Still Alive

Friday vs. UQAM

BU            19    21    22    21  -  83
UQAM       8    22    20    25  -  75

Finally a home win in league play! We have been in position a few times to win a home league game this season, but have managed to find ways to allow teams the opportunity to come back on us or were just unfortunate with our opponents making some clutch shots at key moments. After building a 19 point 3rd quarter lead there was certainly a threat of our opponent overtaking us again.  We did not help ourselves missing some lay-ups which often provide the same result as a turnover...a quick counter attack by your opponent. UQAM took full advantage of that and erased a comfortable lead pretty quickly. We allowed UQAM to cut the lead to 4 points very briefly with about 7 minutes left. Fortunately, we quickly restored the lead to 7 and UQAM never got any closer than that.

 Pete Weston  24 pts vs. UQAM

We played hard, but it also helped that UQAM's best player was in foul trouble. Like most teams in our conference, if you take one of their top guys out of the line-up it can really impact the game! Speaking of which, Pete Weston who missed the month of January with a foot injury came back into form in this game scoring 24 points. Not having Pete had a significant effect on our team as we are just not quite good enough yet to absorb the loss of one of best players.

Jona & Abdul were solid as well, each scored 15 points. Jona had 4 assists & Abdul added 9

Freshmen Guard, Austin Macklem

rebounds. Freshmen Yassin Naji & Austin Macklem were key contributors. Yas had 7 points, 7 rebounds & 3 assists. He is a 6'8 kid who can play just about any position defensively & is pretty versatile offensively. He has a chance to be very good. Austin gave us a huge boost in the 2nd half knocking down three 3 point shots and scoring 11 points. We see flashes from him and hopefully this game was sign of things to come.

Once again we had a  very good home crowd. It was the Shoot for the Cure night in support of the fight against Breast Cancer. Thanks to everyone in our community who have done such a great job helping us support this cause over the years.

Freshmen Forward, Yassin Naji

We currently sit in 5th place and not in a playoff position. However, Laval did lose & we did win so we are still alive for another week. Friday Laval hosts McGill and Saturday we host ConU. We need to have Laval lose and our team beat Concordia to stay in playoff contention. Each week we can play meaningful games is a bonus for our team at this point!

Stay tuned!
Rod

No One Said It Would Be Easy!

Thursday at Concordia

BU         8    19    13   13   -   53
CU        12   24    20   16   -   72

Last week our opponent had many more shot attempts due to our turnovers & lack of offensive rebounding. This week was the opposite...we had 11 turnovers this game, the same number of free throws as Concordia & 9 more shot attempts. It should have provided better offensive numbers considering we were decently efficient last week. However, it did not work out that way. Part of it was our doing and you have to give ConU some credit.

Abdul Kamane, 13 points & 9 rebounds

We never did really build much momentum until the 3rd quarter, but that was squashed by ConU making 2 contested buzzer beater 3's at the end of the shot clock & quarter in the last minute of the 3rd Q that ended our run. We never recovered from that and never threatened them the rest of the way despite playing with great effort.

Abdul was our only double digit scorer with 13 points to go along with 9 rebounds. Pete Weston was back in the line-up, but he and Jona struggled all weekend. We are at a point where we need them to provide some scoring if we are going to win. The young guys just are not quite ready to pick up the slack for our top 2 scorers being shut down.


Saturday vs. Concordia

BU        15    12    16    18   -   61
CU        19    15    12    18   -   64

This was a better overall performance, but we had a couple of stretches that cost us dearly. Defensively we were not sharp to start the game and then in the final 4 minutes of the first half we allowed ConU to go on a bit of a run.

We continuously fought back, but they always seemed to have an answer. In this game ConU made three contested 3 pointers at the end of the shot clock and that certainly impacted the game. Sometimes you need a little luck going your way, but I feel in most cases you do create your own luck! Despite that, we did show toughness and never did let Concordia get away from us. We had a chance to tie up the game at 60 with 30 seconds to go, but went 1-2 from the foul line. Concordia closed out the game going 4-4 from the foul line and we went 2-4, but had to miss 2 free throws on purpose to  create an opportunity to erase a 3 point lead in the final 8 seconds. Nice effort and add it to our library of game experiences for this team.

