2012 Subway AUS MenÕs Basketball Championship Preview
The 2012 Subway AUS Men’s Basketball Championships will be held in Halifax, NS this weekend from March 2-4 at the Halifax Metro Center. StFX, Acadia, UPEI, Cape Breton, Dalhousie and Saint Mary’s will be the six teams competing for the AUS crown. The top two teams from the AUS will than move on to compete in the CIS national championship tournament in Halifax the following weekend from March 9-12.
2012 Subway AUS Men’s Basketball Championship Schedule:
Friday, March 2nd
Quarterfinal #1, 6:00 pm: Cape Breton (4) vs. Dalhousie (5)
Quarterfinal #2, 8:15 pm: UPEI (3) vs Saint Mary’s (6)
Saturday, March 3rd
Semi-final #1, 6:00 pm: StFX (1) vs Winner of Quarterfinal #1
Semi-final #2, 8:15 pm: Acadia (2) vs Winner of Quarterfinal #2
Sunday, March 4th
Championship Game, 2:00 pm: Semi-final Winners
TEAM PREVIEWS
FIRST PLACE: StFX X-MEN
16-4 record with 46 points.
9-0 home record and 7-4 away record
Key Players:
Terry Thomas: 3rd in AUS conference scoring (18.9 ppg)
Jeremy Dunn: 10th in AUS conference scoring (15.9 ppg)
Tyrell Vernon: 3rd in AUS conference in assists (5.05/game)
Team Stats:
First in AUS in defensive rebounds (35.7 avg.), blocked shots (72) and scoring defense (74.1 avg.)
Second in CIS in blocked shots and fourth in assists per game (17.8)
StFX head coach, Steve Konchalski:
“With the AUS sudden death format played on a neutral court, every game is always hotly contested and this year will be no exception. Our emphasis will be on the defensive end of the floor as we were the stingiest team in the league in the regular season giving up 74.1 ppg.”
SECOND PLACE: ACADIA AXEMEN
14-6 record with 38 points
8-2 home record and 6-4 away record
Key Players:
Anthony Sears: 6th in AUS conference scoring (17.4 ppg)
Owen Klassen: 9th in AUS conference scoring (16.4 ppg)
Sean Stoqua: 2nd in AUS conference in three point percentage (.472)
Team Stats:
First in AUS in three point field goal percentage (.372), and three point field goal percentage defense (.309)
Second in CIS in three point attempts made per game (9.2) and fourth in blocks per game (3.4)
Acadia head coach, Steve Baur:
“The AUS playoffs are always an exciting time of year and we are eager to get on the floor. After last year’s playoffs we are well aware that the playoffs are a new season and every game is now your season.”
“Heading into the playoffs we think our keys are defense and our three point shooting. We have a lot of confidence in our defense to keep us in games, and we have one of the league’s top inside players in Owen Klassen. He draws a lot of attention, so we need to make shots to give him room to play on the inside.”
THIRD PLACE: UPEI PANTHERS
13-7 record with 36 points
10-0 home record and 3-7 away record
Key Players:
Donathan Moss: 4th in AUS conference scoring (18.0 ppg)
Manock Lual: 5th in AUS conference scoring (17.8 ppg)
Jonathan Cooper: 8th in AUS conference scoring (17.2 ppg)
Team Stats:
First in AUS conference in scoring offense (88.9 avg.) and rebounding margin (+5.2)
Second in CIS in offensive rebounds per game (15.3) and fourth in points per game (88.9)
UPEI head coach, Tim Kendrick:
“We are very excited to be heading to the Metro Centre for the AUS playoffs. We like to play attack style basketball and we are hoping to compete as best as we can.”
FOURTH PLACE: CAPE BRETON CAPERS
11-9 record with 32 points
8-3 home record and 3-6 away record
Key Players:
Jimmy Dorsey: 4th in CIS scoring and 1st in AUS conference scoring (22.8 ppg)
Al Alilovic: 12th in AUS conference scoring (15.6 ppg)
Arild Geugjes: 1st in AUS in field goal percentage (.591) and 6th in offensive rebounds (3.00 avg.)
Team Stats:
First in AUS conference in assists (407) and second in three point field goals made (162)
First in CIS in assists per game (20.4) and eighth in points per game (85.6)
Cape Breton head coach, Thom Gillespie:
“We have been inconsistent the past few weeks, particularly in our defensive rebounding and execution on offense. If we can upgrade in those two areas, we could provide formidable opposition to anyone we face this weekend.”
“Our team is generally healthy, just have typical bangs and bruises associated with the six month season.”
“Our team performs well when we transition attack under control, defensively we mix up our style in an effort to disrupt our opponents but have been most successful with good half court man to man.”
FIFTH PLACE: DALHOUSIE TIGERS
9-11 record with 26 points
4-5 home record and 5-6 away record
Key Players:
William Yengue: 6th in AUS conference rebounding (7.3/game) and 1st in three point field goal percentage (.500)
Casey Fox: Averages 14.3 points per game
Robert Nortman: Averages 14.2 points per game
Team Stats:
First in AUS conference in rebounding offense (836) and third in scoring defense (80.6)
First in CIS in offensive rebounds per game (16.5) and fourth in total rebounds (41.8)
SIXTH PLACE: SAINT MARY'S HUSKIES
9-11 record with 24 points
6-4 home record and 3-7 away record
Key Players:
Tory Fassett: 5th in CIS scoring and 2nd in AUS conference scoring (21.3 ppg)
Jerome Smith: 6th in AUS conference in assists (4.50/game)
Brian Rouse: 5th in AUS conference in field goal percentage (.534)
Team Stats:
First in AUS conference in field goal percentage (.461) and defensive rebounds (530)
Fifth in CIS in offensive rebounds per game (14.3) and sixth in field goal percentage
Saint Mary’s head coach, Ross Quackenbush:
“I am generally pleased with our teams play in the second term. I think there are six teams that could win this weekend and a close look at the game results throughout the term would seem to bear that out. Championship basketball requires defense, including rebounding, and good execution offensively, getting good shots and limiting turnovers.”
“I would describe our style as “we play basketball”, prepared to run up and down or grind it out in the half court depending on the circumstances.”