like to hear as a Windsor fan\u003C\/a\u003E), and Queen's won 24-7.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe first regular-season CIS hockey game played at Maple Leaf Gardens (this is what we will be calling it always, by the way) was a smashing success if only because the Ryerson women \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/theeyeopener.com\/2012\/10\/rams-beat-u-of-t-in-shootout-to-open-womens-hockey-season\/\"\u003E\"have already matched their [win] total from last season.\"\u003C\/a\u003E It was a shootout win for the Rams over U of T, 2 to 1, with both goals coming from \u003Cb\u003EEmily Rose Galliani Pecchia\u003C\/b\u003E. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFrom Thursday night's OUA football action, I was surprised that the Hawks were favoured only by 11 over hapless Waterloo in my point spreads, and then \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.therecord.com\/sports\/university\/article\/812517--ugly-win-for-hawks-but-they-ll-take-it\"\u003Ethey go and win 12-0 on four field goals\u003C\/a\u003E (please note: that article contains perhaps the worst lede in the history of the written word). \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/cupwire.ca\/articles\/53299\"\u003EHere's a short profile on \u003Cb\u003EEarl Zukerman\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, the now-34-years-serving, do-everything communications officer with McGill. Not that I've been around forever or anything, but I've visited enough athletics websites and read enough team releases to know when there's a new sports information director at a given school. It's, shall we say, very common to see such turnover. So Zukerman's longevity alone is remarkable.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's preseason, but the Bishop's men's basketball team, below-average last year, just knocked off UVic and TWU this weekend out west, and were not blown out (87-75) by UBC, a successful 2-1 road trip by most accounts. If this means the team is improving, then those of us who own various Gaiters in the MUBL are happy. Video of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/gothunderbirds.ca\/news\/2012\/10\/5\/BBALLM_1005123224.aspx\"\u003Ethe UBC game\u003C\/a\u003E, from the T-Birds, is below.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/g0jAnvh99RE\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/8211551315601095569\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/10\/linking-country-it-wouldnt-be-cis.html#comment-form","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/8211551315601095569"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/8211551315601095569"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/10\/linking-country-it-wouldnt-be-cis.html","title":"Linking the country: It wouldn't be CIS football season without last-minute losses and forfeited games"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Rob Pettapiece"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/g0jAnvh99RE\/default.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-4242711005010888417"},"published":{"$t":"2012-09-04T07:00:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2012-09-04T07:00:16.051-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Football"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Gaels"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gryphons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Linking the country"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lions"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Varsity Blues"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Linking the country: Labouring through OUA blowouts"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ci\u003EWhat you missed while trying not to make eye contact with Daniel Negreanu ...\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENot the best start for \u003Cb\u003EGary Etcheverry\u003C\/b\u003E at Ottawa U: the Lancers \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.windsorstar.com\/sports\/Lancers+trounce+Gees\/7183592\/story.html\"\u003Eput 63 on them\u003C\/a\u003E, the highest score Windsor's had since [looks it up] September 24, 2005, when they beat a very poor U of T team 63 to 22. This result also means the Gee-Gees have surrendered 164 points in their last three games going back to last year. Etcheverry \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ottawacitizen.com\/sports\/Gees+even+close+football+opener\/7183491\/story.html\"\u003Etold the \u003Ci\u003EOttawa Citizen\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E that \"we lacked explosion in everything we did\" \u0026mdash; which is true, as this was more of an implosion.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMan, remember when Waterloo beat McMaster four years ago? No, I don't either. Yesterday they \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.therecord.com\/sports\/article\/792144--familiar-face-familiar-result-for-warriors\"\u003Edropped their opener to the Mustangs 54-10\u003C\/a\u003E. The focus \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.therecord.com\/sports\/article\/792144--familiar-face-familiar-result-for-warriors\"\u003Ein \u003Ci\u003EThe Record\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E is on \u003Cb\u003EDennis McPhee\u003C\/b\u003E, former head coach of one program now defensively coordinating for the other, who left Waterloo \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/kitchener.ctvnews.ca\/warriors-football-coach-resigns-from-waterloo-1.730414\"\u003Eto spend more time with his Mustangs family\u003C\/a\u003E. We also hear from his replacement, \u003Cb\u003EJoe Paopao\u003C\/b\u003E, who says of the Warriors, \"Based on what we saw today, we’ll be alright.\" Does anyone have the heart to tell him?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAsk Mac how Guelph is this year. \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/sports\/fball\/2012-13\/boxscores\/20120903_pd5v.xml\"\u003EThe final was 50-9\u003C\/a\u003E, a combination of \u003Cb\u003EKyle Quinlan\u003C\/b\u003E being very good and the Gryphons, apparently, completely giving up before two minutes had passed in the second half by conceding a safety and a 75-yard TD pass on consecutive plays. Quinlan actually \u003Ci\u003Erushed\u003C\/i\u003E for 104 yards himself, half of what the entire Guelph offence gained on the day. When you remove Waterloo games from last year's results, only three teams had a negative point differential: York, Toronto, and Guelph. There is no current relevance to that anecdote whatsoever.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E19 points (Toronto over Laurier) isn't a blowout, really, but \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/thevarsity.ca\/2012\/09\/03\/u-of-t-football-team-forces-shut-out-against-wilfrid-laurier\/\"\u003Eit gets extra credit for being a shutout\u003C\/a\u003E. Because this game hadn't started by 4:56pm, it didn't make the earlier Record story (not even in a \"late action included...\" mention). \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe most noteworthy thing out of the York-Queen's game was that \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.thewhig.com\/2012\/09\/03\/gaels-easily-win-season-opener\"\u003Ethe \u003Ci\u003EKingston Whig-Standard\u003C\/i\u003E used \"Golden Gaels.\"\u003C\/a\u003E No, really. The highlight package \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/video.thescore.com\/watch\/qns-48-yrk-13\"\u003Eput together by The Score\u003C\/a\u003E consisted of exactly two plays. The game was played in front of 8,191 spectators, 8,215 if you include York.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBecause there wasn't much else of interest yesterday, let's bring in the 2012-13 edition of \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Chris__Oliver\/status\/241505741914124288\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThis Week In Chris Oliver\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E a few months early: \"Use stats to reveal the truth to your players.\"\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/4242711005010888417\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/09\/linking-country-labouring-through-oua.