Gaiters Win Jack Donahue Tourney

Friday vs. uOttawa GeeGees

BU        12    14    15    23  -  64
UO        22    21    11    9   -   63

This weekend we took the tourney title  in Ottawa. You can check out Wayne Kondro's story from the Ottawa Citizen at this link:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/basketball/Host+Ottawa+falls+short+netting+hoops+crown/7461700/story.html

We managed to defeat a very good Ottawa  team again after being down a large number at half time for the 2nd time. When we played them 4 weeks ago we were down 21 at the half and managed to come back and win in the 2nd half. The game plan was not to spot them a big first half lead! However, they were on fire from the 3 point line and capitalized on our defensive miscues. Fortunately we executed very well defensively in the 2nd half holding them to a paltry 20 points.

Onnex Blackwood

I was really pleased with the toughness and poise our guys showed throughout the 2nd half. They worked so well together both defensively and offensively to  chip away at Ottawa's lead before we finally took  the lead for the 1st time in the game with 30 seconds to go.

I have to mention, it kind of felt  like playing a home game.  I believe the BU fans out numbered the UO fans and were definitely much louder! I know our players fed off that energy down the stretch in the 4th quarter. Thanks to all the alumni who made it out and cheered us on...and of course, the school song was sung by the alums at midcourt following the game!!

Onnex Blackwood led all scorers with 18 points. Tim Hunter and Jeremy Leonard-Smith each had  13 points and 11 rebounds.

Saturday vs. U of Toronto

BU    18    19    17    27  -  81
UT    14    20    19    23  -  76

In this game we did some things well...out rebounded the Blues 47-23, shot 9-21 from the 3 pt line and did some things poorly...27 mostly unforced turnovers! If we are going to put 40 minutes of solid basketball together we must take better care of the ball first & foremost! At times we looked very good, but managed to open the door for U of T too many times.

Tim Hunter

After pulling out to a 10 point lead mid  way through the 2nd quarter things seemed very much in our favour.  Defensively we were solid, but we managed to turn the ball over about 17 times in the next 15 minutes! That kept the game close and fortunately we got our act together  playing well down the stretch to hold off U of  T.  The lead changed hands several times in the 4th, but our guys are playing with a lot of confidence and they made plays  when they needed to.

Tim stepped up big in this game scoring 30 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. Tim has been putting some extra time in  making an additional  500 shots a week outside of practice...it is showing! Jeremy continues to shine as he added 17 points and 6 rebounds. Mike Andrews struggled  this weekend after not practicing last week with the flu. However, Big Mike  had a double  double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Scott Ring  added 10 points in 18 minutes of play...less time than he usually plays, but Scott, the hometown boy, managed to draw the ire of  one of the officials getting called for 4 suspect fouls in about 8 minutes of play in the first 3 quarters by the one ref. 

Next up for us is our final pre-season game vs. Lyndon State  this Friday in Lyndon, Vermont. If you happen to be in Lyndon stop by and check out the game! If you need directions let me know!! The real fun begins the following week when we open up league play at UQAM...no easy games in our league!

I will keep you posted,
Rod

Gaiters in Ottawa This Week

We had  a  little lighter weekend last week where we had a chance to face some of  our Alumni. It was  great  to see  a  few  guys back and some of them  have not  lost much since leaving. Still pretty impressed with Phil Miguel's athleticism...it's not every 6'2  guy who is 35 that can still dunk with ease in traffic!! The Alumni hung close  for the first  half and even were leading for most  of  that. However, conditioning & depth were the enemy of the alums as the eventually wore down succumbing by a score of 83-62. Special thanks to Damon Thomas-Anderson of organizing the event and generously making sure our guys were fed well Saturday at supper.

We are back to CIS competition this weekend as  we head to  the  U of  Ottawa tournament. Friday we face Ottawa  at 8 pm and they will no doubt be looking to avenge the loss  we gave them in Drummondville in late September. They are a very quick and talented  team that will be a major challenge. We were  fortunate to win by 3 last game...we were down by 21 at the half. We can't spot them anything this time!

