March 16, 2006
CIS FINAL 10 PREVIEW
OTTAWA (CIS) - The Carleton University Ravens joined the elite group of Canadian university sport dynasties a year ago when they captured their third straight W.P. McGee Trophy as Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's basketball champions with a decisive 68-48 win over the Concordia Stingers in the national final.
With the championship victory, Carleton tied the 1987-89 Brandon Bobcats for second most consecutive CIS men's basketball titles in history. Amazingly, the Ravens formidable streak still leaves them four short of the all-time mark of seven straight banners claimed by the Victoria Vikes from 1980-86.
Carleton will get a chance to move past Brandon in the CIS record books this weekend at the 2006 Milk Energy Final 10 at the Metro Centre in Halifax (March 16-19).
The university men's basketball nationals, hosted by Atlantic University Sport, are held in Nova Scotia's capital city for the 23rd consecutive year, including the past 19 at the Metro Centre.
Championship web site: http://www.cisport.ca/e/championships/m_basketball/2006
The Ravens face a new challenge as they go for the unthinkable four-peat. While the Dave Smart-coached team went into the last three CIS tournaments as the top-seeded favorite, Carleton goes into this weekend ranked third following an early exit, by Ravens standards, in the OUA playoffs, an 82-74 OUA East final loss to the York Lions.
The reigning champions, which saw their streak of three straight OUA titles come to an end against York, will even find themselves in uncharted territory on Friday as they are set to open the national tourney with a quarter-final match-up against the intriguing QSSF champion University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) Citadins.
The Citadins, which earned the fourth and final ticket for the Quebec conference playoffs following a 6-10 season, take their first-ever trip to the championship in only their third year of CIS competition after getting red-hot when it counted, and upsetting Top 10-ranked Concordia, last year's national finalist, and Laval in the post-season. UQAM is a very young, athletic team with eight freshmen and four sophomores on its roster.
"It was an incredible game," said UQAM head coach Olga Hrycak following the QSSF title victory over Laval, a 95-88 overtime decision. "The Rouge et Or have been to the nationals many times, they know what it takes to win. For us, this is all new. We just played with a whole lot of heart and left it all on the court."
"We are going to take it one game at a time (at nationals), we're going to Halifax to gain experience," added assistant coach Carlo Galli. "One thing is for sure, we don't expect anyone to under-estimate us now."
Bumping Carleton from the role of tournament favorite this year are the top-seeded Victoria Vikes, and the No. 2 UBC Thunderbirds.
The Vikes finished second to the T-Birds in conference play in the Canada West Pacific Division, and also fell in three games to their B.C. rivals in the best-of-three division final, but rebounded with an 84-74 head-to-head win in the Canada West final.
Should logic be respected this weekend, No. 1 Victoria and No. 2 UBC could meet for a mind-boggling eighth time this year in regular-season and post-season play in Sunday's national final (4 p.m. Atlantic Time, live on The Score). The T-Birds lead the season series 5-2.
UVic is looking for its first W.P. McGee Trophy since 1997, while UBC has not hoisted the trophy since 1972.
"After last year's loss in the conference final (to Alberta) we really wanted to make up for it and tonight was a great accomplishment for our team," said head coach Craig Beaucamp following the Vikes Canada West championship win. "We are now just one of ten teams in Halifax. It is anyone's game, especially with the parity this season."
The six other teams vying for CIS gold and to prevent the Carleton four-peat this weekend at the Metro Centre are the No. 4 StFX X-Men (AUS champions), No. 5 McMaster Marauders (OUA champions), No. 7 Cape Breton Capers (AUS finalists), No. 8 York Lions (OUA finalists), No. 9 Saskatchewan Huskies (Canada West bronze medalists), and No. 10 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (OUA semi-finalists).
The Final 10 kicks-off on Thursday night with two preliminary round match-ups, with the winners joining the top-six seeds in Friday's quarter-finals. No. 7 Cape Breton takes on No. 10 Laurier at 6 p.m. AT, and No. 8 York faces No. 9 Saskatchewan at 8 p.m. AT.
Four games from the CIS championship will be televised live nationally on The Score: the late quarter-final on Friday (8 p.m. AT), the two semi-finals on Saturday (6:30 p.m. AT / 9 p.m. AT), and the championship final on Sunday (4 p.m. AT).
Here is a look at the 10 participating teams.
The No. 10 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks take their first trip in 26 years (1978) to the CIS championship, after what can definitely be described as a roller-coaster season. Even a playoff spot seemed unrealistic on January 5 after the Hawks dropped their seventh straight conference game, leaving them with a 2-7 mark in the OUA West. But Laurier rebounded winning six of its next seven, and would finish the regular season with a 10-12 record to secure the sixth and final post-season berth in the division. The Hawks booked their ticket for Halifax with upset wins on the road over Guelph and Brock in the first two rounds of the playoffs, before dropping a 75-57 decision to McMaster in the OUA West final. The Hawks have an experienced line-up that includes three fifth-year seniors, four fourth-year veterans, and three juniors. Before joining Laurier in 2000-01, head coach Peter Campbell led the Laurentian Voyageurs to seven CIS championship appearances in 15 seasons, reaching the national semi-finals in back-to-back years in 1997 and 1998.
