Lakehead Men's Basketball Ranked #6 to Begin Season
THUNDER BAY, ON -
The men's basketball team begins the regular season ranked #6 in the nation, after posting an 8-3 record during exhibition play. The Carleton Ravens once again sit atop CIS basketball at #1, and with good cause. They have not been beaten by a CIS opponent since the 2011 OUA playoffs, by Lakehead. While Carleton has shown no signs of aging (their superstars Tyson Hinz and Phil Scrubb are in their 4th and 3rd years, respectively), Lakehead's roster will lose 6 players (3 of them starters) to graduation at the end of this season.
The only other OUA team in the Top 10 was the Windsor Lancers, a division rival for Lakehead, and one they have gotten the better of in recent years (5-1 since 2009).
To put things in perspective from more recent results, Lakehead's 3 losses in the preseason have all come against Top 10 teams - #5 Saskatchewan (80-71), #4 Fraser Valley (88-70) and #2 UBC (84-81). Complete Top 10 listed below.
Lakehead's first game of the season (Nov 9) will come with payback on the minds of the T-Wolves, as they will take on the Ryerson Rams, who soundly expelled them from the OUA Final Four in the first round last season. The game will be played in the newly refurbished Mattamy Athletic Center, formerly Maple Leaf Gardens.
CIS Men's Basketball Top 10
(regular season record) / votes (first-place votes) / (previous rankings)
The Thunderwolves Men's basketball team finished in a flurry but fell just short vs #2 ranked UBC in Vancouver on Saturday night. The team finished the trip at 4-3 losing two straight to finish the trip to the #2 and #4 ranked teams in the country.
See below for the game story:
Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 27, 2012
'Birds Elude T-Wolves, 84-81
VANCOUVER, BC -
The men's basketball team came within a shot of recovering from a game-long deficit to the hosting UBC Thunderbirds, but were three points short, 84-81 at the end of 40 minutes.
The game began with both teams digging in defensively, 15-10 UBC after 10 minutes. The 'Birds would extend their lead by another 4 points to 38-29 at the break. With the 'Birds up 10 heading into the 4th, Lakehead would empty whatever energy they had left in the tank in the final 10 minutes of what was their 7th game in 10 days. With some heroic plays in the very last minute of the game, Lakehead pulled within 3 points with under 10 seconds left on the clock, but could not force overtime.
Matt Schmidt (Thunder Bay) had a game and season-high 23 points in 31 minutes of play, and connected on 5 of 8 three-point attempts. Ben Johnson (Pictou, NS) was next leading scorer with 18. Dwayne Harvey had 10 points and a team-high 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Four UBC players hit double digits, led by Doug Plumb with 19 points, Tommy Nixon and O'Brian Wallace with 17 apiece and David Wagner with 13 points and 9 rebounds.
Lakehead shot 17-28 (61%) from the free throw line, compared to UBC's 25-35 (71%).
Lakehead coach Scott Morrison:
"Despite falling just short, I could not be prouder of our guys. Outsized and short handed we did not quit and battled hard enough over 40 minutes to have the last shot to tie the game. Our turnovers, missed FT and sloppy play in the first half could be pointed to as a reason for the loss and also something we can focus on heading into next week's practice. We are going home with a winning record on a tough trip and with the confidence to know that even without a full team, we can play with anyone in the CIS."
The team's record on the extended Can West road trip ended at 4-3. Their total pre-season record stands at 8-3. They will begin their regular season schedule on Friday, November 9th in Toronto vs. Ryerson.
The men's basketball team took their second loss of the pre-season, 88-70 at the hands of the Fraser Valley Cascades. The game took on a similar flow to the encounter the two teams had at the CIS Final 8 last March, with UFV bringing more energy and leading early to begin the game, followed by repeated failed Lakehead attempts to close the gap. UFV put the game out of reach with a burst to begin the second half, extending the lead to 29 at one point. It was obvious that Lakehead was suffering from some road fatigue, as their usual spry defense was a step behind all night, leading to lots of open looks.
The host team was red-hot from the word go, jumping out to a 24-11 after one quarter. Lakehead would keep things even in the second to trail 44-31 at the half.
Living and dying by the 3-pointer on their recent road trip finally showed its double edge for the 'Wolves, who up to this point had out-gunned their opponents from beyond the arc. On Friday evening, The Cascades would show just how good they were feeling from downtown, at one point in the 4th quarter shooting at a 63% success rate as a team. They finished hitting 15 of 26 long-range attempts (58%). The T-Wolves, on the other hand
Power forward Kyle Grewal was absolutely on fire for the home side, hitting 6 three-pointers, totalling 31 points. Point guard James York finished with 9 assists and no turnovers.
