blogsketball

Late is better than never, as my non-existent post on the game aspect of the Capital Hoops Classic proves. I’d say sorry, but i’m not really so lets just move on.

Coming into the game last night, the Gee-Gees sat second in the OUA East just behind Carleton and just ahead of Toronto having played one more game thanks to a Tuesday (huh?) game against Queen’s. Given that no one’s going to catch the Ravens for top spot in the division, this game was a showdown for second and home court into the playoffs. A pretty big game that felt even bigger because the Rogers Channel (like #10 Shaw in Edm) picked up the game and the stands were actually pretty packed for match up. Considering that 31cm of snow had just finised falling the turnout was amazing and there was a pretty good buzz in the gym.

The Gee-Gees were looking to get back at the Blues for a loss suffered in Hogtown on the 18th. Since then Ottawa’s weak point (depth) has become all to apparent as regulars Sean Peter and Jacob Gibson-Bascombe were out with injuries. Meanwhile, the VB’s were at full strength and looking to bounce back from the inevitable Friday loss against Carleton.

Before the action took centre stage though, it seems that Gee-Gees coach Dave DeAveiro and VB coach Mike Katz had a good laugh with each other since the entire VB’s squad were introduced as being from Austin, Texas while the Gee-Gee’s responded by having their first couple of starters as being from Kingston, Jamaica. Needless to say the references are well beyond this writer. The teams seemed to get a kick out of it anyhow.

As for the game? While, the first quarter was surprisingly tentative and U-G-L-Y and ended UT 14- UO 13 or, as the good Mr O put it in a different context a week ago “jr high style scoring.” Sadly, that wasn’t too far off the mark as neither side managed to hit shots and the only high point was the battle between Ottawa bigman Dax Dessureault and VB bigs Ahmed Nazmi and Andrew Wasik. The battles down low between these guys were vicious and the refs let them play physical at both ends. Alas, that’s still not much of a selling point for what should have been an offensive matchup.

The difference between that and the second quarter was night and day though. While Ottawa couldn’t seem to find the basket even if they’d been equipped with a ladder, flashlight, map and a clip of that shitty Heritage Moment, the VB’s seemed like they were re-enacting the Jordan-Bird commercial and making shots for everywhere. Rob Paris made 4-of-5 from behind the arc and threw the Gee-Gees into a tumult as they couldn’t defend inside without opening up calls from downtown and then when they tried to defend the three, Toronto fed the ball down low and put points up the dirty way. When the badly needed horn sounded for half, Toronto led 43-31 and it looked like the depleted Gee-Gees were going to be demolished on its home court.

Yeah, ’bout that…….it seems that the VB’s had packed the bus up over the break and only came up to start the second-half as a courtesy to the OUA and the Gee-Gees. Just like that girl the other week, that may have been a mistake. After being left for dead at the end of the 2nd quarter, the Gee-Gees found their talent and dashed off a 16-0 run over the first six minutes of the third and ended up with a 47-43 lead with just over four minutes left in the third. Being around Mr O, I’ve heard him talk about great runs but I can’t recall seeing one myself. While, Gee-Gees run was nothing short of impressive. Josh Gibson-Bascombe was the key to the comeback as he tossed in 8 of the points and proved he was amongst the best PG’s in the CIS.

Yet, as impressive as the Gee-Gees run was (and the ensuing meltdown Katz had during a time out after the 16th point), Toronto’s response was even better. Paris stepped up and drained a couple more three’s (VB’s would finish 7-14 from behind the arc) and Nazmi was a fore in the paint as Toronto re-established a 59-51 lead after three.

As in the third, the fourth quarter saw the Gee-Gees close the VB’s led and threaten to overtake them before they suffered another loss that’s more damaging then the one on the board. First though, the battle of the bigs would be highlighted by an absolutely nasty dunk by Nazmi off transition OVER the 6′8 Dessureault. A nice two-handed affair it put the exclamation point on the ongoing battle between the big men that had become chipper as the game progressed.

The defining moment in the game (and maybe for the Gee-Gees season) came after Ottawa closed the lead to 67-62 with just over three minutes left. Jumping in to grab a rebound, Josh Gibson-Bascombe got his legs tangled up with Andrew Wasik and landed awkwardly, twisting his knee as he landed. Gibson-Bascombe (who racked up a game-high 32 points) stayed down for a few minutes (which was punctuated by an ill-chosen playing of “Wipe Out”) and then limped off the court and spent the rest of the game hobbling along by the Gee-Gees bench. While the sub stepped in and drained both free-throws for Ottawa to close Toronto’s lead to just three, that was the beginning of the end for the Gee-Gees. With no one to run the point and their lack of depth (or experience depending on how you look at it) the VB’s pulled ahead and made their free-throws when the Gee-Gees resorted to fouling, finishing the game with a 78-69 win over Ottawa.

Odds and Sods:

• Coach Dave DeAveiro joined us on the radio show last Monday. The podcast link isn’t up (i’ll pass it along when it is) but it’ll be worth a listen since for the 30min he talks with us he provides some interesting insights.
• The UT women’s team provided a loud cheering section for the men’s during the game and had a few decent lines. Some of the better ones included “We wouldn’t mind one night with Paris” and “You have a pony tail? Shouldn’t you have been playing against us?” which was directed towards Gee-Gees guard Vlad Pislaru
• I personally extended a streak on Saturday as a member of the Gee-Gees gave me a talking to for the Fulcrum’s headline choice (”Classic Letdown”) on the cover last week. This makes it five straight years where a member of a team I’ve covered has disagreed with something the paper, editor or I have done and decided to let me know about it.
• A little more about Katz’s meltdown after the 16-0 Gee-Gees run to start the 3rd. With his team around him in the huddle he was yelling and waving his hands at the guys fresh off the court. To punctuate his point(s), Katz took the ever-present wipeboard and slammed it onto the ground a couple of times. A move that caused a couple of the reserves to trade small smiles i noticed.