On Saturday, we play U of  Toronto at 6 pm at the U of  Ottawa. Toronto has had a very good pre-season and won the Laval tournament last weekend going 3-0. They shoot the ball well and execute very well at the offensive end. So, we expect 2 very tough games that will prepare for our league play that begins in a couple of  weeks.

Please take note of the Alumni Function below on Friday evening! 

BU Men's Basketball Visit uOttawa

Cheer on the BU Men's Basketball Team at the University of Ottawa Jack-Donohue Tournament! The Bishop's Gaiters play uOttawa on Friday, Oct 26 @ 8:00 pm and then take on Toronto on Saturday, Oct 27 @ 6:00 pm. For the Friday night game, Bishop's alumni and friends are invited to pre- and post-game celebrations at The Royal Oak pub on Laurier. The downstairs level has been booked to accommodate our grads who wish to order dinner prior to the game. At 10:00 pm everyone is encouraged to meet after the game for drinks. GAME #1 - BU Gaiters vs. Ottawa Gee Gees     Date: Friday, October 26     Pre-Game Dinner Time: 6:00 pm     Dinner Location: The Royal Oak, 161 Laurier Ave East, K1N 7N4     Game Time: 8:00 pm tip-off     Game Location: University of Ottawa, Montpetit Hall     Post-Game Social: 10:00 pm (@ The Royal Oak)   Registration: Please RSVP by email to Jason Faber '10 to confirm group numbers at The Royal Oak. GAME #2 - BU Gaiters vs. Toronto Varsity Blues     Date: Saturday, October 27     Game Time: 6:00 pm tip-off     Game Location: University of Ottawa, Montpetit Hall Special thank you to Jason Faber '10 and Cathy McLean '82 for helping to organize this great event! Matt McBrine '96 Interim Director of University Advancement mmcbrine@ubishops.ca 819-822-9600 x2266

Gaiters vs. Gaiters Saturday at 2

Just a reminder that we have a few Alumni coming back to lace'm up tomorrow afternoon. It  is a bit of  an impromptu event, but expect to have some fun. If you are in Lennoxville stop by and say hello.

Trinity Western Gets Payback

BU       15    22     9    20  -  66
TWU   25    18    20   16  -  79

Despite having to comeback to win at TWU a couple of weeks ago  we were pretty much in control most of that game. However, I was pretty sure we were not going to see the same team this week at our place. Right from the start TWU was more physical and more aggressive than us. That was  evident  by the quality of shots we were getting and by the season low number of offensive rebounds we had. When your point guard and shooting guard lead your  team in rebounding it is rarely a good sign!

Scott Ring

TWU was in control of  this game from start to finish to put it simply. We have to understand that if  you have beaten a team one time  you can expect to get  a much better effort from them the next time. If we can learn from this experience then we will become a better team. Our success so far has been nice, but it is still on October and there is a lot of work to do yet.

We had 4  guys in double figures...Jeremy (19 pts),  Tim (14 pts), Onnex (13 pts) & Scott with (11 pts). Scott was  a bright spot as he continues to play well.

We will have a chance to see if  we learned anything from this experience when  we face a very good U of  Ottawa next Friday in their  home tournament. Details to follow!
Keep you posted,
Rod

Picture Albums from Trip to BC

Check out this fantastic pictures  taken of our team from Gaiter alum Blair Shier!
Thanks again Blair!!

https://picasaweb.google.com/110303752021037380318/BUVsUvic?authkey=Gv1sRgCLjOssitjPqNjgE&feat=email

https://picasaweb.google.com/110303752021037380318/BUVsUBC?authkey=Gv1sRgCMavkvzp9_XLNg&feat=email

 https://picasaweb.google.com/110303752021037380318/BUVsTWU?authkey=Gv1sRgCIfn7pXp7v7FqQE&feat=email

MBB: GAITERS HOST TRINITY WESTERN IN EXHIBITION REMATCH - Gaiters - Bishop's University