Limited Lakehead stats were available following the game.
Alex Robichaud had 12 points in 14 minutes of play, and Anthony McIntosh was a bright spot in the paint for Lakehead, active on the glass to score 14 points and grab 7 rebounds.
Lakehead coach Scott Morrison:
"We were a short handed team that ran into a talented starting 5 that was really feeling it tonight. I was disappointed in our game plan execution to start the game and 2nd half - when you play a top ten team missing 2 starters you have no choice but to execute the game plan to near perfection. At the same time I was quite pleased with the effort of our young bench who played even with UFV's starters for the last 15 minutes of the game. We are heading to play our 7th road game in 10 days tomorrow and 5th against a top ten team- I don't know how much gas is left in our tank but I do know we are getting tougher and closer as a team on this trip. We have to keep learning from these tough match ups and invest in our season long development"
The men bring their road trip to a close tomorrow evening versus the UBC Thunderbirds, a perennial Canada West power.
The men's basketball team improved to 2-0 vs BC teams in the pre-season, winning 88-72 over the University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves on Thursday evening.
Despite playing with a road-weary roster, the Thunderwolves got out of the gate fast against their opponent 20-15 after ten minutes. Halftime score was 41-37 Lakehead.
Top scorer for Lakehead was veteran point guard Greg Carter with 23 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 1 turnover in 36 minutes. Three other Thunderwolves broke double digits thanks to 15 from Dwayne Harvey and 10 each from Anthony McIntosh and Ben Johnson. McIntosh and Harvey combined for 13-16 from the free throw line. Mike Thorne-Finch had 6 points in as many minutes.
On the other side the Timberwolves' Francis Rowe had 18 points on 8-10 shooting and his compadre Joel Rybachuk had 17. UNBC committed 8 turnovers compared to only 4 assists made. Charles Barton had 10 points and a game-high 6 rebounds.
Lakehead coach Scott Morrison:
"Tonight we saw some excellent toughness from our team. After a difficult travel day and several nagging injuries we managed to get enough key hoops and stops to get the job done. UNBC is a challenging opponent as their guards are skilled and hard nosed. We could not take a possession off tonight and the game was much closer than the score indicated."
Morrison concluded, "We were already short handed and are now playing hurt for our 6th and 7th games of the trip the next two days- I am looking forward to seeing just how deep our bench is before we jump into conference play."
On Friday evening Lakehead will take on the hosting Fraser Valley Cascades, the team that knocked them out of the CIS Final 8 last year.
The men's basketball team came away from the U Victoria Vikes' McKinnon Gym with a 80-71 victory on Wednesday evening.
Once again it was Lakehead's touch from the perimeter that provided the punch to get them a W, hitting on 13 of 25 long range attempts. Credit 5 of those to veteran forward Ryan Thomson, who finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Joe Hart also had 3 triples and finished with 15 points on 6-7 shooting and 5 rebounds. Add in Greg Carter, Ben Johnson and Matt Schmidt who all scored in double digits (10, 12 and 12), along with Carter's 6 assists and the T-Wolves were able to hold off the Vikes.
The Vikes were led by Michael Acheampong with 18 points and 4 assists with 5 turnovers. Terrell Evans was next with 17 points and 7 rebounds. 6'10 center Chris McLaughlin was held to 9 points and 7 rebounds with 3 turnovers to a hounding Lakehead defense.
After ten minutes, the score was 22-14 Lakehead. After a push by the Vikes in the 2nd Q, Thomson tied the game at 34 with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer before halftime. He also gave the T-Wolves a 10-point lead (twice) late in the 4th with deep three's that would separate the 'Wolves for good.
Lakehead coach Scott Morrison:
"It was a great team win tonight with everyone contributing plus all five starters scoring in double figures. We had better intensity to start the game and it helped us get off to a better start than we have been getting. Victoria has some tough match-ups and exploited us on our rotations tonight as well as on the glass. We are seeing that our defensive rotations and defensive rebounding must improve in order for us to win games when our outside shooting is not as strong. We have three games left to focus on improving in those areas prior to conference play.
The men head to the Fraser Valley next to face U of Northern BC and UFV, Thursday and Friday evening. Both games are slated for 9 pm EDT.
The Thunderwolves tip-off the B.C. portion of their road trip tonight against Victoria at historic McKinnon Gymnasium on Ken/Kathy Shields Court tonight at 7pm local time.
The game will be broadcast on www.canadawest.tv at 10pm eastern.
