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Ryerson Rams lose to Baylor |
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Written by Source: Ryerson Athletics
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Monday, 15 August 2011 17:51 |
 TORONTO - Burlington, Ont. native Brady Heslip scored a game-high 28 points, including six shots from beyond the arc to give the visiting Baylor Bears a 93-71 victory over the host Ryerson Rams on Saturday evening.
With close to a capacity crowd of over 600 in attendance at Kerr Hall Gym, including many Baylor faithful who made the trip from as far south as Texas, the Bears did not disappoint, putting on a spectacle that included high-rising alley-oops as well as incredible individual skill from the likes of Heslip and projected NBA lottery pick Perry Jones III, who finished the contest with 21 points, two blocks and five rebounds.
In what was Ryerson's first non-conference game of the 2011-12 season, Rams Head Coach Roy Rana was pleased with the effort of his team against what he believes is a legitimate Final Four contender come March. "I thought the game was played at a high level and not overly sloppy. Both teams managed to keep the turnovers down. It was very competitive and the level of intensity was impressive."
Ryerson and Baylor combined for a total of 24 turnovers on the night, 17 of which came from the home team. The Bears also won the battle of the boards, but only slightly as they grabbed four more rebounds than Ryerson. This was a bit of a surprise when taking into account Baylor's prominent height advantage, particularly in their frontcourt.
No Rams player noticed this more than Bjorn Michaelsen. The 6'7'' forward picked up 26 minutes of court time, the majority of which he was matched with the 6'10'' Jones III (Duncanville, TX). Not an easy task for Michaelsen, who spent most of the 2010-11 year on the mend due to injury.
However, the Otterburn Park, Que. native was one of the hardest workers on the court, putting up a strong fight against the highest-ranked recruit in Baylor program history. Michaelsen had a strong second half, and recorded a team-high 18 points as well as four boards.
For Rana, Michaelsen's performance echoed the direction of the basketball program at Ryerson. "The message has consistently been about establishing a culture of competitiveness and work ethic and I thought our boys have really bought in. There was no quit in the Rams until the final buzzer."
After a lopsided first half that resulted in a 19-point Baylor lead going into the dressing room, the Rams re-grouped and played with the Bears for the full 20 minutes in the second stanza, losing the final half by just three points.
"The Baylor staff and players were very respectful of the effort and level of competition we provided," explained Rana.
Taking into account that the Rams were without their top two scorers from last year, CIS all-rookie selection Jahmal Jones and all-time single-season steals leader Ola Adegboruwa, further substantiates their strong performance.
The Bears were also without two of their top players on Saturday, as highly-touted freshman Quincy Miller (Chicago, IL) did not make the trip to Canada, while Quincy Acy (Mesquite, TX) sat out the game due to tendinitis.
Saturday evening's game marked the unveiling of Ryerson's new uniforms, complete with logo and branding. It was also the first Rams match for freshman Aaron Best (Toronto), who finished with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, as well as transfers Greg Osawe (Brampton, Ont.) and Nem Stankovic (Toronto).
Both Baylor and Ryerson fans alike stayed until the final buzzer, cheering on their respective teams and creating a great atmosphere for a non-conference game in the middle of August.
"Having Baylor in our gym at Kerr Hall only further establishes the credibility of our basketball program and shines a bright light on all the great things that are happening at (Ryerson)," stated Coach Rana.
"Having Bryan Colangelo (President and General Manager of the Toronto Raptors), and all of the most influential basketball people in Toronto in attendance was important for the reputation of Ryerson basketball. It was a very special night for us and the Toronto basketball community and will hopefully only help continue to build a following for Ryerson and CIS basketball."
"Toronto is a great city and the people have been really kind and hospitable to us," said Baylor head coach Scott Drew. "Basketball in Canada is on the uptick and with the two games Saturday, the atmosphere was unbelievable."
Prior to the Ryerson-Baylor contest, the Canadian Senior Men's National team defeated Belgium 79-74 before a sold-out crowd at Kerr Hall.
The Rams next game will take place on Thursday, September 1, when they will host George Brown. Ryerson will also travel to three NCAA schools; Santa Clara, Stanford and Rhode Island, from November 4-7 before opening the regular season against Laurier at Kerr Hall Gym on November 11.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 15 August 2011 17:59 )
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Canada stuns defending champs |
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Written by Source: CIS
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Monday, 15 August 2011 14:33 |
 SHENZHEN, China (CIS) – They will have to start calling Canada’s men’s basketball team at the 2011 26th Summer Universiade the ‘Cardio Kids’,
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Last Updated ( Monday, 15 August 2011 14:43 )
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CIS Football review: Laval |
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Written by Source: CIS
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Monday, 15 August 2011 14:27 |
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 A Laval, QC native, Fréderick had his first contact with a football when he was 11 years old when he made his debut with the Cowboys de Laval Centre-Sud. After a stint with the Bulldogs de Laval (Midget AAA), he chose the Couguars de Lennoxville to continue his career.