The No. 9 Saskatchewan Huskies return to the nationals for the first time since 1988, and only the fourth time in team history. Following a 13-7 regular season good for first place in the Canada West Central Division, the "˜Dogs reached the conference Final Four where they lost a heart-stopping, 73-72 decision to UBC in the semi-finals, before securing a berth for the CIS Final 10 by defeating Regina in the bronze-medal game. Leading the way for Saskatchewan is first-team Canada West all-star Andrew Spagrud, who averaged 18.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this season. The third-year, 6-foot-8 forward was a first-team all-Canadian a year ago, and the CIS rookie of the year in 2003-04. Before coaching the Huskies, eighth-year bench boss Greg Jockins was at Cape Breton where he led the Capers to their last CIS tournament appearance in 1995. That year, eighth-seeded Cape Breton upset No. 1 Brandon in the first round. Jockims was a fifth-year senior with Saskatchewan when the school last made it to the nationals in '88. When they return from Halifax, the Huskies will have traveled 40,732 kilometres this season (including non-conference games in Virginia and Florida), by far the most in the nation.
The No. 8 York Lions will be making their third appearance in five years at the CIS tournament, having reached the semi-final round in both 2004 and 2002. The Lions, which will have to win four games in four days again this year if they hope to capture their first W.P. McGee Trophy, are the only 7th-10th seeded team to reach the semi-finals since the championship moved to a 10-team format in 2003-04, upsetting UBC and Laval in the first two rounds of the 2004 tourney before falling to StFX. Prior to the 2001-02 campaign, York had gone 21 years without advancing to the nationals. Following a slow start to the 2005-06 regular season (4-5), the Lions got red-hot in the second half winning 11 of their last 13 conference games. After surviving a scare in the opening round of the playoffs, edging Laurentian 85-82 in overtime, they upset Ottawa in the quarterfinals and ousted three-time defending national champion Carleton in the conference semis (OUA East final) with an 82-74 victory. York had four players averaging double figures in scoring in '05-06, including former CIS rookies of the year Dan Eves (2002-03), who led the way with 18.7 points per game, and Tut Ruach (2004-05), who finished with 17.3 ppg. Head coach Bob Bains, an eight-time OUA coach of the year who is in his 31st season at the helm, is the longest standing bench boss in CIS men's basketball.
The No. 7 Cape Breton Capers are returning to the CIS tournament for the first time since back-to-back appearances in 1994 and 1995, the team's only participations in history. The Capers reached the semi-finals in '95 dropping a four-point decision (88-84) to eventual champion Alberta. Following a slow start to the regular season in 2005-06, CBU won 12 of its final 13 conference contests to match the best record in school history at 16-4, good for second place in the AUS behind StFX. The Capers, which also reached a new team-high in the national Top 10 with a No. 2 ranking on March 8, advanced to the AUS gold-medal game for the first time since 1995, losing 83-72 to the X-Men. Without a fifth-year senior, the CBU roster still doesn't lack experience with four fourth-year veterans and five third-year juniors, including first-team conference all-stars Paul Blake and Eric Breland, second and fifth in AUS scoring with 19.9 and 16.5 points per game, respectively. The Capers beat their upcoming first-round opponent, Wilfrid Laurier, in exhibition play earlier this year.
The No. 6 UQAM Citadins are the Cinderella Team of the 2006 tournament, reaching the nationals in only their third year of CIS competition. Following a 6-10 regular season, down from 7-9 in 2004-05, the Montreal-based Citadins upset last year's national finalists and '05-06 conference favorites, the Concordia Stingers in the Quebec semis, before edging Laval in OT on the road to claim their first-ever QSSF banner. Concordia and Laval were both ranked in the Top 10 at the time of the contests. Look no further for the youngest team in the Final 10: the 14-man UQAM roster is made up of eight freshmen, four sophomores, one junior and one fourth-year athlete. A former player herself with the University of Montreal, third-year head coach Olga Hrycak is the only woman in North America to lead a first-division university men's basketball team. Hyrcak joined the Citadins after 15 years at the helm of Cegep AAA Dawson College, where she led her troops to nine provincial championships and twice received the national coach-of-the-year award.
The No. 5 McMaster Marauders return to Halifax after a one-year absence, and for the 12th time in 14 years under head coach Joe Raso. Following a first-place finish in the OUA West in conference play (17-5), Mac claimed its fourth OUA banner of the Raso era with a 95-86 win over York in the Wilson Cup final. The veteran-laden Marauders can count on one fifth-year senior and seven fourth-year players including guard Ben Katz, who had a one-summer stint with the national team in 2004 before missing most of last season with a knee injury. Katz, who came back this year to average 12.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per outing, is the son of University of Toronto head coach, Mike. Still looking for that elusive first W.P. McGee Trophy as CIS champion McMaster has reached the national final on four occasions, the last two times in back-to-back years in 1997 and 1998 when it lost to eventual champion Victoria and Bishop's, respectively.