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/4242711005010888417"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/4242711005010888417"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/09\/linking-country-labouring-through-oua.html","title":"Linking the country: Labouring through OUA blowouts"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Rob Pettapiece"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-4013148816740167385"},"published":{"$t":"2012-08-23T18:59:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2012-08-23T23:26:17.718-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"CIS Countdown 2012"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Football"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gee-Gees"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Gaels"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gryphons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lions"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"previews"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Varsity Blues"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"CIS Countdown 2012: OUA preview"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Our preview of the OUA football season will start here at 7 p.m. EDT.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ciframe frameborder=\"0\" height=\"500\" width=\"500\" src=\"http:\/\/embed.scribblelive.com\/Embed\/v5.aspx?Id=56543\u0026amp;ThemeId=6556\" style=\"border: 1px solid #000;\" width=\"400\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/4013148816740167385\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/08\/cis-countdown-2012-oua-preview.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/4013148816740167385"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/4013148816740167385"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/08\/cis-countdown-2012-oua-preview.html","title":"CIS Countdown 2012: OUA preview"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Mike Radoslav"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-6258600524147329587"},"published":{"$t":"2012-02-21T18:00:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2012-02-21T18:00:00.891-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Badgers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gryphons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"OUA West men's basketball update"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Thunderwolves"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Men's Basketball: OUA West weekly roundup"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cspan style=\"font-style:italic;\"\u003EThe OUA men’s basketball regular season is over and now it’s time for some playoff basketball. Lakehead and McMaster will have some time off before facing the winners of the quarter-finals in the semi-finals on Feb. 25. Laurier will matchup against Guelph and Windsor will host Brock. The Golden Hawks, by far, saw the biggest upset come against them this weekend and were pushed out of second place by McMaster on the last game of the regular season. Some teams have back-ended their way into the playoffs, while others have picked up steam at the right time. The Wilson Cup final is only two weeks away, so now it’s time to see who can make it there.\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style:italic;\"\u003EOUA Standings \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/oua.ca\/Sport_standings.aspx?sport_num=1\u0026sport_name=mbasketball\u0026path=mbball\u0026\u0026\"\u003Ehere;\u003C\/a\u003E Playoff schedule \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/oua.ca\/Sport_schedules.aspx?sport_num=1\u0026sport_name=mbasketball\u0026path=mbball\u0026\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EGames In-Depth\u003Cbr \/\u003EFebruary 15\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaurier 95 vs. Waterloo 96\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe utter collapse of Laurier continued this weekend, and they started with a loss to Waterloo. After a disappointing 1-1 record last weekend, Laurier needed one win to clinch second in the West. And they couldn’t get it done. It should’ve come against Waterloo, but instead they’ll be missing a couple of days off that they would’ve gotten with a bye had they clinched second place. It wasn’t their offence that let them down, but against the eighth seed team, you need to have better defence. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EKale Harrison\u003C\/span\u003E had 26 points and 13 rebounds, while both \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EMatt Buckley\u003C\/span\u003E and \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EKyle Enright\u003C\/span\u003E finished with 20 points for Laurier. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EMike Wright\u003C\/span\u003E led the way for Waterloo with 23 points and 8 assists and\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003E Zack Angelini\u003C\/span\u003E ended with 18 points and 9 rebounds. You would think that the weekend would only get better for Laurier after this, but they still had one more game to play.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EFebruary 18\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaurier 67 vs. McMaster 93\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWow. That’s all that can be said about this one. Second spot in the West was on the line for this one and Laurier laid an egg, while McMaster showed up big time. The Marauders ended with 51.4% from the field to Laurier’s abysmal 31% and outrebounded the Golden Hawks 49 to 35 and 20 assists to 9. The second quarter was the turning point when Laurier flat out couldn’t stop McMaster. The Marauders put up 31 points to Laurier’s 11 and the game was pretty much over after that\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003E. Kale Harrison\u003C\/span\u003E had a team high 16 points for the Golden Hawks, but there wasn’t much help after that. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ETaylor Black\u003C\/span\u003E had 19 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, while Adam Presutti finished with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. It doesn’t really get much worse than this for Laurier who had second place all but locked up throughout the season only to lose to go 1-3 in the last four games of the regular season while McMaster ran the table.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EPlayer of the Week\u003Cbr \/\u003ERyan Thomson\u003Cbr \/\u003ELakehead Thunderwolves\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn two games that were largely meaningless for the Wolves, Thomson led the way and helped Lakehead finish the regular season on a winning note. In two games against Guelph, Thomson had a combined total of 46 points, 17 rebounds and 5 assists in 61 minutes of playing time. He also went 6-for-8 on three’s and 19-for-29 from field goal range. Even though it came against a much lower ranked Guelph, Lakehead is on a roll going into the playoffs and Thomson was a big part of it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EUpcoming Playoff Games\u003Cbr \/\u003EFebruary 22\u003Cbr \/\u003EBrock vs. Windsor\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn a rematch of their Feb. 15 game, the Lancers will take on the Badgers in the first playoff game involving the West. Windsor won that game 79-72 and look to see a similar outcome. Windsor is far deeper than Brock and can count on five or six guys every night to contribute in some way. Brock is a little more limited and if you shutdown \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EAndrew Kraus\u003C\/span\u003E or \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ETshing Kasamba\u003C\/span\u003E, you’ve slowed the Badgers down enough to likely get a win.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EGuelph vs. Laurier\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA few weeks ago I would’ve said Laurier by a landslide, but really, who knows with Laurier right now. They ended their otherwise great season on horrible losses. With four fifth years and two fourths in Laurier’s lineup, I expect them to wakeup and realize it’s this year or bust. The Gryphons have a few players they can count on to score, but after \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EKareem Malcolm, Daniel McCarthy\u003C\/span\u003E and \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EAdam Bering\u003C\/span\u003E, there’s not much to Guelph’s roster. Look to see Laurier finally wakeup from their shaky end to the season and break out with a ton of points.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/6258600524147329587\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/02\/mens-basketball-oua-west-weekly-roundup_21.