Nick Harvey, 12 points & 10 rebounds

Nick had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Abdul chipped in 11 points and 5 rebounds. Jona had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. All his points came in the 2nd half and he did not score in game Thursday. Not sure if I remember him going scoreless since his 1st year. Despite that he battled through the adversity and kept us close.


We now sit at 2-10 in league play. Our chances of making the playoffs sit somewhere between slim & none. We basically need to win our last 4 games and hope Laval loses all 4. I like our chances of winning all 4 better than Laval losing all 4 though. We host UQAM Friday night in our only game of the week. Our only focus is the next game and getting better each week.

Thanks to our alumni who were able to support us Thursday at Concordia. We always appreciate seeing some friendly faces wearing purple when we are on the road!
Rod

Improvement Not Translating to Wins Yet

Thursday @ McGill 

BU        18    13    15    20   -   66
MU       27    16    22    14   -   79

We knew this would be a tough game. McGill was coming off of a couple of weeks where they were not playing their best basketball. I was sure that was not going to last and they we would have to be up to the task. We knew we would have to weather the storm early and we did not do that as we got down 19-4 after about 6 minutes or so. However, we showed resilience and had cut the lead to 27-26 over the next 10 minutes. We have some stretches where we can play some very good basketball...just have to make those stretches last longer! Anyhow, we relented somewhat in the final few minutes of the 2nd quarter with some unforced turnovers and McGill capitalized building up a 12 point lead going into half time.

Rookie of the Yr Candidate Abdul Kamane

In the second half, we once again had some good moments, but never really did make a run at McGill with a threat to win. Too many turnovers and keeping them off our backboard was an issue all night. They are a premier offensive rebounding team and we struggled with the physicality of the game. In most games in our league the refs really let a lot go...not so much to our advantage just yet. Collectively, we are decently athletic and long, but most of guys could use another year or two in the weight room to compete physical in these types of games. Regardless, many positives and lots of teachable moments.

Abdul led us with 15 points & 5 rebounds. Nick had 12 points & 7 rebounds while Jona chipped in 8 points & 5 assists. Jona gets a lot of defensive attention these days without Pete Weston in the line-up. We hope to have Pete back in a couple of weeks which should help both Jona & our team. Big Jonah Fogg had some quality minutes off the bench with 6 points and 3 rebounds. He continues to get better each week.


Saturday vs. McGill 

BU        21     9    26     7   -   63
MU       18    14   22    22  -   76

Same point spread as Thursday, but a different game in that we were legitimately in a position where a win was possible later in the game. We still struggled with turnovers and rebounding, but were marginally better in those areas. However, they were still our undoing.

Freshmen wing, Owen Martel

After a decent first half, we had a strong 3rd quarter and executed very well on both ends of the court at times...especially offensively. We had built a 7 point lead, but McGill made some shots that would not allow us to extend that lead. We started the 4th with a 56-54 lead and it was a 1 point game with 4 minutes to go. However, throughout the 4th we missed some good looks on offence, but more importantly had 7 costly turnovers. McGill made the best of their chances in the final minutes and put the game away. Again, we played 35 minutes of pretty good basketball against a nationally ranked team, but we could not close them out for the win.

Abdul was strong once again scoring 15 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. He is 9th in scoring (13.3 ppg) in our league & second in rebounding (7.4 rpg). He is the front runner for Rookie of the Year in our conference and will receive some serious consideration for Rookie of the Year in the CIS.  Dave added 17 points and 6 rebounds while Jona chipped in with 12 points. Freshmen Owen Martel had some very good minutes off the bench again knocking down a couple of key 3 point shots in the 2nd half along with a highlight reel follow up dunk that was just after the whistle.

Next up is our final Home & Home of the season with Concordia. We are getting into some must win situations and we could really use your support this Thursday at Concordia. We will have an alumni reception before the game. See the details below...hope you can make it!
Rod

Gaiter Basketball Alumni Reception – BU vs. Concordia

Bishop’s Men’s Gaiters Basketball has enjoyed a special relationship with its alumni over the years. The support given to the program is unique. Home games are special. This semester, we are looking to take that spirit on the road.