MBB: GAITERS HOST TRINITY WESTERN IN EXHIBITION REMATCH - Gaiters - Bishop's University

Gaiters Hang on to Defeat Yellow Jackets

BU      13   20   29   13  -  75
AIC    23   20   16   13  -  72

3rd year point guard Scott Ring

AIC had played in Montreal last night losing on the buzzer to McGill who many have picked to be the only team that can challenge Concordia in Quebec this year. We knew  we would have our hands full. After a slow start we really hit our stride in the 3rd quarter turning a 10 point deficit into a 3 point lead. Did a much better job guarding the dribble in the 2nd half containing AIC's quick backcourt.

3rd year post Mike Andrews

We build a 10 point lead in the final 3 minutes, but just about squandered that! Fortunately we hung on for the victory. After sitting most of  the first half  with foul trouble, Jeremy Leonard-Smith sparked us with a strong second half scoring 16 points and playing some solid defense. Onnex Blackwood hit some timely shots and kept us in it in the 1st half. Onnex had 16 points and 7 rebounds for the game. Big Mike was a factor and continues to get better each game as he added 12 points and 11 key rebounds...many of which came down the stretch. Scott Ring & rookie Jona Bermillo combined to give us a solid 40 minutes at the point guard position.

Next  up is Trinity Western on Wednesday here at BU. Keep you posted!
Rod

Longest Homestand of the Year Starts Today!

Today we host  American International  College at 2 pm. They play in one of  the top NCAA Division 2 leagues in the States.  They are  a athletic and  physical team that will force us to play out of our comfort zone. We will have to be disciplined in protecting the  ball and really get out on their plethora of 3 point shooters!

Wednesday we  have a re-match with Trinity Western U. here  at BU. We  had  a nice win in their gym, but we expect a tougher game this coming week.  They have a very talented  starting  5 with some good shooters coming off the  bench. If we have any let  down at all we will be in trouble  this game. 

Finally, on Saturday the 20th we will scrimmage our Alumni at 2 pm.  If you are interested in playing or attending contact me and I will  put  you in touch with Damon Thomas-Anderson,  class  of  2010. As of  right now  Damon has 8 confirmed  alums to  challenge the young guys!

Successful Trip to BC for Gaiters

This was a fantastic trip for our program. We played some great basketball, our guys had the opportunity to see one of the most stunning regions of our country, we connected with Alumni and we really started to bond as a team. 

The photos you will see on this blog are courtesy of BU alum and Athletic Wall of Distinction honoree Blair Shier who has been a tremendous supporter of our programs and everything BU! Blair sacrificed relaxing and watching the games to get us a lot of fantastic photos. Not to mention he cooked our team their pre-game meal on Saturday afternoon! Thanks again Blair!!

Mike Andrews, Ridolphe Aristil, Ryan Foster, Jamil Abiad, PK, Scott Ring

Thursday at University of Victoria

BU        16    16     9    18   -   59
UVIC    20    10    16    6   -    52

This was a pretty sloppy game from both teams...to be expected this early in October. UVIC dominated the glass early, but we were able to get some quick scores on the fastbreak to keep us in the game. After the first quarter we really locked up defensively as well holding the Vikes to 36 points in the final 30 minutes including only 6 in the final quarter. We rebounded the ball particularly well in the 4th quarter that allowed us to gain the win in the final frame. 

 

4th yr Co-captain, Jeremy Leonard-Smith

Any win on the road is a good win, but winning at UVIC is special. There is great tradition there. Plus, they are well coached and have a quality program every year. 

Jeremy Leonard-Smith led all scorers with 16 points and added 7 rebounds. Mike Andrews added 13 points with some nice moves in the post. Onnex Blackwood was our 3rd double digit scorer with 10 points.