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6258600524147329587"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6258600524147329587"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/02\/mens-basketball-oua-west-weekly-roundup_21.html","title":"Men's Basketball: OUA West weekly roundup"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Greg Colgan"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-1894497545710269049"},"published":{"$t":"2012-02-14T14:20:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2012-02-14T15:12:27.481-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"OUA West men's basketball update"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Men's Basketball: OUA West Roundup"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cspan style=\"font-style:italic;\"\u003EIn the second last week of the regular season there were more than a few surprises. Lakehead clinched the West, while Windsor was shocked by Waterloo one night and returned the favour to Laurier a few nights later. There was a few high scoring games and a couple of battles between heavy and lightweights. The last week of the regular season is coming up, but this past week help set some of the playoff positioning. In the CIS top 10, Lakehead will remain in second, but don’t be surprised if Laurier falls back a few spots from sixth after a 1-1 weekend.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E[Ed. note: Laurier indeed \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/english.cis-sic.ca\/top_10_releases\/2011-12\/20120214-top10-20\"\u003Efell one spot\u003C\/a\u003E, to seventh. McMaster also became the third OUA West team in the Top 10 (or 11), tied with Concordia for tenth. -RP]\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EGames Recap\u003Cbr \/\u003EWindsor 85 vs. Waterloo 90\u003Cbr \/\u003EFebruary 8, 2012\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhoa, wait, what? That was the actual score? Shocking would be a good word to describe this one. Windsor had a small shot at moving into second this weekend, but those hopes were dashed before the weekend even began. Simply put, if you’re going to challenge, you can’t lose to the worst team in your division. Even more so, you can’t lose to that team with less than four games before the playoffs. It’s unacceptable, but Windsor has to move on and hope this was a wakeup call. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ELien Phillip\u003C\/span\u003E and \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ERotimi Osuntola Jr.\u003C\/span\u003E had good nights collecting 24 and 23 points, respectively. Phillip was a force in the paint grabbing 19 rebounds, but outside of those two there was little help from the rest of the Lancers. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ESrdjan Pejicic\u003C\/span\u003E had 28 points in 19 minutes of playing time for Waterloo. The Warriors were far better this night when it came to shooting going 47% from field goal range compared to 42.1% by Windsor. Waterloo also went 40.6% on threes, while Windsor shot 24.1%.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EWestern 105 vs. Waterloo 102 (OT)\u003Cbr \/\u003EFebruary 11, 2012\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBoth these teams have had a long season, but they made for an interesting weekend. And hey, sometimes it’s good to give love to the little guys at the bottom of the standings. Waterloo was fresh off their win against Windsor and both teams combined for a shootout, including a total of 37 points in 5 minutes of overtime. Western guard \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ERyan Barbeau\u003C\/span\u003E is playing what could be his last few games as an OUA player and is making them count. Western is gunning hard for a playoff spot, and Barbeau will be the main reason if they get it. He had 46 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds and played all but one minute of the game and had 4 points in the last 25 seconds to lead Western to victory. How important was Barbeau? The next three highest points by Mustangs players were 15, 14 and 11. In all fairness though, what they lacked in points they made up for in rebounds. The Mustangs had three players with 10 or more rebounds to help Western with a game total of 53 compared to 35 by Waterloo. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ECam McIntyre\u003C\/span\u003E had 33 points and 3 assists, while \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EZack Angelini\u003C\/span\u003E put up 28 points and 4 rebounds in a losing effort, but after beating Windsor three days before, they probably knew that was the high point of their year.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EWindsor 77 vs. Laurier 69\u003Cbr \/\u003EFebruary 11, 2012\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWindsor needed this game badly after the embarrassing loss to Waterloo and it came against the second place team in the West and one that had been in the CIS top 10 for most of the year. The Lancers came to play, or more specifically, Lien Phillip came to play. He had 20 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EJosh Collins\u003C\/span\u003E chipped in 19 points and 4 rebounds. All but seven of Windsor’s points came from starters, which would normally be a discouraging sign, but they managed to keep one of the best offences in the CIS to 69 points. That’s the second lowest point total they’ve had all year. The first? It came against Carleton - the top team in all of Canadian university basketball. Kale Harrison had 21 points and 8 rebounds for the Golden Hawks, while \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EConor Meschino\u003C\/span\u003E had 17 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. Although the score is somewhat close, this game was out of reach by the first quarter. Windsor never let their foot off the gas and took it to Laurier, who shot 33.3% from the field and 23.3% on three’s. This was a perfect example of what can happen when a team that depends so much on its offence has an off night.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EPlayer of the Week\u003Cbr \/\u003ELien Phillip - Windsor Lancers\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPhillip had two stellar performances this past week. And although the Lancers only went 1-1, none of that can be placed on Phillip’s shoulders. He had a combined total of 44 points, a stunning 34 rebounds and 6 assists in 74 minutes of playing time. No one came close to him in rebounds in either game and his defensive rebounding (25 over two games) stopped a ton of second chance points. The main reason they stopped Laurier was improved defence, which had let them down against Waterloo a few nights before. Phillip was unstoppable in the paint, and that’s something Windsor will look to motivate them over what they hope will be a few more weeks of games.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EUpcoming Game of the Week\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaurier vs. McMaster\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis is a big if, but depending on what happens this weekend, this could be the game that decides second place in the West. Laurier holds second right now, but you have to think after the way Windsor dismantled them McMaster is itching to take it to them. Either way, I expect this to be a big game as neither team wants to go into the playoffs with a loss, and those extra few days off that comes with the bye help out a ton. Both teams have had long seasons, school schedules take their toll and a few days extra rest can make all the difference.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/1894497545710269049\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/02\/mens-basketball-oua-west-roundup.