On Thursday February 4, our Lennoxville alumni will be traveling with the team to Concordia. The group will meet at the Olde Orchard Pub (5563 Monkland, NDG, at 6:00 PM). 

From there we will make our way to support the Gaiters as they play the Stingers at 8:00 PM. Our Montreal and Ottawa alumni are invited to join us to renew old friendships.

For more information, please contact:

Keith Kobelt       kobelt@videotron.ca

Rod Gilpin            rgilpin@ubishops.ca

Rob Burns             rburns@ubishops.ca

Comeback Caps Weekend

Friday vs. Laval

BU        19   21   16   12   -   68
UL        14   22   16   23   -   75


Much like our last game a couple of weeks ago vs. UQAM we played very well for a little more than 3 quarters, but could not sustain it. With a minute to go in the 3rd quarter we led by 9 and had extended our half time lead. Laval cut that lead to 4 quickly before the end of the quarter, but we still felt good heading into the final frame.

We had a 1 point lead with about 6:30 to go, but that changed abruptly as Laval went on a 8-0 run in the next 90 seconds. We got it back to a 5 point spread, but we could not get it any closer. A lot of positives for us in the game, but they did not translate to a win.

Dave Belanger - 42 pts & 16 rebound this weekend.

Dave Belanger returned from a dislocated finger to score 24 points on 9-9 fgs & 6-6 free throws. He also had 10 rebounds. He had a great week of practice and we missed his leadership while he was out.  Abdul continues to impress and he contributed 13 points and 8 rebounds. Jona had 13 points & 5 assists to round our double figures scorers. Nick Harvey added 8 points and 7 rebounds. Pete Weston is still out with a foot injury. Hoping to have him back sooner than later as we are definitely missing him.



Saturday @ Laval

BU         9   19   24   25   -   77
UL       16   24   17   16   -   73

We have had pretty good success in Laval's new gym over the last 3 years or so, but this is a much younger team and playing on back to back days makes that even more challenging. Regardless, our guys really showed they were not ready to rely on any excuses for a poor performance and managed to fight back for a much needed win.

We had a very good first 5 minutes, but Laval bounced back and pretty much dominated us for the next 20 minutes. To our guys credit they did not succumb to the opportunities to pack it in. With a little over 4:00 to go in the 3rd quarter we were down 55-37. At that point we went with a small 3 guard line-up which included 2nd year Mat Van Doorn and freshmen Luay Abow & Austin Macklem. They helped turn the tide and got us back to a manageable 5 point deficit. Freshmen Owen Martel returned to the lineup and was also instrumental knocking down a 3 point shot and getting a nice dunk in transition. Owen has been out since the end of November with a shoulder injury. He was on the verge of coming into his own before the injury. He is an 18 year kid who is almost 6'7 215 pounds and has a 40 inch vertical jump. He has been missed!

Sr. Leader Jona Bermillo

In the 4th, Laval quickly pushed the lead back to 11 points before our 2 veteran guys led us back. Dave was excellent again and Jona took over the game. He was solid down the stretch and hit a crucial 3 pt shot late in the shot clock with a minute to go to put us up 6. Laval was not done as they hit two 3's and had a decent look with 3 seconds before Dave knocked down 2 free throws to seal the win after being fouled on a rebound. We had actually played better the night before, but we will take the win either way!

Jona led us with 19 points, 10 in the 4th quarter. He also added 4 assists. Dave was 6-6 from the floor again for his 2nd perfect statistical shooting night and scored 18 points. Our freshmen were excellent again as Abdul had 9 points & 8 rebounds while Nick had 9 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

Next up is 1st place McGill. They have been struggling a bit, but are most definitely the team to beat in the our league still. We are at McGill Thursday and will host them on Saturday. Hope to see you at the games!

For our BU alumni...stay tuned, we are planning a pre-game reception next Thursday before our game at Concordia. Details will be out soon. 

