Men's Basketball | 11/9/2017 12:05:00 AM
MONTREAL -- The McGill University men's basketball team officially begins their 117th season tonight (Nov. 9, 2017) when they tip-off against visiting Laval at 7 p.m. in Love Competition Hall, located at 475 avenue des pins ouest. Tickets, which are available online or at the door, cost only $5 for students and senior citizens, while adults are $10 and children 12-and-under are admitted free.
The Redmen are coming off their fourth RSEQ championship in five years. They return four starters from last season when they registered a stellar 13-3 record and head coach David DeAveiro brings an 151-104 overall record, including an 81-31 regular season mark into his eighth campaign at McGill. His squad features eight seniors, one junior, three sophomores and seven freshmen. Leading a veteran offence is former all-Canadian Francois Bourque and two-time all-star Jenning Leung, along with seniors Sebastian Beckett and Noah Daoust. The backcourt will be anchored by all-Canadian Dele Ogundokun and point-guard Alex Paquin, an NCAA transfer from American University in Washington. Ogundokun was the league's player of the year in 2016-17 and was also voted as the league's most outstanding defensive player for the third consecutive season.
"Our season promises to be a difficult one," cautions DeAveiro. "Our conference continues to place a bull's eye on our back and our team will have to be at its best to repeat as Quebec champions and get back to the Final Eight national championship. Thursday night will be a very good test for us as Laval always poses challenges for us. They are dynamic and well-coached."
The Rouge et Or are coming off a 6-10 fourth-place finish but return four of their five starters. Head coach Jacques Paiement's troops have seen their playoff runs end in the semifinals in each of their last four seasons. But with only two players lost from last year they have a good shot at venturing deeper into post-season play. Among their returning veterans is all-star Alexandre Leclerc who is back after playing for Canada at the world university games in Taipei this past summer.
The UQAM Citadins are coming off an 8-8 third-place finish but upset Concordia in last year's semifinal before losing 82-65 to McGill in the conference championship game. This season, new head coach Mario Joseph's fresh philosophy has already resonated with his young team which will have to soldier on without all-star Greishe Clerjuste to start the season due to injury. The Citadins will count on newcomer Christopher Adu from College Montmorency to assist sophomore Misi Boye Jeanneau and junior Charles Miller. UQAM flashed their hardworking style during the preseason where they posted a 3-4 record against Canadian opponents and will now look to reach the provincial final for the third-straight year.
The Concordia Stingers, under the guidance of third-year head coach Rastko Popovic, are coming off an 11-5 second-place finish but were upset by UQAM in the semifinal. They posted a 5-6 preseason record against Canadian opposition, led by three-time all-star Ken Beaulieu and veteran guard Ricardo Monge. Four rookies and one transfer join a deep squad, one that features guard Jonathan Koud, a Montrealer who returned home from Northwest College to suit up for the Stingers.
The Bishop's Gaiters are coming off a disappointing 2-14 last-place finish and looking to head back to the post-season after a two-year absence. Head coach Rod Gilpin's team has 10 returning players from last season, most notably five third-year players, led by Abdul Kamane, who earned RSEQ rookie-of-the-year honours last season. The Montrealer averaged 13 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in his rookie campaign and has led the way so far in the preseason, with an average of 13.7 points in the Gaiters' non-conference games. Fifth-year forward David Belanger, a Sherbrooke native, returns after averaging 11.3 points and 6.1 rebounds in an injury-shortened season.
Once the RSEQ's 40-game regular-season is in the books for 2017-18, the four top teams in the conference will reach the Final Four championship, Feb. 28 to Mar. 3. The league champion will advance to the U SPORTS Final Eight tournament in Halifax, Mar. 8-11.
