Basketball V-Reds work in progress
Published Thursday November 5th, 2009
Brent Baker feels the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds are ready to step out of the AUS men's basketball conference cellar, but one step at a time, please.
"This is still a very young team," Baker said. "Let's put the anointing oil away for a while. We've still got a lot of work ahead of us. We're coming but it's going to be a work in progress."
Baker feels there's a top four and bottom four. He likes Dalhousie and Cape Breton "to fight it out for number one and probably St. FX and Saint Mary's for three and four. After that, it's up in the air."
He'd like to be the best of the rest - better than UPEI, Memorial and Acadia.
Last season, the V-Reds' 3-17 record left them eight points back of Acadia for the sixth and final playoff spot.
"I believe in our kids," Baker said. "The quality of player has improved. "Do I think we're there (as a top team) yet? No, I think we're one or two guys away. But with the degree of work ethic and toughness, I think we can persevere and get this thing done.
"We can be a playoff team."
Both UNB men's and women's teams host Dal on Friday and St. FX on Saturday at the UNB main gym. The women's games go at 6 p.m., the men's at 8.
The UNB men won four of 11 preseason games. Against AUS opponents, they lost by just two points to St. FX, lost by 33 to Saint Mary's and beat Memorial by six.
"We've got two tough teams in here, the AUS finalists from last season, so it will be one of our toughest weekends right off the bat."
Baker's starting five consists of six-foot-six Colton Wilson and Alex DesRoches down low, fifth-year veteran Mike Anderson and Antwann Parks on the wing and guard Jason Rouse, who was sidelined two weeks by back and ankle woes but "is 95 per cent now."
"It's been difficult," Baker said, "because Jason started off having a great impact for us. As a six-foot-four guy with speed and grit and toughness, he brings a lot to the table. When he went down for two weeks, we really missed his energy."
Parks "is on the cusp of doing something pretty good," Baker said. "He's one of those guys who needs a smash in the mouth a little bit (from opponents). Then he decides to play."
Wilson has had "as good a preseason as anybody we've had," the coach said. "He's (good for) 18-20 points a night in the low post. It's a hard grind down there."
DesRoches, until he got sick last weekend, "was getting a double-double every night and working very, very hard," Baker said. "Dustin Anthony just got back on the court last weekend, but he'll get it going in a little bit."
Patrick Kalala has filled in well for Rouse, but Kalala is nursing a foot injury.
Colin Adams "is a six-foot-six banger who does a good job," Baker said. "Mattias Zankpe, who's six-foot-eight, did a real good job against RMC, but then he hurt his foot and has been out for almost two weeks. Gamachu Ibrahim has had some really good moments and some really ordinary ones. But he's coming."
Daniel Quirion, arguably the top recruit out of the New Brunswick high school ranks this season, "had a rough weekend in the United States, but he does produce when he's out there. He definitely has all the skills and tools to be an AUS player."
Fredericton native Andy Wright, who transferred from Bishop's and is eligible Dec. 2, "is helping already in practice and stuff," Baker said. "I think he's going to come in and give us a really good spark."
Baker added, "We're moving in the right direction. We just have to really take care of our rebounding and be better in transition."
Jeff Speedy's UNB women finished with an 8-12 record last season, but only two of those wins were four-pointers, so the V-Reds were a distant 20 points back of St. FX for fourth.
UNB went 5-6 in the preseason, including wins by 10 (in overtime) and three points over Dal and X, respectively.
"We had a lot of very good moments, for sure," Speedy said. "But no coach ever comes out of the preseason, wipes his hands and says 'There, we're great, let's go.'''
Speedy says this year's team "is definitely better and works harder than last year's team. I think all 13 players and all of our coaches are on the same page."
That said, Speedy feels the conference is stronger this year, "so us being a little bit better than last year might not translate into running away with the league and being undefeated, right? I think every team is better except for one."
He believes defending champion Cape Breton, led by CIS scoring champion Kelsey Hodgson, "is definitely the team to beat. They didn't really lose anybody and they added a couple of good recruits."
Beyond that, "Memorial looks very tough and Acadia is ranked top 10 in the country right now."
For now, the V-Reds' focus is on Dal and St. FX.
"St. FX beat us five times last year and probably blew us out in three," Speedy said. "We beat Dal in overtime in our second game of the (pre)season, so we know we can compete with them. But we also know if we don't play our best game, they're good enough to beat us."
Speedy's starting five varies, but you can "put in ink" Amanda Sharpe, fellow fourth-year guard Jessica Steed and third-year forward Emma Russell.
"Amanda is a first team AUS all-star and I expect nothing less than that kind of play from her every day," Speedy said. "Jessica was injured off and on the preseason, but she's starting to show what she can do when she's healthy. Emma is playing the best basketball of her career here at UNB. There's no doubt she's ready to play 30 minutes a game at this level. I honestly believe those three players are potential AUS all-stars."
Fifth-year veteran Tashina Van Vlack and Megan Corby, formerly of Lakehead, are capably splitting point guard duties. Alicia Sterling, an ACAA All-Canadian for St. Thomas last season, is battling shin splits, but "she can be electric out there," Speedy said.
Danielle Scime from Hamilton, Ont., Moncton's Sam Kaminsky and Fredericton's Emily Corey are the rookies. All have been banged-up in the preseason.
Scime, Laura Fowler and Melissa Foster are all capable starters. Fowler, though, isn't all the way back from (ACL) knee surgery.
"It's fantastic to have options for starters," Speedy said. "Then it's not a Plan B or a Plan C. In fact, I'll bet you there will be very few games where we don't play 10 people."
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