The No. 4 StFX X-Men continued their recent domination of the Atlantic conference in 2005-06 claiming their third straight AUS banner, and their sixth in the last seven years, with an 83-72 defeat of Cape Breton at the conference Final 6 this past weekend. StFX and Cape Breton posted identical 16-4 records in conference play but the champions from Antigonish, N.S. were awarded first place due to a greater number of four-point wins (46 points to 44). The X-Men dominated the AUS in most statistical categories this season, including points scored (77.1 per game), points allowed (62.9 ppg), field goal percentage (50.7), free throw percentage (76.2), and lowest field goal percentage by opponents (40.0). Third-year guard Garry Gallimore was named AUS defensive player of the year for the second straight campaign, while also contributing on offence with over 14 points per outing. Three-time CIS champion StFX is looking for its first W.P. McGee Trophy since back-to-back national final wins over Brandon in 1999-00 and '00-01. The X-Men's hopes of CIS gold were shattered by eventual champion Carleton each of the past two years, as they lost 67-65 in last year's semi-final round, and 63-59 in the 2004 final. Head coach Steve Konchalski, in his 30th season at the helm, was named the conference coach of the year for the sixth time this year. Konchalski was an assistant coach for 16 years with the Canadian national team, including three appearances at the Olympics, and as a player, was named CIS tournament MVP when he led Acadia to the national title in 1965.
The No. 3 and three-time defending champion Carleton Ravens enter the nationals riding a streak of 11 straight wins at the CIS tournament. In their last appearance at the event before capturing the last three W.P. McGee Trophies, in 2001, the Ravens won twice on the consolation side following a heartbreaking, 78-77 first-round loss to McMaster. Carleton saw its streak of consecutive OUA titles come to an end in 2005-06 losing to York in the conference semis, but still claimed its sixth OUA East regular-season title in a row with a 20-2 record. Once they set foot in Halifax, seventh-year head coach Dave Smart and third-year guard Osvaldo Jeanty are money. Named CIS coach of the year in 2004-05 and "˜02-03, Smart, who spent last summer as an assistant with the Canadian national team, shows an 11-1 record at the Final 10. Jeanty, this season's OUA East MVP averaging 14.8 points per game and banking 45 percent of his long-distance attempts, has been named player of the game in each of the last three CIS finals, including a memorable performance a year ago when he poured in 24 points against Concordia, all on three-point shooting. Jeanty is one of two Ravens who could four-peat as CIS champions this weekend, along with fellow guard Pat Ross. Shawn McCleery, Ryan Bell and Jean-Emmanuel Jean-Marie are going for three straight rings.
The No. 2 UBC Thunderbirds are eager to take their conference successes to the national level, having been knocked out of contention in the first round at the CIS tournament in their last two appearances, in 2004 and 2003. UBC ran the table in Canada West play in 2005-06, becoming the conference first 20-0 team since the 1979-80 UVic Vikes, and the first unbeaten UBC squad since the 1969-70 T-Birds, who went 16-0 before winning the first of two national titles (other championship: 1971-72). UBC has lost twice since the end of conference play, both times to Victoria, including an 84-74 decision in the Canada West final. The high-scoring "˜Birds led the nation this year with 92.6 points per game, behind their explosive backcourt duo of Canada West player of the year Casey Archibald (18.3 ppg) and Canada West scoring leader Pasha Bains (22.1 ppg). Bains, the CIS player of the year in 2003-04 in his last season at Simon Fraser before transferring to UBC, narrowly missed his third career CIS scoring title, finishing second to UPEI's Sherone Edwards (22.5 ppg). Sixth-year head coach Kevin Hanson, the Canada West coach of the year, has guided Canada at the last two Summer Universiades, and captained the 1986-87 T-Birds to a silver-medal finish at the nationals. Before coming back to UBC as bench boss in 2000-01, Hanson led Langara College to back-to-back CCAA national championships in 1997-98 and "˜98-99, with current fulltime assistant Randy Nohr winning tournament MVP both times. Nohr went on to win back-to-back CIS titles the next two years with StFX (1999-00, "˜00-01).
The No. 1 Victoria Vikes are the most decorated program in CIS men's basketball history having claimed eight W.P. McGee Trophies, including a record streak of seven consecutive banners from 1980-86. This marks their 23rd appearance at the CIS tournament, tying them with Brandon for most in history. The Vikes, which won the consolation final in 2005 in the first participation in three years, were last crowned in 1997 following an 84-73 victory over McMaster in the gold-medal final. No. 1 UVic (15-5) finished in second place behind No. 2 UBC (20-0) in the Canada West Pacific Division this season, and fell in three games to the T-Birds in the best-of-three division final. The Vikes came out on top in the biggest head-to-head battle of the year to date however, winning the conference final 84-74 to finish with a 2-5 overall record against their B.C. arch-rivals. The veteran Island squad boasts a pair of third-year juniors, five fourth-year players and one fifth-year senior, team captain Chris Trumpy. The 6-foot-3 guard, named a first-team Canada West all-star this season and a second-team all-Canadian a year ago, averaged 12 points, six assists and four rebounds per game in 2005-06.