During his playing career (2006-11) he was Lakehead's version of Robert Horry - hitting clutch 3pt shots to help the team complete comebacks and win close games. Andrew "Big Shot" Hackner is still connecting from long range; not on the hard wood but in random parts of the Canadian shield.
Hackner, now a geologist working in Geraldton, Ontario has been enjoying one of his other favorite pastimes, hunting.
As his former mates were getting ready to shoot down Concordia on Thursday night, Hackner landed his first career moose - connecting on his second of 3 shots - in line with his career 3pt shooting percentage of 33%. He used a .300 winchester magnum (long range rifle) with a scope to knockdown the big moose from 275 yards away.
Said Hackner of his lastest score; "300 yard moose kills are rare. I almost didn't take the shot because he was so far away. Most moose kills are around 100 yards."
Hackner was representing his beloved alumni while on the hunt, sporting this year's edition of the team's shooting shirt and has promised moose sausage for the coaching staff and moose jerky for former front court partner Yoosrie Salhia.
See below for the pics - Hack's biggest trophy since hoisting the Wilson Cup in 2011.
After a sound performance on Friday night vs the Regina Cougars, Lakehead lost the final game of the series to host Saskatchewan 80-72. The final score against Regina on Friday was 95-63 -Ryan Thomson leading all scorers with 25 points (5-7 3pt range).
See below for last night's game report in the loss to the Huskies.
Up next for the team is a couple of training days in Saskatoon followed by the trip to Victoria on Monday. Next week's schedule starts with UVic on Wednesday night.
Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 20, 2012
Men's B'ball Handed First Loss of Pre-Season
Saskatoon, Sask. -
The men's basketball team were handed their first loss of the pre-season, 80-71 at the hands of the U Saskatchewan Huskies.
Halftime score was 38-36 Saskatchewan. Lakehead came out flat in the third and suffered a 20-12 disadvantage in the Q. In the fourth Lakehead could not make up the ground they had conceded earlier in the game, and never would gain the lead on the host team.
Lakehead's shooting was not up to it's usual prowess, hitting only 1 of its 13 3-point attempts in the second half, despite hitting 6 (of 13) in the first 20 minutes. Leading the Wolves was Matt Schmidt with 15 points (6-8 shooting) and Greg Carter with 14 points (5-14 shooting) and a team-high 7 rebounds. Ryan Thomson had 7 points and 7 rebounds. No other T-Wolves hit double figures.
The Huskies had 5 players score in double digits, led by Ben Baker and Stephon Lamar with 18 points each (Lamar 9 rebounds). Pat Burns had 13 while Matt Forbes kicked in 16. Evan Ostertag had 10 points in the win.
As a team Saskatchewan shot 50% form the floor, compared to Lakehead's 38%. Lakehead was out-rebounded 37-33.
Lakehead coach Scott Morrison:
"Saskatchewan came out and jumped all over us to start the game. We discussed in prep that they would be hungry after a tough loss last night [to Concordia]. Some of our players did not take that to heart and were not ready to play tonight. By the time we stopped the bleeding in the first quarter we were down double digits and just could not get the key stops that we needed to get over the hump. I am truly disappointed with the way we started the game and also in myself for sticking with some guys too long tonight that did not come to the gym with their 'a' game. With our trip not yet halfway done we will soon learn what our guys are made of."
The men's team will continue on their western bound road trip and will play U Victoria on their home court on Wednesday, October 24.
The men's basketball team got the job done in their first game of the Graham Shootout, winning 90-74 over the Concordia Stingers. Lakehead was slow out of the gate to begin the game, trailing 21-15 after 10 minutes. Thanks to a strong second quarter, they were able to take a 44-37 lead into halftime. The third quarter was an offensive burst for both teams, with Lakehead having a 33-28 advantage in the Q. They locked down defensively in the final frame to close out the game on a 13-9 quarter.
Joe Hart was on fire for the T-Wolves, striking early and often from three point range to finish with 22 points and 6 rebounds (7-11 shooting, 4-7 from three). Ryan Thomson and Yoosrie Salhia kicked in 15 and 14 points, respectively. Joseph Nitychoruk, meanwhile had an efficient 6-7 shooting night for 12 points in as many minutes. Nathan Wainwright had two three pointers in his first game of the pre-season.
Concordia was led by Morgan Tajfel with 19 points, and Jerome Blake had 15. Kafil Eyitayo had a game-high 10 rebounds.