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/1894497545710269049"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/1894497545710269049"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/02\/mens-basketball-oua-west-roundup.html","title":"Men's Basketball: OUA West Roundup"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Greg Colgan"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-3530535219298650783"},"published":{"$t":"2012-02-07T12:20:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2012-02-07T12:20:01.356-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Badgers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gryphons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"OUA West men's basketball update"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Thunderwolves"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Men's Basketball: OUA West Weekly Roundup"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cspan style=\"font-style:italic;\"\u003EFinally, it looks like with the West might be set with two weeks left. Lakehead is solely in first place after Laurier’s loss to McMaster on Saturday night. Lakehead had a bit of scare against Waterloo, but won’t have too much competition until the playoffs start. Windsor took a tough 2 point loss against Laurier last Wednesday, but could make a push for third place. McMaster is probably the happiest team with third place theirs and it seems like they’re picking up momentum at the right time. Brock and Guelph continue to struggle, while Western is playing the spoiler role and beginning to threaten fifth place\u003C\/span\u003E. \u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EGames Recap\u003Cbr \/\u003EWestern 69 vs. Guelph 66\u003Cbr \/\u003EWednesday, Feb. 1\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGuelph continues to free fall into oblivion with another loss. This time it was to one of the hottest teams in the West since the break in Western, who looks to have gelled as a team. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ERyan Barbeau\u003C\/span\u003E put up 27 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds for Western. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EKareem Malcolm\u003C\/span\u003E had 18 points and 9 rebounds for Guelph. The Gryphons outrebounded the Mustangs 43-27, but turnovers were key in this game. Guelph had 15 compared to Western’s 11, which doesn’t help when the Mustangs get 17 points off those rebounds. Guelph hasn’t been able to put anything together since coming back from the Christmas break, while Western’s come together and are only four points out of fifth in the West.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EWaterloo 74 vs. Lakehead 84\u003Cbr \/\u003EFriday, Feb. 3\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis was all about Lakehead’s bench in a game that was far closer then it should’ve been. The Thunderwolves were helped by 52 points off the bench, while the Warriors were able to get a respectable 20, but not near anything needed to compete with Lakehead’s. Still, despite losing, I imagine Waterloo is somewhat happy they could go up to Lakehead and only lose by 10 points and 12 points on Saturday. I know that’s not saying much for Waterloo, but when you’re the worst team in the West you look for positives everywhere. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EAdam Johnson\u003C\/span\u003E had 26 points and 9 rebounds in 18 minutes of playing time off the bench. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EMike Wright\u003C\/span\u003E led the way for Waterloo with 19 points and \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EAndrew Melbourne\u003C\/span\u003E had 14 points to go with 11 rebounds. Although it seems minor, Lakehead’s free throw shooting held them back. Those are normally easy points and when you go 15-24, they’re essentially taking an additional 5 or 6 points off the score sheet.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EMcMaster 82 vs. Laurier 72\u003Cbr \/\u003ESaturday, Feb. 4\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI really thought Windsor had the best shot at beating Laurier, but it looks like McMaster was a bit more motivated to get it done. The Golden Hawks really only had two players show up on Saturday. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EMax Allin\u003C\/span\u003E had 23 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists and \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EKale Harrison\u003C\/span\u003E contributed 27 points and 8 rebounds, while everyone else decided to take the night off for the most part. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EAdam Presutti\u003C\/span\u003E finished with 26 points and 8 rebounds and \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EVictor Raso\u003C\/span\u003E had 19 points to go with 6 rebounds. McMaster also had 37 bench points to Laurier’s 13. Losing this game almost puts the West division out of reach for Laurier and they can’t be happy about seeing the chance of winning the division slip from their grasp. Unless Lakehead comes up with a bad night, the West is the Thunderwolves' from here on out.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EPlayer of the Week\u003Cbr \/\u003EAdam Presutti - McMaster Marauders\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPresutti was key in both of McMaster’s wins against Brock and Laurier this weekend. He helped knock both teams off, but was absolutely vital against beating Laurier. He put up a combination of 40 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists in 53 minutes of playing time. He also shot better than 50% in both games. Presutti made shots when he needed to and earns the player of the week award for the West.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EUpcoming Game of the Week\u003Cbr \/\u003EWindsor vs. Laurier\u003Cbr \/\u003ESaturday, Feb. 11\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBoth teams will be desperate for a win if they’re going to try and move up a spot in the rankings. Windsor can still challenge for third, while Laurier has a slight chance at overtaking Lakehead. More importantly, a loss by Lakehead will have them struggling to maintain their current spot with McMaster closing in on them. Also, both teams have struggled slightly in the last few weeks and neither have easy schedules in the last two weeks of the regular season. No one wants to go into playoff basketball playing shaky, so don’t be surprised if both teams pick up their level of play for this one.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/3530535219298650783\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/02\/mens-basketball-oua-west-weekly-roundup.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/3530535219298650783"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/3530535219298650783"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/02\/mens-basketball-oua-west-weekly-roundup.html","title":"Men's Basketball: OUA West Weekly Roundup"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Greg Colgan"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-7403289931420904566"},"published":{"$t":"2012-01-24T17:00:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2012-01-24T18:37:44.486-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gryphons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Thunderwolves"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Men's Basketball: OUA West Weekly Roundup"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Another week in the OUA West has gone by, and once again, another team has started to fall from top of the West. Last week it was Brock and Guelph, this week it’s McMaster’s turn. They stayed in tight with Lakehead on Friday night, but were blown out on Saturday by 20 points. The weekend sweep by Lakehead has pushed McMaster into fourth place in the West. Laurier and Lakehead remain tied with Windsor third. This week also saw Lakehead move from third in the CIS into second and Laurier from seventh to sixth.\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EGames In-Depth\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EWednesday, Jan. 18\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ELaurier 97 vs. Guelph 91\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGuelph can’t buy a break since the CIS returned from Christmas. It seems like week after week \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EDaniel McCarthy\u003C\/span\u003E and either \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EAdam Bering\u003C\/span\u003E or \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EKareem Malcolm\u003C\/span\u003E put up 20 points, but still come up short. Friday night at Guelph was no different. This time, though, Bering had 20 points and 8 rebounds, McCarthy had 23 points and 6 rebounds, while Malcolm finished with 19 points 8 rebounds. The rest of the team: 29 points.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis game wasn’t exactly one for fans of defence with 4 players on both teams reaching double digits. And, if you’re going to forget defence against Laurier, they’re going to burn you. Laurier’s bench had 32 points to Guelph’s 16, which is rarely a stat you can lose and still win a game. Laurier’s \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EKale Harrison\u003C\/span\u003E had an off night by his standards with 15 points and 5 rebounds. