Canada West Semi-Finals - Friday  (PAC U. of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon)

Game 1 -  6:15 CST,    CIS #4  Fraser Valley Cascades  vs  #5 Victoria  Vikes

Fraser Valley scores at a bit higher rate (83.4 to 81.1 for the Vikes) and they also have a solid  team rebounding record of a +6.4 average.  Their most dangerous offensive threats are the lefty wing man, Friesen, who scored 16.8 ppg, along with Kyle Grewal, a sharp-shooting forward who averaged 14.6 ppg and  7.1 rebounds.  Their top board man is Jasper Moedt at 7.6 rpg, but he gets lots of help from Friesen and Grewal in that department.  Coach Barnaby Craddock has championship experience as a player and a coach, and he has seen his Cascades mature over the past several seasons, and they are now #4 ranked in the CIS.   UFV have Sam Freeman, another double digit scorer (15.3 ppg) at guard, along with 5th year point man, Sheldon Bjorgaard, and 5th year transfer post, Mike james from Winnipeg, who will also be significant factors in their playing rotation.

This may be too tough to call, but Victoria may be the slight favourite with their senior stand-outs.

Game 2 - 8:15,   #3  Saskatchewan vs  #7 Alberta -  8:15 pm

These Prairie rivals have both had recent experience with the Final 4, and Saskatchewan won this championship in 2010 with Showron Glover, Michael Linklater, and Troy Gottselig leading the way.  Alberta’s last CW title was in 2005, when they beat Victoria in Edmonton under Coach Don Horwood.  The 2 coaches will both be looking for their 1st Canada West crown as head men, and Saskatchewan’s Barry Rawlyk, a long-time Saskatoon HS mentor, guided his team to the best record in the League at 16-4.  Greg Francis, an Ontario native with connections to the National Program as the Junior Coach for several years, owns 2 wins over Rawlyk in their League games this past fall at U of A.

Alberta has emerged as a force in Canada West with the coinciding maturation of wing man Jordan Baker, an all-star scorer (19.1 ppg), rebounder (10.5 rpg), and passer (3 apg). The powerful Baker can create his own shot or deliver the ball to teammates for theirs, and he often looks for guard Daniel Ferguson, who has run the point spot this season for the 1st time.  Ferguson is the top outside shooter, who averages 19.7 ppg with his gliding style.  ‘The 3rd Man’, Sahr Saffa, a 6-4 wing man, has found his scoring touch over the past couple of weeks, and , coupled with his defensive quickness, it makes him a major menace.  His defensive partner in crime is 5th year, Matthew Cardoza, a real stopper at 6-3.  Other major contributors for Alberta include a trio of forwards, Todd Bergen-Henengouwen,  6-5 , Robert Dewar, 6-11, and Lyndon Taylor, 6-7.  With a witheringly effective defensive scheme, Alberta allowed just 69.7 points against, and they stifled a high -powered UBC attack in the quarter-finals.  

On their home court, the Huskies have to be favoured, and their offense will be tough for even Alberta to stop.

Canada West Individual Awards

MVP -  Jamelle Barrett, Saskatchewan Huskies -  For the 2nd straight year, the Huskies explosive point man is picked as Canada West’s Outstanding Player, and it’s hard not to agree.  Barrett puts up numbers faster than any other player, he is the most dominant, and he gets the ball to his teammates as the League’s top assist man.  Incredible numbers so far in the playoffs.

Rookie of the Year - Ilarion Bonhomme, Brandon Bobcats - the point man for the ‘Cats really carried the load, especially after Emerick Ravier, Brandon’s top scorer, was lost to injury.  He is a set-up man who can score, and he has the quickness and composure to be a positive factor at both ends of the floor.

Defensive Player of the Year - Michael Lieffers, Saskatchewan Huskies - Lieffers is quick, aggressive, and a premier battler on the boards.  Not a bulky post at all, he relies on his skill and speed to defend in the paint and beyond.  He represented Canada in the 2011 Universiade Games in China.

Coach of the Year - Craig Beaucamp, Victoria Vikes - this is the 3rd time Beaucamp has been the recipient of this honour.  His Vikes captured the top spot in the Pacific Division, and have been a consistent CIS Top 10 squad all season. 

Ken Shields Award - Top Student Athlete - Calvin Westbrook, Trinity Western Spartans - a gifted 5th year offensive talent with one of the CIS’ smoothest jumpers, Westbrook is recognized for his academic work, and his outstanding team and community leadership as well.

ALL-STARS

First Team                                          Second Team
Jordan Baker,  Alberta                              Dominyc Coward, Lethbridge
Jamelle Barrett, Saskatchewan                                  Daniel Ferguson, Alberta
Joel Friesen, Fraser Valley                                  Tyler Fidler, Calgary
Ryan MacKinnon, Victoria                                Justin King, Thompson Rivers
Nathan Yu, UBC                                 Michael Lieffers, Saskatchewan

More detail at the Canada West web-site

                                                                                   

Quebec Final Set

In the Quebec Semi-Finals last night it was -

Concordia 66  Laval 65

UQAM 75  McGill 72

So the Stingers, the regular season 1st place finishers, will face the Citadins, who were upset winners over McGill after having finished 3rd in league play.  That game is Saturday, at Concordia’s  ‘Bee Hive’.

Notes - 

1. •  Good article on 2nd year Saskatchewan guard  Ben Baker, in the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix from Darren Vary.  Baker can be very effective as a shooter and a defender, playing off the bench.
   

2. • The CIS continues to suffer the enmity of CIS fans disappointed in the failure to come up with a national  broadcaster for the Final 8 from Halifax. The cable streaming of the Men’s and Women’s  National Finals by Eastlink and Shaw respectively do not guarantee the games will be live across the country.  -  We tend to agree with commentators who suggest that the CIS has to see this as a major let-down, and that Canadian broadcasters are not doing the job of promoting CIS Sport.  They find it easier and less expensive to pick up U.S. games, and the Canadian product goes begging.  It seems from this quarter that the CIS and it’s member conferences and schools need to get control of their own marketing and broadcasting future by establishing a CIS Network.  Easier said than done, but it looks to be critical to the future of our sports programs.
   

3. • The Mount Royal Cougars, in their final waltz in the ACAC, are hosting the Final 4 for that hyper-competitive college league this weekend. On Friday night at 6 pm the Cougars (15-3), the #1 team in the South, will play the NAIT Ooks, who were 16-4 in the regular season, and the 2nd game features the Grant MacEwan Griffins (9-11) and the Red Deer College Kings (11-7) at 8 pm at MRU.  The Lakeland Rustlers, who went through the regular season at 22-0, and who were the #1 ranked Canadian Colleges team, suffered a huge upset at the hands of the 5th place Griffins, who were a wildcard selection.  The winners of these semi-finals will play in the final on Saturday at 8 pm.
   

4. • Saskatoon is a busy place this weekend, as the city also plays host to the Canadian Men’s Brier Curling Championships.  This popular event has put a crimp into travel plans for  the teams and their fans for the Canada West Final 4, with the Vikes and Cascades having to come from the coast, with a limited number of flights available.  It has taken some creative re-routing by plane via Regina and a bus up to Saskatoon, but the participants arrived Thursday for practices.