Coach Scott Morrison:
"I thought some of our guy came out flat. The result was some second chances on the glass for Concordia and early bonus situations which led to 39 free shots for the opponent. However I was pleased with the energy off the bench of our young guys Nitychoruk and Thorne-finch who had the best game of heir young careers . Also we did a good Jon using our size advantage on offense getting the ball to Yoos and Thomson in the paint on a regular basis."
The Stingers finished with an advantage in rebounds (36-34) and shot 39 free throws to Lakehead's 21, with both teams shooting 66.7%.
Here is the tournament website for Saskatchewan - no webcast this weekend but live stats for each game.
Lakehead tips off against Concordia at 730pm eastern time today.
Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com Prized basketball recruit Henry Tan (right) speaks Saturday with Lakehead University athletic director Tom Warden.
Coming out of high school, Henry Tan had the world at his feet.
Heavily recruited and fielding offers from Division I schools, Tan was among Canada’s top emerging basketball stars. But then injury took his toll, and facing surgery to repair a torn ACL, the offers began to dry up.
But, as they say, when one door closes, another opens, and in Tan’s case, it’s led him to Thunder Bay, where Lakehead University coach Scott Morrison on Saturday named him the first major recruit in the nation to commit for 2012-13.
The six-foot point guard who will have surgery on Nov. 2 and require up to eight months to recover, said it’s not going to be easy to sit on the sidelines, but he’s trying to look at the positives for now.
“It’s going to be pretty tough, but I’m going to stay positive. I know I’m going to have all my teammates and all the fans supporting me. I’m just going to take my time and really take the rehab seriously and do it correctly and I can’t wait to play next year,” said Tan a two-time provincial high school champion with Thornhill’s Vaughan Voyageurs who scored 23 points in the OFSAA AAAA final against Eastern Commerce last winter to secure the second title.
The Thunderwolves are in desperate need of standout players to fill a coming void. Yoosrie Salhia, Greg Carter, Ben Johnson and Joseph Jones are all hitting the real world next spring following graduation.
But with a solid base of younger players, like British import Joseph Hart and former NCAA guard Dwayne Harvey already in the fold, and potential all-Canadian Ryan Thomson back for a final season, adding someone with Tan’s pedigree is a great way for Lakehead to continue its recent string of success.
Tan thinks he’s up to the task.
“I’m a player who’s a pass-first point guard. I like to get my teammates the ball first and if I need to score, I can do that as well,” he said Saturday.
“I also like to get up and down in transition. I like to create tempo, bring defence, bring energy on the defensive side of the court.”
The disappointment surrounding his injury still lingers.
He knows he could be playing south of the border right now, but he’s not dwelling on what ifs.
“I think everything happens for a reason … It’s a learning experience,” said Tan, who had interest from Princeton and Northeastern, to name just a couple of schools that came calling.
Morrison said it’s a testament to the LU program that someone of Tan’s calibre would consider the school, injury or not.
“I think our program is in a state where we should be able to attract the top players, but still there are some natural recruiting challenges that we have. And to get a guy like Henry this early in the recruiting season, not only is he a great pick-up, but I think he’s going to build us some momentum heading into the winter trying to get some guys around him.”
As Morrison said, the Wolves have to rebuild no matter what, but would like to follow the seamless transition model favoured by perennial contenders Carleton and the University of British Columbia.
“If we want to be considered with the Carletons and the UBCs, we have to be able to replace guys without missing a beat. And the key to that is bringing in a few first-year guys that will be able to make an impact without the experience,” Morrison said, happy with the surgeon’s prognosis for Tan’s recovery.
“This is the first step.”
Beyond the arc: The Wolves are hitting the road for the remainder of the preseason and heading west. They leave on Wednesday for Saskatchewan, where they’ll play in a tournament against Concordia, Regina and Saskatchewan. Next up is the west coast, where they’ll play the University of Victoria next Wednesday, then take the ferry to the mainland to play Fraser Valley, Northern B.C. and UBC.
The men's basketball team managed a 90-80 victory on Friday evening, something to be very thankful for on this weekend. Following a forgettable game on Thursday, the Thunderwolves played tough on Friday evening and went shot for shot against a taller, more athletic Winnipeg team. Halftime score was 43-31 Lakehead. The Wesmen did turn it on in the second half, equalling LU's output in the 3rd Q (25pts) and winning the 4th Q, 24-22.
Lakehead got contributions from the whole team, which shot very well from the floor (51%), and even better from beyond the arc (15-23, 65%). The free throw shooting woes of Thursday's game seemed to disappear as well, as they improved to 71% (17-24) from the stripe.