SEEDING & SCHEDULE (All times LOCAL / Atlantic Time)
1. Victoria Vikes
2. UBC Thunderbirds
3. Carleton Ravens
4. StFX X-Men
5. McMaster Marauders
6. UQAM Citadins
7. Cape Breton Capers
8. York Lions
9. Saskatchewan Huskies
10. Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks
Thursday, March 16
18:00 Game #1: Wilfrid Laurier (10) vs. Cape Breton (7)
20:00 Game #2: Saskatchewan (9) vs. York (8)
Friday, March 17
11:00 Consolation (9th place): Loser Game #1 vs. Loser Game #2
13:00 Quarter-final #1: UQAM (6) vs. Carleton (3)
15:00 Quarter-final #2: Winner Game #1 vs. UBC (2)
18:00 Quarter-final #3: McMaster (5) vs. StFX (4)
20:00 Quarter-final #4: Winner Game #2 vs. Victoria (1) (Live on The Score)
Saturday, March 18
11:30 Consolation #1
13:30 Consolation #2
18:30 Semi-final #1 (Live on The Score)
21:00 Semi-final #2 (Live on The Score)
Sunday, March 19
13:00 Consolation final (5th place)
16:00 Championship final (Live on The Score)
PARTICIPATING TEAMS
1. Victoria Vikes (Canada West champions / 15-5 regular season, 5-3 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 2005 (5th)
Previous appearances: 22
Last title: 1997
Number of titles: 8
2. UBC Thunderbirds (CW finalists / 20-0 season, 5-2 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 2004 (0-2)
Previous appearances: 13
Last title: 1972
Number of titles: 2
3. Carleton Ravens (OUA semi-finalists / 20-2 season, 1-1 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 2005 (CIS champion)
Previous appearances: 9
Last title: 2005 (3 straight)
Number of titles: 3
4. StFX X-Men (AUS champions / 16-4 season, 2-0 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 2005 (semi-finals)
Previous appearances: 12
Last title: 2001 (back-to-back)
Number of titles: 3
5. McMaster Marauders (OUA champions / 17-5 season, 3-0 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 2004 (5th)
Previous appearances: 13
Last title: -
Number of titles: 0
6. UQAM Citadins (QSSF champions / 6-10 season, 2-0 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): -
Previous appearances: 0
Last title: -
Number of titles: 0
7. Cape Breton Capers (AUS finalists / 16-4 season, 1-1 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 1995 (semi-final)
Previous appearances: 2
Last title: -
Number of titles: 0
8. York Lions (OUA finalists / 14-8 season, 3-1 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 2004 (semi-final)
Previous appearances: 7
Last title: -
Number of titles: 0
9. Saskatchewan Huskies (CW bronze medalists / 13-7 season, 3-1 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 1988 (5th)
Previous appearances: 3
Last title: -
Number of titles: 0
10. Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (OUA semi-finalists / 10-12 season, 2-1 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 1978 (0-2)
Previous appearances: 5
Last title: 1968 (as Waterloo-Lutheran)
Number of titles: 1
W.P. McGEE TROPHY CHAMPIONS
2004-05 Carleton (Halifax Metro Centre)
2003-04 Carleton (Halifax Metro Centre)
2002-03 Carleton (Halifax Metro Centre)
2001-02 Alberta (Halifax Metro Centre)
2000-01 StFX (Halifax Metro Centre)
1999-00 StFX (Halifax Metro Centre)
1998-99 Saint Mary's (Halifax Metro Centre)
1997-98 Bishop's (Halifax Metro Centre)
1996-97 Victoria (Halifax Metro Centre)
1995-96 Brandon (Halifax Metro Centre)
1994-95 Alberta (Halifax Metro Centre)
1993-94 Alberta (Halifax Metro Centre)
1992-93 StFX (Halifax Metro Centre)
1991-92 Brock (Halifax Metro Centre)
1990-91 Western (Halifax Metro Centre)
1989-90 Concordia (Halifax Metro Centre)
1988-89 Brandon (Halifax Metro Centre)
1987-88 Brandon (Halifax Metro Centre)
1986-87 Brandon (Dalhousie)
1985-86 Victoria (Dalhousie)
1984-85 Victoria (Dalhousie)
1983-84 Victoria (Dalhousie)
1982-83 Victoria (Waterloo)
1981-82 Victoria (Victoria)
1980-81 Victoria (Waterloo)
1979-80 Victoria (Calgary)
1978-79 Saint Mary's (Calgary)
1977-78 Saint Mary's (Saint Mary's)
1976-77 Acadia (Saint Mary's)
1975-76 Manitoba (Saint Mary's)
1974-75 Waterloo (Waterloo)
1973-74 Guelph (Waterloo)
1972-73 Saint Mary's (Waterloo)
1971-72 UBC (UBC)
1970-71 Acadia (Acadia)
1969-70 UBC (McMaster)
1968-69 Windsor (Waterloo)
1967-68 Waterloo/Lutheran* (StFX)
1966-67 Windsor (Calgary)
1965-66 Windsor (Calgary)
1964-65 Acadia (Saint Mary's)
1963-64 Windsor (Windsor)
1962-63 Assumption (Windsor)
*Now Wilfrid Laurier
- CIS -
(Photo: Guard Ben Katz will be one of the focal points for the OUA champion and No.5 seed McMaster marauders in Halifax this weekend. File pho by Cameron Dunlop.)