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EMax Allin\u003C\/span\u003E ended with game highs with 27 points and 11 rebounds.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EFriday, Jan. 20\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EMcMaster 76 vs. Lakehead 83\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHeading into Thunder Bay, McMaster had a chance to make up some ground and challenge for top in the West. Well, at least that was the plan until they ran into a Lakehead squad that has hit full stride. McMaster threw everything they could at Lakehead. They tied or beat them in most offensive and defensive categories, had full contribution from their entire line-up (40 points off the bench) and went into the fourth quarter with the game tied. So, what was the difference? I don’t think I’m going out on a limb when I say turnovers. McMaster had 18 to Lakehead’s 7, which Lakehead turned into 13 points.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ECam Michaud\u003C\/span\u003E led the way for McMaster with 14 points and 7 rebounds, while \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EAdam Presutti\u003C\/span\u003E finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists and a team high 31 minutes. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EVenzal Russell\u003C\/span\u003E ended the game with 19 points, 5 steals and 3 assists. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EYoosrie Salhia\u003C\/span\u003E had 15 points and a game high 13 rebounds.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ESaturday, Jan. 21\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBrock 57 vs. Windsor 78\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith both Laurier and Lakehead sweeping their weekend games, Windsor needed to keep pace, especially with an upcoming series against Lakehead this weekend. Windsor took it to Brock, who continues to free fall further from the top of the West. The Lancers were also helped by 27 points coming off the bench compared to the Badgers 11. It also helps when you outrebound a team 60 to 41 like Windsor did. \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EAndrew Kraus\u003C\/span\u003E finished with 11 points and 5 assists for Brock, while \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ERotimi Osuntola Jr.\u003C\/span\u003E had 17 points and 8 rebounds. Also, \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ELien Phillip\u003C\/span\u003E absolutely dominated inside the paint with 15 rebounds for the Lancers, which 12 were defensive. Phillip also added 12 points for Windsor.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EPlayer of the Week\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMax Allin stepped up in a big way this weekend for Laurier. He had 27 points and 11 rebounds against Guelph. He followed it up with 23 points and 8 assists against Western on Saturday night. Laurier relies on their offence more than any other team in the West and when your best scorer, Kale Harrison, has a couple of so-so games (15 points against Guelph and 2 against Western) someone has to pick up their game and Allin answered the call. His weekend totals were 50 points, 15 rebounds, 14 assists and he only had 4 turnovers in 74 minutes of playing time. This weekend was, by far, the Maxwell Allin show.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EUpcoming Game(s) of the Week\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EFriday, Jan. 27 and Saturday, Jan. 28: Lakehead vs. Windsor\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe West is down to three teams challenging for first in the West. After these two games, it could be down to two. The Thunderwolves are tied with Laurier for first place and Windsor has third to themselves. If Windsor is going to take over first they need a weekend sweep over Lakehead, which isn’t likely going to happen. If Windsor comes away with one win I think they’ll be happy. Lakehead though, they need a sweep. Laurier has a fairly easy week against Brock and Western. Lakehead can ill-afford to fall behind Laurier this close to the playoffs. I’m expecting the Thunderwolves to come out with one of their best defensive weekends since the season started. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/7403289931420904566\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/01\/mens-basketball-oua-west-weekly-roundup_24.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7403289931420904566"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/7403289931420904566"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/01\/mens-basketball-oua-west-weekly-roundup_24.html","title":"Men's Basketball: OUA West Weekly Roundup"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Greg Colgan"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-8562819858023953976"},"published":{"$t":"2012-01-10T23:34:00.004-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2012-01-11T17:13:03.219-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Badgers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gryphons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"OUA West men's basketball update"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Thunderwolves"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Basketball: OUA West First Week After the Break"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Well, coming back from the Christmas break the first set of games in the OUA West were interesting. Heading into Christmas there had been a log jam of teams, with six of the eight teams having winning records. Something had to give and at some point one of those teams were going to begin to run away with it. I’ve believed all year that it’s Lakehead’s to lose, but not without a fight from Laurier.\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaurier started the year by utterly decimating Waterloo 110 - 60. They ended up with five players in double digits and continued their torrid offensive pace. When they went up against Brock on Saturday they decided to only score 93 points. Lakehead remained tied for first by sweeping the weekend series against Western. Although, much credit to Western. The Lakehead weekend is always tough and the fact Western has one of the youngest teams in the OUA doesn’t make things easier. They were able to keep pace with Lakehead for awhile in both games, but it’s hard to go basket for basket with the depth that Lakehead has.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMcMaster started out with a surprising loss at Windsor, but came back with a win against Waterloo at home to remain third. McMaster had a tough night shooting in Windsor with a 33.8% effort from the field, a rarity for Mac, which stopped them from really challenging Windsor. Brock squeezed out a win against Guelph at home, but not without some struggles. Both teams are fairly equally matched and the 77-74 final shows close they are.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOf the middle ranked teams in the West, Windsor by far had the best weekend. They earned victories against McMaster and Guelph to move up slightly in the standings and have a 7-3 record. They took advantage of playing at home against two strong teams and began to distance themselves a bit from the pack. By far, Guelph had the toughest weekend in the West. With loses to Brock and Windsor they fell to sixth and make things harder for themselves with a rough start to the second half of the season.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EUpcoming Games to watch\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ELakehead at Laurier (Jan. 13 and Jan. 14)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI have absolutely no idea what to expect from these games. They could either be blowouts with both teams capable of putting up 100 points easily. Or, Lakehead’s defence could step-up and expose a weakness in Laurier’s overpowering offence. I don’t really know, but these will be games everyone in the OUA will be paying attention to. Everyone wants to know how to beat these teams and something has to give at the top of the West. Both teams know what the standings look like and have been waiting for a chance to pull ahead. I can’t wait until the dust settles on Saturday night in Waterloo. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/8562819858023953976\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/01\/basketball-oua-west-first-week-after.