The choice payed off for the linebacker who was brilliant on the Eastern Townships campus: 163 tackles, 10 sacks and six interceptions in three seasons. His performance earned him two nominations on the provincial college All-Star team as well as interest from several American universities, including Buffalo, Louisville, Michigan, North Dakota and Baylor.
Upon reflection, it was with the Baylor University Bears (Waco, Texas) that the strapping 6'1'' and 245 pounder decided to continue his journey. But the environment he was placed in wasn’t a good fit for him, so he decided to return to his roots and follow the road to Université Laval in 2009.
Happy with his decision, the Consumer Sciences student has had a remarkable second season. He compiled 29 solos tackles, 17 assisted tackles and five sacks. He also managed three interceptions – including two in a single game – with one returned all the way for a touchdown.
These performances are even more impressive when one considers that the Laval defense has only conceded crumbs to its opponents this year. In addition to having allowed the fewest points per game average in Canada (6.4), the Rouge et Or is also the one that had to realize the fewest tackles per game in the country (42 in average).
Glen Constantin, Head Coach:
“Frédérick is definitely one of the most dynamic and productive defender in the country. He has great versatility due to amazing skill set. He has speed to cover receivers and the strength to take on lineman. He has accumulated impressive stats on a defensive unit that leads the conference with a league leading low average of 52 snaps per game. He has demonstrated game changing play ability by causing six of our conference leading 30 turnovers.”
Source: Stéphane Jobin, Université Laval / Photo credit Yan Dublet
Name: Frédérick Plesius
University: Laval
Hometown: Laval, Québec
Position: Defence
Academic program: Sciences de la consommation
Year of eligibility: 2
Height: 6-1
Weight: 245 |
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Universiade: Family reunion in Shenzhen |
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Written by Source: CIS
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Thursday, 11 August 2011 21:49 |
 SHENZHEN, China (CIS) – Growing up in Canada, the dream for any athlete is to have the opportunity to wear the Maple Leaf emblazoned across your chest at an international competition. For University of British Columbia men’s basketball player Nathan Yu, the dream intersects with his family’s personal journey, returning to the place his father called home to represent Canada at the 26th Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, China.
Yu, who hails from Prince George, B.C., is one of six Canadian athletes set to compete in Shenzhen either born in China or who hold Chinese passports, a list that includes John Chan (Taekwondo/UBC/Richmond, B.C.), Peng Guo (Table Tennis/Ecole de technologie supérieure/Montreal), Carl Ho (Tennis/University of New Mexico/Richmond, B.C.), Ling Kun Yang (Table Tennis/Vanier College/Laval, Que.) and Jessica Ho (Rhythmic Gymnastics/UBC/Vancouver).
Nathan’s father Simon left Hong Kong at the age of 16, sent to boarding school in Prince George without knowing a word of English. As a student, Simon watched one day as one of his teachers, an Irish immigrant by the name of John Furlong (the same Furlong who would later serve as chief executive officer for VANOC), picked up a basketball and connected on a half court shot. It was love at first sight.
Simon imparted his love for basketball to his children. Nathan’s older brother Jordan played three seasons at UBC and is now the head coach at Capilano University in North Vancouver, while Nathan starred at Vancouver College and in the fall returns to UBC for his fifth year of CIS eligibility.
But when news came that the 2011 Summer Universiade would be taking place in Shenzhen, less than a 45-minute drive from Hong Kong, excitement around the Yu household began to build.
“We knew it was going to be a possibility [of making the team], statistically I had a good [2010-11 season], but you don’t know until you get the call,” said Yu, whose Thunderbirds made their third straight CIS championship semifinal appearance this past spring. “And when I got the news, I remember calling my dad and he was just screaming, it was incredible because I knew how much this meant to him, the journey has come full circle.”
Simon is traveling to the games to watch his son and will be serving as an unofficial tour guide to the men’s basketball team. The plan involves taking the team to some local restaurants, shopping and possibly a trip in to Hong Kong depending on the team’s schedule.
Yu and Team Canada are in Pool B, and open the tournament on Saturday, August 13, against Turkey. The next day, the Canadians face the defending Universiade champions from Serbia. They then compete against Australia on August 17, before closing out pool play on Thursday, August 18, versus of all teams - Hong Kong.
Canada’s men’s basketball team has only been together for a week, however Yu has the added benefit of playing for his UBC head coach Kevin Hanson.
“Playing for Kevin here is awesome, we have a really good relationship and I know he is looking to me to be a leader on this team, because we are so familiar I can help communicate what he is trying to accomplish to the team,” he added. “[Team Canada’s] chemistry is good and we are getting along really well. We are in a really tough and physical pool, we just need to compete as hard as we can and leave it all on the floor.”
-CIS-
Photo credit Francois Laplante, Freestyle Photography |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 11 August 2011 22:02 )
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