For more information please contact:
Michel Bélanger
Communications manager
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Ph: (613) 562-5670 ext. 25
Cell: (613) 447-6334
belanger@universitysport.ca
www.universitysport.ca
John Keefe
Communications Manager
Atlantic University Sport
Ph: (902) 425-4235
jkeefe@atlanticuniversitysport.com
With the championship victory, Carleton tied the 1987-89 Brandon Bobcats for second most consecutive CIS men's basketball titles in history. Amazingly, the Ravens formidable streak still leaves them four short of the all-time mark of seven straight banners claimed by the Victoria Vikes from 1980-86.
Carleton will get a chance to move past Brandon in the CIS record books this weekend at the 2006 Milk Energy Final 10 at the Metro Centre in Halifax (March 16-19).
The university men's basketball nationals, hosted by Atlantic University Sport, are held in Nova Scotia's capital city for the 23rd consecutive year, including the past 19 at the Metro Centre.
Championship web site: http://www.cisport.ca/e/championships/m_basketball/2006
The Ravens face a new challenge as they go for the unthinkable four-peat. While the Dave Smart-coached team went into the last three CIS tournaments as the top-seeded favorite, Carleton goes into this weekend ranked third following an early exit, by Ravens standards, in the OUA playoffs, an 82-74 OUA East final loss to the York Lions.
The reigning champions, which saw their streak of three straight OUA titles come to an end against York, will even find themselves in uncharted territory on Friday as they are set to open the national tourney with a quarter-final match-up against the intriguing QSSF champion University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) Citadins.
The Citadins, which earned the fourth and final ticket for the Quebec conference playoffs following a 6-10 season, take their first-ever trip to the championship in only their third year of CIS competition after getting red-hot when it counted, and upsetting Top 10-ranked Concordia, last year's national finalist, and Laval in the post-season. UQAM is a very young, athletic team with eight freshmen and four sophomores on its roster.
"It was an incredible game," said UQAM head coach Olga Hrycak following the QSSF title victory over Laval, a 95-88 overtime decision. "The Rouge et Or have been to the nationals many times, they know what it takes to win. For us, this is all new. We just played with a whole lot of heart and left it all on the court."
"We are going to take it one game at a time (at nationals), we're going to Halifax to gain experience," added assistant coach Carlo Galli. "One thing is for sure, we don't expect anyone to under-estimate us now."
Bumping Carleton from the role of tournament favorite this year are the top-seeded Victoria Vikes, and the No. 2 UBC Thunderbirds.
The Vikes finished second to the T-Birds in conference play in the Canada West Pacific Division, and also fell in three games to their B.C. rivals in the best-of-three division final, but rebounded with an 84-74 head-to-head win in the Canada West final.
Should logic be respected this weekend, No. 1 Victoria and No. 2 UBC could meet for a mind-boggling eighth time this year in regular-season and post-season play in Sunday's national final (4 p.m. Atlantic Time, live on The Score). The T-Birds lead the season series 5-2.
UVic is looking for its first W.P. McGee Trophy since 1997, while UBC has not hoisted the trophy since 1972.
"After last year's loss in the conference final (to Alberta) we really wanted to make up for it and tonight was a great accomplishment for our team," said head coach Craig Beaucamp following the Vikes Canada West championship win. "We are now just one of ten teams in Halifax. It is anyone's game, especially with the parity this season."
The six other teams vying for CIS gold and to prevent the Carleton four-peat this weekend at the Metro Centre are the No. 4 StFX X-Men (AUS champions), No. 5 McMaster Marauders (OUA champions), No. 7 Cape Breton Capers (AUS finalists), No. 8 York Lions (OUA finalists), No. 9 Saskatchewan Huskies (Canada West bronze medalists), and No. 10 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (OUA semi-finalists).
The Final 10 kicks-off on Thursday night with two preliminary round match-ups, with the winners joining the top-six seeds in Friday's quarter-finals. No. 7 Cape Breton takes on No. 10 Laurier at 6 p.m. AT, and No. 8 York faces No. 9 Saskatchewan at 8 p.m. AT.
Four games from the CIS championship will be televised live nationally on The Score: the late quarter-final on Friday (8 p.m. AT), the two semi-finals on Saturday (6:30 p.m. AT / 9 p.m. AT), and the championship final on Sunday (4 p.m. AT).
Here is a look at the 10 participating teams.
The No. 10 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks take their first trip in 26 years (1978) to the CIS championship, after what can definitely be described as a roller-coaster season. Even a playoff spot seemed unrealistic on January 5 after the Hawks dropped their seventh straight conference game, leaving them with a 2-7 mark in the OUA West. But Laurier rebounded winning six of its next seven, and would finish the regular season with a 10-12 record to secure the sixth and final post-season berth in the division. The Hawks booked their ticket for Halifax with upset wins on the road over Guelph and Brock in the first two rounds of the playoffs, before dropping a 75-57 decision to McMaster in the OUA West final. The Hawks have an experienced line-up that includes three fifth-year seniors, four fourth-year veterans, and three juniors. Before joining Laurier in 2000-01, head coach Peter Campbell led the Laurentian Voyageurs to seven CIS championship appearances in 15 seasons, reaching the national semi-finals in back-to-back years in 1997 and 1998.
