This week: vs. Saskatchewan, Friday October 22 and Saturday October 23, 8:00 p.m., War Memorial Gym
Radio: CiTR 101.9FM, CiTR.ca
Webcast
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VANCOUVER - What better way is there to open the 2010-11 Canada West regular season then with a re-match of the 2009-10 CIS national final? Simply put, none. That's what is happening this weekend at War Memorial Gym as UBC welcomes Saskatchewan in a battle of two of the top teams in the nation.
A look at the Thunderbirds
Fresh off an impressive and thorough pre-season victory against Laurentien of the OUA, the Thunderbirds are set for their regular season opener and the storyline couldn't be much better. The 'Birds get to open the season at home, with an immediate chance to avenge their defeat in last year's national title game at the hands of the Saskatchewan Huskies.
The Huskies also downed the 'Birds in the Canada West Final Four before repeating the offence on the national stage, so UBC will have no lack of motivation to put on a good show for the home fans in their season debut. The T-Birds will be without two key cogs from last year's team in
Kyle Watson and
Blain LaBranche, but reigning CIS Player of the Year
Josh Whyte is back for his fifth and final year of eligibility with an incredibly talented and deep supporting cast. Fellow fifth-years
Alex Murphy and
Brent Malish provide plenty of experience and versatility, and the veteran leadership they bring is a trend throughout the UBC lineup.
That's because the 'Birds have six fourth-year seniors on the roster in addition to the three fifth-years. Melvin Mayott and
Nathan Yu both have three-point strokes that should have them among league leaders in shooting from beyond the arc.
Balraj Bains and
Graham Bath are two very different bodies with very similar jobs - to patrol the low post. Bains' lanky 6-foot-9 frame will bother plenty of shots, and Bath's stocky 6-foot-5, 230-pound body makes him a hard man to move once he finds good position in the paint.
Kamar Burke and UFV transfer
Doug Plumb round out the fourth-year ranks as two of the best athletes and most versatile players on the team.
Jas Gill,
Tommy Nixon,
Mike Lewandowski and
Geoff Pippus are this year's rookies, though they have all shown the ability to have an impact at the CIS level at various points in pre-season action.
A look at the Huskies
Saskatchewan defied the odds last season, first at the Canada West tournament when they won the conference despite being the lowest seed at the Final Four, and then at the national level when they were the fifth seed but still went on to win their first ever CIS championship. The T-Birds were the on-paper favourites at both the conference and CIS levels but both times the Huskies emerged victorious. This weekend they appear to be the underdogs again, as they won't have the services of their three best players from last season. Canada West scoring champion Showron Glover and his two fellow CIS tournament All-Stars Troy Gottselig (also the tournament MVP) and Michael Linklater are all gone, but the T-Birds know better than to underestimate the Huskies by now.
Michael Lieffers, Trevor Nerdahl and Rejean Chabot are the only fifth-years on the team, and will likely have important leadership roles to play on a squad that has gotten somewhat younger and less experienced over the offseason. The Huskies have added a number of older players coming back to the CIS game, so it may end up being more of a question of how they gel rather then how talented they are. Chris Unsworth and Duncan Jones are both in their fourth year, giving the Huskies one starting lineup's worth of seniors, but behind them are eight rookies and a handfull of second and third-years who will have big shoes to fill.
Lieffers was lights-out in the offensive paint for the Huskies last year, hitting .621 per cent of his shots to lead the team in efficiency. Although he only averaged 6.6 points-per-game, that number could shoot up quickly if he can maintain that kind of pace with the increased workload he will have to deal with this year. He was also second on the team in rebounding last year, averaging 6.9 boards. Third-year Nolan Brudehl is their top-scoring returnee, as he averaged 9.4 points-per-game last season.
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