Five Thunderwolves scored in double digits, led by Matt Schmidt and Ben Johnson with 16 points apiece, while big men Anthony McIntosh and Ryan Thomson had 10 points each. Joe Hart went 4-5 from the floor for 11 eleven points. In his best game yet in a Thunderwolves uniform, Brandon Myketa (Thunder Bay) came off the bench for 3 points, an assist and a rebound in 9 minutes of play.
Wesmen Jordan Clennon had a game-high 20 points to go with 4 assists. Point guard Andrew Cunningham had 10 points and 8 assists, and Benny Iko had 16 points and 5 rebounds for the Wesmen.
Said coach Scott Morrison, "I thought our offensive game was much improved tonight from Thursday's effort - we shot well both nights but tonight I felt we earned good looks with intelligent decisions off penetration. However, our defense and rebounding is not ready to compete with the best right now. Credit to Winnipeg for exposing a lot of holes in our team D tonight - we were just fortunate to be feeling it from outside enough to hold them off. Our team gets a much deserved break as we close the first portion of our pre-season. We're looking forward to getting rested and back to the workshop in practice next week."
The remainder of Lakehead's pre-season games will be played on the road.
It wasn't pretty, but the men's basketball team escaped with a win on Thursday evening, narrowly beating the Winnipeg Wesmen on Thursday evening, 84-75.
Things got ugly early in the game, as Lakehead went to the foul line 11 times in the first ten minutes, connecting on only 4. Despite their shooting woes, they still led 21-9 after the first Q. Early in the second quarter, however, head coach Scott Morrison objected to some of the officiating, at which point he was ejected from the game.
Without the Thunderwolves' admiral commanding his fleet, much of what defines Lakehead as a team would be thrown overboard. Game play deteriorated, energy lacked, and the Winnipeg Wesmen took advantage of their superior group of athletes against a Lakehead defence that was desperately trying to find its rhythm. In the 2nd and 3rd quarters, Winnipeg out-scored LU 28-21 and 23-19, leaving many in the stands to wonder if they would indeed see the first Lakehead defeat this early in the year, and on home court no less.
When they were against the ropes and desperate for an answer, Ryan Thomson did connect on some clutch shots, going 10-17 from the floor (3-5 from 3pt) and 4-5 from the stripe for 27 points in 32 minutes. Rookie Joe Hart poured in 15 points while Yoosrie Salhia and Joe Jones cleaned the glass, grabbing 8 and 7 rebounds, respectively. Matt Schmidt (Thunder Bay) played an efficient game, going 6 of 8 from the field for 13 points, 5 rebounds and a blocked shot in 16 minutes of play.
Winnipeg's Jordan Clennan led the Wesmen with 19 points and 5 rebounds, while sharp shooter Travis Krahn hit three 3-pointers en route to 17 points. Mark McNee was large in the paint, going 3-3 from the floor, grabbing 7 rebounds and blocking 4 shots.
Assistant coach Matt Erdman, who served as head coach for the final 26 minutes of game, mentioned post-game, "The guys didn't have the energy we usually have. With our veterans, we should have more energy when we encounter that type of adversity. Tonight was a whole different ball game. We were lucky we had Thomson, and Yoos and Schmidt step up." Erdman continued, "Credit to Winnipeg for making us play their style of basketball. They played tough and got us out of our comfort zone."
The two teams will rematch tomorrow evening at 7pm in the Thunderdome.
The exhibition season continues for Lakehead's basketball programs over the Thanksgiving weekend, with men's basketball entertaining the Winnipeg Wesmen at home and the women in Winnipeg at the BOB FM Shootout.
Men's Basketball
The men's basketball team's last home games of their pre-season schedule will happen Thursday and Friday evening versus the Winnipeg Wesmen. The T-Wolves took both games from the Wesmen the last time they played (Homecoming 2011) by scores of 80-68 and 92-61. With some new faces on both teams, this year's matchup between Lakehead and Winnipeg will be another opportunity for younger Thunderwolves to get some run in the Thunderdome, and for Winnipeg to try and exact some revenge after last year's defeats.
Coach Scott Morrison is glad to have another pre-season home game in front of the best fans in the country, as he mentions, "We are fortunate to get back-to-back weekends at home during non-conference play and are going to be working hard to not disappoint our home fans after such a great atmosphere they provided us with to start the season last weekend." He continues, "Winnipeg is a well coached team with some developing players that are out to make a jump up the ladder this season. It will be a good test for us to see if we can improve some areas of weakness that showed versus Brandon and also remain consistent with some of our strengths. Each weekend gets tougher from here on out and it is important we establish that we too will get better as a team each time out."