The No. 9 Saskatchewan Huskies return to the nationals for the first time since 1988, and only the fourth time in team history. Following a 13-7 regular season good for first place in the Canada West Central Division, the "˜Dogs reached the conference Final Four where they lost a heart-stopping, 73-72 decision to UBC in the semi-finals, before securing a berth for the CIS Final 10 by defeating Regina in the bronze-medal game. Leading the way for Saskatchewan is first-team Canada West all-star Andrew Spagrud, who averaged 18.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this season. The third-year, 6-foot-8 forward was a first-team all-Canadian a year ago, and the CIS rookie of the year in 2003-04. Before coaching the Huskies, eighth-year bench boss Greg Jockins was at Cape Breton where he led the Capers to their last CIS tournament appearance in 1995. That year, eighth-seeded Cape Breton upset No. 1 Brandon in the first round. Jockims was a fifth-year senior with Saskatchewan when the school last made it to the nationals in '88. When they return from Halifax, the Huskies will have traveled 40,732 kilometres this season (including non-conference games in Virginia and Florida), by far the most in the nation.
The No. 8 York Lions will be making their third appearance in five years at the CIS tournament, having reached the semi-final round in both 2004 and 2002. The Lions, which will have to win four games in four days again this year if they hope to capture their first W.P. McGee Trophy, are the only 7th-10th seeded team to reach the semi-finals since the championship moved to a 10-team format in 2003-04, upsetting UBC and Laval in the first two rounds of the 2004 tourney before falling to StFX. Prior to the 2001-02 campaign, York had gone 21 years without advancing to the nationals. Following a slow start to the 2005-06 regular season (4-5), the Lions got red-hot in the second half winning 11 of their last 13 conference games. After surviving a scare in the opening round of the playoffs, edging Laurentian 85-82 in overtime, they upset Ottawa in the quarterfinals and ousted three-time defending national champion Carleton in the conference semis (OUA East final) with an 82-74 victory. York had four players averaging double figures in scoring in '05-06, including former CIS rookies of the year Dan Eves (2002-03), who led the way with 18.7 points per game, and Tut Ruach (2004-05), who finished with 17.3 ppg. Head coach Bob Bains, an eight-time OUA coach of the year who is in his 31st season at the helm, is the longest standing bench boss in CIS men's basketball.
The No. 7 Cape Breton Capers are returning to the CIS tournament for the first time since back-to-back appearances in 1994 and 1995, the team's only participations in history. The Capers reached the semi-finals in '95 dropping a four-point decision (88-84) to eventual champion Alberta. Following a slow start to the regular season in 2005-06, CBU won 12 of its final 13 conference contests to match the best record in school history at 16-4, good for second place in the AUS behind StFX. The Capers, which also reached a new team-high in the national Top 10 with a No. 2 ranking on March 8, advanced to the AUS gold-medal game for the first time since 1995, losing 83-72 to the X-Men. Without a fifth-year senior, the CBU roster still doesn't lack experience with four fourth-year veterans and five third-year juniors, including first-team conference all-stars Paul Blake and Eric Breland, second and fifth in AUS scoring with 19.9 and 16.5 points per game, respectively. The Capers beat their upcoming first-round opponent, Wilfrid Laurier, in exhibition play earlier this year.
The No. 6 UQAM Citadins are the Cinderella Team of the 2006 tournament, reaching the nationals in only their third year of CIS competition. Following a 6-10 regular season, down from 7-9 in 2004-05, the Montreal-based Citadins upset last year's national finalists and '05-06 conference favorites, the Concordia Stingers in the Quebec semis, before edging Laval in OT on the road to claim their first-ever QSSF banner. Concordia and Laval were both ranked in the Top 10 at the time of the contests. Look no further for the youngest team in the Final 10: the 14-man UQAM roster is made up of eight freshmen, four sophomores, one junior and one fourth-year athlete. A former player herself with the University of Montreal, third-year head coach Olga Hrycak is the only woman in North America to lead a first-division university men's basketball team. Hyrcak joined the Citadins after 15 years at the helm of Cegep AAA Dawson College, where she led her troops to nine provincial championships and twice received the national coach-of-the-year award.
The No. 5 McMaster Marauders return to Halifax after a one-year absence, and for the 12th time in 14 years under head coach Joe Raso. Following a first-place finish in the OUA West in conference play (17-5), Mac claimed its fourth OUA banner of the Raso era with a 95-86 win over York in the Wilson Cup final. The veteran-laden Marauders can count on one fifth-year senior and seven fourth-year players including guard Ben Katz, who had a one-summer stint with the national team in 2004 before missing most of last season with a knee injury. Katz, who came back this year to average 12.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per outing, is the son of University of Toronto head coach, Mike. Still looking for that elusive first W.P. McGee Trophy as CIS champion McMaster has reached the national final on four occasions, the last two times in back-to-back years in 1997 and 1998 when it lost to eventual champion Victoria and Bishop's, respectively.