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/8562819858023953976"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/8562819858023953976"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2012\/01\/basketball-oua-west-first-week-after.html","title":"Basketball: OUA West First Week After the Break"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Greg Colgan"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-6601622957853208621"},"published":{"$t":"2011-12-15T18:00:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2011-12-15T18:37:58.288-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Badgers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Basketball"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Golden Hawks"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Gryphons"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Lancers"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Marauders"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mustangs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"OUA West men's basketball update"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Thunderwolves"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"OUA West Men's Basketball First-Half Wrap-up"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cspan style=\"font-style:italic;\"\u003EWith exams coming to a close and the winter break upon us, it won't be long before many CIS teams are playing in mid-season tournaments and preparing for the stretch drive of the second semester season. But before we start looking ahead to the holiday tournaments and second half games, it's time to make like professors and TAs and start dishing out the first-half grades. How have the teams done in their pursuit of athletic excellence? We'll start with the OUA West and East today, with Canada West and the AUS to follow tomorrow. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EGreg Colgan\u003C\/span\u003E gets us started with his assessment of the OUA West. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EBrock Badgers\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ERecord\u003C\/span\u003E: 6-2, 12 points; 4th place\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EStrengths:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAny time you can win on the road, you’ve got a chance of getting a nice playoff spot. They finished with a 4 - 0 record away from St. Catharines, which will keep any coach happy. They’ve also improved in several categories as the year has gone on including more blocks, assists and rebounds, while limiting their fouls and turnovers. This is a hard-working team that is learning to compete, but may end up giving the best in the West a run for their money.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EImprovement Needed:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWinning at home has been a problem for Brock and the 84 - 60 trouncing Ryerson gave them on December 2 was embarrassing. Any team that expects to contend should have a better home record than 2 - 2. Better offensive rebounding is likely to be a priority come January. In the first-half of the year they ranked in the bottom 10 with an average of 10 offensive boards per game.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EFirst-half MVP:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEver since Brock got\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003E Jameson Tipping\u003C\/span\u003E back, they’ve gone 5 - 1. Granted it’s not against the top talent in the OUA, but wins are wins the last time I checked. His 15.7 ppg have helped a lot, as has his 49.2% shooting from the field and 44% from beyond the arc. The combination between Tipping and fellow guard \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EAndrew Kraus\u003C\/span\u003E, who leads the CIS in assists, is a backcourt most coaches would want.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EGRADE\u003C\/span\u003E: B\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EGuelph Gryphons\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERecord: 5-3 loses, 10 points; 5th place\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EStrengths:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUsually teams want to play at home instead of the road, but Guelph might be asking the OUA to give more road games after the first half. They are 4 - 0 on the road, which, in all fairness, when you play RMC, Queen’s and York, you should have at least 3 road wins. Still, anytime you can go on the road and know you have a chance of winning is a big morale lift.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EImprovement Needed:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESimply put, they need to win games at home. If you can win most of your road games it won’t matter if you’ve got a 25% win percentage at home when it comes to making the playoffs. After \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EKareem Malcolm\u003C\/span\u003E and \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EDaniel McCarthy\u003C\/span\u003E, Guelph doesn’t have much to compete with other teams. They get occasional help from other players like \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EZach Angus\u003C\/span\u003E and \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EAron Campbell\u003C\/span\u003E, but when you’re a two-trick pony, it limits your chances. If they don’t get players stepping up more consistently, that lack of depth will hurt them as the season goes on.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EFirst-half MVP:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt’s pretty much a toss-up between Malcolm and McCarthy, but I’ll give it to Malcolm. He finished 18.1ppg, 50.5% shooting from the field, led his team in minutes and can pull down the odd rebound to go with decent defence.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EGRADE:\u003C\/span\u003E B\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ELakehead Thunderwolves (CIS no. 3)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ERecord:\u003C\/span\u003E 7-1, 14 points; 1st place\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EStrengths:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt’s Lakehead, so defence. Next to Mac, they’ve given up the fewest points in the West. This is a good all-round team that only lost to a better Carleton team in what was one of the best games the CIS will see all year. There’s no shame in that loss. Their offence has also been surprisingly high and they’re averaging 89.4 ppg, which is good for fourth highest in the CIS. If they can keep that up, while improving slightly on defence, the OUA could be theirs for the taking.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EImprovement Needed:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDespite the fact that I listed defence in the strength category, I can’t help but think that head coach \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EScott Morrison\u003C\/span\u003E is a bit concerned that his team gave up 72 or more points in each of the last four games. That includes 95 points to a much weaker Laurentian, who can score, but shouldn’t be able to put up that much against the defending OUA champs.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EFirst-half MVP:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis one is tough. They’ve got such a well-balanced team that five players are averaging double-digit points and Brendan King was only 0.2 ppg away from making it six. Since I have to give it to one of their guys, \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EGreg Carter \u003C\/span\u003Eis much more to this team than his stats show. He’s getting 10 ppg, a little over 4 assists a game, and shooting 49.2%. He’s the team leader and the best defensive player in the West, by far. Fast forward to the three-minute mark from this game against Toronto, as an example. If there’s a guy I want on the court with one minute left and a tie game, it’s Carter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EGRADE:\u003C\/span\u003E A-\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ELaurier Golden Hawks (CIS no. 8)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ERecord:\u003C\/span\u003E 7-1, 14 points; 2nd place\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EStrengths:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI said it at the beginning of the year: this team will score. They’ve done just that all year. They’ve hit more than 100 twice and made 98 another game. Their lowest total was 68 against Carleton and Carleton has a habit of making good teams look average. They’re averaging 91.5ppg, which is good for third in the CIS after UBC and Carleton. Pretty good company, I think. Don’t be surprised to see them keep that output up in the second half.