Hello again everyone, Conor Morgan checking back in with you!
Our team is coming off of a satisfying series with the Manitoba Bisons that was played with a lot of grit and energy. After the outcome of last year’s loss against them that knocked us out in the first round, it was not a very hard game to get excited for. This series was really good for us as it allowed our youth to get their feet wet in elimination basketball at this level. The best part about it is a lot of the young guys were the reason that we had so much success. Mason Bourcier from Kelowna Secondary has been exceptional for us at the point guard position all year and I think he is handling a stressful spot (especially at UBC) very well. The kid is so driven, and he can put his mind to anything, especially with the help of Grant Sheppard who was also a big target in the middle for us this past weekend. Grant can rebound, block shots, post up and he even has a very nice feathery touch from outside and between the two of them if they keep working together they are going to be very successful basketball players. Anthony Mcnish (AJ) another rookie had his best weekend of the year and I think that is just the personality he has. I see it as no surprise that he is playing his best defence and basketball at this time of year. Grant Adu was slashing very well both nights and was a big factor in our success as well. One of the best performances of the weekend was in 3rd year guard Taylor Brown, as on Friday night he hit 7 three pointers to set a new school playoff record.
Moving on from this weekend we look to get better and fix little idiosyncrasies that we can control. At the end of the day when you get to playoffs no successful team is going to change to much. Right now, personally I am completely locked into the playoffs and focused on the things that we can control as a team. This weekend we travel to Calgary for a best of three series with the winner of the series punching their ticket to Halifax for Nationals, in addition to having the shot at a Canada West title. Playoff time is a very exciting time as you are always playing to extend your season and when the pressure is on there is nothing quite like it.
This week, as we prepare for Calgary it’s a little bit different as it is reading week and campus is very dead. This has a lot of pros to it as guys can make sure they take care of business whether that be in the gym getting shots up, academics, sleep, things like nutrition are key factors during a week that we have no classes. Heading to Calgary for me is always a fun road trip, the reason I say this is it’s a rivalry that has been around for a long time and this year both teams are ranked in the top ten. This past summer I was fortunate enough to be apart of the FISU team and represent Canada in Taiwan at the world university games. David Kapinga and Mambi Diawara from Calgary were two players that were chosen for the team as well as head coach Dan Vanhoorne. The competitive relationship that I have with them will be another factor that will be exciting to have while playing in the games this weekend as I will know my opponents on a personal level. All three are very talented and good at what they do making them a top team in the nation much like us.
Overall this series will come down to who wants it more and who is going to play with more energy.
Check back in soon,
CM
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