The No. 4 StFX X-Men continued their recent domination of the Atlantic conference in 2005-06 claiming their third straight AUS banner, and their sixth in the last seven years, with an 83-72 defeat of Cape Breton at the conference Final 6 this past weekend. StFX and Cape Breton posted identical 16-4 records in conference play but the champions from Antigonish, N.S. were awarded first place due to a greater number of four-point wins (46 points to 44). The X-Men dominated the AUS in most statistical categories this season, including points scored (77.1 per game), points allowed (62.9 ppg), field goal percentage (50.7), free throw percentage (76.2), and lowest field goal percentage by opponents (40.0). Third-year guard Garry Gallimore was named AUS defensive player of the year for the second straight campaign, while also contributing on offence with over 14 points per outing. Three-time CIS champion StFX is looking for its first W.P. McGee Trophy since back-to-back national final wins over Brandon in 1999-00 and '00-01. The X-Men's hopes of CIS gold were shattered by eventual champion Carleton each of the past two years, as they lost 67-65 in last year's semi-final round, and 63-59 in the 2004 final. Head coach Steve Konchalski, in his 30th season at the helm, was named the conference coach of the year for the sixth time this year. Konchalski was an assistant coach for 16 years with the Canadian national team, including three appearances at the Olympics, and as a player, was named CIS tournament MVP when he led Acadia to the national title in 1965.
The No. 3 and three-time defending champion Carleton Ravens enter the nationals riding a streak of 11 straight wins at the CIS tournament. In their last appearance at the event before capturing the last three W.P. McGee Trophies, in 2001, the Ravens won twice on the consolation side following a heartbreaking, 78-77 first-round loss to McMaster. Carleton saw its streak of consecutive OUA titles come to an end in 2005-06 losing to York in the conference semis, but still claimed its sixth OUA East regular-season title in a row with a 20-2 record. Once they set foot in Halifax, seventh-year head coach Dave Smart and third-year guard Osvaldo Jeanty are money. Named CIS coach of the year in 2004-05 and "˜02-03, Smart, who spent last summer as an assistant with the Canadian national team, shows an 11-1 record at the Final 10. Jeanty, this season's OUA East MVP averaging 14.8 points per game and banking 45 percent of his long-distance attempts, has been named player of the game in each of the last three CIS finals, including a memorable performance a year ago when he poured in 24 points against Concordia, all on three-point shooting. Jeanty is one of two Ravens who could four-peat as CIS champions this weekend, along with fellow guard Pat Ross. Shawn McCleery, Ryan Bell and Jean-Emmanuel Jean-Marie are going for three straight rings.
The No. 2 UBC Thunderbirds are eager to take their conference successes to the national level, having been knocked out of contention in the first round at the CIS tournament in their last two appearances, in 2004 and 2003. UBC ran the table in Canada West play in 2005-06, becoming the conference first 20-0 team since the 1979-80 UVic Vikes, and the first unbeaten UBC squad since the 1969-70 T-Birds, who went 16-0 before winning the first of two national titles (other championship: 1971-72). UBC has lost twice since the end of conference play, both times to Victoria, including an 84-74 decision in the Canada West final. The high-scoring "˜Birds led the nation this year with 92.6 points per game, behind their explosive backcourt duo of Canada West player of the year Casey Archibald (18.3 ppg) and Canada West scoring leader Pasha Bains (22.1 ppg). Bains, the CIS player of the year in 2003-04 in his last season at Simon Fraser before transferring to UBC, narrowly missed his third career CIS scoring title, finishing second to UPEI's Sherone Edwards (22.5 ppg). Sixth-year head coach Kevin Hanson, the Canada West coach of the year, has guided Canada at the last two Summer Universiades, and captained the 1986-87 T-Birds to a silver-medal finish at the nationals. Before coming back to UBC as bench boss in 2000-01, Hanson led Langara College to back-to-back CCAA national championships in 1997-98 and "˜98-99, with current fulltime assistant Randy Nohr winning tournament MVP both times. Nohr went on to win back-to-back CIS titles the next two years with StFX (1999-00, "˜00-01).
The No. 1 Victoria Vikes are the most decorated program in CIS men's basketball history having claimed eight W.P. McGee Trophies, including a record streak of seven consecutive banners from 1980-86. This marks their 23rd appearance at the CIS tournament, tying them with Brandon for most in history. The Vikes, which won the consolation final in 2005 in the first participation in three years, were last crowned in 1997 following an 84-73 victory over McMaster in the gold-medal final. No. 1 UVic (15-5) finished in second place behind No. 2 UBC (20-0) in the Canada West Pacific Division this season, and fell in three games to the T-Birds in the best-of-three division final. The Vikes came out on top in the biggest head-to-head battle of the year to date however, winning the conference final 84-74 to finish with a 2-5 overall record against their B.C. arch-rivals. The veteran Island squad boasts a pair of third-year juniors, five fourth-year players and one fifth-year senior, team captain Chris Trumpy. The 6-foot-3 guard, named a first-team Canada West all-star this season and a second-team all-Canadian a year ago, averaged 12 points, six assists and four rebounds per game in 2005-06.