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EImprovement Needed:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThey’ve been pretty flawless all year, but they need to be better at their end of the court if they want to go far. They’ve got the team to challenge for the OUA championship, but when you give up more than 70 against teams like RMC and Laurentian, it’s not a great sign. I think some of that comes from the fact they can put up 100 points on almost any given night. As long as they don’t get complacent, they’ll be looking good in the second half.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EFirst-half MVP:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EKale Harrison\u003C\/span\u003E is one of the biggest scoring threats in the OUA. He puts up 18.4 ppg and is shooting 47.5%. He’s thrown back 30 points in two games this year, including a season high 31 points against a strong Ottawa team. His 10 points against Carleton are a little alarming, but back-to-back games on the Ottawa road trip are one of the most feared weekends for any West team. This is his last year in the OUA and the best program Laurier has ever put together, so expect an even stronger second half by Harrison.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EGRADE:\u003C\/span\u003E A\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EMcMaster Marauders\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERecord: 7-1, 14 points; 3rd place\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EStrengths:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThey haven’t faced the strongest schedule, but the opening weekend against Carleton and Ottawa isn’t the best way to start the year and to come out with a split is a good feeling. It’s impressive McMaster finished as high as they did considering they were without \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EKenan Etale\u003C\/span\u003E for the first-half of the year. With Etale coming back in January, McMaster has enough depth to make every team jealous. As the season goes on, that depth will pay off big time.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EImprovement Needed:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith Etale coming back, McMaster will have no problem moving the ball around. They do need someone to grab those rebounds, and it has largely been by committee this year. When they lost \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EScott Brittain\u003C\/span\u003E to concussions, they lost about eight rebounds and two blocks a game, not to mention a guy with experience in the NCAA. They’ll need guys to step up every night, especially when they’re up against teams like Laurier and Lakehead.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EFirst-half MVP:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis is another close one, \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EVictor Raso\u003C\/span\u003E has come through this year with a shorthanded McMaster roster. \u003Cb\u003ECam Michaud\u003C\/b\u003E has been strong, but Raso has been better, averaging 12.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg and shooting 50%. Those totals include games against RMC where he got 0 points in 12 minutes and 4 points against Ottawa. He has struggled this year against better teams, but he’s had big shoes to fill in Etale and he’s done an admirable job for a team that’s 7 - 1.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EGRADE:\u003C\/span\u003E A-\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EWaterloo Warriors\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ERecord:\u003C\/span\u003E 4-4, 8 points; 7th place\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EStrengths:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen it comes to shooting threes, Waterloo’s among the best. They’re tied for first with the most threes made, which oddly enough has seven OUA West teams in the top 10. They’re also among the better teams with a 45% field goal percentage, which was higher before they ended the year against Ottawa and Carleton. With one of the highest shooting rates in the CIS, they love to shoot the ball, which helps when you can sink them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EImprovement Needed:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETheir defence has hung them out to dry this year. They’ve given up 691 points, the worst in the West, with Western being the next closest at 614. It doesn’t help when you give up 80 plus points in five of your eight games, and ending the year by allowing a combined 221 points in your final two games will leave any coach less than happy. If Waterloo is going to stand a chance at making the playoffs, their defence has to be better.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EFirst-half MVP:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI chose \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ECam McIntyre\u003C\/span\u003E, but not without hesitation. He’s got 16 ppg, but that 39% shooting for twos kind of held me up. The big man, Brendan Smith, is averaging 10.8 ppg, but is 15th in the CIS with 58 rebounds to go with his 56.8% shooting percentage. That being said, McIntyre is the go-to guy on Waterloo and he can put up points when he wants to while logging a ton of minutes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EGRADE:\u003C\/span\u003E B-\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EWestern Mustangs\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ERecord:\u003C\/span\u003E 3-5, 6 points; 8th place\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EStrengths:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUmm... \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ERyan Barbeau\u003C\/span\u003E. Yeah, that about sums it up. In all honesty, this team hasn’t been as bad as their record may indicate. Full disclosure: I did my undergrad at Western and I loved it so much I’m doing a Master’s there, but what can you say... It’s been a tough year. That being said, this is a team in full rebuild mode with eight rookies and three second years. Anytime a team is in rebuild mode, I give them props for doing so. It takes a lot to dismantle a program and start from the ground up. Head coach \u003Cb\u003EBrad Campbell\u003C\/b\u003E realized he needed a rebuild and if you’re going to do something, you may as well go all in. He’s got his players working hard every game and they lost two games by less than five points that they could’ve won. I wouldn’t be surprised to see that hard work pay off with a surprise win against a high ranked team that takes them to easy.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EImprovement Needed:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis will be a good team in two years, but that’s a long way off right now. This is a young team, and they’ll only continue to grow as the season moves on. Granted, it’ll be some painful lessons for the young guys, but as long as they take everything in stride, they’ll continue to improve. However, unless they can bring \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EAndrew Wedemire\u003C\/span\u003E back from Scotland and give him a sixth year of elgibility, every aspect needs to be improved on for both sides of the court.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EFirst-half MVP:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFinally! An easy choice. Barbeau, by far, has been the best player for UWO. He’s ranked 7th in CIS scoring with 21.6 ppg and plays pretty much every minute of the game while not getting into foul trouble at all this year. Not bad for a guy who always had some people talking that he couldn’t do anything without Wedemire. Anything UWO does this year will be because of Barbeau, but with such a young line-up I have a hard time believing this is how he wanted his last year to be. Still, those are impressive numbers, and hey, give the guy a break, he got his 1000th point in the OUA before the break.