Friday at UBC

BU       25    15    17    18   -   75
UBC    16    20    27    24   -   87

This game was closer than the final score indicates. With less than 4 minutes to go it was a one point game, but we just ran out of steam. Our conditioning was not the issue, but we had serious foul trouble that unfortunately finally caught up to us. We have limited depth at post position as 6'9 Matt McLean and 6'10 Mike Andrews each were limited to about 5-6 total minutes in the 2nd half.

Regardless, we came out strong in the 1st quarter and were not going to let UBC run us out of their gym. Next to Carleton. they have been the strongest program in the CIS for the last 10 years at least. They have the ability to blow you out quickly and not let up. With a little bit of confidence from the UVIC win we came out aggressively forcing UBC into 16 first half turnovers and beating them on the glass in the first half. UBC was able to keep in the game with their offensive transition...few teams in the CIS run like UBC does. A lot for us to learn from that both offensively and defensively. 

4th year guard Onnex Blackwood

Jeremy was outstanding scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. He was fantastic all weekend and provided the toughness our team needed at key points in each game. 

Scott Ring had a complete game at the pg position scoring 11 points, grabbing 9 defensive rebounds and dishing out 5 assists. Onnex Blackwood continued his consistent offensive production scoring 11 as well. Tim Hunter was solid adding 10 points while freshman wing player Ryan Foster added 8 points. 


 
Saturday at Trinity Western University

BU       24   26   18   20   -   88
TWU    23   21   22   15   -   81

Trinity Western may not be the most familiar name to some of you as they have only been in the CIS for about 10 years or so. However, they were in the CIS final 2 years ago and are traditionally a strong program. So, we knew this was going to be no easy game. Especially since this was our 3rd game in 3 days and they had the opportunity to scout us the previous 2 days.

Defensively we struggled a bit in this game, but fortunately we did not have too much trouble scoring. We had a double digit lead in the 3rd quarter, but failed to put TWU away when we had the chance. We did not lockdown defensively and we did not take care of the ball...bad combination to say the least! 

3rd year guard Patrik 'PK' Kabongo

With about 5:30 left in the game we found ourselves down 78 - 68. From their we defended well and started to take care of the ball! We executed well down the stretch and finished the game on a 20-3 run. I really think fatigue played a part in our loss of focus when TWU made their run over the course of the late 3rd and early 4th Q, but I was really pleased our guys battled and regained their poise to finish the game so strongly. 

We had incredible offensive balance this game with 6 players in double digits and a 7th player with 9 points. Tim & Jeremy each had 14 points with Jeremy snaring 12 rebounds. Mike, Onnex & Matt McLean each had 11 points while Scott Ring added 10 points. Freshman Ryan Foster continues to impress as he contributed 9 points connecting on 3 of 4 three point attempts. 

Gaiters Tour BC This Week

Wednesday morning we fly  out of Montreal for  what  we  expect to be a fantastic trip. The West Coast  is always beautiful and we will get a chance to see some of it while in Vancouver and Victoria. The ferry ride over to Vancouver Island will be a new experience for all our guys and it  will  help make  a great team bonding opportunity. 

The seascape/landscape etc...will be fabulous, but  we  are  going there to  play some basketball! We will compete against 3 very good teams in their own gyms and wins will be very hard to come by. Thursday night we face traditional CIS power UVIC in Victoria who  was ranked  as  high as #5 in the CIS last season. We had a great game against them last year beating them at the Carleton Tournament. No doubt they have not forgotten that and will be out to settle the score. Friday the challenge is a very talented & experienced UBC team that will be looking to bounce back from a mediocre (by their standards) season last year. Expect UBC to be a top 2 or 3 team in the CIS this year. It does not get much easier Saturday when we are up against Trinity Western that boasts a high tempo  team with outstanding guards and aggressive forwards. No easy games in this bunch, but I am confident we  will return from this trip  a much better team. 

The UVIC game will be webcast: www.canadawest.tv

Game Times listed are  Pacific time:
Thursday @ UVIC  6 pm
Friday  @ UBC  7 pm
Saturday @ TWU  5 pm

Looking forward to  seeing a few alumni  out this week! 
Rod