SEEDING & SCHEDULE (All times LOCAL / Atlantic Time)
1. Victoria Vikes
2. UBC Thunderbirds
3. Carleton Ravens
4. StFX X-Men
5. McMaster Marauders
6. UQAM Citadins
7. Cape Breton Capers
8. York Lions
9. Saskatchewan Huskies
10. Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks
Thursday, March 16
18:00 Game #1: Wilfrid Laurier (10) vs. Cape Breton (7)
20:00 Game #2: Saskatchewan (9) vs. York (8)
Friday, March 17
11:00 Consolation (9th place): Loser Game #1 vs. Loser Game #2
13:00 Quarter-final #1: UQAM (6) vs. Carleton (3)
15:00 Quarter-final #2: Winner Game #1 vs. UBC (2)
18:00 Quarter-final #3: McMaster (5) vs. StFX (4)
20:00 Quarter-final #4: Winner Game #2 vs. Victoria (1) (Live on The Score)
Saturday, March 18
11:30 Consolation #1
13:30 Consolation #2
18:30 Semi-final #1 (Live on The Score)
21:00 Semi-final #2 (Live on The Score)
Sunday, March 19
13:00 Consolation final (5th place)
16:00 Championship final (Live on The Score)
PARTICIPATING TEAMS
1. Victoria Vikes (Canada West champions / 15-5 regular season, 5-3 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 2005 (5th)
Previous appearances: 22
Last title: 1997
Number of titles: 8
2. UBC Thunderbirds (CW finalists / 20-0 season, 5-2 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 2004 (0-2)
Previous appearances: 13
Last title: 1972
Number of titles: 2
3. Carleton Ravens (OUA semi-finalists / 20-2 season, 1-1 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 2005 (CIS champion)
Previous appearances: 9
Last title: 2005 (3 straight)
Number of titles: 3
4. StFX X-Men (AUS champions / 16-4 season, 2-0 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 2005 (semi-finals)
Previous appearances: 12
Last title: 2001 (back-to-back)
Number of titles: 3
5. McMaster Marauders (OUA champions / 17-5 season, 3-0 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 2004 (5th)
Previous appearances: 13
Last title: -
Number of titles: 0
6. UQAM Citadins (QSSF champions / 6-10 season, 2-0 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): -
Previous appearances: 0
Last title: -
Number of titles: 0
7. Cape Breton Capers (AUS finalists / 16-4 season, 1-1 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 1995 (semi-final)
Previous appearances: 2
Last title: -
Number of titles: 0
8. York Lions (OUA finalists / 14-8 season, 3-1 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 2004 (semi-final)
Previous appearances: 7
Last title: -
Number of titles: 0
9. Saskatchewan Huskies (CW bronze medalists / 13-7 season, 3-1 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 1988 (5th)
Previous appearances: 3
Last title: -
Number of titles: 0
10. Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (OUA semi-finalists / 10-12 season, 2-1 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 1978 (0-2)
Previous appearances: 5
Last title: 1968 (as Waterloo-Lutheran)
Number of titles: 1
W.P. McGEE TROPHY CHAMPIONS
2004-05 Carleton (Halifax Metro Centre)
2003-04 Carleton (Halifax Metro Centre)
2002-03 Carleton (Halifax Metro Centre)
2001-02 Alberta (Halifax Metro Centre)
2000-01 StFX (Halifax Metro Centre)
1999-00 StFX (Halifax Metro Centre)
1998-99 Saint Mary's (Halifax Metro Centre)
1997-98 Bishop's (Halifax Metro Centre)
1996-97 Victoria (Halifax Metro Centre)
1995-96 Brandon (Halifax Metro Centre)
1994-95 Alberta (Halifax Metro Centre)
1993-94 Alberta (Halifax Metro Centre)
1992-93 StFX (Halifax Metro Centre)
1991-92 Brock (Halifax Metro Centre)
1990-91 Western (Halifax Metro Centre)
1989-90 Concordia (Halifax Metro Centre)
1988-89 Brandon (Halifax Metro Centre)
1987-88 Brandon (Halifax Metro Centre)
1986-87 Brandon (Dalhousie)
1985-86 Victoria (Dalhousie)
1984-85 Victoria (Dalhousie)
1983-84 Victoria (Dalhousie)
1982-83 Victoria (Waterloo)
1981-82 Victoria (Victoria)
1980-81 Victoria (Waterloo)
1979-80 Victoria (Calgary)
1978-79 Saint Mary's (Calgary)
1977-78 Saint Mary's (Saint Mary's)
1976-77 Acadia (Saint Mary's)
1975-76 Manitoba (Saint Mary's)
1974-75 Waterloo (Waterloo)
1973-74 Guelph (Waterloo)
1972-73 Saint Mary's (Waterloo)
1971-72 UBC (UBC)
1970-71 Acadia (Acadia)
1969-70 UBC (McMaster)
1968-69 Windsor (Waterloo)
1967-68 Waterloo/Lutheran* (StFX)
1966-67 Windsor (Calgary)
1965-66 Windsor (Calgary)
1964-65 Acadia (Saint Mary's)
1963-64 Windsor (Windsor)
1962-63 Assumption (Windsor)
*Now Wilfrid Laurier
- CIS -
(Photo: Guard Ben Katz will be one of the focal points for the OUA champion and No.5 seed McMaster marauders in Halifax this weekend. File pho by Cameron Dunlop.)
For more information please contact:
Michel Bélanger
Communications manager
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Ph: (613) 562-5670 ext. 25
Cell: (613) 447-6334
belanger@universitysport.ca
www.universitysport.ca
John Keefe
Communications Manager
Atlantic University Sport
Ph: (902) 425-4235
jkeefe@atlanticuniversitysport.com
