BY SCOTT
HADDOW
Despite harsh odds, the Laurentian University men's basketball
team is confident they are true contenders and can compete with
the best in the OUA.
The squad plays its first two home games of the 2006-07 season,
starting with a tilt against Waterloo, tonight at the Ben Avery
Gymnasium. Game time is 8 pm. The Voyageurs then host Laurier
on Saturday night at 8 pm.
After a 8-14 2005-06 season and a bitter first-round playoff
exit at the hands of York 85-82, Laurentian finds themselves in
the middle of one of the toughest division in Canada.
Head coach Virgil Hill likes the make-up of his latest squad
and feels they have what it takes to give the big dogs of the
OUA a run for their money.
"This is the most talented team I've had in my seven years at
Laurentian," said the bench boss. "We have good height and
length, and more importantly we finally have a true point guard
in Ryan Vitrie.
"We're also deep on the bench," said Hill. "We can play many
different styles and we can match up against any other team
well."
Aside from Vitrie, Laurentian will lean on many players this
season, including six-foot guard Craig Bauslaugh and
six-foot-four forward Jason Brown.
"Craig might be the most explosive scorer in the whole league,"
said Hill. "Jason might be the best athlete in the league. I
don't think I'm far off in that assessment. These guys are
going to be key for us."
Hill expects his troops to battle for respect.
"We have the capabilities of being one of the Top Four teams in
the league," said the coach. "It's not shooting for the moon.
It's going to be a challenge…our league is the strongest in the
country right now. Every game is going to be a dog fight, no
question."
Making the playoffs aside, Hill wants his team to achieve
more.
"If we can reach our potential…that would be my goal from a
coaching perspective," said Hill. "Having said that, who knows
where that will go?"
The players have put the onus on themselves to deliver quality
basketball game-in-and-game-out in 2006-07.
"We're looking to make a lot of noise in the OUA," said guard
Darrel Drake. "We're looking to be one of the top teams and go
further than we did last year. It will not be easy at all. The
OUA East Division is hard…some of the best teams in the country
are in our division, but I think this team has a chance to do
some special things this season."
Laurentian is looking to run-and-gun with the opposition.
"We have to just play our game to have success," said Drake.
"We have to run and play defence because that wins
championships. We need to play together and basically do what
we do best and that's play offence because we have a lot of
guys who can score. This team never quits. We have a great
confidence in ourselves."
There's still room for improvement on the team overall, and
Hill is keeping an eagle's eye on the situation.
"Every game…like any championship team, we have to rebound the
defensive glass, make free throws at key moments and do the
little things," said Hill. "Rebounding the defensive glass has
been our Achilles Heel. Fans are going to see an exciting team.
We fly up and down the court. We're a fast-paced team and
that's how we like to play."
Time will tell the true destiny of this year's club.
"If this group can stay together…I have a feeling it could be
one of the Top Five teams in the country in a few years," said
Hill.
The Voyageurs feature two local products, six-foot-six second
year guard Brady Bolan and six-foot-two freshman Bryan
Davidson. Bolan will look to establish himself as more of a
contributing player, while Davidson will learn the ropes as a
rookie.
Laurentian started their 2006-07 regular season last week on
the road, but dropped their first two games to Brock and
Guelph.