Gaiters Struggle Out of the Gate

Thursday @ UQAM

BU               6    16    17      5    -  44
UQAM       19   13    22     16   -  70

As you can gather from the line score we had the majority of our problems at the offensive end. A couple of injuries combined with 6 or 7 weeks since our last game did not help. Despite that, we could have really helped our cause and it would have been a different game if we were converting open layups and making free throws. We shot a paltry 6-21 from the line and our free throw shooting was poor all weekend. We had been shooting over 70% from the line as a team for the year...so, this is not what we expected!

Abdul Kamane, 18 pts & 9 rebounds

Regardless, I felt our guys competed hard on both ends. Our defense and rebounding kept us in the game. For the most part it was about a 12 point game and every opportunity we had to make a run was thwarted by our own doing...missed layups & free throws. With about 6 minutes to go and  down 14 we gambled a little trying to force the issue hoping to change our fortune. However, this backfired allowing the lead to balloon.

Abdul was our leading scorer and rebounder with 18 points and 9 rebounds. We shot 25% from the floor and thus did not have any other double digit scorers.





Saturday vs. UQAM

BU             19     21     17     15   -   72
UQAM      17     13     24     29   -   83

We made offensive strides in this game, but our defense let us down at times in the second half along with UQAM making some very tough shots. Due to injuries and some foul trouble we ended up playing a couple of guys some heavy minutes which cost us in the 2nd half defensively.

We are making improvements each game in multiple areas, but still have freshmen moments. After holding off UQAM's first 3rd quarter run we failed to take advantage of what we were doing well to possibly put them away. We started to fall in love with jump shots in situations where we had advantages attacking the rim. Understanding how shot selection can be dictated by time & score, flow of the game and match-ups is still something we are figuring out. In high school or Cegep, if you can get the shot off without it being blocked it might be considered a good or at least acceptable shot! Not so much at this level!

With 3 minutes to go UQAM was up 2 with the ball, we defended well and they made a contested 3

point shot off a very tough pass late in the shot clock to put them up 5. They basically repeated the same thing the next possession. We had very good offensive possessions in between where we executed well, but just missed some great looks at the rim. It happens! UQAM beat us in the final minutes...we did not beat ourselves. Small consolation for a young team, but I was pleased we played with poise.

Austin Macklem, Freshman Guard

Jona led us with 20 points. Nick was impressive despite foul trouble scoring 18 and grabbing 9 rebounds. Abdul continues to impress with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Freshmen guard Austin Macklem did a nice job defensively this week against some very good guards.

This week we have a bye in our schedule. The following week we host Laval on the Friday and then head to Ste. Foy for the back end of the home & home on Saturday.

On a very positive note, we reviewed our academic performance from the first semester and our guys did an outstanding job. We passed every class taken and had a team average of 78%! I would guess it has to be or at least close to a program best for a BU men's varsity team of any sport in any semester. Coach Craig Norman instituted a stringent academic monitoring program for both basketball teams at BU with both teams have exceptional results.

December is Community Month!

Just an update on what our guys have been doing aside from writing exams in December.

It has been a productive month...it looks like our guys have done very well academically. As a coach, winning the final game of the semester and seeing some great grades makes for a better Christmas Break!

In addition to training and studying, our guys have been busy helping out in the community. On Saturday December 6th our guys raised close to $600 bagging groceries at Provigo Lennoxville for
the Alexander Galt Christmas Basket Fund. This is an initiative started by Gaiter alum Charles Kobelt and we have made this an annual tradition for the past 8 years. We have generated close to $5000 for the charity in that time.

Galt Sports Concentration w/ the Gaiters! 

Our guys have also been involved in the local basketball community. Last week they had an opportunity to spend some time with the Alexander Galt Sport Concentration Program who also uses gym space at BU. BU Men's Assistant Coach Steve Dunn heads the basketball part of Galt's Sports Concentration and it is great to see 30 to 50 high school kids in the BU gyms during the day getting better playing OUR game!

Jr Gaiters...18 strong! 