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EGRADE:\u003C\/span\u003E C-\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EWindsor Lancers\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ERecord:\u003C\/span\u003E 5 wins, 3 loses, 10 points; 6th place\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EStrengths:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOk, so I might’ve given Windsor a bit more credit when I had them finishing third in the West. I still expect them to get better, but maybe third was being generous on my part. I may have been blinded by the trio of \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EEnrico Di Loreto\u003C\/span\u003E, \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EJosh Collins\u003C\/span\u003E, and \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003ELien Phillip\u003C\/span\u003E who are just downright menacing when everything’s ticking. Phillip is averaging a double-double every game, Collins has stepped up admirably to replace \u003Cb\u003EIsaac Kuon\u003C\/b\u003E and Di Loreto is nearly unstoppable when shooting. These guys are everything to Windsor and it can’t be understated that Windsor will go as far as they can take them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EImprovement Needed\u003C\/span\u003E:\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs one of the younger teams, Windsor doesn’t have the depth to go head-to-head with teams like Lakehead or Laurier. The bench has contributed 10 or less points in half their games this year, including a pitiful five against Laurentian. Unless some of their bench guys start stepping up and putting up points, Windsor won’t make it too far.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EFirst-half MVP:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDi Loreto is 2nd in the CIS in ppg with 23.7 to go with a 52.5% field goal and 40% from the three line. He missed the last two games of the year, which Windsor won both of, but his presence wasn’t really needed against Ryerson and RMC. If Windsor is going to make some noise, they’ll need him to continue his play in the second half.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight:bold;\"\u003EGRADE\u003C\/span\u003E: C+ \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/6601622957853208621\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2011\/12\/oua-west-mens-basketball-first-half.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6601622957853208621"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/6601622957853208621"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2011\/12\/oua-west-mens-basketball-first-half.html","title":"OUA West Men's Basketball First-Half Wrap-up"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Greg Colgan"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8220121611828242531.post-4033297310317593535"},"published":{"$t":"2011-11-22T21:20:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2011-11-23T09:38:44.239-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"CIS Issues"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"coaches"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Football"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warriors"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Football: McPhee out at Waterloo"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"From the University of Waterloo, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.varsity.uwaterloo.ca\/news\/2011\/11\/22\/FB_1122115928.aspx\"\u003Ereleased this afternoon\u003C\/a\u003E:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003EAfter five years of coaching the Warrior Football program at the University of Waterloo, Head Coach \u003Cb\u003EDennis McPhee\u003C\/b\u003E has resigned from his coaching position and will be leaving the University.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“We wish Coach McPhee the best with his future endeavours and thank him for his contributions to the Warrior Football program,” said \u003Cb\u003EBob Copeland\u003C\/b\u003E, University of Waterloo Athletics Director.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECopeland said the change in leadership comes at a time when the Department of Athletics program is evolving according to a strategic direction built around core values and goals that best position the school for success in interuniversity sports.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EContinuity for the football team will be provided by a strong line-up of assistant coaches including Assistant Head Coach \u003Cb\u003EJoe Paopao\u003C\/b\u003E, longstanding Assistant Coach \u003Cb\u003EMarshall Bingeman\u003C\/b\u003E, and Assistant Coach \u003Cb\u003EKani Kauahi\u003C\/b\u003E, all of whom will be on the sidelines guiding the Warriors through the 2012 season.\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan class=\"fullpost\"\u003EMcPhee's reasons for leaving aren't given. Copeland's quoted in \u003Ci\u003EThe Record\u003C\/i\u003E as \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.therecord.com\/sports\/university\/article\/628676--uw-football-coach-mcphee-resigns\"\u003Epart of this passage\u003C\/a\u003E: \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003EMcPhee, a fiery competitor with a temper to match, is thought to have left the school because of an impasse with UW’s senior administration on how the team can vie in an increasingly competitive Ontario University Athletics conference.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUW’s athletic director Bob Copeland confirmed McPhee’s choice followed lengthy discussions with senior management.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“His decision was definitely tied into the department’s and team’s year-end review. Whenever you conduct a review, it is a time for reflection and Dennis had the opportunity (to do that).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“He’s made his decision because it’s the best course of action for himself and his family and the program.”\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E(Wait, \"increasingly competitive\"? There's a whole post to be written on that word choice, but let's stick to the topic at hand.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI don't know what will happen to Waterloo football any more than you do. I probably know less. But wording like \"a strategic direction built around core values and goals that best position the school for success in interuniversity sports\" does not usually mean \"hey, let's take money from other teams and give it to the winless one that brought us so much bad publicity.\" \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEven before last year's troubles, the Warriors weren't serious contenders. And Waterloo, at least in the 2009-10 academic year, was \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2011\/02\/calculated-reactions-more-than-youd.html\"\u003Eone of the least successful among all schools offering all the major sports\u003C\/a\u003E, not just bad at football. I'm glad the school is talking, somewhat, about the future of the program \u0026mdash; not as an alumnus (a non-donating alumnus, at that), but as a follower of CIS who would, frankly, like to have \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2011\/11\/calculated-reactions-whats-marginal.html\"\u003Efewer irrelevant games\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESome of us, including myself, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2010\/06\/football-mcphee-in-limbo-more-wondering.html\"\u003Ewere incorrect to say Waterloo wouldn't play football again after last year\u003C\/a\u003E. (Though, if you wanted to be cruel, you could say we haven't been proven wrong yet.) But maybe the story's changed now. It's unfortunate if current and future players lose those roster spots, but, really, it's hard to argue that axing football would be the wrong move.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003EPlease visit \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\"\u003Ecisblog.ca\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/feeds\/4033297310317593535\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2011\/11\/football-mcphee-out-at-waterloo.html#comment-form","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/4033297310317593535"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8220121611828242531\/posts\/default\/4033297310317593535"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.cisblog.ca\/2011\/11\/football-mcphee-out-at-waterloo.html","title":"Football: McPhee out at Waterloo"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Rob Pettapiece"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}}]}});