This past weekend the inaugural version of the Jr Gaiter basketball program played their first games at a local jamboree in Sherbrooke. The Jr Gaiters made up of local grade 4, 5 & 6 kids (many of whom are children of BU alumni) won their 2 games in convincing fashion. Sunday morning they may have met there match though as they 'played' against our BU guys in a bit of a scrimmage! Regardless, they enjoyed being on the court with the guys they look up to in more ways than one. It was a good start & our plan is to grow this program and help develop our talent in the region.





From everyone in our program, we would like to wish you a happy and safe holiday season!

Positive Finish to 1st Semester

Saturday at Concordia

BU          13    13    17    23   -   66
CU          25     8     15    12   -   60

The good thing about blowing a 20 point 2nd quarter lead the week before vs. Laval was that when we got down 25-9 in the 1st quarter vs. Concordia we knew the game was far from over. So, it hurt to lose a winnable game the week before, but it really provided us with an experience that helped us hang in Saturday. With a team as young as ours there is no shortage of teachable moments!

As mentioned, we were down big early at Concordia. However, our guys just kept grinding and we really played pretty well the final 33 minutes of the game. We never did make a huge run, but we played hard defensively without fouling, rebounded well (41-30 in our favour) and took care of the basketball with a very respectable 14 turnovers.

Freshman Forward Nick Harvey

We took our first lead with about 7 minutes to go and never relinquished the lead in the final 4:50 of the game. We had a lot of solid performances in the this game from our freshmen...Yassin Naji played some excellent D & grabbed an offensive rebound which sealed the win, Austin Macklem provided 19 minutes of turnover free basketball with some good D and 5 points, Abdul had 8 second half points which keyed our run, Big Jonah gave us some good minutes off the bench & is getting better (& fitter, he has lost over 55 pounds since August!) every day, but Nick Harvey who was returning to the line-up in a full time capacity after a concussion was the guy that really stood out from a freshmen perspective. He had 11 points & 13 rebounds in 26 minutes. He dominated the glass and made some key plays at crucial times. He, like a few of our freshmen, has a chance to be a special player here.

Jona Bermillo took over the 4th quarter scoring 11 of his 19 points down the stretch. Pete Weston continues to provide consistent play in the backcourt with Jona as he added 12 while playing a solid all around game.

The win leaves us at 1-3 in league play with only McGill having a record of better than 2-2. For a team that has had up to 7 freshmen figure prominently in our playing rotation we are not in bad shape. There have been some trying times due to our youth, but this team is a lot of fun to coach. Their work ethic & character allows them to get better each week. This bodes well for us heading into the New Year.

Also, just wanted publicly congratulate Gaiter alum,  Matt McLean, who was drafted by the NBL London Lightning. London is one of the top franchises in Canada's premier pro league and we want to wish Matt the very best when he attends their training camp in early December!  Matt has really worked hard to become a player and their is no doubt he would be a solid addition to their club.

We don't play again until January 7th at UQAM. Just a post Christmas Training Camp and no tournament this holiday season. I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season!
Rod

Gaiters Topped By Laval

Saturday vs. Laval

BU          27    23     5    21   -   76
UL          17    24    17   25   -   83

We had an opportunity to show how good we can be and how young we can be at times in this game. We shot 70% from the floor in the first half and had a 20 point lead at one point. However, we had 18

Freshman Forward Duncan Lambert

turnovers in the 1st half and 13 in the 3rd quarter! So despite shooting 48% from the floor and out-rebounding Laval 41-28 we lost because we did not take care of the ball.

We had some careless 1st quarter turnovers that we recovered from, but the wheels started to fall off in the final 5 minutes of the 2nd quarter and the 3rd quarter. However, despite having committed 31 turnovers in the first 3 quarters we were still only down 3 heading into the 4th. Unfortunately Laval had seized control of the momentum and we did not show that we have what it takes YET to recover from that. A lot of freshmen moments, but a lot of positives and much to learn from this.

Pete scored 19 points which was tops for us. Abdul & Jona had 15 & 14 respectively. Dave had 11 points, as did freshman Duncan Lambert. Duncan has been solid all year in practice and is earning more court time each game.

Saturday we close out the 1st semester at Concordia before our guys start final exams next week. The games are in the afternoon with the women playing @ 2:00 and the men playing @ 4:00. Hope to see you there!
Rod

Tough Start to League Play

Thursday @ UQAM

BU           12     14    17    32   -  75
UQAM     21    14    16    28   -  79

Jona...25 pts & 6 assists

As you can tell from the line score above, we essentially lost the game in the 1st quarter. We allowed ourselves to get bullied in the first quarter by an older crew. Regardless, I was happy our guys continued to battle despite a not so great start.

The 4th quarter got pretty exciting as we closed a double digit UQAM lead to 2 in the last couple of minutes. A couple of untimely turnovers hurt our cause, but overall our guys showed good poise. Jona almost single handedly brought us back scoring 20 points in the 4th quarter.  Unfortunately, it was not quite enough.

Jona led all scorers with 25 points & 6 assists. Dave added 18 & 7 rebounds. Abdul had 17 points and 6 rebounds while fellow freshman Yassin Naji collected a career high 11 rebounds.


Saturday vs. McGill (CIS #3)

BU          16    19    19    14   -   68
MU         20    26    24    26   -   94

Pete Weston...19 pts vs. McGill

We had trouble defending McGill all night. Even worse, we could not protect our own backboard as they had 24 offensive rebounds to our 21 defensive rebounds. The lack of rebounding combined with the 6 more turnovers than they had turned into 31 more shots for McGill than we attempted. Impossible to win with those stats and amazing that we actually hung around in the game that long...it was an 8 point game midway through the 3rd quarter.

McGill is very good and I would say could be ranked higher than #3 in the CIS. We competed for stretches, but as we found out against Carleton...the best teams in the CIS do not take possessions off. We are not there yet, but are getting better with each passing week.

Pete was our top scorer with 19 points. Jona & Abdul each kicked in 12 while Dave had a quiet 10 points.

Saturday we host Laval. They have some talented seniors who are always a challenge to stop. Defensively we will have to make some strides this week!

I will keep you posted.
Rod

Gaiter Split on New England Tour

Friday @ Worcester Polytechnic Institute

BU        32    45   -   77
WPI      35    32   -   67

This was definitely a good win for us. WPI beat us last year in Lennoxville and is a very good NCAA D3 program who does not lose too many games in their own gym.

We had a slow start and we were in risk of getting blown out. Fortunately we regained our composure

Freshman Wing Abdul Kamane

and reduced at 10 point deficit to 3 at the halftime buzzer. We were pretty solid on both ends of the court in the 2nd half and took control of the game in the final 5 minutes.

Big Jonah Fogg helped keep us in the game in first half scoring all 8 of his career high points in the 1st frame. He and fellow freshman Abdul Kamane were the lone bright spots in the 1st half offensively. Freshman Yassin Naji was excellent defensively after a weak first few minutes.

Abdul led all scorers with 21 points & added 4 assists. Jona & Pete chipped in with 19 & 14 respectively. Yasmin had 7 points & 7 rebounds in a nice performance off the bench.


Saturday @ American International College

BU      26     26   -   52
AIC     40     36   -   76

The story of this game as our 32 turnovers. We have not been close to that since early October. AIC certainly did a good job defensively, but we did not help ourselves. Despite that we got better this game and made some mistakes we will hopefully learn from. This group has been pretty resilient and has shown progress. So, a game like this should be a beneficial experience...we should find that out Thursday @ UQAM!

3rd Yr Guard Pete Weston

Pete led us in scoring with 17 points. Dave had 11 and 6 rebounds. Not much else to speak of from an offensive perspective. We had some decent moments defensively, but when you turn the ball over you are not putting your defense in a position to be successful!












This week we commence RSEQ League play. Thursday we travel to UQAM for an 8pm tip-off. UQAM is a team with talent & athleticism. There will be no easy victories in our league as each of the other 4 teams are experienced and talented. If Thursday is jumping into the frying pan, then Saturday is jumping into the fire! We host McGill and they are currently ranked #3 in the CIS. They return everyone from last year and have added a transfer & recruits that will make them even tougher. Both games will be excellent challenges for our young group and we look forward to having the support of the BU faithful both in Montreal Thursday and back here at Mitchell on Saturday.

I will keep you posted.
Rod